Disclaimer - I don't own it.

Checkmate

He sat at the corner table in the back of the crowded café, his laptop perched on the table in front of him. His eyes were not on the screen though; they were on the petite blonde behind the counter. He watched as she ran her fingers through her hair, leaning against the counter. Black nails peeked out between corn silk; then cherry red as her long tanned fingers slide through elegant curls. It felt so strange that such a simple movement could take his breath away.

He knew he should be working but, he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her, the way her blue eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled at every customer, the way she spun on her heel, curls flying, as she turned to make coffees and teas.

He was never going to finish his article at this point. What had he been thinking coming here? He should have enjoyed the peace and quiet of his apartment. He had a deadline to meet for the magazine after all.

"Enzo," His name seemed to roll of her tongue as she called him for his order and he could swear his heart skipped a beat. What the hell was the matter with him?

He got out of his seat, leaving his laptop and backpack on the table. He crossed the room, hands shoved into his pockets. "Heya Lex, you're looking pretty fine today." He smirked as he took the Styrofoam cup and paper bag from her outstretched hand.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I have no time to flirt with you Amore. Can't you see I am busy," She responded, a small smirk curving her pretty pink lips.

He opened his mouth to have some kind of sarcastic response about how he wasn't just any other guy flirting with her. He was a G after all but, the words fell short and instead he smiled. "I can see that. I just wanted to make sure you knew how beautiful you looked . . ."

He could almost see her proud smile as he turned and made his way back toward his table in the back of the room, figurative tail between his legs. He was losing his touch.

He was turning into some love sick puppy dog. He was Enzo fucking Amore, not some pathetic fool who stumbled over his words just because a beautiful woman had a sassy comeback. He was a master of words.

He glanced back and felt a twinge of jealousy as Alexa flipped her hair and giggled at the customer who was leaning against the counter. She certainly had time to flirt with him.

Enzo knew the blonde was out of his league. She was stunning but, it felt like a slap in the face. They had been flirting back and forth for sever weeks now and he hated to admit it but, he was starting to develop feelings for the short, sassy blonde. She was gorgeous, confident, witty, and fierce; his perfet match. He found himself wondering if she was a witch - she seemed to have some kind of spell over him.

He grabbed his coffee and took a sip, making a disgusted face. He stuck out his tongue and sat the cup down. It was definitely not what he ordered.

He grabbed the cup and walked up to the line just as Alexa was handing the other man his drink. The man took it with a wink and left. Once the man's back was turned Alexa practically snarled at his retreating form. Enzo fought a chuckle as he approached the counter. It was nice to know she hadn't enjoyed their little encounter.

"Hey babe, you messed up my order." He leaned against the counter. "You forgot the vanilla and the sugar."

"Oh," She frowned. She reached for the cup but, he pulled it away, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence. "If you want me to make you a new one Amore give me the cup."

He smiled mischievously, "Or maybe you can just give me the sugar, if you know what I mean."

Alexa crinkled her nose, in either disgust or confusion. He wasn't sure which, as she struggled for the cup. "Why would I do that? Just give me the cup. Why wouldn't you want a brand new coffee?"

He chuckled as he moved around the counter, coming to stand behind it.

"Get out from behind the counter right now. You are going to get me fired you idiot."

"But babe, I don't think you quite get what I am asking right now." He inched closer to her. . ."You see earlier you shrugged off my compliments and I'll admit it hit my ego pretty hard. That's unusual for me; you must be a pretty special lady." He just smirked when Alexa rolled her eyes and once again reached for the cup.

"Come on, Enzo, playtime is over, give me the cup before I have customers to wait on."

Enzo looked over his shoulder. There was no one in line and no one outside of the door. He held the cup out to her but, pulled it away when she tried to grab for it. "I just want to ask you a question, Lex."

She huffed, "Fine what do you want to ask."

"Can I kiss you?" He smirked, "I mean you seem to want me to shut up. I can't think of a better way for me to keep quiet than if my mouth was preoccupied."

She stared at him, mouth agape, and for a moment he felt a sense of pride. For weeks she had been in control of their flirty banter but, now, now the ball was in his court.

He smiled at her as he waited for her response, "I mean you don't have to do it right now but, maybe later on tonight, after I take you out for a nice night on the town, dinner, dancing, romance. . . "

She continued to stare at him with wide blue eyes and for a moment he faltered. Had he read too much into their exchanges? He knew she could do better than him but, he had thought maybe the feeling he had was mutual.

It was his turn to stare at her, mouth agape, as she yanked the cup out of his hand. "I think I'll make your next coffee to go Mr. Amore" she said, turning away from him.

He stood there, behind the counter for a moment before slowly backing away. He looked around the café; luckily no one seemed to notice their little exchange. Thank God for small miracles. He quickly went over to the table and shoved his laptop and uneaten muffin into his backpack. He approached the counter just as she called his name and sat the cup on the counter.

She turned her back to him without another word. He grabbed the cup and quickly ducked out of the café. Once onto the street he sighed, feeling stupid. He had come on far too strong and probably ruined any chance of getting a date with the beautiful barista.

He took a sip of the coffee and smiled slightly. It was perfect, just the right amount of cream, vanilla and sugar. Why hadn't she made it correctly in the first place? He ordered the same thing every day.

He walked the three blocks to the park by the lake and found an empty bench by the water.

He sat the coffee down on the bench beside him as he pulled out his laptop, at least here wouldn't be distracted from his work.

He was just opening the laptop when he noticed the hot pink marker on the side of the white cup. Frowning, he picked it up and spun it so the writing was clearly visible.

Amore, I will meet you at the café at seven, don't be late and maybe if the night goes well you just might get that kiss.

He chuckled, shaking his head. She of course, had to win. She had gotten the final play. It was a game of romantic chess and she always seemed to get the checkmate. It was just another thing that he found he liked about her.

He glanced at his watch: 1:15. He needed to get writing. He had a brand new deadline to meet.

There was no way he was going to miss out on an opportunity to impress Alexa Bliss. He was going to earn that kiss and hopefully, a second date.