au: barista azzi x nerd paige
a/n: First chapter! Pretty boring so far please send feedback I would love to know you guys feel about this!
By the second Tuesday of October, Paige Bueckers had color-coded herself into a corner.
Pink meant chemistry, blue meant political science, green meant biology, and yellow meant deadlines that would inevitably ruin her week if she forgot about them. but unfortunately for Paige every square in her planner had at least three colors.
She sighed, pressing the cap back onto her highlighter before rubbing her eyes. The university library buzzed with the familiar sounds of midterm season—keyboards clacking, whispered conversations, pages turning, chairs scraping across the floor.
Usually, she loved it, usually, the library felt like home.
Every table was full. A study group in the corner had somehow turned a review session into a comedy show. Someone behind her was chewing gum loud enough to qualify as psychological warfare, and the student across from her had been tapping a mechanical pencil for the last fifteen minutes.
Paige drew in a slow breath through her nose, counting to four the way she always did whenever the world around her started feeling just a little too loud. The inhale filled her lungs, but it didn't settle the knot tightening between her shoulders. If anything, it only made her more aware of the constant stream of noises bouncing around the library.
Someone's keyboard clacked relentlessly a few tables away, a chair scraped against the floor, pages rustled, whispers drifted through the aisles despite the large Quiet Study Area sign hanging on the wall.
Stay calm, she reminded herself.
Her gaze dropped to the neat row of supplies spread across the table in front of her. Every notebook sat perfectly aligned. Every highlighter rested in color order. The familiar organization usually helped.
She reached for her green highlighter, rolling it between her fingers before popping the cap off with her thumb.
The plastic cap hit the tabletop softly. Her eyes flicked toward the student across the room still tapping his pencil. Without realizing it, Paige slid the cap back onto the highlighter.
The tiny sound barely registered beneath the growing chaos around her. She stared at her notes for another few seconds, willing herself to focus on the highlighted vocabulary words swimming together on the page. But she couldn't. Her shoulders sagged and a quiet breath escaped her lips as she let the highlighter fall onto the notebook.
Across the table, Nika finally looked up from her laptop. One earbud slipped from her ear as she paused whatever she'd been watching. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she slowly lowered the screen enough to get a better look at Paige.
Her eyebrows pulled together. "Do what?"
Paige looked up with an exhausted expression, then lifted one hand in a vague gesture toward the library around them. "The existing part."
She motioned again, this time more emphatically. "In this building."
Nika followed her hand, glancing around the room. Nothing looked particularly unusual, students studied, someone flipped through a textbook, and another person quietly typed an essay. Then Nika noticed Paige’s eyes lock onto a guy several tables away. He was absentmindedly bouncing the eraser of his pencil against his notebook.
Nika couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You've been glaring at that guy with the pencil for like ten minutes."
Paige didn't even pretend to deny it. Her gaze stayed fixed on him, her mouth flattening into a thin line. "He knows what he's doing."
Nika turned to look at the student again. He looked completely oblivious, scribbling something in the margin of his notebook without so much as glancing around.
She looked back at Paige. A laugh escaped before she could stop it. "I promise he doesn't."
Paige finally tore her eyes away from the pencil-tapper just long enough to meet Nika's gaze. Her expression remained completely serious. "He absolutely does."
Nika bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing harder. She closed her laptop with a soft click and folded her hands on top of it.
"Okay," she said, leaning forward across the table with the unmistakable look of someone who had already come up with a solution. "Hear me out."
The second those words left Nika’s mouth, Paige narrowed her eyes. She'd seen that expression before, It almost always ended with Nika convincing her to do something she'd already decided against.
"I don't like that sentence." Paige said.
Nika ignored the warning, her grin only widened. "There's a café across campus."
The answer came so quickly Nika barely finished speaking.
"No." The blonde said immediately.
Nika blinked. "You didn't even let me finish."
Paige folded her arms tightly across her chest, settling deeper into her chair as if physically anchoring herself to it. "I know where this is going."
Nika tilted her head. "They have good coffee."
Paige’s nose wrinkled almost immediately. "I don't drink coffee."
Although Nika didn't miss a beat. "They have tea."
Paige gave her a patient look, the kind usually reserved for explaining obvious facts. "I have tea."
Nika nodded thoughtfully, pretending to consider that point before lifting a finger. "They have pastries."
Paige reached into the side pocket of her backpack, pulled out a granola bar, and held it up like courtroom evidence. "I have granola bars."
Nika stared at the wrapper for a second before letting out the most dramatic sigh Paige had heard all week.
Nika’s shoulders slumped as she threw her head back. "You're impossible."
Paige quietly slid the granola bar back into her bag. "I've been told."
Nika rubbed both hands down her face before sitting up again. "Okay," she said, refusing to surrender. "Counterpoint."
Mike pointed toward the overcrowded library around them. "They also have actual empty tables."
That almost made Paige crack. She hesitated, her confidence faltered just enough for Nika to notice.
Slowly, Paige turned in her chair and scanned the room again. Not one chair had opened since they'd arrived, every table was full, the pencil was still tapping, and a student nearby had apparently decided headphones were optional and was now watching a video loud enough for three surrounding tables to hear.
Someone hissed, "Can you turn that down?"
The student either didn't hear them or pretended not to.
As if the universe wanted to make Nika’s oint even stronger, another group across the room launched into a surprisingly passionate debate.
"No, seriously," one voice insisted. "Pluto should still count."
Paige slowly closed her eyes. Her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose.
I cannot believe this is happening she thought.
She stayed like that for a long moment, silently weighing her options.
Or admit Nika had a point.
Finally, she exhaled through her nose. "Fine."
Nika’s smile appeared instantly, bright and thoroughly self-satisfied. "I knew you'd cave."
Paige opened one eye just enough to glare at her. "I'm not caving."
Nika rested her chin in her palm, looking thoroughly entertained. "No?"
Paige straightened in her chair and reached for her laptop with careful, practiced movements.
"I'm..." she began, sliding it into its padded sleeve before zipping the compartment closed, "uh, relocating."
