@jilymicrofics august 5: coffee
There’s a knock at the door, but James keeps his eyes on the computer screen, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the keys as he scans the inventory sheet.
“Oi.”
James's brow furrows slightly. "Hang on."
“We’ve got a customer situation.”
James looks up, his eyes meeting Sirius's. Sirius stands in the doorway, his tall frame filling the space, knuckles still poised over the doorframe.
"What sort of customer situation?" James asks, his voice edged with impatience.
Sirius grins widely. “A mad bird sort.”
James scoffs, running a hand through his hair as he shifts his focus back to the computer. "Why can’t you deal with it?"
Sirius sighs dramatically and leans against the doorframe. “She’s stubborn. Insists on talking to the owner.”
With a huff, James pushes away from the desk, the chair rolling back with a squeak. He stands up, stretching his back, and makes no effort to hide his annoyance as he shoulders past Sirius. This was the one hour of the day he managed to sequester himself in the cramped back office to catch up on paperwork. Coffee shops don’t run themselves.
Sirius follows hot on James's heels as he navigates his way back to the counter, snickering at his shoulder. He narrowly misses a full-on collision as James comes to a dead stop upon seeing her.
Her. Because she’s here.
“She’s fit, huh?” Sirius smirks. “I mean, if you don’t want to deal with it, I suppose I could—”
“I’ve got it.”
Sirius doesn’t reply, just shaking his head knowingly. James can’t even be bothered, because he knows he’s a besotted fool, but he doesn’t care.
“Oh, there you are,” she says as he walks over. Her eyes sweep shamelessly over him, and he feels a spark of that old adolescent pride. She’s stunning, with warm auburn hair cascading over her shoulders and striking green eyes that seem to burn as they lock onto his. “You’re the owner?”
“That’s me. How can I help you?”
“Well, I’ve heard great things about this place,” she says, eyes drifting briefly up to the menu board behind him, then right back to his eyes.
“It’s… a great place,” James says lamely, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks.
Her eyes sparkle with mischief, clearly enjoying being noticed by him as much as he’s enjoying being noticed by her. She leans forward on the counter, her delicate fingers tapping lightly against the surface. James takes a small step back to put some distance between them, so he doesn’t do something really stupid.
“What’s the specialty?” she asks, her lips curling into a playful smile.
“I don’t usually make the drinks,” he confesses.
She lifts an eyebrow. “But you’ll make one for me?”
James glances around the shop, ensuring Sirius isn’t idling nearby and that there aren’t any customers waiting in the queue. The cozy café is alive with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the soft murmur of conversations, but the coast seems to be clear.
“You know,” he says, dropping his voice, “it’s pretty bold of you to come in here looking like that.”
She smirks, pleased. “Looking like what?”
“Oh, don’t give me that rubbish,” he says, scoffing. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”
“I’m just a girl looking for a nice cup of coffee,” she says, shrugging. She pushes her hair over her shoulder in a fluid motion, her deep auburn locks catching the light. James’s eyes follow the movement, and when he looks back at her face, her knowing smirk tells him it’s what she intended all along.
“You’re lethal is what you are,” he mutters, then without turning, calls out, “Sirius!”
Almost immediately, Sirius appears, clearly having been eavesdropping. “Alright?”
“Make my wife a vanilla latte, yeah?”
“Fucking hell,” Sirius grumbles. “I hate it when you do this. Just for the record. It’s really terrible.”
“Extra vanilla, please, Padfoot,” Lily adds, her gaze still locked on James, her green eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Learn to have foreplay like normal people, please,” Sirius sighs, glancing dully between the two of them, before heading to the espresso machine, muttering, “You two were supposed to get less weird when you got married.”
AHHH this was too cute
