The Man Who Always Ordered Tea

Every weekday at exactly 7:15, Elliot walks into The Lantern & Bean, orders Earl Grey, sits in the window seat, and reads mystery novels until the morning rush is over.

Nora knows his order, his usual seat, his tip amount, and the specific way he pushes his glasses up when he reads. She doesn't know his name for an embarrassingly long time. She definitely doesn't know that Elliot drinks coffee — that he switched to tea months ago because of something she once said about coffee making her jittery.

The Man Who Always Ordered Tea is a short story about two people who have been paying very close attention to each other for a very long time, and the particular ridiculousness of almost not saying so.