Four times a beautiful stranger won’t give Kara her name and one time she does
The espresso machine whirred and bubbled as the barista waited patiently for the water to finish filtering through pressed coffee. Her hand surrounded the warm metal jug as she waited for the steamed milk to reach temperature. She could hear the comforting rumble of customers chatting over their morning coffees, soft lulls elapsing as they sipped. For the past couple of years, this had been a standard morning for Kara.
The constant movement was perfect for the barista’s busy mind, and she loved the steady stream of customers, some new, many familiar. The role worked well for her. Kara’s warm smiles were considered infectious, and her laughter had been known to turn many a reluctant customer into a regular. Not to mention how much fun she had with her colleagues, Winn and Nia. The trios inside jokes now had their own inside jokes and sometimes Kara would find herself getting a stitch when all three happened to be on shift. Their manager J’onn was wise enough to only put them together on the naturally quieter days.
Initially, Kara had only intended on working at The Bean Stop in National City for the summer while she waited for her older sister, Alex, to finish medical school. The pair had planned to get an apartment together and tackle the grown-up world of high-flying careers as a team. Alex, of course, was soaring. Kara, however, was a long way from where she wanted to be. Her internship at the National City Post had fallen through at the very last-minute last fall and ever since then she scarcely received rejection letters, let alone opportunities. It seemed like there wasn’t much demand for amateur journalists.
Always trying to make the best out of her situation, Kara instead set out to be the best barista the city had ever seen. And of course have as much fun as she could while doing it. That’s what led to her working the counter on a warm Thursday morning when an uptight looking woman in a business suit strolled in.
Above the machine, Kara’s eyes couldn’t help but follow the unfamiliar figure as she swept through the coffee shop and over to the refrigerated sandwiches. Sensing eyes on her, the woman’s eyes darted towards Kara’s but luckily the barista had the tact to look down in time. She finished up making the coffee for the customer still waiting and handed it to him with a friendly smile. Her smile only deepened as she watched him drop a generous tip into the jar.
Blue eyes met green as Kara found herself face to face now with the woman in the smart suit. She was wearing expensive looking tailored navy trousers, a fitted blazer, and an emerald patterned blouse. Her lips were deep red and her dark hair in an immaculate ponytail. Kara wasn’t aware it was even possible to have zero fly-aways. The woman’s expression was severe with piercing eyes and a tense jaw. She was clearly not having the best day. Kara wondered who she worked for. She was far too well dressed to be an assistant but then from her experience, the corporate businessmen and women never got their own coffee. She speculated what had gotten the woman so tense.
An elbow in her ribs made Kara realise that in order to have logged every aspect of this woman’s demeanour she must have been staring. Potentially for ages. Winn was looking at her with a questioning yet humoured smile, still nudging his colleague to stop being weird and greet the customer. Flames rose to Kara’s cheeks.
“I – I’m sorry,” Kara stuttered, praying she hadn’t been staring for that long. The hardness in the woman’s eyes had softened minutely and Kara swore she could see mirth in them. “I’m Kara, what can I get for you?”
“Um, just this,” she handed over the sandwich, “And an oat-milk cappuccino.”
“To go?” Kara asked.
The woman nodded minutely.
“What’s your name?”
There was a pause. “Lucy.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. She could always tell when a customer was lying. Most people who gave a fake name just did it for fun but she could tell when the select few were doing it for status reasons. Judging by her clothing, this woman probably fell into the latter group. Being located almost in the centre of the city, they had quite a lot of fancy corporate customers, though mostly via the proxy of teenage delivery drivers and assistants.
While Kara made the coffee, the barista tried her best to not let her flustered brain seep down to her hand movements. The last thing she needed was to drop boiling coffee everywhere.
Just as she convinced herself that the staring can’t have been that bad, Winn leaned in close to her ear and mumbled, “Ogle much?”
Kara’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “I wasn’t ogling,” she quietly hissed.
“Tell that to your crimson cheeks.”
