Dark Roast
"She opens a specialty coffee shop in Brixton—Somali coffee traditions meets London hipster culture. He's the customer who comes every morning and knows more about beans than she expects. Their shared passion for coffee becomes passion for each other."
"You're doing the jabana wrong."
The customer—tall, Somali, annoyingly confident—points at my coffee pot.
"Excuse me?"
"The angle. My hooyo does it differently." He demonstrates with his hands. "More steam, better flavor."
I've been roasting coffee for five years. This man walks in and corrects me day one.
His name is Omar.
He comes every morning. Orders the same thing—traditional Somali coffee, no sugar. Watches me make it like he's grading an exam.
"Better," he says in week two.
"I didn't change anything."
"Your confidence changed." He sips. "Coffee knows when you believe in it."
"That's either profound or ridiculous."
"It's Somali."
I learn he knows coffee.
Really knows it. His family exported beans from East Africa for decades.
"Why are you here?" I ask. "You could open your own place."
"I like watching you learn." He smiles. "I like watching you, period."
He starts coming after hours.
Helping with the roasting. Sharing techniques. Standing too close while explaining extraction times.
"You're a good student," he says one night.
"You're a patient teacher."
"I have motivation." His hand covers mine on the coffee grinder. "I want to see you succeed."
"Just at coffee?"
"At everything."
We kiss over the roaster.
Steam and heat and coffee aroma surrounding us.
"Omar—"
"I've wanted this since you got the jabana angle wrong."
"I thought that annoyed you."
"It made me want to teach you everything." He pulls me closer. "Starting with this."
We make love in my shop after closing.
Among the beans and the equipment and everything we've built together.
"You taste like coffee—"
"You ARE coffee." He pushes into me. "Dark, rich, addictive."
He becomes my partner.
Business and otherwise. The shop thrives. We thrive.
"We should expand," he says.
"The shop?"
"Everything." He produces a ring. "Be my partner in everything."
"Is this a business proposal or a marriage proposal?"
"Both." He grins. "I'm efficient."
I say yes.
And the coffee has never been better.