It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon. Why the hell were they outside? Do people not have 9 to 5 jobs in LA, why were they going to a tiny coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon in 95 degree weather?
Why was it 95 degrees? It’s almost November. Star City would be negative 80 by now.
“Are you okay?” Quinn stopped dead in her tracks, turning to look at Q and almost tripping him in the process.
He regained his posture and looked at her with a confused expression. He didn’t even say anything.
“I didn’t even say anything?”
“You’ve been groaning and sighing off and on for the last 10 minutes.” Eliza told him, not looking back at the two siblings. She was too focused on the menu board outside of the coffee shop.
“Oh, that.” He gestured towards Eliza, and gave Quinn a smile. “It’s fucking miserable out here.”
“Aw, baby Quincy doesn’t like the sun.” Quinn gave him a mocking frown, turning out to look at the menu with Eliza. “Go in and order something then.
“I didn’t even want to come, why would I be the one to order-”
“Because we like it out here and you’re clearly having a bad time.” Quinn explained. “There’s a to go window right here, we’ll order out here. You can go cool off inside, get an iced coffee or something, and meet us when you’re chill.”
“Mentally and physically.” Eliza added, finally turning to look at him.
He looked between the two girls. They clearly weren’t interested in any argument he was going to put up as they went back to the menu, walking up to the to go window on the side of the small building.
He groaned one last time before fixing his posture one more time before walking inside the coffee shop.
He really didn’t understand why he chose to go with these two. They’re always going from place to place. It is never a trip to Target and only Target. It’s always “Well, this place is 5 minutes away” or “Wait, we forgot to buy stamps”
Luckily, the car is parked 3 blocks away and if this coffee run turns into more of a coffee hang out, he can just take the keys from his sister and go back to the apartment.
“Can I help you?” The woman behind the counter asked, bringing his attention back to earth once again.
“Can you give me the money I need for my student debt?”
“If I could do that, would I be working here?” She asked in return.
He nodded, taking a step closer to the counter. “Fair.” He looked up at the menu hanging behind her. “I don’t really like coffee that much.”
“Then you came to the wrong place.”
“Clearly.” He looked back down at her. “What would you get?”
“Not coffee if I didn’t like it.”
“Is there another option?”
She turned around, looking at the menu for herself, then turned back to him. “Water.”
“I’ll take a black coffee.” He responded so quickly, she had to have wondered if he even heard her suggestion.
She narrowed her brows. “For someone who doesn’t like coffee, you’re really diving right in.”
He shrugged. “I’m not gonna like it regardless.”
“Are you a masochist? Is that what’s happening here?”
“Excuse me?”
She leaned on the counter. “You don’t like coffee, you’re wearing a jacket in this weather-”
“I was forced to be here.”
“Someone force you on a plane from New York? Or was the jacket just a fashion choice?”
He looked at his light brown jacket. It might not have been the best decision in the heat....maybe it was a fashion choice.
“You know, you got me. I flew in this morning for that Victoria Secret show that’s happening on Saturday. I was testing the look for the red carpet...Clearly it’s made an impression. I might wear this.”
She raised her brows now, tilting her head slightly to the left. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
He shrugged again, now he was leaning on the counter. “Was it funny enough to be considered a joke?”
“No.”
“Then no.” He stood back up, putting his hands behind his back.
She nodded, turning around to poor a cup of black coffee. “In or out?” She asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Are you staying in or are you going out?”
“Well, I’m not staying in or else I wouldn’t be here.”
“You think you’re a lot funnier than you actually are.” She told him, turning back around with a to-go cup full of black coffee. She sat it on the counter. “$3.75.”
Sure...that was...a joke. Yeah. He could work with that. He took his wallet out from his back pocket and handed her the first card available.
“You know, that’s actually not the first time I’ve heard that today.”
“Why am I not surprised?” She took the card, swiped it through the machine, hit a few buttons, and handed it back to him. “Do you have a name? A real one? Not the one you call yourself when you’re dressed up as your clown persona.”
He put the card back in his wallet and returned the wallet to his pocket. Clown persona? The thought of that made him want to laugh...or cry....was this really what his life has come to? Nearly 400k in student debt and he’s a fucking clown. Wonderful.