Nika nodded solemnly. "Mhm."
The blonde gathered the stack of notebooks she'd arranged so meticulously earlier, tapping their edges together until they lined up perfectly. "For academic purposes."
"Of course." Nika replied, her voice was so innocent it was almost borderline offensive.
Paige ignored her and reached for the rest of her things, muttering under her breath as she mentally checked each item off her list.
She paused and counted them. Then grabbed two she'd almost forgotten.
"And if it's loud..." She finally looked up.
Nika didn't even let her finish already knowing what her twin was going to say. "You'll come back."
Paige pursed her lips. She couldn't argue with that. Instead, she hoisted her backpack onto one shoulder, nearly tipping sideways under the weight before correcting herself.
Nika’s eyes slowly traveled from Paige’s face...to the overloaded backpack...to the armful of notebooks...to the planner tucked against her side...and finally to the handful of highlighters she was somehow still carrying.
She blinked once then twice. "Do you own anything that isn't in your backpack?"
Paige glanced down at herself as though genuinely considering the question. After a thoughtful pause, she looked back up. "No."
Nika laughed, pushing herself to her feet. "You pack like you're leaving civilization."
Paige adjusted the backpack strap digging into her shoulder before giving a small shrug. "You never know."
Nika slipped her laptop into her own bag, which looked suspiciously light by comparison, and stared at Paige with open disbelief. "For what?"
The blonde frowned thoughtfully, she honestly didn't know. That was the problem. But after a beat, she answered with complete sincerity. "I don't know."
Nika shook her head, unable to hide the smile tugging at her lips as she headed toward the library doors. "Exactly."
The walk across campus was colder than Paige expected. October had finally decided to act like October. Leaves drifted across the brick sidewalks, painting them shades of orange and gold. Students hurried between buildings with scarves wrapped around their necks and warm drinks in their hands.
Paige adjusted the strap of her backpack, she had almost turned around twice because studying in a café sounded inefficient. Coffee machines were loud, people talked, and music played. How was she supposed to focus? She quickly pushed that thought out of her head because anything had to be better than the mayhem in the library today.
She reached the corner of a quiet street where a little café labeled “Stors Sips” sat tucked between the campus bookstore and a flower shop. A chalkboard sign rested outside.
Today's Special: Maple Cinnamon Latte 🍁
Beneath it someone had doodled a smiling coffee cup. Paige smiled before she realized she was smiling. The soft chime above the café door announced Paige’s arrival the second she stepped inside. Warm air wrapped around her almost immediately, carrying the comforting scent of freshly brewed coffee, vanilla syrup, and pastries that had probably come out of the oven not long ago. It was quieter than the library—still busy, but the sounds blended together instead of fighting for her attention. Low conversations drifted between tables, the espresso machine hissed rhythmically behind the counter, and somewhere in the corner, soft acoustic music played just loud enough to fill the silence without interrupting it.
Paige paused just inside the entrance. The tightness she'd been carrying in her shoulders since leaving the library loosened a fraction.
She adjusted the strap of her backpack higher onto her shoulder before shifting the stack of notebooks tucked beneath her arm. Her planner threatened to slide free, so she nudged it back into place with her elbow and joined the short line at the register.
There was only one customer ahead of her, good.
She could order, find a table, and finally study somewhere that didn't involve pencil tapping or impromptu astronomy debates.
The elderly man at the register accepted his drink with both hands, smiling warmly at the barista across the counter.
Before Paige even had a chance to glance at the menu, a bright, familiar-sounding voice carried across the café.
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Collins!"
Paige looked up automatically. The barista leaned across the counter just enough to wave as the older man started toward the door, her smile so genuine it reached her eyes.
Mr. Collins laughed, pointing playfully at her with his cup. "Same time?"
She rested one hand against the counter, the other still holding a steaming pitcher of milk. "You know it."
The laugh that followed came easily, completely unforced, and somehow managed to make the entire café feel warmer. Mr. Collins chuckled to himself before heading toward the exit, as he passed Paige, he tipped his cup in a small goodbye.
Paige barely noticed. Her attention had settled somewhere else entirely. Behind the espresso machine stood the prettiest girl she'd ever seen.
Dark hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail that somehow looked intentionally effortless. A few curly wisps framed her face, softening features that were already unfairly beautiful. A brown apron dusted lightly with flour was tied neatly around her waist, and a thin silver necklace caught the warm overhead lights each time she moved.
She worked with practiced ease. One hand set another cup beneath the espresso machine while the other reached for a clean towel without looking.
Nothing about her movements seemed rushed, nor did they seem forced. She looked like she belonged here. Paige quickly realized she'd been staring. She should probably stop doing that, she didn't.
The barista looked back toward the register, expecting the next customer. Instead, she found Paige frozen in place. For the briefest second, curiosity flickered across her face before her smile softened. "Hi."
The greeting was warm and easy, offered without hesitation.
Paige’s stomach immediately tied itself into a knot. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
The silence stretched one beat too long. The barista's smile never disappeared, though one eyebrow lifted just slightly in gentle amusement.
The second greeting finally jolted Paige back to reality. She blinked hard. "Oh."
The word escaped before she had time to think. The moment she heard herself, she wanted to disappear.
That's the best you could come up with?
She resisted the urge to hide behind the stack of notebooks still tucked awkwardly against her side.
The barista didn't seem bothered in the slightest. If anything, her smile became a little brighter. She rested both hands lightly on the counter, giving Paige her full attention despite the drinks waiting behind her. "What can I get started for you?"
Grateful for the excuse to stop making eye contact, Paige quickly looked up at the menu overhead.
Which she instantly regretted. Her eyes swept across line after line of unfamiliar drinks.
The list kept going. Then came flavor options.
Half of the words might as well have been written in another language.
Why are there so many? She thought
She'd walked in expecting to choose between coffee or tea. Not decipher an advanced coffee textbook.
"I..." Her voice caught before the sentence had a chance to begin. She kept staring at the menu, hoping one option would somehow stand out.
