People-watching was always my favorite hobby. You could figure out so much just by looking at how people interacted or even walked down the street.

 Like that girl on the sidewalk, for example. She was a stranger to town, that much was obvious. Where did she think she was? We got quite a few strangers in our small town, but they were all workers at the local oil field, not slender, pretty brunettes. 

 She stepped into the coffee shop, and I straightened unconsciously in my seat. I slumped back into my seat as I realized that she probably wouldn’t see me. Though I always chose the table in the back for this specific reason, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. 

 After the barista finished, the brunette looked around, nervously eyeing the tables of working men, many of them recently off work from the oil field. I impulsively beckoned her over, and, to my surprise, she hurried over with a relieved look. 

 “Hi, my name’s Natalia.” The brunette quickly placed her coffee and car keys on the table before offering a hand to shake. 

 “I’m Cora.” I inwardly flinched at the neglected  sound as I shook her small, soft hand. I didn’t have many friends, and my job in computer programming didn’t allow for much conversation with coworkers. 

 Natalia smiled and settled into the high-backed chair. “Nice to meet you, Cora.” 

 I nodded back, finding the words stuck in my throat. 

 “Do you come here often? I wasn’t sure what was good, so I just picked something off the menu.” 

 “Yeah,” I winced at the roughness and cleared my throat. “Everything here is pretty good, but my favorite is - is the uhm - macchiato.” 

 I barely heard what she said next, and it was only when she looked at me expectantly that I realized that she had asked me a question. 

 “Oh, I’m sorry.” I paused before deciding to go for it. “I must have been lost in your eyes.” 

 To my surprise, Natalia’s face turned a gentle pink. 

 Leaning closer, I added, “You’re cute when you blush.” 

 Her face grew more red, and I grinned at her flustered reaction. Taking a drink of coffee, she spoke again, “I asked if you wanted to go to the park down the road if you had time today.” 

 It was my turn to change shades. “O-oh- uhm - ye- yeah. That’d be cool.” 

 Natalia beamed and stood up, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go then.” 

 I threw my laptop and notebooks into my bag and followed her out the door, catching a wink from the barista and a few finger-guns from the oil field workers. I shot them a grin and a thumbs-up before running to catch up with Natalia.