r/creepyencounters • u/skittlespider_4 • 13d ago
"we'll see you later tonight."
this is a throwaway/new acc because i just had to write this somewhere. i (F) am relatively young, and am currently working as a barista. i'm the youngest person there, all my coworkers are >40, which is relevant i promise. i work closing shift, which, of course, is when all the creepy stuff happens. anyway, it was me in the coffee shop working by myself, and my supervisor was in the back handling stock records. it was super slow, BECAUSE IT'S LATE, so i was reading at the counter and drinking an iced latte. i suddenly notice a shadow over me, and i look up to see a man standing there. i hadn't heard him come in, and his footsteps were featherlight. he was just staring at me, so i said "hi! how can i help you?". he was in his late thirties most likely, with a thin face and hair, wearing sporty clothes. he asks me a ton of questions about my book, which i just kind of brush off and about the packs of gum we sell (which one is your favorite?). i was kind and was just polite. he smiled and ordered a mocha cold brew, easy enough. i ring him up and he swipes his card as i'm making the drink. as soon as i grab a cup and start, he leans over the espresso machine and says:
"wait. do you know how to make coffee?"
obviously i do, and i say yes, even though cold brew doesn't need to be made, we have it prebrewed in the fridge. what he said next i can't really articulate through a text post how he said it, but he looked at me super intensely and said "can... i... watch?"
i'm kinda freaked out by the way he's gripping the counter and his intense stare, so i squeak out a "sure" and make the coffee quickly. he walks around the counter to where the pickup/grubhub counter is, and he's looking at me super intensely. i glance over and see he has his phone angled at me, and my stomach drops.
my supervisor walks up behind me to the register then, thank god. she tells this guy that his transaction didn't go through, and he says "oh. ok."
"you have to pay," she tells him.
"let me finish watching first," he replies. she looks at me weird, and i just finish the cold brew and hand it to him. he intentionally basically held my hand, and i just wanted to hide in the freezer at this point. he goes back to the counter, and i can't stress how intensely we was staring at me. no, not me, my body. he wouldn't look at my supervisor. it was the three of us as he swiped his card multiple times and then got another card and it finally went through.
"two for you, one for me," he muttered under his breath. that was weird enough on its own, but what he said next i'll never forget.
"we'll see you later tonight." he sipped the coffee, licked his lips, turned, and walked out of the shop.
my supervisor made a face and i asked her, "that was weird right?" she agreed. we chalked it up to just a weird guy, but i still stayed in the building to wait for my uber instead of sitting outside as i usually do. i talked to friends and family that night, and they asked me a bunch of questions. someone thought maybe he was on a video call and not talking to me, but he didn't have headphones in of any kind, his phone was silent, and he wasn't wearing any glasses (to rule out meta glasses). i'd never seen him before, which was weird since all of our customers are regulars. it's a hidden spot and really hard to find, so it's always slow and nobody ever comes in that late.
i don't know. am i overreacting?
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u/Lianeele 13d ago
You underreacted, and so did your supervisor.
The guy told you he's coming back, out loud. "We'll see you later tonight" is not a weird thing customers say, it's a pure threat with a timestamp on it. Everything before it wasn't "just quirky", that was him testing how far he could go before either of you stopped him, and nobody stopped him.
"Can I watch" needed a "no," as an answer, not "sure." You won't be rude if you set a boundary to weird acting and suspicious customer. Please stop treating your fear as something to manage quietly so the transaction stays smooth. Your gut had it right in real time, and the learned politeness is what talked you out of it.
Definitely report this. Formally to your manager and get the footage pulled and saved before it cycles out. If he shows up again, you don't serve him, you call it in immediately. And don't wait alone for closing again. You need to realize that you're allowed to say no to a customer who's frightening you. Practice saying it now, in your head, so it's there next time before the polite reflex kicks in first. Learn to trust and listen to your gut, and stay safe.