Coffee Shop Smiles

Jade stands behind the counter of the coffee shop he manages, waiting for his new employee to show. He taps his fingers on the counter and glances up at the clock and shakes his head. Ten minutes late. First day on the job and the kid's already late. The twenty-four year old college student assumes it's some high school junior's first job. He had only glanced at the guy's picture in his file.

Jade looks up as the door chimes. He sees a guy, about twenty-one, strutting up to the counter. He looks like the guy from the photo he had glanced at a few moments earlier. "Are you Ryder?" Jade huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. He wasn't expecting this new guy to be so attractive. That doesn't mean that he was going to be any nicer to him.

The twenty-one year old nods, "Yeah. I'm sorry I'm late. The professor's lecture went over time and then I had to walk here because I don't have a car and that took a long time," the kid takes a deep breath, "I assume you're Jade?"

Jade simply nods and holds the counter's door open and let's Ryder behind it. It swings closed behind him violently. Jade tosses him a black shirt and instructs him to put it on in the back. He also tosses a hat at the new cashier, ordering him to wear that as well. It's the attire that the whole staff has to wear. Normally they have to wear khaki pants but since Ryder didn't have any time to change, Jade doesn't penalize him. The twenty-four year old watches as his employee walks into the back to change.

He can't help but admit the boy is attractive. Sand colored hair and light brown eyes, he's adorable. His lips are a lighter shade of pink than his own, something he's instantly envious of. He licks his lips automatically. He only knows the kid's name yet there's a physical attraction he can't seem to shake.

Ryder steps back into the storefront and over to Jade, pulling the hat over his head, "Alright. Better?" He grins, showing off slightly crooked teeth. Although they're a little crooked, Ryder's teeth are blindingly white and it makes Jade want to smile. He doesn't. He's not a very emotionally expressive guy. Him and his twin sister had never been big on emotions, something that angered their parents to no end.

Jade nods, "Much. Now come." He beckons the younger male over to the cash register. He starts schooling him on how to use the cash register, showing him how to open it and which buttons to press for certain drinks and foods, "If you're still working here in six months, they'll eventually teach you how to cook some of the baked goods we offer and also teach how to make the coffee."

"Do you know how to make them?" Ryder asks, cocking an eyebrow. He believes that Jade can't be any older than he is.

Jade nods, "I've been working here since I started college when I was eighteen. That's how I become the employee manager." He leans on the counter across from Ryder.

"This might be rude, but how old are you now?" Ryder is curious.

"Twenty-four."

Ryder immediately busts into explosive laughter. A few patrons in the shop lift their heads and look in their direction. Jade turns red in embarrassment, "What's so funny?"

"You can't be twenty-four. I'm twenty-one and you look younger than I am." Ryder says sincerely.

Jade rolls his eyes, "Well, you're not here to discuss my age. Or yours. Now get to work. We do have customers waiting and we're low on staff." He gestures towards some of the waiting customers at the register. Ryder looks over his shoulder and jumps to face the customers. He's busy working in flash, something that shocks Jade. He didn't actually expect the guy to have strong worth ethic. He seems more of a jock type who could care less about working.

Jade and Ryder work together well, filling coffee orders in a short amount of time. Jade's always been great at his job which is why he became manager. He knows that he'll have to quit eventually once he gets his masters degree but for now, the coffee shop job is all he needs. It's hard work up against his school work.

The afternoon rush dies down at around five PM and Ryder is given the job of mopping the floor. Jade leans his elbows on the counter as he watches Ryder move the mop back and forth across the tile, putting way too much water on the floor. He doesn't say anything though; he wants his new employee to realize his mistakes and correct them himself. That's the only way you're gonna learn in life. Eventually, Ryder figures out just the right amount of water on the floor.

"How often do you work?" Ryder sparks up a conversation. All the other staff members had gone home; closing time is five thirty since nobody needs coffee past then anyways. It's just Jade and Ryder alone in the coffee shop. What a better way to get to know each other.

"Every day but Saturday," Jade explains shortly, "You get Wednesdays and Sundays off." He checks to make sure all the cash registers have the same amount of money before locking them for the evening. He hops up on the counter and swings his legs to and fro, still watching Ryder struggle at mopping the floor.