The silence felt longer with every passing second. She also became painfully aware that Azzi was still waiting and so was the customer behind her.
Heat crept steadily into her cheeks. Finally, she tore her eyes away from the menu and looked back at the barista with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry," she admitted with a quiet laugh that was more embarrassing than amusing. "What do you recommend?"
The barista didn't answer immediately. Instead, she tilted her head ever so slightly, studying Paige with open curiosity.
Her eyes flicked briefly from Paige’s face to the menu overhead before returning again.
"If you don't like coffee?" She questioned.
Paige frowned before she could stop herself. She hugged her notebooks a little closer against her chest. "Is it that obvious?"
The corners of the barista's mouth curved upward. She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head just a little. "You looked terrified when you saw the espresso menu."
Paige’s face immediately grew warmer. She let out a quiet groan under her breath before glancing back at the menu as if maybe it had betrayed her.
"I wasn't..." She stopped herself because there wasn't much point denying it.
She looked back at Azzi and laughed quietly at her own expense. "Okay, maybe a little."
Azzi laughed with her, not at her, and somehow the distinction made all the difference. The knot in Paige’s stomach loosened just enough for her to breathe normally again.
"I just..." Paige shifted the notebooks slipping against her arm before continuing. "I don't know what any of these words mean bro."
Understanding immediately Azzi softened her expression. "No worries."
The reassurance came so naturally that Paige believed her without question. Azzi rested one forearm lightly against the counter. "What do you usually drink?"
Paige answered almost immediately, relieved to finally have a question she actually knew the answer to.
Azzi nodded once, thoughtful. "Hot or iced?"
"Hot." Paige answered without hesitation before realizing how quickly she'd replied.
She smiled sheepishly. "Always hot."
Another nod. "Sweet?" Azzi questioned.
Paige thought about it for a second, unconsciously tracing the edge of one notebook with her thumb.
Azzi smiled as though she'd already decided exactly what Paige needed. "I've got you."
Something about the certainty in Azzi’s voice settled Paige almost instantly.
The anxious grip she'd kept on her notebooks since walking into the café loosened, and she felt the tension she'd been carrying all afternoon slip from her shoulders. She wasn't entirely sure why she trusted this complete stranger so easily.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth before she could stop it. "Okay."
Azzi caught the smile and answered with one of her own. It was easy and genuine, the kind that didn't seem practiced even though she probably smiled at hundreds of customers every day. Reaching for a paper cup with one hand, she uncapped the marker tucked behind the register with the other.
"Name?" The curly girl asked.
Paige shifted the stack of notebooks higher against her hip before answering.
Azzi glanced up just long enough to meet her eyes again.
There was something strangely comforting about finally putting a name to the face.
Paige watched as Azzi lowered the marker to the side of the cup, her handwriting flowing across the paper in neat, looping letters that somehow looked as effortless as everything else she did.
She capped the marker with a soft click before sliding the cup toward the espresso machine. "There you go."
"Thank you," Paige said quietly, her voice steadier than it had been a minute ago.
She stepped away from the register, carefully balancing the notebooks beneath one arm while adjusting the strap of her backpack with the other.
Paige felt the pencil pouch she'd wedged between her notebooks begin to slide.
One green highlighter escaped first. It bounced once against the hardwood floor, then another followed, and another. Within seconds, nearly half her collection exploded from the pouch, plastic cylinders ricocheting across the café in every direction.
Pink rolled beneath an empty chair, blue spun toward the pastry display, and orange bounced off someone's boot before continuing across the floor. The clattering seemed impossibly loud. Every colorful piece felt like another announcement to the room that she existed.
She stared down at the rainbow scattered around her feet. Her stomach dropped.
"...No." The word came out barely above a whisper. She squeezed her eyes shut for the briefest second before opening them again, as though maybe the mess would have disappeared.
Her shoulders sagged. "...Not again."
Before she could kneel down, movement caught her attention.
Azzi had already pushed through the swinging gate at the end of the counter. Without a trace of hesitation, she walked over and crouched beside the runaway highlighters, reaching for the blue one before it rolled beneath another table.
"I've got the escape artists."
Paige’s head snapped up. "You don't have to—"
Azzi looked over at her, still smiling as she picked up another highlighter. "It's okay."
There wasn't the slightest hint of annoyance in her voice. If anything she sounded amused.
Paige let out a quiet breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and carefully knelt on the opposite side of the colorful disaster, setting her notebooks beside her before reaching for the nearest highlighter.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, ducking her head as she gathered another handful. "This keeps happening."
Azzi leaned farther beneath a neighboring table, stretching until her fingertips caught a pink highlighter that had almost escaped.
When she sat back, she held it up between two fingers with a small grin. "You own more highlighters than we own syrups."
Paige couldn't help it. A laugh escaped before she had the chance to stop it. It was quiet, surprising, and completely involuntary.
"I like being organized," she admitted, stacking the recovered highlighters neatly against her notebooks before immediately straightening them into a perfect pile.
The grin on her face widened. "I can tell."
She reached for the final runaway highlighter resting near the leg of a chair before standing. Walking the last step toward Paige, she held it out in the palm of her hand. "Our first impression is going great."
Paige accepted the highlighter with a groan. She covered her face with one hand, wishing just briefly that the floor might open up beneath her.
"I'm usually much cooler than this." She protested.
Azzi crossed her arms loosely, looking down at Paige with an expression that said she didn't believe a single word. "Mhm."
Paige peeked at her through her fingers. "I am."
Azzi nodded with exaggerated seriousness. "I believe you."
Paige lowered her hand completely, narrowing her eyes just enough to make Azzi laugh. "You don't."
Azzi’s bunny smile turned openly teasing. "I absolutely don't."
For a second, Paige simply looked at her. Then another laugh slipped free, a real one this time. The embarrassment was still there, and her cheeks were still warm.
She'd still just scattered enough stationery across the café floor to stock a middle-school classroom. But somehow it didn't feel like the end of the world anymore.
