Work Text:
Maya hated seasonal workers. As someone who had to work year round there was something particularly annoying about people who got the pleasure of working somewhere on school break and then getting to return to their normal, carefree lives. Maya understood that working meant she wasn’t going to get off on holidays or times that were convenient for her, but that was something seasonals never seemed to understand. How much time can one seriously expect off if they are only working for a couple months anyway?
When Maya’s boss mentioned they were hiring a Santa to work in the afternoons throughout December Maya was visibly annoyed. That meant even more sticky hands and screaming children. It also meant another coworker who was going to try and disturb her routine. She managed to go through most of the month ignoring him which was pretty easy because all new employees were given a warning to stay away. She didn’t even have to say anything. Something about her demeanor made it pretty clear.
When Maya arrived for her shift on Christmas Eve it was calmer than she expected. The other barista, Zay, was finishing up with the only customer in the store while Maya clocked in and then he quickly said goodbye to her so that he could make it to his family dinner on time. That left Maya in a coffee shop that was completely empty aside from their afternoon Santa: Lucas. The owners weren’t expecting a lot of foot traffic, so the two of them were the only ones scheduled to work. Great, she’d successfully managed to ignore this boy for a month, but now they were alone in a store that didn’t seem to be getting any busier. Maya thought to herself.
He kept glancing over at her like he wanted to speak, but never ended up saying anything. Maya can’t blame him for not saying anything especially when she was the one that made it clear she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Sometimes she wondered if she wasn’t such a bitch where life would lead her, but it didn’t seem worth it to find out. She’d only ever gotten hurt when she’d let down her guard, so it was something she avoided at all costs. She sat behind the counter for what seemed like an eternity with only the soft Christmas music playing in the background when suddenly she realized she was making herself seem even worse by refusing to at least introduce herself.
She begrudgingly walked out from behind the counter and over to him, but as she approached him it was as if she’d never introduced herself to anyone before. “I’m Maya,” she said, deciding to stick with a simple introduction. After all, she wasn’t trying to make a friend. She was trying to avoid being seen as a total bitch.
“Lucas,” he said with a smile wide enough to be seen behind the ridiculous Santa beard he was forced to wear. Maya tried not to smile in response.
“I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch,” she said, pausing briefly after her apology, “I don’t normally talk to new employees. I’ve been working here since I turned fourteen and I’ve seen countless people walk through the door just to turn around and leave again in a few weeks and after a certain point I stopped introducing myself.” She stared at Lucas expectantly, but she wasn’t sure what kind of response she wanted. Did she want him to say that it was okay? It wasn’t. She knew that, so she didn’t know what she wanted.
“I’m sorry people leave,” Lucas said softly and Maya noticed a glimmer in his eye, the light reflecting off what looked like a tear.
“Me too,” Maya agreed, taking a seat in the chair next to him. “Who left you?” Perhaps she shouldn't have asked that. It really wasn’t her business, but something about his response made her feel like maybe he wanted her to ask.
“My dad. My parents got divorced and when my mom and I moved to New York he decided to stay behind in Texas. He said there were more important things for him there,” Lucas paused. “I’m sorry. I’ve never told anyone that. I’m sure that’s not what you wanted to hear.”
“My dad left when I was little. I guess I became too much.”
“You were a child, Maya. Dads leave, but that is never your fault. It’s their fault for breaking the promise they made to you when you were born.”
“You’re a really nice guy, you know that? You should consider it an honor that I think that. I’m not typically a big fan of people,” Maya said, smiling a bit more than she normally would.
“I’ve noticed,” Lucas smirked. “I think you might be nicer than you let on, though, so I’ll accept it.”
They sat in silence for a while before a customer walked in and the foot traffic began to pick up a bit. They had a steady stream of customers for the next few hours and when it came time to clean up for the night Maya taught Lucas how to handle cleaning up for closing because he typically only worked day shifts. “I’m thinking of staying after break,” Lucas said, breaking the silence they’d been enjoying.
“Hm?”
“At the coffee shop. I’ve been thinking about asking to be moved to a year round position,” Lucas explained. Maya tried not to show that she cared, but her heart fluttered a little and she was actually excited at the prospect of Lucas staying. “I mean, I don’t know if they’ll hire me, but I was thinking about it.”
“I can put in a good word for you, if you’d like,” Maya said, softly. Something about this conversation felt intimate, personal, maybe it was because they’d opened up to each other just hours before or maybe it was something about Lucas that put Maya at ease, but as she brushed past his shoulder she couldn’t help but hope that he would stay.
“That’d be nice,” Lucas said, again showcasing his smile that spread from ear to ear. They finished cleaning in silence and when they went to head out the door they accidentally walked under the mistletoe the owners insisted on hanging up. Lucas leaned over and kissed Maya on the cheek, before turning to leave. “It was nice talking to you Maya.”
“Yeah, you too,” Maya said, trying not to think about the butterflies in her stomach.