Kara huffed. Luckily well-practiced, she managed to elbow her colleague hard in the arm while simultaneously pouring the milk into the businesswoman’s to go cup. Winn let out a satisfying yelp in response.
Soon enough, Kara was handing over the coffee and hot pesto-chicken sandwich and the stranger was retrieving her cash.
“Let me get your coffee,” the barista said quickly, before she could overthink it.
Blinking with surprise, the woman’s lips upturned just a little. “Are you sure?”
“Of course,” Kara said brightly.
The businesswoman smiled ever so slightly and nodded. Handing over the correct change for the sandwich. When Kara leaned down to put it in the register, she dropped a generous tip into the jar.
“Thanks, Kara.”
Kara stared in wonder as the woman left. Slightly embarrassed to be so touched that the woman remembered her name. She was rarely flustered by customers but there was something about the stranger that struck a chord. Kara didn’t have much time to dwell on it however as a moment later a flurry of ten to fifteen women appeared all carrying yoga mats and began ordering hot drinks quickly. As she made the constant stream of coffees, Kara’s mind found itself frequently drifting back to piercing green eyes.
It had been two long weeks since Kara had met the intriguing businesswoman and a storm was sweeping through National City. Kara and Nia were both working the close, with only a smattering of customers sat working on laptops in the café. The majority of them had been here all day, ordering something small every couple of hours to avoid the cold wind outside. Although sometimes boring, Kara liked days like this. She would lean against the counter and talk to Nia or Winn about anything and everything. It was a good time for self-reflection and she enjoyed basking in the warm light of the café, the smell of espresso and sugar permeating her nose.
It was just before five and the wind was howling now, the rain sliding down the windows like an elegant garden feature. They were supposed to close at half five but Kara was absolutely considering keeping the place open later just to avoid the worst of the weather. It had been just over an hour without a new customer when the bell finally rang. A soaked woman entered with dark hair that was rapidly turning wavy, and perfect red lipstick. As she took in the woman’s sharp jaw and what appeared to be another tailored suit beneath her dripping long coat, the barista’s eyes widened. After she’d been a no-show for two weeks, Kara had started to wonder if she’d ever cross paths with the stranger again. Even drenched, she looked breath-taking.
“Quite the storm out there,” Lucy -?- said, her chest heaving slightly.
Kara chuckled with a nod, luckily feeling considerably more at ease with herself today. Hopefully that meant she was less likely to embarrass herself. Distantly, she wondered if the woman even remembered her.
“What brings you to The Bean Stop on a day like this?”
The woman smiled a little confusedly. “Coffee?”
Kara blushed. Again. Blushing seemed to be an inevitable part of their encounters.
“Of course. I just meant –” Kara gestured slowly at the woman’s clothing. Despite leaving a small puddle on the floor, the stranger appeared to be wearing yet more tailored clothing that could well have been designed for her directly. If she was so rich, why was she subjecting herself to weather like this? The barista suddenly began to panic as her mind blanked and she realised that she didn’t have an end to the sentence. There was no way this was happening again.
Swooping in with the grace of a swan, Nia appeared at her side and said, “I think what my colleague is trying to say,” she smiled politely at the businesswoman, “is that you look far too well-dressed to be out getting your own coffee in a storm like this.”
Kara nodded quickly. “What she said.”
The stranger chuckled slightly, reaching up to rub water from her forehead. Kara wordlessly handed the woman a couple of napkins, nodding as the customer smiled in thanks.
“My assistant is away visiting family. Her father isn’t very well. And I haven’t found any temporary cover. So, I’ve been getting all my own food and beverages. Besides, I like the walk.”
Kara nodded with a smile. “Hopefully I can make your walk worth it.”
The stranger raised her eyebrows, her lips parting slightly.
“With coffee. With coffee,” Kara quickly amended, rubbing her neck. “Speaking of... What can I get for you?”
“Just an oat milk mocha please.”