Azzi smiled once more before collecting the empty cup she'd set aside. "I should probably get your drink started."
Paige nodded, hugging her recovered notebooks a little tighter against her chest.
With one last amused glance in Paige’s direction, Azzi turned and disappeared back behind the espresso machine, already greeting the next customer before she'd even tied her apron back into place.
Paige watched her for a second longer than she meant to.
She looked away before Azzi could catch her again and made her way toward the pickup counter, clutching her supplies a little more carefully this time.
She lingered there, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Partly because she genuinely wasn't sure where customers were supposed to wait.
And partly because she was still mentally replaying the last three minutes, each one somehow more embarrassing than the one before.
She let out a quiet sigh, shaking her head at herself. "So much for making a normal first impression," she muttered under her breath.
Paige adjusted the stack of textbooks against her hip before finally leaving the pickup counter, tightening her grip on the pencil pouch tucked beneath her arm.
Maybe let's not throw your entire stationery collection across the café a second time.
She shifted the pouch higher against the notebooks until she was satisfied nothing else could escape. Only then did she let herself look around for somewhere to sit.
Her eyes landed on a table near the front windows. It was tucked into the corner, just far enough away from the register that she wouldn't feel like she was standing in everyone's way, but close enough that she could still watch the quiet rhythm of the café if she happened to look up from her work.
She made her way over, weaving carefully between occupied tables. As she reached the chair, she set her things down with far more caution than necessary, making sure nothing rolled, tipped, or fell before finally pulling the chair out and sitting.
Sunlight streamed through the windows beside her, warming one side of the worn wooden tabletop. Tiny scratches crisscrossed the surface, along with faint rings left behind by years of coffee mugs and students who had probably claimed this very table for the exact same reason she had. To study.
Paige rested both hands on the edge of the table for a moment before glancing outside.
Students crossed the street in small groups, scarves wrapped around their necks against the cool afternoon air. A gust of wind chased orange and yellow leaves across the sidewalk, sending them tumbling around hurried footsteps before they settled again.
Inside, everything felt different. Not silent, she didn't think she'd actually wanted silence. Silence could be uncomfortable but this? This was comfortable.
Conversations blended together into a soft murmur that never demanded her attention. Every so often the espresso machine hissed behind the counter before settling again, followed by the familiar clink of ceramic mugs meeting saucers. Quiet music drifted through the speakers overhead, soft enough that she couldn't quite make out the lyrics, but steady enough to fill the empty spaces between conversations.
She listened for a moment. Nobody was tapping pencils, nobody was arguing about Pluto, and nobody was watching videos at full volume.
A small smile appeared before she realized it.
The thought barely settled before another followed.
Paige’s smile immediately faded into a skeptical frown.
Let's not get carried away.
Admitting Nika had been right once was dangerous enough.
If she found out Paige wasn't sure she'd ever hear the end of it. She let out a quiet breath through her nose before reaching for her backpack.
"Okay," she murmured to herself, more out of habit than necessity. "Let's actually study."
She unzipped the largest pocket and began unpacking her things one at a time, placing each item in its usual spot.
Her laptop came out first. She centered it carefully with the edge of the table before opening the screen.
Next came her planner, she placed it to the left. Her biology textbook followed, then the notebook she'd need for today's lecture.
Finally, she reached for her pencil pouch.
Her hand paused, she looked at it suspiciously. After everything that had happened five minutes ago she wasn't taking chances. Slowly, she unzipped it, the colorful tops of dozens of highlighters peeked back at her.
Paige nodded once to herself. "Roll call."
She picked up the first one.
She set it neatly beside her notebook, then reached for another.
Another joined the row. She continued counting under her breath, lining them up by color as she went.
By the time she reached the final highlighter, she placed it at the end of the line with a small, satisfied nod.
"All present." She let out the tiniest breath of relief.
"Good to know." The unfamiliar voice made Paige jump just enough that she nearly dropped the last highlighter she'd been holding.
Her head snapped up. Azzi stood beside the table, balancing a ceramic mug in one hand while a small tray rested against her hip.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as her gaze drifted from Paige to the perfectly organised rainbow lined across the table.
"I was worried we'd have another emergency." Azzi joked.
Heat crept into Paige’s cheeks all over again. She glanced down at the row of highlighters before looking back up with an embarrassed smile. "They're fragile."
Azzi’s eyebrows lifted. "The highlighters?"
Paige shook her head with a quiet laugh. "The situation."
For just a second, Azzi stared at her. Then she laughed, not loudly. Just enough to make the smile in her eyes grow a little brighter.
"I'll keep that in mind." She said still smiling, she leaned forward and carefully placed the ceramic mug in front of Paige before straightening again.
Paige’s attention dropped immediately to the drink before lifting back to Azzi.
Azzi nodded once, resting her hands lightly behind her back. "I figured since you trusted me with your order," she said, her smile softening almost imperceptibly, "I should at least make sure it was actually something you'd like."
Paige looked back down at the mug. Warm steam curled lazily toward the ceiling and resting on top of the creamy foam was a carefully poured leaf design, so neat it almost looked painted instead of poured.
She hesitated. It looked, too pretty. Almost too pretty to touch.
Her fingers wrapped carefully around the mug, welcoming the warmth against her palms.
"You made this?" Paige questioned.
Azzi’s smile widened just a fraction, and she gave a small nod. "I did."
Paige looked back down at the mug, studying it again as if seeing it from a different angle might explain how someone could make a drink look like artwork.
"It's.." She paused, searching for the right word before looking back up. "really pretty."
just like you Paige thought.
Azzi’s smile softened. "I'm glad you think so."
She nodded toward the mug still resting between Paige’s hands. "Technically, it's not coffee." She lifted one shoulder in an easy shrug. "It's a honey vanilla chamomile latte."
Paige’s eyebrows rose. She looked down at the drink again, then back at Azzi. "That's a thing?"
Azzi laughed quietly at the disbelief on Paige’s face.
"Apparently." She murmured, grinning.
Paige tilted her head, still trying to decide whether that sounded made up. "Interesting."
