Ms. Starbucks. (part 1)

He had never really bothered wondering what ‘Love’ was. To him, it was something abstract, something individualistic and subjective, something that a hundred different people could give a hundred different answers for.

He found himself however, looking through dictionary.com searching for its meaning one Tuesday afternoon.

Love –noun
1.a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
5. (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
6. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.
7. sexual intercourse; copulation.
8. (initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
9. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.
10. strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books.
11. the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.
12. the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.
13.Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.
14.a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.

He decided that none to the 14 entries on the word 'Love' described what he felt the other day, walking past Starbucks to work and seeing Ms. Starbucks for the first time. Within the 5 seconds that he had walking the length of the coffee shop, he noticed her at the checkout counter; she was tall, had short hair, big brown pretty eyes, and a beautiful smile. Of course, he stared at her without breaking his stride, (he was sure she gets these intrusive stares on a daily basis) and thought nothing more of it the next day.

The practice actually went on for 2 weeks, him walking to work at the Cineplex nearby, noticing her almost every day (she was off on Thursdays and Sundays) in that same invariable starbucks suit; the green apron and black shirt. Sometimes she'd be at the checkout counter, and he'd enjoy that brief 5 seconds he gets to see her flash her smile to the customers, and sometimes she'd be preparing coffee at the back, and he'd only get to see the back of her head - on these days he'd slow down, only ever so slowly, to see if she'd ever turn around and he could see her.

2.a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

...was probably closest. He was not gripped and carried about in a whirlwind of Love at first sight; it crept up on him, ambushing him when his defenses were at their most unsuspecting. He had no idea.

The first time his emotional guards suspected something was wrong was when he found himself, one Sunday morning, (he'd decided to take Sundays off, coincidentally) waking up and thinking of Ms. Starbucks.

Ms. Starbucks. He didn't even know her name.

Ever since then he grew wary. He rationalized; she's someone I see every day, she's pretty, it’s only natural for me to think of her, and decided to think nothing more than that.

The next morning, when he walked to work he decided to not look at her. If I can ignore her, I won’t think of her he rationalized. So he kept his eyes looking straight ahead as he came up against the coffee shop.

Only 5 seconds.

He marched forward, focused on looking straight ahead.

5.

He looked at his watch; 11.32 am.

4.

Cough.

3.

Clear throat.

2.

Ms. Starbucks smiling at customer while she gives them their coffee.

1.

…Shit.

He was in trouble.