"I'll take what I can get." Ryder chuckles to himself, finding that funny. Jade just shakes his head. He had only known the boy for a couple of hours and had already picked up some odd things about the boy. For starters, Ryder always clicks his tongue at the end of a sentence. He can also be found laughing to himself, even when nothing is visibly funny. It seems that the guy is always in good spirits and it really pisses Jade off since it's always as if Jade himself is crabby.

Ryder places the mop in the bucket and wheels it into a closet in the back. He wipes his hands off on his jeans and beams at Jade, "What time do I need to be in tomorrow, boss?"

Jade crosses his arms over his chest and looks at Ryder, "Depends on what time your classes end. I assume you have classes tomorrow?"

Ryder nods, "I have one at nine and one at eleven. They're both an hour."

"Twelve thirty. Is that enough time?"

Ryder salutes him, "Sure is! See you tomorrow!" He struts out the back of the building and Jade rolls his eyes. He doesn't know if he'll be able to handle the overly cheery twenty-one year old.



Fast forward a few months and Jade has completely fallen for Ryder. He loves his quirky personality and the way he clicks his tongue at the end of a sentence. He loves the smile that appears on his face when he thinks of something funny that happened. The loves Ryder's determination to make him smile at work. It hasn't happened yet. Jade isn't particularly fond of the phrase "service with a smile" or smiling outside of the vicinity of his apartment. He's pretty sure the only people that have seen him fully smile are his family and his cousin/roommate, Landon.

This particular November afternoon, service is slow. It's around four in the afternoon and nobody the place is like a ghost town. Ryder is continuously opening and closing the cash register out of boredom and it's driving Jade insane. He finally puts his foot down, "Stop."

Ryder dramatically sighs and removes himself from the register. He turns toward Jade, brown eyes sparkling with mischief and bashfulness. He's never seen quite a weird combination in somebody's eyes but Ryder is definitely weird and unique. He's one of a kind. "Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?"

Jade looks up from the frosting he's drawing in and stared directly at Ryder, "Excuse me?"

Ryder smirks, "I thought I made it quite clear but I'll repeat myself; will you go on a date with me tonight?"

The twenty-four year old architect major is completely dumbfounded. Where had this come from? He wonders and looks back down at the frosting. He's drawing a cat; it's poorly drawn but there's not much you can do with the thickness of the frosting. Jade bites his lip in thought. He'd love to go on a date with Ryder but how did Ryder know he swings that way? "What makes you so sure that I'm into guys?"

The twenty-one year old brunette gives him the are you kidding me? face and clicks his tongue before starting his sentence this time, "You told me a couple weeks ago that it's been a while since a man has taken you out. I'd like to change that."

Jade scoffs, "You're barely a man."

"I have the proper body parts so I would say that I am indeed, a full-grown man," he winks at his coworker, "I'd love to take you out. Please?" Suddenly, his eyes to all shiny and they're big and his bottom lip is out. He's pouting like a child, making Jade's sour heart melt. The older of the two rolls his eyes.

"I guess... What did you have in mind?" Jade may or may not regret his decision to go on a date with his coworker later. Only time will tell.

Ryder shrugs, "I haven't thought that far yet. We could be cliché and go out to dinner and stuff. And then I can walk you to your apartment and finally see whatever it is you're hiding from me." He winks and wiggles his fingers at the older lad. Jade huffs and shakes his head.

"Dinner sounds fine."

Ryder frowns but dismisses Jade's attitude, "Do you want me to pick you up?"

"I can meet you there."

"Okay." Ryder sounds sad when he says this but he does argue against him. They agree on a restaurant that is walking distance from both of their apartment buildings and agree to meet up at seven. Ryder is more enthused about the date on the outside; all of Jade's feelings are locked inside. He's imploding with happiness and joy, he can barely hold it in.

Seven can't come soon enough for the both of them, whether they show it or not. Jade gets there first and awkwardly stands outside the restaurant waiting for his date. He looks around until he finally spots Ryder strutting up to him, looking fresh and ready to go. This is the first time Ryder had seen Jade in anything other than work clothes and he freezes for a nano second while walking. Jade looks great in right pants and a flannel hanging from his thin frame. The younger of the two can barely contain himself.

"You look great," he greets Jade with a compliment and under the lighting of the restaurant, Jade blushes. "Thanks." Jade mumbles his response and the two head inside, letting a waiter lead them to a private booth near the window. The restaurant is nothing fancy, just a simple Italian restaurant that is quite the buzz around this area. This would be both of their first times eating there. It was a night of firsts for both of them.