Azzi leaned against the back of the empty chair across from Paige's table, folding her hands loosely over the top of it. "Think of it as tea pretending to be coffee."
The description caught Paige off guard. A laugh escaped before she could stop it. "I think that's something I can handle."
"I was hoping." The brunette replied, a faint blush on her cheeks.
A comfortable silence settled between them for a moment. Paige looked back down at the mug, watching the steam curl lazily into the air. The little foam leaf sat perfectly in the center untouched.
She frowned ever so slightly. "It looks too nice to drink."
Azzi followed her gaze to the foam art before looking back at Paige.
One corner of her mouth lifted. "Don't worry." She waved a dismissive hand with an easy smile. "I won't be offended when you destroy my artwork."
Paige’s fingers tightened just a little around the mug. "I might be."
Azzi blinked, amused. "Why?"
Paige glanced down at the foam leaf again before answering. "Because now I feel responsible for the tiny foam leaf."
For a second, Azzi just looked at her.
Then another laugh escaped, warm and effortless enough that Paige felt herself smiling again without meaning to.
"I think you'll survive."
Paige pretended to consider that. Her eyes drifted thoughtfully toward the ceiling before returning to Azzi.
"That's a bold assumption." She added.
Azzi crossed her arms loosely, the smile never leaving her face. "I have faith in you."
The words were simple, casual. Probably something Azzi said without giving it much thought. But Paige felt them land somewhere she couldn't quite explain.
She looked up. And for just a second, the sounds of the café seemed to fade into the background.
Azzi wasn't teasing. She wasn't rushing to greet another customer. She was just looking at Paige, waiting.
The blonde cleared her throat, suddenly very aware she'd been holding Azzi’s gaze longer than she intended.
"Well..." She wrapped both hands around the mug again before lifting it carefully from the table. "I'll let you know if it lives up to the expectations."
Azzi took a small step backward toward the counter, her smile returning to its usual playful shape. "I'll be waiting for the review."
She started walking back toward the espresso machine, weaving easily between occupied tables. Halfway there, she slowed, then stopped. Turning back over her shoulder, she found Paige already watching her.
A grin spread across her face. "And Paige?"
Paige looked up immediately. "Yeah?"
Azzi’s eyes drifted toward the perfectly straight line of highlighters sitting beside Paige's notebook.
The corners of her mouth twitched. "Don't let the highlighters distract you from actually studying."
Paige instinctively looked down at them. Without realizing it, she'd already arranged them into a flawless rainbow.
She let out a quiet, embarrassed laugh. "No promises."
Azzi shook her head as if she'd expected exactly that answer.
"I had a feeling you'd say that." With one last smile, she turned and disappeared behind the espresso machine, greeting another customer before Paige had time to say anything else.
Paige watched her go. She watched a second longer than she probably should have. Only when Azzi disappeared behind the crowd gathering near the register did Paige blink and look back down at the table.
The mug still rested in front of her, steam continued curling from the surface, and the foam leaf remained perfectly intact.
She smiled to herself. Then she reached for the mug with both hands.
"Okay," she whispered under her breath, giving herself a small nod before opening her laptop.
She took one sip. The warmth spread through her almost instantly, her eyes widened.
"...Okay," she murmured, this time to the drink instead of herself. "Nika was definitely right."
"I am never telling her that."
Paige opened her biology textbook and for the first time all afternoon, the words on the page actually held her attention.
For the next hour, she managed to get more work done than she had all week. Not because the café was silent, because it wasn’t. And not because there weren't distractions. (There definitely were.)
But something about the atmosphere made it easier to breathe. She wasn't trapped in the library fighting against every little sound, and she wasn't staring at the same paragraph over and over again. She was just comfortable.
Every once in a while, she noticed Azzi moving behind the counter. Not because she was trying to. At least, that's what Paige told herself. She noticed because Azzi was impossible not to notice.
The way she remembered people's names, the way she smiled at regular customers, the way she made every interaction feel personal instead of rushed. It was different. Paige had worked a customer service job once in high school, and she had spent most of her shifts counting down the minutes until she could leave.
But Azzi looked like she belonged there. Like the café wasn't just somewhere she worked. It was somewhere she was part of.
Paige caught herself watching the counter again and immediately looked back down at her notes.
"Absolutely not," she whispered.
She picked up her green highlighter. "You're here to study." She reminded herself.
Her phone buzzed, she glanced down.
Paige stared at the message.
The response came almost immediately.
Paige looked around at the warm lights, the quiet tables, and also at drink beside her and, unfortunately, the barista who had somehow made her first day there memorable.
Paige : It's actually really nice.
Twin🇭🇷🦈: "Nice" nice or actually nice?
Paige: What does that mean bro?
Twin🇭🇷🦈: You know exactly what that means.
Paige looked down at her textbook. Then at the notes she'd actually completed.
Nika🇭🇷🦈: Are any of the baristas cute😏?
Paige froze. How the fuck would Nika know?
She looked around the café instinctively, even though Nika was nowhere near her.
Paige: I'm hanging up this conversation.
Twin🇭🇷🦈: You didn't answer.
Paige locked her phone. She absolutely did not need to answer because the answer was obvious. And that was exactly the problem.
She returned her attention to her textbook, determined to prove herself wrong. Unfortunately, the small smile she couldn't quite get rid of made that difficult.
By the time Paige finally looked up from her laptop, the light outside the café windows had shifted. The bright afternoon sun had softened into a warm golden glow, the kind that made the leaves outside look like they were glowing instead of simply falling.
She blinked. Then she looked at the clock above the pastry case.
Her eyebrows lifted. "No way."
She glanced back down at her notebook. Somehow, she had actually gotten work done, not everything. And also definitely not enough to stop worrying about midterms, but enough.
Her biology notes were filled with organized sections, important terms highlighted, and questions written neatly in the margins for her to review later.
It was progress, actual progress. And that was surprising, because when she first walked in, she had been convinced a café was the worst possible place to study. Too many distractions, too much noise, and too many people.
