At Starbucks

Sterling's POV

I entered Starbucks hoping to see Dakota since she told me she works there. But I didn't even know how she looks like so I just walked over to the counter to order. I looked up to see a girl my age about to take my order.

She gave me a smile and said, "Hi! Welcome to Starbucks, what would you like to order?"

"Can I get a small iced mocha?" I took out my wallet.

"Sure. That will be three ninety-eight." I paid her and she gave me back the change along with my coffee." Could she be Dakota? No, she didn't look like a person that would act like Dakota. I shook that thought out of my mind and entered the Barnes and Noble next door.

I took out my phone and texted the girl who was on my mind.

Text:

Hello beautiful. What are you doing right this second?

I waited patiently for her reply, browsing through the books and magazines in the store.

Demi's POV

Alright, last customer of the day was done and now, I was off. I couldn't wait to get home; today had been SO tiring. Plus, someone was waiting for me at home. I smiled at the thought.

My phone vibrated and I read the text. It was from HIM. A big smile soon was on my face as I read his text:

Hello beautiful. What are you doing right this second?

I replied:

I was just thinking of going home to chat online with you. Just working the coffee beans right now :) you?

It was just five seconds before I got a text back:

That stinks, I was just at a Starbucks, hoping to see you.

Aww. That's sweet, but it didn't make sense at all, because he didn't even know how I look like or what Starbucks I worked at.

I texted back that I just finished my shift and that he missed me. That was when my phone rang; it was my roomate, Selena.

"Hello." I answered.

"Demi, are you off? I need help with my history homework!" That reminded me.

"Selena, I'll be right there. I need help with my Pre-Calculus homework too so you better help me," I said playfully. "See you in a bit."

"Alright, I'll be waiting…" Selena's so funny.

As I drove home, I couldn't help but wonder how Selena could comprehend such complex math equations and not remember historical events. I just had my pre-calculus finals today and I think I barely aced it; good thing I have Selena as a roommate. Ahh, I think I'm starting to hate the university I'm going to right now.

Shoot! I only had fifteen minutes to get back to my dorm before the campus was closed, and there's traffic. Terrific. I took a detour and took a shortcut home. Surprisingly, I made it with three minutes to spare.

As I ran from my car to my room, I spotted someone very familiar. He had blonde hair or was it light brown? I couldn't tell in the dark; he also had blue eyes. Those blue eyes! That's who he is! He was the guy I served at Starbucks earlier.

Ring! Ring! It must be Selena.

"Demi, where are you?"

At this point, I was still sprinting. "I'm coming! I'll talk to you in about 30 seconds, Sel. Open the door for me, will ya?"

"Okay! I was worried. Usually, you'd be here by now. Anyways, I've got the door open now."

I saw my room and slowed down to a stop as I step into it.

"Alright, where's that history homework?" As I waited for her to show it to me, I got out my math textbook.

"I'm not sure if I got this equation correct on the test." I wrote it on a piece of paper. "I got a is less than 10 and x is more than 2."

She works it out in what seemed like five seconds. Selena looked up at me, "It's right, that's for sure." She flipped through her textbook to Chapter 7 and pointed to a problem on her worksheet. "I don't get it, how was Lincoln able to ban slavery in the Confederacy when it became a whole new country?"

I explained to her the details and we spent the next hour working out our conflicts with the two difficult subjects.

-Later-

I fell asleep on my textbook when I woke up suddenly as Selena poked me. "Demi, guess who wants to talk to you?"

"No. Five more minutes, please!." I heard a laugh near me, probably from her.

"Fine, I guess I'll just talk to River then." What? River? I immediately woke up and look at my laptop.

Convo:

River: Dakota, guess who?

River: Are you there?

River: Helloooooo…

Dakota: I'm here. Sorry, I was sleeping! *blush*

River: Aww.

Dakota: Lol

River: I'm bored.

Dakota: Me too.

River: Let me un-bore you then :)

Selena keeps looking at the screen as I try to block it.

"I don't get it, Demi. You don't even know who he is, and you're flirting with him!" She teased.

"I'm not flirting with him!" I counteedr.

"Fine, Fine. You're virtually-flirting with him."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Sure it doesn't." She thought for a minute. "You guys using fake names online plus talking to each other so sweetly equals flirty-flirty–virtually, of course; how do you know if he's even a boy?"

He IS a boy. "He told me he was."

"And you believe that?"

"Yeah." I gave her a comforting smile and said, "I'm thinking of meeting him outside of the internet."

"No! That's unsafe Demi. You met him through an online forum for …I don't know…what was it?"

Selena was so forgetful. I continued talking to River as I answered her, "John Mayer."

"Don't give away too much information about yourself, do you promise me?"

I knew Selena was doing this for my own good. I nodded and she gave me a warm hug. Selena was like the sister I never had.

"Tell him you have to go to sleep. You have more finals tomorrow." I did as she said. "I wonder what would happen if I never advised you to use a separate phone to text him."

I laughed. "Thanks again for buying me the phone!" That was the reason I was working at Starbucks. Attending a university was so much that my parents couldn't afford to pay for it; I wanted to stay so bad that I got a job. Thanks to Selena, I got a free phone to contact River with.

Dakota: I'm sorry. My sister is calling me :) I'll talk to you later.

I wait for his reply because I know he is typing right now.

"Demi!" Selena reminded me again.

"Wait, wait! He's replying!"

She shook her head and goes to bed first.

River: I'll text you tomorrow. Good night, Dakota.

That was all I needed…I climbed onto my bed drifting off to a comfortable dream…

Sterling's POV

Why did she go offline so early? Either way, I can't wait to text her tomorrow. But what should I say? I've said "Hello, Beautiful" too many times already…hmmm…

Of course, Joe had to ruin my train of thought.

"I don't get you, man." Oh no, not again! "You barely even know this 'Dakota Girl'"

I disagreed. "No, I know a lot about her."

"I can see it, Sterling. You're falling for her."

Maybe I was. But wasn't your online life supposed to be carefree and fun? That's how I felt while talking to Dakota. Besides, I wasn't not the only one falling for her. River is too.

I express my thoughts while grinning. "I think you mean 'River' is falling for her."

"Same thing."

"I'm going to sleep; go back to your brothers' room."

"Sheesh, can't a man speak the truth?" He joked as he shuts the door.

In my dream that night, I dreamed of her singing to me.

Till tomorrow, Dakota…