Lattes with a Side of Love

Walking into Heavenly Blends, Maddie looked around the shop for a place to sit. Whether she wanted to work on her homework or draw in her sketchbook, she loved the hustle and bustle type atmosphere that she felt around the shop. 

She saw her younger sister, Mia, a few feet away, playing Portal on her laptop. The brunette giggled, remembering that her sister had asked if she should either study or play Portal on her laptop. 

To her dismay, her sister chose the latter, despite her objections. Maddie couldn't blame her though. She would probably do the same. 

Her eyes landed on a spot across from where her sister sat and, not wanting someone to steal it, she walked to the spot, setting her school bag down. Let's see here... Which authors did her teacher say to go over again?  She chewed on the pencil, looking at the study guide he had handed out to her and her classmates at the beginning of class. 

The smell of vanilla drifted around the shop, causing her to lick her lips. She had better get some coffee before her next class or else she would end up falling asleep in class... again...

She walked over to the counter, memorizing what she was going to say in her head. Looking over the different options on the menu, she smiled. 

"Hello! I'd like a chai tea latte, please," she said, watching as the cashier keyed in the order. 

A few seconds later, Maddie held the steaming cup of frothy liquid in her hands, enjoying how it smelled. 

She took the first sip of her drink, reveling in the way it tasted. Now she saw why people liked coffee so much. Taking a second sip, her gaze wandered around the room, stopping on a guy who looked to be her age, sitting at a table by himself. 

The brunette took a second longer to look at him before finally snapping out of it. Get a grip, Mads!  she scolded. 

She started walking towards her seat, failing to realize where she was going. 

Crash! The drink spilled onto the ground, creating a mess she wasn't looking forward to cleaning up. 

She looked up at the person she had bumped into, smiling when she noticed it was the guy she was staring at a few minutes earlier. 

"Shit! I'm so sorry!" The guy bent down to clean up the mess he had made, his cheeks flushed. 

Maddie gave him a nonchalant wave. "It's okay. Don't worry about it." She bent over to help him, the two locking eyes for a split second. 

The guy stood up and took a second to put the used napkins in the trash can. He squished it into a ball, throwing each of the napkins into the bin from a distance. Afterwards, he turned around. "Can I get you another drink?" 

Maddie grinned. "Sure, but only if we get to know each other over it." 

Justin laughed. "Sounds good to me." The guy turned around, about to place an order, but stopped short of a sentence. He turned back around, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, what was your order again?" 

The brunette shook her head before telling the cashier the name of the drink and walking back to her seat. 

The guy followed suit a few minutes later, setting her drink down on the table. "So, what's your name?" 

"Madelyn, but my friends call me Maddie." 

The guy tapped his chin. "Maddie... I like it. Name's Justin. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He got up to take a mock bow, causing her to laugh. 

"Nice to meet you, Justin." Maddie brought out her sketchbook, the desire to draw overriding the need to study. 

She felt his gaze linger on her as she tapped her chin, pulling up one of her favorite pieces from her favorite illustrator, and began to finish the sketch she had started a while ago.