“Different to last time,” Kara commented before she could stop herself.
“You… remember me? You must have hundreds of customers.”
“You’re not easy to forget.”
Kara’s eyes widened as soon as she said it and she heard Nia scoff somewhere behind her. Despite the bluntness, she was undeniably proud of her own game there. Glancing up somewhat shyly, Kara saw that the woman’s damp cheeks had turned rosy. That made the blush count 2-1. Though most of Kara’s blushing was from self-inflicted embarrassment… Swallowing that thought, the barista got to work on the coffee, putting all the components together with deft fingers.
With no other active customers, the barista didn’t need to ask the stranger’s name again and soon enough her drink was ready. Kara was a little reluctant to hand it over, knowing it would lead to the woman’s departure.
Apparently not on the same page at all, Nia stepped forward and outright asked the customer for her name. Meanwhile Kara passed her the drink and took the money.
“Oh… it’s Lila,” she said with a polite smile, taking the change from Kara and dropping it in the tip jar.
Kara narrowed her eyes but smiled. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Lila.”
The woman smiled and nodded goodbye to them before venturing back out into the rain.
Kara stared at the door for a long moment after she left, wondering when she’d next get to see the woman again. Nia leaned on he counter next to her, also staring at the door contemplatively.
“Winn told me you had a crush on a customer but I didn’t know it was that bad.”
Luckily for the whole city, the storm had been fleeting and less than a week later, the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Perhaps a mistake on their managers’ part - Kara, Winn and Nia had been put on a shift together on the warm Tuesday afternoon. The trio hadn’t all seen each other since Saturday night when Kara’s sister had taken them to a slightly sketchy new bar. With cheap alcohol and good company, the majority of the group had gotten too drunk to make reasonable decisions that night. That’s how they’d found themselves being escorted out of an ice cream parlour at 4.30 in the morning. Who knew ice cream shops had security? Luckily Kara had already eaten well over a pint of mint choc chip at that point.
Like a well-oiled machine, Kara, Winn and Nia had been racing through their orders for the past couple of hours. Nia was handling customers on the cash register, Winn in charge of making drinks, and Kara handling the small collection of sandwiches and sweet treats the café offered.
“One thing I wanted to ask you about Saturday,” Kara directed to Nia with a conspiring smile. “Is whether anything happened with that cute nerdy guy. What was his name – Quintin something?”
“Querl,” Nia corrected with an eye roll. “And that’s none of your business, Kara Danvers.” She smiled and thanked a customer as they dropped a tip into the jar.
“I saw the way you two were looking at each other,” Winn chimed in as he topped two cappuccinos with chocolate powder.
“Perhaps… Perhaps we have a date on Friday,” Nia mumbled shyly.
“Nia!” Kara exclaimed excitedly. “That’s awesome! You should have said.” Winn looked equally as happy as he got started on a matcha latte.
“Well, it’s very new. Even less than new really. And I don’t want to jinx it.”
“Of course, of course,” Kara said quickly. It didn’t stop her feeling excited for her friend. The couple seemed well matched, laughing all night at each other’s jokes, and sharing shy smiles. The barista had faintly wondered if they were already together and keeping it a secret from everyone. Apparently not.
“So, what about you?” Nia asked, listening carefully as a new customer appeared at the counter and gave their order.
“What about me?” Kara asked as she put their grilled cheese in the sandwich press.
“That bar tender seemed awful interested in you the other night.”
“Oh, she wasn’t interested in me,” the barista shook her head quickly. With a bright dimpled smile and long wavy hair, Kara had watched the petite bartender stare at Alex all night. The bright-eyed woman was only speaking to Kara to find out more about her sister. It didn’t bother her really. Alex’s coming out experience last year had been so stressful for the older Danvers sister so Kara was glad she was finally getting the chance to make up for lost time. She’d watched proudly as her sister exchanged numbers with the sweet bartender before they left the bar.
“She wasn’t?” Winn asked with a furrowed brow.
