Coffee Shop Wait

Nixon Grimes blankly stared at the empty seat across from him.

“Would you like more coffee sir?” Asked the overly cheerful waitress.

“No,” He replied not bothering to look at her.

“Sir, I don’t want to bother you… it’s just… you’ve been here for several hours,” The waitress was doing her best to keep her smile but her nervousness was apparent. Nixon experienced this fear often. He was a large man in his mid 20’s; though most would assume older. His hair and eyes were dark. His skin was unnaturally pale, as if he spent most of his life in very dark places. He walked around with a scowl and too much confidence. He spoke with a deep voice and little emotion. It wasn’t a lie to say that Nixon Grimes was an intimidating man, that was how he liked it.

He stuck out his arm holding out his empty cup to the young waitress. He was still staring at the seat in front of him. It was as if he stared hard enough, maybe who he wanted to could appear.

“Toast will be fine,” He told her. She nodded and left to get what he asked for. Nixon wasn’t sure if his comrade would show. It had already been 3 hours. The coffee across from him was already cold, still he held up hope. The waitress appeared with the toast. She had butter and jam on the side but Nixon did not bother to use either. He liked his toast dry.

When he had finished his toast, he finally let his eyes wander. 3 hours and 10 minutes late. He took a sip of his coffee.

Nixon Grimes was a punctual man. His comrade had to be as well. With their line of work they both had to be. That meant there was an emergency or he made the choice not to show. He had a lot of respect for the other man, so he imagined it must be an emergency. No one lied to Nixon Grimes and mosted that did, regretted it. He sipped his coffee; he would wait until the 4th hour. Nothing was worth waiting more than 4 hours for. That was his rule, and it had served him well.

There were very few things in this world that made Nixon nervous. He was often the one to bring out fear in people. This arrangement was different of course. One of those rare things that made him nervous. No one knew this of course. Nixon never showed fear. He had learned that fear made people vulnerable; being vulnerable was not something to be done in public. It left you with a weak spot; a spot he had been trained to find. He would never show it out in public.

Time was running very low. Nixon began to gather his things. He of course knew you should always be prepared to leave. After all, any comrade could be a mole. He could only be so risky. His comrade knew how long he would wait. This could easily be a trap. He should have been ready before, but even the best of the best can make mistakes and let their guard down. Nixon shook his head, he should be smarter.

Nixon Grimes almost always had good luck. This would be an odd time for things to start going wrong. He was not worth messing with. He was not at the top of his job, but he was good enough to be. He was about the worst person to try and go after. This mess up was one in a million, he was safe.

Just in time, his comrade came sprinting in. Two minutes to spare, he was aware he was cutting it close. Nixon did not smile when the man sat down across from him. The other man knew him well enough not to expect him to, he didn’t mind. Cason Beckett was everything Nixon wasn’t. He was a man of average height who radiated kindness with a large smile and bright teeth. Even his dark eyes seemed to smile. Though they had the same boss, they had different roles. Though Nixon knew Cason equally well and knew there was much more to that smile then met the eyes.

“I’m so sorry I’m so late, got a call from the boss this morning, something I can’t share,” Cason explained putting his dark hand over Nixon’s pale hand. This was something most wouldn’t dare do.

“Understood,” Nixon replied. “I got you coffee, it’s cold.” He told the man. “I could get you another,” He added quickly.

“Actually I know a restaurant that opens soon, It's really good, much better place for a date really,” He explained with a smile. Nixon nodded in agreement letting a slight smile show. This was of course a rare sight to see. Nixon Grimes did not like to smile, then again he also did not like most people and he had found himself on this date. They got up and left for the restaurant.

Cason Beckett had always dreamed of falling in love. Nixon Grimes had never believed in love. If there was a person in this world who could change Nixon’s mind it would be Cason. Nixon noticed almost everything; there were exceptions of course. This was one of them, as he hadn’t yet figured out; this was only the start of a beautiful love story.