“And this is what an art students life is like!” Lindsey Allen grumbled, filling a cup with a caramel frappuccino mixture. Fresh out of college and thrown into the world of mocha and green tea, definitely not what I had in mind when majoring in art history.

Lindsey had just graduated from a prestigious art school in the city of New York with big dreams and ideas about her future. She would get an apprenticeship with a highly esteemed artist and study until she could produce her own art for the public. Until then she wouldn’t mind working as a professor or teaching the basics to younger students until she built her skills to teach art at a college level. Whatever she chose didn’t matter because she would be involved in her wonderful world of art; life seemed to have no restrictions…until one month after graduation when every agent had turned her down from meeting with their clients. Work for aspiring artists (even with degrees) was incredibly competitive. Forced to get a job she had settled for a full time job at Starbucks until she was given an opportunity to meet with an artist.

Her days were spent serving coffee and pastries to the locals, and her nights were spent in the confines of her sketchbook.

“$5. 65.” She replied to the impatient customer standing before her.

“It’s about time!” The middle aged man complained, handing her the exact change.

“Thank you! Have a nice day!” Lindsey cried in a sarcastic tone, as the man exited the building. “Can I help you?” She asked, tone unchanging as she dumped the change into the register.

“Umm…rough morning?”

Looking up from the register she was met with a most beautiful canvas; this being a tall young man. Raven hair swept around his face cutely covering one of his deep green eyes, a small trace of eyeliner highlighted their depth. He was fairly skinny with some muscular build; his skin was a light tan that accentuated his features beautifully.

“Excuse me miss?”

“Oh!” Lindsey jumped, startled from her reverie. She didn’t realize how long she had been staring and that he had called for her attention three previous times.

“It has been a rough morning hasn’t it?” He smiled.

Oh god, that smile.

Lindsey felt her knees weaken.

“Yes, very, very rough morning.” She sputtered.

“Seems that way.” He smiled again.

“Uh…w-what can I get for you”

“Three Grande vanilla lattes and one Tall mocha cappuccino.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

God that smile.

Lindsey sighed walking over to the machine to fill the orders, he was quite the distraction during the dull morning hours.

“Are these yours?”

Lindsey jumped yet again. “Oh!” Her cheeks flushed a crimson shade of red; her sketchbook lay open to her latest piece she spent her early shift working on.

“These are gorgeous.” The young man mused, flipping through her book.

“Oh, it’s nothing really…just my sketches.”

“Modest are we?” he chuckled.

Lindsey swooned; this boy was so adorably handsome.

“I especially like this one.” He motioned to a sketch of a tree casting an eerie shadow on the ground beneath it. “Gothic themes much?” He smiled.

“Just for fun…yeah.” She nervously twirled a piece of her long dark hair between her thumb and index finger.

“These are amazing. You’re an art major, you must be. You have a wonderful talent.”

“Ahh, thanks. I just graduated and it’s more of a hobby now. Art degrees aren’t the best thing to have, I’ve discovered.”

“Competitive isn’t it?”

“Very much so.”

“Well, I have a proposition for you.” He grinned, as Lindsey blinked twice. “No, not like that…umm…I mean…well I’m in a band and those guys at the table back there,” he pointed his thumb behind him in direction of four other young men, “they’re my band mates and we just finished cutting a record and we’re actually looking for design ideas for merchandise and the like.”

Lindsey stared blankly at the beautiful musician before her.

“Well, what I’m saying is, well I’d love for the other guys to meet you and if you wouldn’t mind, for them to take a look at your art work, if possible I’d really like to see what you could come up with. Maybe we could even give you a job if management likes the designs enough.”

“Wow…I..ummm.”

“When is your shift over?”

“F-four.”

“Would you want to meet for dinner this evening?”

“I-I Um…yes...no..umm.”

“Is that a yes?” He grinned, his deep green eyes blazing with laughter.

“Sure. Yeah.”

“Is six alright? At the Green Tavern?”

“That’s great actually. Um…I may actually have a friend with me…if that’s alright.”

“That’s fine.” He smiled.

“Wow…yeah…guess I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah.”

Lindsey shot the young man a dazzling white smile. Had this beautiful man just asked her out on a date? No, it was just business…but, the Green Tavern…one of the most elegant places in town, it had to be a date. Dear God please let it be a date.

The young man coughed.

“Oh, did I forget something?” She questioned, trying to shake herself from her daydreaming state.

“The coffee?” He grinned.

“Oh, oh, oh yeah.” Lindsey hurriedly grabbed the tray filled with the four drinks and handed it to him. “That’s seven fifty.” She blushed. “I’m sorry about that.” She rubbed her neck nervously.

“Not a problem at all, after all it’s been a very long morning.”

“It was nice talking to you…Lindsey.” He read off her nametag. “I’m Gabriel by the way.” He smiled once more. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you.” She sighed, unable to shake his stare. Only seven more hours and she would be talking with this beautiful stranger again.