Kara chuckled, shaking her head. She was about to explain when the bell rang and the sound of heels caused the barista to glance over. Her heart sped up a little as she realised it was the woman who was fast becoming her favourite customer. She could tell something was off however as the businesswoman’s head was dipped and her arms were wrapped protectively around her middle. She moved quickly, joining the back of the queue.
Raising her eyebrows silently at Kara, Nia discreetly swapped places with her, sensing her colleague’s concern. Efficiently, the trio fulfilled everyone’s orders and finally, Kara found herself face to face with the smartly dressed woman.
“Hey,” Kara said gently.
Lucy? Lila? Glanced upwards and gave her a watery smile. “Hi, Kara. Please could I have a black tea?”
“Of course,” the barista said. She opened and closed her mouth for a moment. “Is… is everything okay?”
The woman grimaced, visibly grimaced, before giving an unconvincing nod. Well, that decided it. Before Kara could overthink it, she asked the stranger, “Do you wanna talk about it? We could grab a booth. I’m due to have a break.”
The stranger considered her for a moment before offering a soft smile. “I’d like that. If you’re sure?”
Kara nodded and smiled brightly. Faltering for a moment, the barista spun around to face her colleagues, “That okay with you two?”
“Of course,” they both chorused, smiling somewhat guiltily at their obvious eavesdropping.
“You want a hot chocolate, Kar?” Winn asked.
“Please,” Kara grinned, pulling her apron off and telling her colleagues the dark-haired stranger’s drink order before following her to a booth towards the back of the café. The majority of the café consisted of warm oak furniture to match the wooden floor panels, but they had a few booths and sofas dotted around to warm the space.
Without a huge counter between them, Kara could see now just how unhappy the woman looked. Her eyes were teary and her mouth was in a downward smile like something from a child’s cartoon. A knot grew in the barista’s stomach as she ached to make the stranger’s smile reappear. Despite her forlorn expression, the woman’s impeccable style was of course unblemished. She was wearing a magenta blouse, knit grey slacks, a trench coat, and black heels. She looked ready for Paris Fashion Week.
“Bad day at work?” Kara asked the woman softly.
“Something like that,” the stranger replied. Her heavy green eyes glanced up to meet Kara’s and stared for a moment before offering a polite smile. “But I don’t want to burden you with my problems.”
“Haven’t you heard? Baristas are the new bartenders, we’re always willing to listen.”
“Is that so?”
The pair looked up as Winn appeared with their drinks. Kara’s hot chocolate was piled high with whipped cream and marshmallows, and a generous chocolate dusting that would make any sweet tooth jealous. Lena’s black tea and the small pot of oat milk looked a little sad in comparison.
“Thanks, Winn,” Kara smiled watching as he returned to Nia.
“It’s my mother,” the woman said quickly, like ripping a band-aid off. “She stopped by my office this morning. She’s not the most approving of my field of work.” Her fingers fidgeted together on the table and Kara longed to put her hand on top and still them.
The barista raised an eyebrow. “No? So, what do you do then? Are you an arms dealer? A right-wing campaigner? Do you kill puppies for a living?”
The dark-haired woman smirked for a moment, looking at Kara fondly.
“I work in research and development. We’re trying to produce a carbon neutral alternative to fossil fuels that simultaneously cleans the oceans.”
“Oh, so you’re a monster then,” Kara winked.
“Exactly,” the stranger chuckled, already feeling her negative emotions from the morning seeping away. She sniffed and wiped the final traces of moisture from her eyes with her fingers.
“Joking aside, that’s incredible. I didn’t realise you were a scientist.”
The stranger shrugged modestly, her piercing eyes once again meeting Kara’s. The barista didn’t think the woman could get more attractive. Of course she was a world saving scientist. Why wouldn’t she be? Kara did her best to push down her own background insecurities regarding her professional achievements. She was still young and there was plenty of time to get to where she wanted to be. She definitely wasn’t going to let her overactive brain interfere with this budding friendship.