Yet somehow, she'd spent nearly four hours there and hadn't regretted it once. Paige started packing up her things.
Then her eyes landed on the row of highlighters beside her notebook. For a moment, she simply stared at them. A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.
After the chaos they had caused earlier, seeing them all accounted for felt strangely satisfying. She reached over and picked them up one by one, carefully sliding them back into her pencil pouch.
"Still here," she murmured quietly, shaking her head with a small laugh.
The highlighters disappeared into the pouch, and she zipped it closed with a quiet sound.
"Perfect." The word had barely left her mouth when another voice came from beside the table.
"Happy to hear there were no more incidents."
Azzi stood beside her with an empty tray balanced in one hand. She looked like she had been moving nonstop since the last time they spoke—hair slightly looser, apron still dusted with tiny traces of flour, and a few strands falling around her face.
Yet somehow, she still carried the same calm energy she had when Paige first walked in. Like nothing ever truly overwhelmed her. Paige glanced down at her neatly packed belongings before looking back up at Azzi.
"Thank you for checking."
Azzi’s expression turned slightly more serious, though the amusement in her eyes remained. "I was concerned."
Paige paused. The way Azzi said it made the statement sound much more dramatic than it probably was.
Her eyebrows lifted slightly. "About my safety?"
The question came out with just enough seriousness that Azzi’s smile immediately grew. For a second, she looked like she was considering whether to play along.
Then she admitted the truth. "About the highlighters."
Paige stared at her, a beat passed. Then she slowly nodded, accepting the answer like it was completely reasonable."Understandable."
Azzi laughed softly. The sound made Paige smile before she could stop herself. There was something about the way Azzi laughed that made everything feel lighter.
The barista shifted the tray to her other hand, her eyes moving briefly toward Paige’s notebook.
"So..." she started, drawing out the word slightly as if she already knew she was interrupting a very serious study session. "How was the studying?"
Paige followed Azzi’s gaze down to her notes. The pages were filled, more filled than she expected, actually. She ran her thumb lightly along the edge of the notebook before answering. "Better than expected."
Azzi’s eyebrows lifted. "Really?"
Paige nodded, closing the notebook and placing it on top of her textbook. "Yeah."
She looked at the stack of completed work, a small sense of accomplishment settling in. "I actually got a lot done."
Azzi smiled, looking pleased with herself even though she had technically done very little besides make a drink and provide a quieter place to sit.
"See?" She gestured around the café with her free hand. "The café passed the test."
Paige glanced around. The warm lights, the quiet conversations, the comfortable hum of people coming and going. She had to admit it had passed the test.
"I guess it did." The small smile that appeared on her face felt natural.
Azzi noticed, and for some reason, that made Paige suddenly aware of it.
"I was nervous." The confession caught Paige off guard.
She looked back at Azzi . The barista reached up, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face before tucking it behind her ear.
"You were?" The blonde asked.
Azzi nodded like it was obvious. "Of course."
Paige tilted her head slightly. "Why?"
Azzi leaned lightly against the edge of the nearby chair, thinking for a second before answering.
"Because if you hated it..." she explained, her expression turning playfully thoughtful, "I'd have to question my entire understanding of what makes a good study environment."
The ridiculous seriousness of the statement caught Paige by surprise. A laugh escaped before she could hold it back, a real one.
Azzi smiled, clearly pleased she had managed to get it out of her.
"I think you'll survive."
Azzi placed a hand over her chest in exaggerated relief. "Good."
She nodded solemnly. "I was worried."
Paige shook her head, still smiling. She wasn't used to conversations like this. Usually, conversations had a purpose, class discussions, presentations, or debates. Things where she knew exactly what was expected of her. There were rules, there were answers, and there were ways to prepare. But casual conversations? Those were different. Those required instinct, they required knowing when to speak, when to joke, when to stop.
And somehow, with Azzi, Paige didn't feel like she had to mentally rehearse every response before saying it. She just talked.
Which was unusual, and honestly, a little concerning. Because Paige liked being prepared. She liked knowing what came next. But Azzi made that harder,not in a bad way. Just in a way Paige wasn't used to.
She glanced toward the clock above the counter and realized more time had passed than she expected.
"I should probably get going." The words came out reluctantly.
She stood, sliding her backpack onto one shoulder and adjusting the strap until it sat comfortably. Azzi straightened from where she had been leaning.
"Early morning?" She asked
Paige nodded. "Eight o'clock class."
Azzi immediately made a sympathetic face. The reaction was so genuine that Paige almost laughed. "That's rough."
"Trust I know." The blonde huffed.
The simple agreement made Azzi smile. "Do you have coffee?"
Paige turned toward her with immediate disbelief. Her eyebrows rose, "I told you."
She pointed lightly toward herself. "I don't drink coffee."
Azzi’s eyes widened slightly as if remembering. "Right."
A small smile tugged at her mouth. "Tea person."
Azzi smiled. "Then I hope tomorrow's tea is better than today's."
She walked towards the door, the bell chiming above her as she stepped outside. The cold October air hit her immediately. Paige tucked her hands into her jacket pockets and started walking back across campus.
She told herself she was thinking about the tea, the quiet atmosphere, the comfortable table by the window, and the fact that she had actually been productive. Those were all valid reasons to return, completely logical reasons.
The barista definitely had nothing to do with it, absolutely nothing.
Except… Paige couldn't stop thinking about the way Azzi remembered people's names, the way she laughed, and the way she made a random café feel familiar after only a few hours. She shook her head. "This is ridiculous."
A student walking past glanced at her, Paige immediately looked away.
Great. Now she was talking to herself on campus.
Nika was going to have a field day.
When Paige opened the apartment door, the first thing that greeted her was the sound of the television playing from the living room. A sitcom laugh track echoed softly through the apartment, followed by the familiar glow of the screen spilling across the room.
Paige stepped inside, already reaching for the strap of her backpack to pull it off her shoulder. She barely made it two steps, Nika looked up from the couch. The second her eyes landed on Paige’s face, her expression changed.
