Rachael Roth was a very busy young lady. Between her part-time retail job, earning her bachelors degree in journalism, and interning at a local news network, she rarely had time for pleasantries. A quick nod of her head and maybe a muffled "thank you," "please," or "excuse me," when necessary. That was the extent of her politeness. It wasn't that she was rude. She just didn't have the time nor the courage to engage with other people beyond that point.

It was only between the hours of 2 and 6 on Thursday's that she had any free time. She reserved that time for some much needed pleasure reading. Books were the current love of her life, and not even a hectic schedule would keep them from her. Normally, she would spend this special time at the nearby Starbucks. However, she had heard a lot of positive talk concerning a new, locally owned café. It was a little farther away from the studio she worked at than Starbucks, but she was in the rare mood for a change in scenery.

When she entered quaint café, she was instantly hit with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and tea. She was expecting a newer place like this to have a modern look, but she couldn't have been more wrong. It had old brick walls, with paintings of varies locations around France. They whole thing was decorated to look like a traditional, French café. There was a wooden counter with a vintage cash register, and a glass cabinet filled with homemade French pastries. Behind the counter were different types of appliances, all appearing to be old collectibles. The whole place looked like one large antique.

She was amazed to say the least. The coffee shop gave off a peaceful ambiance, that made her feel comfortable and secure. It was a perfect place for a cup of tea and a book.

When she approached the counter, the costumer in front of her had already left with her order, so Rachael was able to step right up to the register. On the other side of the counter was a slightly taller young man, who was lean but showed some muscling underneath his long sleeve brown shirt. His skin was lightly tanned and his hair was a shaggy, dirty-blonde. His eyes were a deep, ocean-like blue, and on his cheeks were a light dusting of freckles. He has many cute and desirable features, but none compared to his larger-than-life smile.

When that smile met her, and an overly-kind welcome fell out of it, she simply gave him a polite nod. The boy seemed bit surprised at her curt gesture, but he quickly recovered. Rachael glanced up at the menu that hung on the back wall, giving it one quick look-over, before turning back to the young man.

"I'll just have a cup of your English Breakfast, please." She ordered before breaking away from his stare and looking into her purse to pull out her debit card.

The man nodded his head a pushed a few buttons on the register. "Would you like to add any sugar or cream into that?" He asked her with a strange sense of enthusiasm.

She thought his question over for a moment.

"Half a teaspoon of honey would be nice." She requested. The way the man's smile fell and the worry in his eyes was both oddly amusing and annoying.

"I'm so sorry ma'am, but we don't have honey here." He explained sadly. He seemed more disappointed then she was.

"You don't have honey?" She questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

"No ma'am." He shook his head.

"But you're a tea shop?" She pressed.

"Well technically, I'm a person, and we serve coffee and pastries too."

His attempt at a joke fell short on her. Instead, she took it as more of a jab and it only riled her up more. "A café should have honey. What kind of café doesn't?"

"This kind." He deadpanned. This time his smile was replaced with a delighted smirk, which made the women want to slap it right off of him. She was normally a very mellow person, but something about this guy just really ruffled her feathers.

"Fine." She growled. "Just give me my tea."

The man practically skipped to the back and began filling a ceramic cup with boiling water. Rachael tapped her foot as she waited for the man to come back with her drink. He returned with a cup filled with brown liquid and a water saucer. He sat both on top of the counter and announced her price.

"That will be $1.50 please."

Rachael rolled her eyes at him, but handed him her card. Another fit of rage flashed in her eyes when he didn't make a move to take it.

"Well?" She asked as she waved her card in the air.

"Oh, we don't accept cards, in case the dinosaur in between use wasn't enough to figure that one out." Again he tried to joke, and he even laughed at himself, but it once again just fueled her inner fire.

"What do you mean you don't take cards?" She shouted this time. Everyone in the small shop, including those forming a short line behind her, stared worriedly at her. Mortified at her own outburst and the attention it was receiving, she quickly put away her card and pulled out two dollar bills. She practically throw the money at him. She waited while he happily opened the register and pulled out two quarters. He handed her the change, but not before giving her a playful wink. She belched at him in disgust before depositing her change into her purse and taking her tea over to the farthest corner of the shop.

She sat down in the fancy, red-felted chairs and made herself at home with her tea and a book. She couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched, but every time she looked up, she only saw costumers entering or leaving the shop and the irritating barista was staying busy serving them. So she blamed the feeling on the man that had caused her to make a scene and continued back to her story.

Author's Notes: Hope y'all like this! If I get some reviews I'll post part two!