The pair sipped their drinks comfortably, Kara trying not to make a mess as she spooned half-melted marshmallows into her mouth. Sensing she was being watched, Kara looked up and instead found that the stranger was staring at her drink. The barista smiled.
“Would you like a marshmallow?”
“I – are you sure?”
“Of course. Mi casa, si casa.”
“I think it’s ‘su casa’.” The scientist looked like she was going to say something else after but paused.
Kara raised an eyebrow. “Do you always correct people while they’re giving you things?”
The stranger smirked, her cheeks reddening a little. 2-2. With a final nod of confirmation, the scientist reached over and retrieved a marshmallow with her teaspoon. Kara pretended not to hear the quiet moan she made when she ate it.
“Did you always want to be a barista?” the stranger asked.
Kara swallowed quickly and rubbed her sweaty hands on a napkin. It didn’t help at all.
“I kind of just fell into it really. I want to be a journalist.”
“Really?” the scientist raised her eyebrows. “What kind of things do you want to write about?”
“I’d like to be an investigative journalist. You know, put together really cutting-edge pieces exposing deportation misjustices and greedy landlords trying to push low-income families out of the city. Give a voice to the voiceless. Only if they want it, of course.”
The stranger hummed with approval. “I’m sure you’d make a great journalist, Kara…” she paused for a moment. “I realise, I don’t know your last name.”
“It’s Danvers.”
“Kara Danvers.”
“I don’t even know your first name.”
“Sure you do. It’s Laura.”
It was just past ten in the morning the following Sunday and Alex had been badgering her irritated younger sister for the best part of an hour. Kara had explained to her countless times that she and Nia had things they needed to do but the older Danvers was having none of it. Annoyingly, she was leaning against the counter across from the cash register and only moving up when a customer appeared.
“Kara, there’s like three people here.”
“It could still get busier,” Kara huffed as she pettily took longer than usual to clean the milk steamer.
“I just want you to tell me about your new friend. I had to hear it from Winn of all people.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I don’t even know her name!”
Nia sidled up to her colleague, leaning against her until their shoulders met. Kara appreciated the comforting action, dropping her head down onto her friend’s shoulder. It was all getting over-inflated. Kara had only met the woman a handful of times and had even fewer real conversations. It was clearly just a passing infatuation on the barista’s part and was soon going to seem stalkerish if the scientist didn’t reciprocate. Kara couldn’t help but feel frustrated. It had been five weeks and she hadn’t even gotten the woman’s real first name, let alone her number. She wondered if the smartly dressed woman had been setting her clear boundaries from the start and Kara had been steadfastly ignoring them. That was a scary thought.
“Why don’t you just Google her?” Alex asked. “Winn said she was a scientist and she told you what she’s working on? There must be press for a company working on something like that.”
It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed Kara’s mind but it made her uneasy. “That feels like a violation. If she’s not telling me her name. There’s a reason.”
Much to Kara’s relief Alex got bored of pestering her not long after and took not one but two large coffees to go. She had a feeling the friendly bartender was involved in her afternoon plans. However, unlike her sister, Kara was sympathetic enough not to badger her about it.
That just left her and Nia, with their manager J’onn taking inventory by himself in the stock room. They’d scarcely seen him all morning. With two failed attempts to the side for her and Nia to drink later, Kara was on her third attempt of a cute latte art design she’d seen online. She was determined to nail it this time. It was a tall swan with a group of small cygnets. It would be so adorable if she pulled it off.
The sound of a woman’s laughter caught both baristas’ attention as they looked over to the door. There was an unfamiliar woman with golden brown hair and a green button-up shirt saying something to someone behind her. As the pair stepped further into the café, even with large sunglasses and a remarkably dressed down outfit of a hoodie and leggings, Kara could recognise the second figure behind her. The barista embarrassingly felt butterflies emerge in her stomach and she abruptly put down her third-failed attempt at latte art and moved over to the counter.