“Q.” He answered after a second.
“The....letter Q or the wait time?”
A confused expression appeared on his face. “Do....Do you meet people with the name Queue often? Or- Obviously the letter.”
“I was just making sure. You were so confident in saying it, you’ve already been joking-”
“No one has the name- Q is a common nickname.”
“It’s not even your real name? That’s a little suspicious.”
“It’s a....version of my real name. That’s how nicknames work.”
She nodded slowly. “And you tell people your nickname before your actual name?”
“It’s not sentimental. It’s a name. It’s short. It’s easy-”
“So, what’s on your birth certificate then?”
“I....don’t know you well enough for that.”
“Mm.” She nodded again. Taking a step back and crossing her arms.
“Do you have a name? Or do you just...judge other people until you find one you like?”
“Mostly the second one.” She admitted. “A.”
Q’s shoulders dropped. He resisted any urge he had to even react to that, picked up the coffee cup on the counter, and gave her a small wave with the hand that held the coffee. “Have a nice day-”
“Wait-”
“No one is named A. It’s not a real name, it’s not even a nickname.” He turned back around to look at her, sitting his coffee on the counter once more.
“You’re gatekeeping having a single letter name? Wow.”
“I’m gatekeeping making fun of me. Only I can do that.”
She laughed. It was a nice laugh. It was a laugh that made him stop and think about how nice it sounded. And then question why he stopped to think deeper on the fact that this stranger, who he doesn’t know the name of, had a nice laugh.
“Fine.” She threw her hands up in surrender. “You can call me Ash.”
He cleared his throat. Noticing that he had, once again, been lost in thought. “See? That’s a real nickname....Ashley?”
“No.” She shook her head with a grin.
He raised an eyebrow. “No?”
“Nope.”
He took a step back, trying to hide the smile forming on his face. “No, Now I can’t trust you.”
“What do you mean?”
“What other name could you possibly have?”
“I’ll tell you when you tell me.” She leaned on the counter once again.
He thought for a second, looked back towards the door, Quinn and Eliza were waiting on the curb for him, clearly they’ve been there a minute.
“Unless your girlfriend wouldn’t like that.” She added, testing the waters.
“I...” He trailed off, turning back to look at her. “I’d like to not tell you my name...But I don’t know if-”
“I understand.” She stood back up, turning around to clean up the other counter opposite of where she was before.
“No,” He shook his head. “You really don’t.” He looked at the girls again, then back at her. “That’s my sister and her friend. I’m sleeping on their couch because I quit my job back home and my girlfriend just broke up with me last week so...”
She glanced at him over her shoulder.
“Kinda early.” He picked up his coffee once more before turning around to walk out of the building.
Despite everything telling him to keep walking, there was a small voice in the back of his mind telling him to do the exact opposite. And for the millionth time, the smallest, most insignificant voice, is the one that wins.
He stopped in his tracks, sat his coffee down on the table by the door, and walked up to the counter, standing up straight and full of false confidence, nerves so intense that he feels like if he spoke his voice would crack and all of this build up would be for nothing.
“Fuck it.” He said. Immediately, putting his hand to his forehead for a second. He didn’t mean to say that out loud. “Will you go out with me?”
She leaned on the counter closer to the wall, arms crossed. “I don’t know if I wanna get involved if things are complicated-”
“Then we’re literally never going to speak again.” He blurted out. “This might be as good as it gets.”
She scoffed, trying to hide the smile now forming on her face.
“So...Do you wanna maybe...”
“Meet me here around 7 tomorrow night?” She walked up to the counter.
He nodded. “I will see you then.”
And with that, he walked back towards the door, taking his coffee one last time, and leaving the coffee shop to meet Eliza and Quinn on the counter.
Quinn lowered the sunglasses on her face to her nose, “What got into you in there?” She asked, narrowing her brows to study him better.
He raised a brow at her. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You’re bouncy.” She gestured to him. He was standing still currently, but it was clear she was talking about how he walked over to them.
He shrugged. “Caffeine does the mind well.”
She rolled her eyes, pulling her glasses back up to her eyes. And Q let out a quiet sigh of relief. He did not want Quinn to get any enjoyment out of his potential date. She’d take credit for it and he doesn’t need that.
