A/N: Hey guys! So I know I already have another Star Wars story going right now (along with several others that I haven't worked on in like a year oops), but this idea came to me the other night, and I just couldn't pass it up. I actually work at Starbucks, and have wanted to write a story about Starbucks for a while. This was just an idea that clicked. I hope you guys like it, and I hope that, if you're a fan of Starbucks, you can appreciate my barista humor.

As always, I do not share any views expressed by any characters in this story. And I own nothing in this story.

Okay, please read, review, and enjoy!

Ben didn't hate his job at the local Starbucks, he would just much rather be at home in bed right now. Ahsoka was in the back busy getting caught up on the dishes that night crew had left for them that morning. He knew they did it out of spite, and so he'd told Ahsoka not to bother with them, but she'd said that she couldn't stand to just leave them there. So, Ben was left in the front of the store alone. Everything was pretty much stocked, so he was scrolling through Tumblr on his phone.

It was just like any other day, until-

"Excuse me." It was a soft, British voice, and something about it struck Ben and caused him to freeze. He looked up from his phone to see a beautiful, unkempt brunette standing at the cash register. He felt embarrassed for a moment, having been caught on his phone during work, but that faded when she giggled. Oh...that was a very nice sound.

Ben cleared his throat, pushing off the counter and standing in front of the register. "Um, how can I help you, miss?" he asked, voice a little shaky. The younger girl's face was flawless, aside from the clusters of freckles on her nose, which were too cute to really be flaws. Kinda like dandelions.

He was pulled from his musing when she said, "I've...never been here before, and I'm a little lost." She smiled, looking a little shameful. Her eyes said, oops. Ben opened his mouth to speak, but she added, "I got this card," she held up a Starbucks gift card - a Halloween one with a black cat and a pumpkin on it, "and I think there's $10 on it? What exactly can that get me?"

Ben wanted to just keep staring at her, but he was speaking before he could think twice about it. "Well, $10 is pretty much enough for a drink and a cookie, if you want."

"Really?" She seemed to light up at this. "I was scared I wouldn't have enough for food. Well, that's good news." The young woman grinned, looking so excited about the prospect of a snack with her coffee.

He couldn't help but smile back at her. "So what do you like? Do you like coffee, or do you maybe prefer tea?" Was that stereotypical to assume that since she was British, she may want tea? No, lots of young women loved tea.

She pondered for a moment, looking at the menu. "I'm not sure... I think I tried coffee once, but it was pretty bitter." The girl made a sour face, and Ben chuckled, which made her giggle too. God, she was intoxicating. "What do you have that's really sweet?" she asked.

Ben thought for a second. "Hot or cold?"

"Hmm...hot? It's a bit chilly out, yeah?"

With a nod, Ben glanced over at the various syrups to his left. "Well, you could get a latte, with any flavor you like." He was met with a confused gaze, and smiled. "Okay, so, do you know what a latte is?" The girl shook her head, and he chuckled again. He wasn't trying to be condescending. She was just cute. "Well, a latte is basically steamed milk and espresso, and you can add any flavored syrup that you'd like."

"Espresso is that coffee that has tons of caffeine, right?" she asked, hand on her cheek, either in thought or apology. "I just...feel like a moron, but I honestly don't know much about coffee. Just what I've read, really."

Waving a hand, Ben dismissed her insecurities. "You're not a moron, trust me. You want to see a moron?" He hunched down so that he was eye-level to her, and started to feel his heart rate quicken. Motioning with a nod of his head, he said, "That guy over there?" He waited for her to discretely turn and look at the older man in the corner, sipping from a glass mug. "He comes in almost every morning, orders a caramel macchiato, upside down, minus the caramel, add an extra pump of vanilla." When the girl looked even more confused than before, Ben wondered why he told a barista joke to a newbie, hoping it would help her feel less dumb. "Sorry. He's basically paying extra for a vanilla latte, when he doesn't have to. I- I feel like the moron here."

The girl giggled. "Well, I hope that someday I can understand your joke, but I appreciate you trying to help me feel better." Her smile held so much warmth, Ben felt the muscles in his back relax, as if looking at her was equivalent to laying in a hot bath. Was that weird? Stop being so weird, Ben.

"Don't worry," he assured her, "I'll teach you everything you need to know about coffee, and then you'll get why Dave knows less than you do now." He straightened, putting a hand on his hip. "Anyway, back to your order. Something hot and sweet, let me see..." He almost laughed when he thought, "I can't suggest that she order one of herself, can I?" Ben looked at the menu in an attempt to hide his smile. "Well, do you like caramel? What about white chocolate?" He glanced back at her, awaiting her answer.

She appeared to be focusing hard. "Well, I really love caramel and chocolate, but I'm not sure about white chocolate. Do you have anything that has caramel and chocolate?"

Nodding, Ben said, "You could just get a mocha with caramel added, or you can try the salted caramel mocha."

The girl raised her hand over her head, as if she were in elementary school. When Ben nodded to her, she lowered her hand and asked, "What's mocha?"

"Oh, right. Well, mocha is just the coffee way of saying chocolate. So, if you order a mocha latte, that's espresso, steamed milk, and chocolate sauce," Ben told her. He only just now thought about the other customers, but when he looked over the girl's head, there was no one behind her.

Glancing over the menu once more, she finally decided, "Can I have a salted caramel mocha?"

Ben smiled. "Great, of course. What size?"

She looked stumped again. "Oh... Well, I know that it's not small, medium, and large here, but I don't know what the sizes actually are."

"Well, you can still say small, medium, or large if you want. I don't mind."

The girl shook her head defiantly. "No, I need to learn the right terms."

Ben smiled. "Well, okay." He pointed to the small size. "This is a tall." Then the next. "Grande." Then the biggest hot cup. "And venti."

She looked at the cups one at a time, as if repeating their names in her mind. Ben thought she was too cute, trying so hard to memorize the right words. Sadly, if she weren't this adorable, he probably never would have spent this much time on her. He just would've suggested a white mocha and told her to wait at the end of the counter. The girl finally said, "Okay, I'll take a grande salted caramel mocha."

He couldn't have been prouder. "You already sound like a pro," he admitted, and she smiled bashfully at the floor, folding her hands behind her back. This was a small Starbucks, where there was no drive-thru, and all the cups were written on with black Sharpies, not labeled with a sticker printed off the register. Ben didn't have the best handwriting, but he moved slowly on this girl's cup, wanting to do his best. When he had the code for the drink written, he looked up at her again. "Can I have your name?"

She smiled, pushing some hair out of her face. "Rey."

After Ben had written her name on the cup, looping the Y in a pretty way, he put the cup on the counter and held out his hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rey."

The girl looked a little surprised, then beamed, taking his hand and shaking it. "And it's nice to meet you," she stopped to look at the chalk writing on his name tag, "Ben."

From the other end of the counter, Ahsoka smiled at Anakin, who was sitting in a bar stool. "This is weird," Anakin admitted. "Ben is never this nice to any of the customers."

"That's because he likes her, duh," Ahsoka told him with a huge grin. "This could be the start of something wonderful."

Rolling his eyes, Anakin replied, "Oh please, give me a break. There's no way Ben would ever get into a relationship."

"Everyone needs someone," Ahsoka said, looking a little sad.

Shaking his head, Anakin answered, "Not Ben."