Sandwiches in their hands, both women soon appeared at the counter before her, and Kara greeted them with a bright smile.
“Good morning,” she said, her eyes lingering on the familiar stranger’s.
The scientist lifted her sunglasses up and onto her head and Kara took in the heavy bags under eyes. Judging by the tired smile on her face and the faint traces of glitter on her eyelids, it looked like she’d been on a night out. Kara really hoped the woman with the beachy waves was just a friend.
“Good morning,” the scientist’s friend said, interrupting Kara’s thoughts. “Two coconut cappuccinos please.”
Kara faltered for a moment, glancing past her to look at her friendly customer.
“Oat for me,” the scientist corrected and Kara nodded putting the drinks into the cash register.
With a sudden grin, the woman in front suddenly slid her own sunglasses up onto her head. “You must be the infamous Kara.”
“Sam,” Laura? chastised, her cheeks quickly reddening.
Kara looked at the woman with newfound interest. So not a girlfriend at least. Friend perhaps? Or a sister without many shared features?
“Infamous?” Kara asked, meeting the scientist’s eye.
“I might have mentioned you once or twice.”
“Oh a lot more than once or twice, L-Luisa,” Sam retorted, flinching as she received a sharp elbow in the ribs. Nia looked at her with sympathy, familiar with the sensation after teasing Kara.
The scientist slipped in front of her friend, struggling to meet the barista’s eye as she quickly handed over their sandwiches to be heated and some money. Kara found her newfound awkwardness incredibly endearing. She also felt most of her concerns about the woman not being interested melt away. At least on a surface level, the stranger had been talking about her. And a lot apparently? Kara tried not to smile like an idiot as she gathered the scientist’s change. Looking up, she met the woman’s eye warmly as she handed the money back and then got to work on ‘Luisa’s’ drinks. She wasn’t even humouring that name being real.
“We’ll just be over by the window,” the scientist’s chirpy friend said loudly.
“And you were worried she didn’t like you,” Nia grinned, giving Kara an excited nudge.
Half an hour later, Kara glanced over and chuckled as the scientist crossed her arms on the coffee table and sank her head down onto them, closing her eyes. The woman’s friend looked quite content, scrolling through her Instagram feed as she nibbled on the final crusts of her sandwich. Clearly, she’d either drunk a lot less the night before or was a lot better at handling her alcohol. When she got up to use the restroom, Kara slipped over carrying a cookie in a to go bag and placed it onto the table next to the scientist. The small cost was one hundred percent worth it when she saw the bright smile that the note on the bag elicited from the stranger. Warm green eyes met blue as she read,
‘Hopefully this definitely not cooked from frozen cookie will help you recover, and you can get back to saving the world.
– K x’
The following morning, The Bean Stop was heaving. No matter how many times it happened, Kara, Nia and Winn were never prepared for the morning rush. Today was particularly hard with every customer ordering something drastically different to the last. It meant there were scattered to go cups everywhere, for both hot and cold, and various spillages on the counter under the machines. Kara was practically sweating when the final queue got down to zero. Just their regulars were left now, sat at tables on laptops or chatting to friends.
“Remind me why I work here,” Winn huffed, wiping sweat from his brow. Kara and Nia both gave tired chuckles, the group getting to work cleaning their stations while they cooled down.
An hour or so later, Kara felt the sun catch her eye as it reflected off the café door. The bell rang and a pair of immaculately dressed women entered, several eyes landing on them as they did. The momentary fondness Kara felt as she made eye contact with the scientist was interrupted as she realised who she was with. It couldn’t be.
“Cat, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” the scientist said as the pair swooped over to the counter.
“Cat Grant,” Kara said, her mouth agape. Was the scientist aware that this media tycoon was her idol? That without Cat Grant, Kara wouldn’t have even considered trying to push her way into such a male-dominated field. This woman’s success was everything to her. Realising this was possibly her one shot, Kara closed her mouth abruptly and outstretched her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise, dear,” the media queen shook her hand politely. Kara tried not to take offence as the CEO in turn raised an eyebrow at the scientist, questioning why exactly they were meeting.
