Coffee shop| Simon Riley x Reader

Page twenty five

You smiled as the man from yesterday walked through the door around the same time he did before. He approached the register, and you held his gaze. "Was my cup of tea really that good?" There was a slight tease in your voice.

"Had to come back for seconds." You laughed, and Simon found himself disliking how his gaze lingered on your smile.

"Another black tea?"

"Please." He handed you four dollars, and you smiled at the fact that he remembered.

"I'll bring you your tea when it's ready."

"Thank you love" he walked away, taking the same seat by the window. You lightly hummed to yourself while preparing his cup, and he couldn't help but glance over at you, trying to see what you did differently that made it so good. Unfortunately, everything on the counter blocked his view.

A few minutes later, you emerged with his steaming cup, setting it down on the table. Your eyes caught sight of the book he was reading. "No Longer Human" by Osamu Dazai.

You were surprised, to say the least. You hadn't pegged him to be a Dazai-read type of man. He noticed your lingering gaze on his book.

"Read it before?" you slightly leaned your hip on his table.

"Yeah, I love Dazai's books." He put the book down, picked up the cup, and took a large sip, letting the warmth envelop his body. Involuntarily, a small smile played on his lips when the cup left his lips, and you smiled, pleased that he enjoyed what you made.

"Do you like the book so far?"

If he was being honest, he hadn't the faintest clue about what the fuck was going on in the first pages of the book. It was like Dazai was speaking in a language he couldn't understand.

"I actually don't really understand what he's trying to say, no matter how many times I reread it." You softly smiled and took a seat across from him. "Really? Like what part?" you scooted in and leaned towards him, a smile on your lips that made him relax into the chair.

He slid the book over to you. "Page twenty-five." You opened the book and flipped to the page, quickly skimming the words. He couldn't help but let a smile tug at his lips as he watched you lift the book an inch in front of your face and squint, your eyes quickly darting back and forth.

"Oh! This. I can explain it to you briefly if you'd like." You smiled, leaning forward, hoping he would say yes. You loved nothing more than talking about your favorite books, often rambling on and on about them to your cat, who usually just stared at you blankly for a few seconds before falling asleep.

"Be my guest."

For the next ten minutes, you rambled on about the page he was talking about, delving into the next few pages and launching into a full rant about the entire book, covering all the plot points. Simon didn't mind; he just sipped on his tea while watching you talk and flip through the pages. He noted how often you exaggerated your hand movements and how fast you spoke when finishing a point or transitioning to another plot point.

As you began talking about the ending of the book, you gasped, realizing you had just broken down the entire plot and spoiled everything for him in a matter of ten minutes. You put the book down and fiddled with the hem of your coffee-stained apron.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry for spoiling the book. This is so embarrassing; I'm sorry." Simon couldn't help but smile as he watched you cave in on yourself.

"There's a reason why I didn't stop you, love. I didn't mind," he reassured you. You let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry; I really am." Simon opened his mouth to reassure you once more, but he heard the door open, and you quickly got up.

"I have to get back to work; I'm sorry again." He just smiled and brought the cup to his lips, watching you speed walk around the counter to greet the customer with a smile.

During your break, you grabbed a Danish from the pastry display and put it in a small bag. Walking up to Simon, you placed it next to his empty mug.

"It's on the house, for ruining your read," you smiled and stepped back.

"You really think a Danish is going to make up for a wasted book?" He had a straight face, and your stomach dropped. Your smile fell, and Simon grinned. "I'm joking, love."

You nervously laughed, grabbing the hem of your apron. You turned when you heard the door, and your smile widened upon seeing your regular, Elise, an elderly woman with a sweet demeanor.

Bad joke? Simon thought to himself before turning to look out the window as he listened to your conversation about crocheting. He saw from the corner of his eye as the elderly woman pulled out a crocheted cardigan from her bag and handed it to you.

"Oh my gosh! Is this for me? You really made this just for me, Elise?"

Again, Simon couldn't resist the tug at his lips, a small smile forming as he saw your face and how excited you were trying on the cardigan. The color suited you well.

The alarm on his watch beeped, and Simon got up, grabbing his pastry bag and book. As he walked towards the door, you called out to him, "Have a nice day!" He slightly turned around and muttered a "you too" when the elderly woman turned to look at him.

"Oh, aren't you a handsome young man." Simon couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Oh my, you're going to make my knees weak." Simon laughed, and your eyes lingered on his face, tracing the outline of his lips and the way they curved upwards. You couldn't help but agree with Elise; he was pretty handsome.

"What's your name, honey?" Elise had her back turned to you, her attention on him.

"Simon."

Elise softly clapped her hands together. "Well, Simon, do you have a girlfriend? Because y/n here is single, and she is just wonderful. She hasn't had a boyfriend in ages." Your eyes grew wide, and you called out her name.

"I don't have a girlfriend, but thank you for telling me the name of the lovely barista that makes the perfect cup of tea." You couldn't help but smile, your insides doing somersaults. He smiled and looked at you one last time.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, y/n; I appreciated your thoughts on the book."

With that, he opened the door and started walking back home. You turned to Elise, scolding her for putting you on blast like that. She just brushed it off and said you needed to find someone to settle down with. You sighed, knowing she was right.