The Guy at the Coffee Shop

As it were, it was the last Sunday of winter that Frank heard words from Gerard other than ‘Can I get a flat white?’. It was a cold day, but it wasn't snowing. It was obvious winter was at its end, but it was also obvious it wanted to hang on just that bit longer.

It was crazy to think Frank had spent three months watching a guy he didn’t know, simply intrigued by just the way he looked and by the way he always sat alone with just his coffee and sometimes, his notebook.

It was crazy to think Frank had spent his winter keeping his eyes out for when a dark-haired regular would walk into Elsarara, and when he did, he’d glance up to him and watch him with a fascination like he’d never had for anyone else before.

It was crazy to think that’s what Frank spent his time doing, but he did.

And from initially the curious glances upwards to the long stares that Frank found himself wound up in, his gaze changed over the winter. Admittedly, Frank found himself looking over the guy whenever he walked in and whenever he walked out. From head to toe, he watched the way every part of his body looked from when he was standing waiting for his drink, to when he was sitting with that drink or when he was walking back out after a lengthy stay.

Shamelessly, Frank was checking the guy out. From when he walked in to when he sat to when he walked back out again, Frank found his eyes looking over the guy pretty completely. Obviously, he liked what he saw and obviously, what he liked most was probably the guy’s face.

Which brought Frank back to his unanswered question: what was his name?

On the final Sunday of winter, Frank set himself the challenge to try and find out exactly that. And it wasn’t often he set himself a challenge and didn’t at least attempt it.

Four-thirty came around that last winter Sunday and so did Gerard. Walking in like he had done every time before that, there wasn’t any difference in the way he visited the coffee shop that day.

Approaching the counter was something he’d done many times before and just like every time before then, he lifted his head just a bit to see the menu board.

“Uh,” Gerard mumbled as he stuck his hand into his jeans pocket. “Can I get a flat white?” he asked. His eyes moved back down from the board then as he pulled out his wallet.

Pulling out a few notes, the dark-haired, pale guy handed over his money before Frank got his change. Then, nodding at the order, he moved off to make the drink.

As he made the coffee, Frank found himself guilty of glancing up more than once to the guy, just watching quietly as he stood there in quiet patience for his drink.

The guy’s eyes didn’t move onto his, Frank noticed. They stayed down on the ground – what he was looking at, Frank had no idea.

His drink made, Frank pushed the cup across the counter. He watched then as the guy glanced up. There was brief eye contact as Gerard just nodded and took the drink. There was no ‘thanks’ but the nod was enough for Frank. Smiling to himself more than anything, Frank watched as the guy headed off for his own table just like had every time before that.

There were a few more customers before Gerard left that day. But he stayed a while and so he outlived each one of those other customers' visits by far.

In fact, Gerard was the last one still sitting, just drinking his coffee that day. Whether it was ‘fate’ or not, Frank didn’t know – he didn’t care. It was just good luck. It shaped how things were to come.

Gerard hadn't’t brought his notebook that day, Frank noticed. He just sat with his drink in his hand. It lasted him a while and it was obvious by the time he finished the flat white it would’ve long been cold. And either Gerard didn’t notice or he didn’t mind, because he sat sipping at it occasionally just as contently as he had when he’d first sat down with it.

Whether it seemed odd or not, by the end of the day, Frank had worked up the courage to approach the guy. He’d noticed everything before then, though. He noticed the way he’d walked in, he noticed the way he’d sat alone and he’d noticed the way he’d barely moved besides a few repositionings of how he sat.

And by the end of the day it was either Frank had worked up the courage to approach the guy or he’d just seen the end of the day as a good opportunity to speak to him. Because it was just the two of them then. All other customers had come and gone and Frank knew he had to close the place sooner rather than later.

Taking off his barista’s name badge, Frank placed it down on a secluded section of the counter before he walked out from behind it. It was the first time he had while Gerard had been there.

The guy didn’t notice him at first, of course. He kept his eyes on his own situation and even when Frank was in his peripherals, Gerard didn’t notice him. Not that Frank minded.

For one, as he walked over it gave him a closer look of the guy. Up close and personal, that kind of thing.

And it wasn’t until Frank sat down opposite Gerard that the guy actually looked up.

He looked confused first. And then he glanced to the counter where Frank usually stood. It was when he looked back that the guy spoke the first words Frank heard from him besides ‘Can I get a flat white?’.

It was different words, but it was still a question, as it turned out.

“You work here right?” Gerard asked. And then a realisation dawned on him. “Oh,” he muttered. “It’s closing time, isn’t it?” he added.

He was quick to apologise then and just as he firmed his grip on his empty coffee cup and went to stand, Frank quickly shook his head.

“No, no,” he disagreed. “Well,” he thought about it. “It will be in a bit but… I just came to talk to you.”

Visibly confused again, it was also obvious Gerard was trying to hide his uncertainty.

But it could be heard in his voice.

“Okay,” he said wearily. It sounded more like a question.

“So do you like this place?” Frank asked a bit off topically.

“Uh… yeah,” was Gerard’s answer. “It’s nice.”

Frank nodded. A thought came into his mind then and he laughed, turning his head away and down as he tried to hide the amusement on his face that showed through his smile.

“What?”

Looking up, Frank saw that the guy across from him had the tiniest of smiles on his face too.

Shaking his head, Frank mumbled his reply. “It’s stupid,” was all he said.

“What is?” Gerard asked.

Shaking his head again, a little more uncertainly this time, Frank decided it probably wasn’t the best look laughing at something and then refusing to say what he was so amused by.

“I was,” Frank started, shaking his head just once again, the smile reappearing on his face. “I was just going to ask you if you wanted to… you know, get a coffee or something,” he revealed. “And then I kind of realised how lame it sounded considering.”

Quiet for a moment, Gerard looked down at the empty coffee his hand was still wrapped around. Slowly, a small smile of his own appeared on his face. Only when it had faded did he look up.

“Well,” he said. “You can get me another…” he suggested. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Frank watched as the smile the guy had refused to look up wearing spread across his face again. He looked down again then, too.

“I guess I don’t need to ask what,” he said then, obviously referring to the drink.

The guy at the coffee shop who now sat directly opposite him laughed then.

“Flat white,” was all he said for a moment. He looked up again. “Please.”

Nodding, Frank stood up and just like he had done so many times before, he moved off to get the guy his same ordered drink. There was a bigger sense of promise to the act now, but at the same time, it was unknown territory. Unlike all the times before, he had no idea how the guy at the coffee shop’s visit was going to end.