Her eyebrows lifted, then narrowed. A slow, knowing smile appeared. Paige immediately stopped, she knew that look and she already hated it.
"Oh no." Nika’s voice held far too much confidence.
Paige tightened her grip on her backpack strap. "What?"
Instead of answering, Nika grabbed the remote and muted the television. The sudden quiet made Paige feel like she had just walked into an interrogation.
Nika leaned forward, studying her. "You have a look."
Paige stared at her. "A look?"
She glanced down at herself, briefly wondering if something was wrong with her clothes or if she had somehow walked home with something embarrassing on her face.
Then she looked back at Nika. "I do not."
Nika didn't even blink."You do."
Paige sighed, dropping her backpack beside the door. She should have known Nika would notice something.
Nika always noticed something, they were “twins” after all.
"I went to study." Paige defended.
Nika hummed, clearly unconvinced. "Mhm."
Paige slipped off her shoes and walked farther into the apartment. "I did."
She looked over her shoulder. "It was productive."
Nika’s expression softened into the exact kind of smile Paige didn't trust. The one that meant she was waiting for Paige to realize she had already given herself away.
Paige turned back around. "And what?"
The Croatian girl smiled. "There it is."
Paige frowned, and she crossed her arms. "There what is?"
"The part where you're pretending I don't know exactly what's going on." Nika explained.
Paige immediately rolled her eyes. "Nothing is going on."
Nika leaned back against the couch, completely relaxed. "Okay."
Paige stared at her. "Okay."
Neither of them moved, and neither of them spoke. Paige refused to give Nika the satisfaction.
Although Nika looked perfectly happy waiting all night. But unfortunately, Paige knew her best friend and roommate. Nika was more stubborn than anyone Paige had ever met.
Finally, Nika sighed and gave up pretending she wasn't curious. "So..."
She watched Paige carefully. "How was the barista?"
The reaction was immediate, Paige looked away. Only for a second, but it was enough.
Nika caught it, of course she caught it.
Paige cleared her throat, suddenly very interested in adjusting the sleeve of her jacket. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The brunette smile widened. "Sure."
Paige shook her head. "She was just nice."
Nika repeated the word slowly. "Nice?"
Paige looked back at her. "Yes."
Nika tilted her head. "The kind of nice where you come home and immediately have a suspicious expression?"
Paige opened her mouth, then closed it. Because that was annoyingly accurate. “I did not mention her." She defended.
Nika pointed toward Paige’s backpack. "The tea."
Paige glanced at the bag. She already knew exactly where this conversation was going.
"You mentioned the tea." Nika added.
Paige shrugged, trying to sound casual. "The tea was good."
Nika nodded slowly. "Uh-huh."
Paige crossed her arms tighter. "It was."
But even as she said it, her mind betrayed her. Because yes, the tea had been good. The café had been comfortable, and she had gotten work done. Those were the reasons she was thinking about going back.
Completely obvious reasons.
Except… Her brain immediately supplied an image of Azzi standing behind the counter. The way she smiled when she greeted people, the way she laughed, and the way her whole face softened when she was joking.
Paige quickly pushed the thought away.
Absolutely not, she was not doing this. She was not sitting here thinking about a girl she had known for one afternoon. Especially not a girl she had met while embarrassing herself with a highlighter explosion.
Nika pointed toward the planner sticking out of Paige’s bag. "Open it."
Paige immediately looked at her. The request was suspicious, very suspicious.
Nika shrugged. "Just open it."
Paige narrowed her eyes. She knew better than to blindly follow Nika’s instructions, but curiosity got the better of her.
With a quiet sigh, she pulled the planner from her bag and flipped it open to the next day. Her schedule stared back at her. Classes, assignments, a three-hour gap between lectures, and an empty space. Which meant a perfect opportunity.
Before she could stop herself, her fingers were already reaching for the pen tucked into the planner.
The movement was automatic.
Study — Storrs sips Cafe.
The second the ink touched the page, Paige froze. She stared at the words and Nika stared at Paige. Neither of them said anything because they both knew.
Paige looked back down at the planner. This was a normal decision, a quiet logical decision, a good study choice. That was all.
Except the small, annoying part of her brain immediately pictured Azzi looking up when she walked through the café door.
That smile, that little surprised expression. And the way she would probably say her name.
Paige frowned. This was getting ridiculous.
Finally, Nika broke the silence. A slow smile spread across her face. "You're going back."
Paige snapped the planner shut. "Because it's a good study place."
Nika nodded. "Of course."
"Sure." Nika said, not sounding convinced at all.
Paige shoved the planner back into her bag, ignoring the heat creeping into her cheeks. She turned toward the hallway
“It’s just a good study place!!” She yelled, defending herself one more time before she disappeared into her room and closed the door behind her.
A few seconds later, Nika laughed quietly from the living room, not loudly. Just enough to prove she had already figured everything out.
"Whatever you say." She yelled back.
Inside her room, Paige leaned against the closed door. She let out a long breath, Nika was wrong. She had to be. She was only going back because the café was comfortable, because she could actually focus there, because the tea was good, and because she got more done than she expected.
That was it. Those were the reasons, nothing else.
Except Paige walked over to her desk and dropped her planner beside her laptop and immediately thought about Azzi again.
Which was becoming a problem because Azzi was not just nice.
She wasn't finishing that sentence, she already knew where it was going.
Azzi was cute, annoyingly cute. The kind of cute that made Paige notice tiny things she had no reason to remember. Like the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, like the way she smiled when she laughed, or like the way she looked completely comfortable behind the counter, like she belonged there.
Paige covered her face with both hands. "Seriously?" She had known this girl for one singular afternoon.
And somehow she was already acting like a complete simp. For a barista, A very pretty, and kind barista who had made her a drink with a tiny foam leaf who somehow made Paige feel less awkward and being awkward.
That was the dangerous part. It wasn't just that Azzi was pretty. It was that Paige liked being around her. Now usually Paige knew how to handle everything with a clear purpose, but with Azzi it was different. She just let herself exist. Which was honestly more concerning than the fact she thought Azzi was cute. Paige set her alarm for the next morning and placed her phone on the nightstand.