“Kara is, well -” the scientist began, stuttering uncharacteristically. “As well as perhaps the best barista in all of National City, Kara is a budding journalist. And I think she could be your next protégé.”
Kara swore her heart stopped beating. Absently, she couldn’t help but begin to wonder how big of a deal her scientist friend was. Should she already know who she is?
“Protégé might be a little abrupt. But I am looking for an assistant.” The media empress tapped her chin as she sized up the barista. “I know you wouldn’t recommend just anyone,” she continued, glancing at the scientist. “Kiera, is it? I want a thousand words on the potential impacts of National City’s new gentrification proposal by tomorrow morning. Then, I might consider you as my assistant.”
Kara nodded quickly. “Thank you so much. You won’t regret this, Miss Grant.”
The woman hummed and nodded. “I’m going to sit down now. I presume you’re okay to bring me a caramel macchiato?”
The barista smiled a megawatt smile and nodded. “Of course, Miss Grant.”
Kara and the scientist watched her take a seat at the other side of the café. As the adrenaline began to dissipate, Kara was suddenly overcome with emotion, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at the stranger.
“I – I don’t know how to thank you.”
The woman shook her head modestly. “You don’t have to thank me, Kara. You deserve your shot.”
The barista breathed deeply a couple of times, trying to calm down. She didn’t even notice Winn getting started on the macchiato behind her.
“Can I at least take you out to dinner?” Kara asked earnestly.
The stranger frowned then, looking nervous.
“There’s something I need to tell you first.”
The barista’s smile fell. She knew there had to be a catch. Some people were just too good to be true.
“My… My name is Lena.”
Kara’s face brightened. “Lena. That’s pretty. Why is that familiar? Oh, like Lena Luthor?” She scoffed and chuckled a little sympathetically, her eyes rolling up to the woman’s.
She wasn’t smiling.
“Oh. Oh. You’re Lena Luthor.”
“I presume you don’t want to get dinner anymore,” Lena said, trying to hide her disappointment.
Kara rounded the counter, the conversation feeling far too important to have with a metre of polished wood between them.
“Of course I still want to.” When the scientist refused to look up, Kara reached out and took one of her hands, cradling it in her own. “I really, really want to, Lena.”
The scientist looked up, her eyes still wary. Kara was startled to see the tears pooling in them. The fake names made sense now. The friendly stranger didn’t want to be judged for her name, by the legacy her brother’s wicked actions left her. Every tabloid this side of the country posted slanderous articles about the Luthors. Kara just never cared to read them. She knew what he did and that it was unforgivable. She didn’t realise why the vitriol aimed at everyone else in his life needed to persist.
“You really didn’t know who I was?”
“No,” Kara said, looking somewhat sheepish. “Sorry if that made things more difficult for you.”
“And you mean it, you still want to be friends?” The scientist stared down at their conjoined hands, her thumb softly moving over Kara’s knuckles.
“Just friends? You wound me, Lena,” Kara mockingly smacked her chest. “Five weeks of attempted flirting, secret smiles, and the cookie! Was the cookie not a heartfelt declaration enough?”
The scientist laughed, her laugh warm and rumbling. Kara couldn’t wait to hear it again. “I suppose a date is still on the cards.”
The barista grinned. “Now we’re talking. I know the most amazing potsticker place. I have to show you. Gosh, you are going to love it.” She distantly heard Winn give Miss Grant her macchiato and glanced over. “Oh, I’m keeping you from your meeting. I’m so sorry. Here.” Kara reached for a napkin and a pen and quickly jotted her number down for the scientist.
After Lena put the napkin carefully in her bag, she quickly gave Kara her coffee order and was about to re-join Cat Grant when she paused.
“I’d like you to put Lena on the cup.”