The two both order a Coke from their waitress, a woman named Trishelle, and both quietly scan the menu for something to eat. Ryder has a small smile on his face that Jade doesn't miss and he takes it all in. He loves Ryder's smile. Loves it. They quickly order their meals when Trishelle comes back and they sit there, both transfixed on Ryder stirring his Coke.

"So," Ryder begins after taking a sip of the bubbly drink, "my goal tonight is to get you to smile. I've known you for what? Three, four months and not once have you smiled for me. I bet you have a nice smile, you just don't even know it."

"I'm not one to, um, express emotions much," Jade explains and takes a sip of his drink to stop himself from saying more.

Ryder rolls his eyes, "Obviously. What are you so afraid of? Being judged? I feel like people would judge you less if you just smiled once in a whole."

"Smiling won't make people like me more or less." Jade furrows his eyebrow. Ryder's logic is faulty but he doesn't want to argue on their date.

"Whatever." Ryder says and the two make small talk, talking about their families. Jade is originally from Arizona where he has two gay dads, a twin sister named Opal and younger brother named Talan. He wanted to get out of the heat of Arizona which is why he decided to go to school in North Carolina, even though he abhorred the country accents. He just needed to get away from his nagging father and his I-could-care-less-what-you-do Papa, even if it meant moving away from his adorable little brother. And, his twin sister was on the same side of the country as him, but she goes to MIT.

Ryder, on the other hand, is from North Carolina. Originally from Virginia, he moved to North Carolina when he was around thirteen or fourteen years old. His parents, big charity folks, live about an hour away from the college he attends. He has an older brother, Richard, and an older sister, Reina. Reina and Ryder had always disobeyed their parents and were nightmare children, Reina being so bad that she was sent to "reform school," although nothing was reformed about her attitude. Ryder's parents had always valued Richard above the two of them, Rich being the perfect poster child. Needless to say, Ryder has no relationship with his older brother.

Throughout dinner, Ryder keep a watchful eye on Jade to see if he was smiling. He doesn't. Ryder can practically see the corners of Jade's mouth twitching in earnest trying to force a smile through but Jade won't let it happen. He can't. He's always been subdued and emotionless and he isn't about to let some hot guy from North Carolina change his mind or actions.

Ryder pays for the bill and offers to walk Jade home, even when Jade protests. Ryder is a gentlemen and even though Jade is older, he doesn't want to see him walk by himself. Plus, there's a mischievous part of the younger of the two that wants to see Jade's apartment, even if it's a peak. He wants to see the infamous cousin, AKA the only friend that Jade claims to have. Despite being emotionless, Jade has quite the humorous personality that draws people in. That's what drew Ryder in in the first place.

Jade's apartment building is called The Plaza and consists of seven floors. Jade lives on the third floor of the building and prefers to take the stairs on most occasions. But both of them are way too full and they agree that the elevator is probably the better option so that they don't upchuck all over the stairs. They take the quick trip in the elevator and soon they're standing outside of Jade's apartment, apartment 3H.

"I had a great time tonight," Ryder gushes, "You're really easy to talk to."

Jade nods, "I, um, had a great time too."

They stand there awkwardly without saying anything for a few moments. But it seems that, at the same time, both look at each other and lean in for a kiss. Soft lips brush against one another gently at first but then with a burst of passion. Jade's hands come up to cup the sides of Ryder's face as the younger one takes a fist full of his coworker's flannel. He smells of spaghetti sauce and it's delicious.

Jade is a good three inches taller than Ryder, so their coupling is perfect. He slides his fingers into Ryder's light sandy locks, drawing him closer. Their lips seem to melt together like butter and it's highly sensual. It's the best kiss that Jade has ever exchanged with some one.

Before they know it, sounds of locks unlocking can be heard from the other side of the door and light pours out from the newly opened door. The coworkers peel away from each other to glance in the direction of Jade's cousin, Landon, who is leaning on the doorframe with a satisfied smirk on his face. Landon is tall and lean with dark hair and dark eyes. He's mysterious but attractive.

"Well, well, well. I never thought this day would come," Landon chuckles happily, "Why don't you come in? It's been a while since Jade has had some company." Ryder obliges but first looks at Jade to catch his approval. And he's ecstatic with what he finds staring back at him.

Jade is smiling the biggest smile and soon he's laughing an infectious laugh that has Ryder chiming in. It seems that Jade has finally found somebody to break his shell and make him smile.