Rockstar Romance

FOUR

„Hi... Bea.“ And then he just looks at me with those eyes.

I must be dreaming, this can't be real.

Lucas picks up one of the creme filled donuts and takes a bite out of it. He closes his eyes and sighs blissfully. „Mmh! So good!“

„I told you, they are the best!“ I laugh.

„Oh, you were not lying!“ He pushes the paper tray with the second donut towards me.

„Here, I got this one for you!“ He looks at me eagerly and I feel myself blush. I don't like people watching me eat, especially guys I find cute. But I can't make a fool out of myself again plus I haven't had time for breakfast and these donuts ARE really good. I take a big bite out ouf my donut and smile at him. I notice him watching me eat, but surprisingly it doesn't bother me.

We both finish our donuts in silence and I feel myself relaxing slightly. I am so glad it's still early and business is slow. I would have hated for some annoying customer to wreck this moment.

Lucas washes down the last bite of his donut with his coffee. I get the feeling he is preparing to leave, so I try my hardest to think of something smart to say. I still can't believe how nice he is being to me.

He puts his empty cup back on the counter. „Well, this was delicious. Definitely made me want more.“ The way he looks at me makes my mind go blank again.

„You...you are welcome to stop by anytime.“ I manage to say.

„Actually, I would love to hang around longer now, but I really do need to go. But yes, I will be back. You were right, these must be the best donuts in town! Speaking of which, could Iget six more of those? The boys are gonna love them!“

„Of course, no problem, would you like anything else with that?“ I look up to see him digging in his bag for who knows what – his wallet is already on the counter.

„Actually, yes! Why don't you get me three more coffees to go. I'm in a generous mood today. Another regular like mine, and two cappuchinos, one of them with hazelnut syrup, please.“

I can still hear him going through his bag while I start preparing the coffees. I work slowly, all the while trying to think of something smart to say. What can I do to make him remember me, what can I do to get him to come back? Should I ask him for an autograph? No. No, absolutely not. If I do that I'll come across as just another fangirl.

I place the three large cups in a cardboard tray, so he can comfortably carry them, and put it on the counter next to his donut bag.

„That will be 29,50 please“ I say.

„Here you go, the rest is for you“ he says and nods to the bill he already put on the counter.

It's a 100 Dollar bill.„

That's a 100 Dollar bill“, I say out loud.

He rewards me with one of those incredible laughs „The tip should match the service, right?“ He winks at me, throws his bookbag over his shoulder, leans over the counter and slides the money towards me. His fingertips brush mine. „Have a wonderful day“, he whispers.

And before I can say anything, he is gone.

I must have stood like this for a while, because the next thing I notice is a repeated „ahem...ahem“. An elderly shopper is patiently waiting for me to attend to his morning coffee needs. I slide the 100 Dollar bill into my apron pocket. I will have to take care of the cash register later. My brain is barely functioning at this point. I mechanically operate the coffee machine. By the time I am done, two more shoppers are waiting in line. Business is slowly picking up.

The rest of the morning passes like in a dream. One of my colleagues, Mel, comes in a little after 1:00 pm and we work through the busy afternoon hours together. I'm not close to her, so she doesn't notice my absent minded behavior. My shift ends at 04:30. The shoppers' need for coffee and sweets has subsided and Mel will cover the evening hours and cleanup alone. I go to the back room to change. Suddenly I remember the bill that's still in my apron pocket. I almost forgot. I wait until Mel is busy with a customer, then I type the amount of Lucas' order in the cash register. I put 30 dollars from my own wallet in the register.

I am never going to spend the bill Lucas gave me.