She told herself she wasn't excited. She also told herself tomorrow was just another study day. A normal afternoon, a normal trip to a café. Nothing more, nothing at all.
Except when she closed her eyes, the first thing she thought about was tomorrow afternoon.
And the possibility of seeing Azzi again.
The last few customers had finally left.
Azzi stood behind the counter, wiping down the espresso machine as the café settled into its nighttime quiet. Without the constant movement of orders being called out, cups being placed on trays, and conversations filling every corner, the space felt completely different. Almost peaceful.
She emptied the last bit of milk from the pitcher, rinsed it out, and placed it upside down on the drying rack.
Another closing shift finished, well almost.
The soft scrape of a chair moving across the floor caught her attention. Her manager, Caroline , was flipping the chairs onto the tables near the front windows, getting the café ready to close for the night.
"You know," Caroline said casually, not looking up from the chair she was lifting, "I don't think I've seen you smile that much during a shift in a while."
Azzi paused, only for a second. But long enough for Caroline to notice.
Azzi continued wiping the counter, pretending she suddenly found a very interesting spot that needed cleaning.
"I smile all the time." She said.
Caroline looked over. The expression on her face made it obvious she didn't believe that for a second.
Caroline hummed,clearly unconvinced. "Interesting."
Azzi narrowed her eyes slightly, she knew that tone.
"What?" She asked, not getting at what Caroline was saying.
Caroline finished placing the chair on the table before turning around. "The girl from earlier."
Azzi immediately knew who she meant. Which was probably the problem, her mind didn't even have to search. The girl with the stack of notebooks, the girl who looked like she had prepared for every possible academic emergency, the girl who had stared at the menu like it was written in another language, and specifically the girl who had dropped half her highlighters across the café floor.
A small smile tugged at Azzi’s mouth before she could stop it.
Caroline caught it instantly. "There it is."
Azzi looked away. "There is what?"
"That smile." Caroline said.
Azzi began to get flush, "There is no smile."
Caroline laughed quietly. "Azzi."
Azzi grabbed a clean towel and folded it carefully, mostly to give her hands something to do. "She was just a customer." She explained.
"Right." Caroline said, her voice carrying the exact amount of teasing Azzi expected.
Azzi looked over. "She has a name."
Caroline’s eyebrows lifted. "Oh?"
Azzi immediately realized what she had just admitted. She sighed, “Paige." The name came out easily, too easily.
Caroline smiled. "Paige." She repeated.
Azzi looked down, continuing to wipe the counter. "Yes."
"The highlighter girl?" Caroline added.
Azzi tried not to laugh, but it didn't work. A small smile escaped. "She has a name, remember?"
Caroline grinned. "Apparently one you remember."
Azzi opened her mouth to argue, then stopped. Because she did remember, not just Paige’s name, but everything else too.
The way Paige had walked into the café like she was prepared to battle the entire menu.
The way she had looked genuinely overwhelmed by the coffee options.
The way she had tried so hard to pretend she wasn't embarrassed when she froze at the register.
The way her face had turned slightly pink every time she realized she was overthinking something.
And the highlighters, specifically the highlighters.
Azzi shook her head slightly. She still couldn't believe how many there had been. Twenty?, Maybe more.
Paige had looked absolutely horrified when they scattered across the floor. Like the highlighters had betrayed her personally. But somehow, even while panicking, she had been polite. Apologising, trying to pick everything up herself, and worried she was causing trouble.
Azzi had found that strangely adorable. Not the dropping things part. Well...Maybe a little. But mostly the way Paige cared so much.
Everything about her seemed intentional. The organized notebooks, the planner, the color-coded highlighters, and the careful way she answered questions. Like she wanted to make sure she was doing everything correctly.
Except every once in a while, that carefulness slipped and Azzi got to see the person underneath it. The person who laughed at herself, the person who made jokes when she was embarrassed, and the person who looked genuinely surprised when someone was kind to her.
Caroline’s voice pulled Azzi out of her thoughts.
Azzi looked up quickly. "What?"
Caroline leaned against the counter, amused. "You heard me."
Azzi shook her head immediately. "No." The answer came too fast.
Caroline’s smile widened. "That was convincing."
Azzi rolled her eyes. "She was nice."
"She was." Azzi insisted.
"I didn't say she wasn't." Caroline added.
Azzi looked down at the counter again. Because that was the problem, Caroline wasn't wrong that Paige was memorable. But it wasn't because Paige was trying to be. That was what made it different.
Paige wasn't the type of person who walked into a room wanting attention. If anything, she seemed like she was constantly trying not to have any, and somehow, she still managed to.
Azzi remembered the way Paige had laughed when they were picking up the highlighters. It had been a little surprising. Like she hadn't expected herself to laugh, like she had forgotten for a moment that she was supposed to be embarrassed.
Azzi smiled faintly, she liked that. She liked making Paige laugh. Which was probably something she shouldn't be thinking about after meeting someone once.
But still. There was something charming about her. The awkwardness, the nervousness, yhe way she tried so hard to seem composed while very obviously being anything but. It was cute, really cute. Azzi shook her head at herself.
She looked up. Caroline was watching her with an entertained expression.
Azzi immediately went back to wiping the counter. "I am closing the café."
"That wasn't a denial." Her manager teased.
Azzi ignored her, because unfortunately she couldn't even argue. Paige had been awkward, she had been clumsy, she had been completely overwhelmed by a drink menu, she also had dropped an impressive amount of stationery.
And somehow Azzi had found all of it adorable.
She finished wiping down the counter and turned off the last row of lights. The café grew dimmer, the warm glow disappearing one section at a time.
Tomorrow, Paige might come back, orr she might not. Azzi had no idea, but for some reason, she found herself hoping she would.
Because she was curious about the girl with the notebooks. The girl with the highlighters, the girl who looked like she had everything planned out. Except for the way she made Azzi smile.
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