The Regular Across the Street
A barista notices a quiet young man who watches from the cafe opposite
Hannah has worked at a small cafe called The Blue Kettle for two years.
The cafe stands on a busy street in the old part of town.
Every morning she opens the door, turns on the lights, and grinds the coffee.
She has always loved the quiet hour before the first customers arrive.
Across the street, there is another cafe called Amber and Oak.
The two cafes have faced each other for as long as anyone remembers.
Lately Hannah has noticed something strange about the young man over there.
He often stands by the window and looks toward her cafe.
His name, she has learned, is Leo, and he works across the street.
He has come to the same every single morning this week.
Usually he holds a cup and stares quietly at the glass.
Hannah has never spoken to him, but she always feels his .
"Why does he keep looking over here?" she has often wondered.
Sometimes she waves without thinking, and then feels a little .
Her boss, Ruth, has owned The Blue Kettle since she was young.
Ruth rarely smiles at the people from the cafe across the road.
"Those people have never been our friends," she often says.
Hannah has never understood why the two owners each other.
This morning Leo is standing by his window again, as always.
He raises his cup slightly, as if he is greeting her.
Hannah's heart beats faster, though she has met him only with her eyes.
She has served hundreds of customers, but none has made her this .
For the first time, she wonders what his voice sounds like.
She has decided that tomorrow she will finally look straight back at him.
Somewhere behind her, the first customer has already opened the door.