It's nighttime. I walk up to the counter of a coffeehouse I'd started going to several months ago. My favorite barista is there. I'd seen him before, he's a guy from Mexico who appears to be of college age, a freshman, perhaps.
Usually, when I see him he's in overalls or a white short sleeve tee. But today he's in a deep blue crop-top with the cheeky phrase "Let's Huddle" on it in a white athletic letter font. The shirt is cut high enough that a 3- to 4-inch strip of his stomach is visible and a rather nice innie bellybutton is showing. I can't not notice.
We chat. I tell him I notice the daring change of apparel, that his bellybutton is showing. "My ombligo," he says, using the Spanish word, and grinning. "Yeah, I like my bellybutton."
"I like it, too," I say back, allowing my eyes to drift furtively between his eyes and his navel.
No one else is around. It's actually close to closing time, I made it with 15 minutes to spare. I ask for a drink from their cooler, pay, and sit down, to watch him. He's a hot little number. He begins wrapping up for the night.
I've watched him close the coffeehouse before. He's rather low-key. For someone who can be goofy at times with his co-workers, when he's alone, wiping a table or pushing a broom, he is diligent. It's almost peaceful to watch. He's the last employee here this evening.
I find him attractive in an odd way. He has unusual features for what I consider a Mexican would look like. His hair is a dark brown rather than black, and wavy and thick like a rock musician's would be. His complexion is not white, but it's not the tone I usually see on Mexican-Americans in this city. It's like his biology was "cut" with something European. When he speaks, it's not the thickest Spanish accent, but it's not totally American, either. There's a touch of goofiness about his tone, just enough to be endearing.
And his arms are pretty hairy, surprisingly hairy for a younger guy -- not so thick I can't see the skin underneath, but clearly more than those thin, wispy hairs some guys have. I can't help but notice those every time I come in and he takes my order. At first I thought his arm hair strange, but over time I've come to find them sexy. Sexual response is a mystery to me.
It's a cute little coffee place. Seating for maybe 20. I noticed him when he started because another guy I also liked when I started coming left, to be replaced by him.
As it gets closer to closing he calls out to me.
"Hey, can I ask a favor?"
"Sure."
"You drive?"
"Yep."
"Can I get a lift back to my place?"
"Sure. Just say when you're ready."
Figuring I should step outside, I get up, go to the door and step onto the sidewalk patio where the table umbrellas have all been closed up. Through the window I see him finishing up, then the lights go out and he emerges. It's an early fall night and it's pleasant with a light breeze.
He walks outside and locks the coffeehouse door. "Ready," he says with a broad smile. I see his bellybutton in the dim street light. I playfully poke it. He giggles lightly.
"You like it?" he asks.
"Yeah, I like it," I say slyly, smiling. "My car's over here."