Raven loved this coffee shop at least because it combined delicious coffee and a library. As a maximum, it had Lexa Green working there. Raven had been secretly in love with her since their first year of university, which was two years ago. Friends had been teasing her for years that she had drunk the entire city's supply of coffee but had never spoken to Lexa once.
Reyes every day came to the coffee shop, ordered a large caramel latte and sat down in the huge beanbag chair by the window. The windowsills, by the way, were low and wide, which was convenient for working on a laptop. From there, there was a great view of the bar counter where Lexa worked.
Green knew many of the customers, she had a good memory, and when you write someone's name on a cup every day, you definitely remember it. Many tried to flirt with her, usually guys, sometimes girls. Lexa often caught Raven's eye and slightly smiled at her, which completely embarrassed the visitor. This even amused her. Of course, Lexa knew that Raven liked her, but the girl made no attempts to even speak, and Lexa accepted the rules of the game.
Lexa's schedule was very demanding and she worked almost every day. But the understanding management allowed her to take breaks during her shift. Lexa was from a foster family and adult adoption, so she didn't have any relationships. To avoid depending on others, she had to work almost without days off. Therefore, on the eve of Christmas, Lexa did not go to Crossby, like other students, but stayed in Liverpool.
She loved her job, this place was very cozy. It was a small room with high ceilings, light milk-like walls, along which bookshelves stood. There were large panoramic wooden windows. Beanbag chairs and small sofas. In the center of the room, there were several tables for visitors who preferred to eat or work at a table. Above each workstation, there were additional lighting fixtures because the main light in the coffee shop was warm and muted. In this coffee shop, Lexa felt at home, she even sometimes stayed here overnight after a long and difficult day. Caring owners of the establishment provided her with a sofa with bedding and a small wardrobe in the basement.
Today Lexa decided not to go home after work, but to stay and decorate the hall for Christmas.
Raven was returning home from training when she passed by the coffee shop and noticed that the lights were still on, even though it was late. The girl decided to check if everything was okay, approached the doors, and they opened.
Lexa was in the storage room, taking out a box of Christmas ornaments when the bell jingled, and she realized that she hadn't closed the doors. When she came out into the hall, there was a flustered Raven standing at the entrance.
"Hello," Lexa said in surprise, but she greeted the girl warmly. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello. I... I mean, I was just passing by and saw the light on," Raven stammered, her heart pounding. She hadn't expected the doors to open and for her to run into Lexa. Deep down inside, she had been hoping for this. And here they both were, giving Raven a perfect opportunity to finally talk to the girl of her dreams, but instead, she was stuttering and couldn't get a word out. "I saw the light on, and I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. And you, why are you here? It's getting late."
"Oh, I'm just decorating the hall for Christmas," Lexa explained, gesturing around the room. "I mean, I was about to start, but...," she trailed off, smiling.
"Can I help you?" Raven blurted out, immediately regretting it. She wasn't sure if her heart could handle being alone with Lexa.
"If you don't need to go home, I would be happy to accept any help," Lexa smiled. "By the way, my name is Lexa," she held out her hand.
"I know," Raven said, her cheeks flushing.
Lexa squeezed Raven's hand: "Now we are officially acquainted, Raven." And she winked.
Raven's palm was slightly cool to the touch, and her skin was soft and smooth. Lexa imagined her to be like that. Not like Raven's own hands, which were roughened by frequent training, and softening creams did little good.
"Well, let's start with the tree. Shall we decorate it together? It won't be so lonely that way."
The girls carried the boxes containing the tree out and assembled it, with some difficulty, on the stand. Then they started decorating it. Lexa climbed onto a stool, and Raven handed her the balls one by one. When Lexa took another ball from Raven's hand, she couldn't help but gently stroke the girl's fingers. Raven's face flushed red, and she looked up at Lexa with a confused expression. But Lexa only winked and smiled, took the ball, and hung it on the tree.
"So, what are you studying, Raven? On what course are you?"
"I'm studying engineering," Raven replied.
"Oh, cool. And I'm in architecture," Lexa said.
"I've been watching you. I saw you working on those graphs a few times, I thought it was for a research paper," Raven shrugged.
"By the way, why were you coming home so late? Your hands were full of paint," Lexa said, noticing the paint on Raven's hands.
"I was at the gym," Raven replied.
The girls had finished decorating the tree, and they decided to take a break for coffee. There was still a lot of work to do, and they needed to be energized.
"What do you do for a living? Just don't say football player, I'm tired of joking about it," Lexa teased.
"I play basketball," Raven said.
"That's awesome! When I was a kid, I used to dream of becoming a basketball player's wife. And here you are, it's fate," Lexa said, laughing.
Raven laughed too, noticing that her cheeks had turned pale again.
"Relax, Raven, I'm just joking," Lexa reassured her.
"Yeah, right," Raven said, her voice tinged with nervousness.
"That's the point," Lexa said, still laughing.
After their coffee break, the girls decided to split up the work. Raven was fixing garlands to the windows and bookshelves, while Lexa was hanging the remaining Christmas decorations above the bar and workstations. Everything was almost done, but Lexa decided that there should be a wreath of mistletoe among the bookshelves. She took a step ladder, found a screwdriver and a couple of screws, and in the dark storage room, she found a suitable piece of wood.
Raven had finished with the garlands and went to check on Lexa. "What are you doing?" she asked, watching as Lexa was stubbornly screwing in the screws.
"I want to hang a mistletoe wreath, maybe someone will be happier because of me," Lexa smiled.
When the job was done and the mistletoe wreath was in place, satisfied Lexa started climbing down the ladder, but she caught her pants on the edge of the step and fell down, landing right on top of Raven. Somehow managing to stay on her feet, Raven helped Lexa to stand up, checked if the girl was okay, and then looked up and realized that the mistletoe wreath was hanging right above them. Lexa also looked up and quietly smiled.
"Maybe it will make me happier," Raven said.
"Let's find out?" Lexa pulled Raven closer to her.
This kiss was a New Year's miracle for Raven.
"I've been waiting for you for so long," Raven whispered into Lexa's lips.
"It doesn't matter anymore, just that you're here, with me," Lexa said, wrapping her arms around Raven's shoulders and resting her head on her neck. "I've been waiting for you."
P.S. Hello, guys. My English is very bad. I can't assess the quality of the translation myself. Sorry about that.
kianamaiart
discoholicmusic
dailybridgerton
prguitarman
theartofmadeline
dededos
annaxmalina
jacobvanloon
gummygunk