Mark made his way across the street as the little 'walk' sign lit up on the other side. His headphones added a much-needed soundtrack to this uneventful distance from his apartment to his usual Sunday morning haunt, the coffee shop around the corner. Sweat was starting to spread onto his t-shirt as the heat of the summer day took its toll.
He was feeling pretty good this morning. On those rare mornings when he scrounged up the motivation to go for an extended run, he always ended up feeling pretty good about the decision. He would almost definitely not ruin that discipline with a donut to go with his coffee today. He would not fill up on sugar and carbs today and would totally just have a cup of coffee.
Mark knew the bell above the front door rang as he entered, even though he could not hear it over the song playing through his headphones. The smell of coffee warmly greeted him at the same time as the air-conditioning. The front counter was all the way at the back on the other side of shop. Mark thought to himself about his order, trying not to look at the donuts behind the counter as he made his way passed the tables.
There was a flash of movement to his right, in the direction of his usual table. Mark's eyes instinctively shot over, find the source of the disruption.
Was that woman...waving? At him?
Mark blinked. He took a moment to take in what he was seeing. Her eyes were a shocking shade of brightest blue, and they seemed to be pointed straight at him. Her face was angelic and pale, her skin flawless. A mane of golden hair fell past her shoulders. A pair of luscious lips parted to reveal a small army of dazzling teeth, and a wide-inviting smile. One hand was waving, one was set firmly on the table, holding a ceramic coffee mug she must have brought from home. Her waving motion made her chest jiggle; and what a chest it was! Even from her seat, he could tell that her slender, taut waistline grew into a bountiful pair of perfect, perky breasts, their cleavage visible from beneath a blue crop top that amplified the color of her eyes.
Mark froze as excitement and confusion battled in his mind until, perhaps a second later than it should have, sense returned to him. He had definitely never seen this woman before, and he was certain nobody could forget meeting her. Someone must have come in behind him, and he had not heard over the music in his ears. Mark briefly glanced back behind him at the front door of the coffee shop to see who the lucky newcomer was...but saw no one.
Mark turned back to the woman's table. Her waving hand was now pointing directly at him, and now it was waving him over, gesturing for him to come over to her table. Mark's legs started carrying him over without being asked, his eyes could only watch as her table grew closer. To his relief, he stopped walking about a pace away. This was good; getting too close to this goddess would certainly have resulted in him embarrassing himself. He opened his mouth to speak. He was not sure what he would say to this stranger but maybe he could kick things off with 'hi'. He honestly wasn't sure at the moment; thinking was proving to be hard in her presence. Before he could speak, however, she gestured for him to sit in the chair opposite her, her smile having somehow widened to be even brighter and more beautiful. Mark realized he must have looked silly standing there as she sat, clearly waiting for him.
Mark took the seat across the table and looked up into her eyes. He tried to determine their true intentions but saw only joy and sincerity. Her eyes seemed genuinely happy to see him, to stare and drink him, but then her smile faltered slightly, and her eyes flicked to his ear and back.
What? Oh! He was still wearing his headphones. Mark quickly pulled them off his head and set them aside and worried he had already ruined...whatever this was... with his rudeness. But as he looked back over at her, he could not help but notice that her hands had found their way into her lap, and her biceps were gently squeezing breasts together.
Her smile had returned to full watt-capacity, "Hi!"
Her voice was perfect. Mark felt that she was not being fair. He wanted to match her friendly, excited energy, but he still had no idea what was going on.
"Hi," Mark had tried to convey the number one question on his mind, hoping that maybe she would save him from having to ask.
"I'm so glad I caught you! The barista said you usually came in for coffee around this time." She maintained her excited expression as her pert nose scrunched up on her face. "God, does that make me sound like a creeper? Sorry, I've just really been wanting to see you again, to officially meet you!"
See him again? Who did she think he was? Mark stared for a moment at the girl, for a girl she was. Something about the confidence in the way she held herself made him initially think of someone much older, but now he realized that she could not have been older than 21. He racked his memory for answers until...
"The coffee thief!" His outburst was a little bit too loud. He definitely should not have shouted that in this cafΓ©, but as he looked around, he didn't think that anyone had noticed.
"Hey!" the girl was giggling, clearly not at all offended by her new title. "You were my accomplice, mister! You're just as culpable as I am."
That was an understatement, Mark remembered now. He pictured the scene from a couple of weeks before. The barista had been in the or else outside having a smoke, and she had grown frustrated waiting for them, wanting only a quick refill. It was not really stealing, really, but he had been the one to reach across the counter to grab of slightly aged house coffee. Refills were free here, but still her conspiratorial smirk had made him feel heroic, if only for a moment.
Still though, the gratitude she had shown him that day, seeming appropriately mild at the time, did not at all match the affection in her eyes as she looked him now.
"I'm Amber, by the way."
"I'm Mark." Mark felt that he still had not really sunk into this conversation. His ongoing confusion was stalling his answers slightly.
"Mark. That's a great name! It really fits , doesn't it? Mark and Amber!" She giggled again. Mark's heart skipped a beat every time she did that.