Everybody likes getting free stuff, right? Very few people are going to pass up on perks, whether it’s clothing, food items, or any other useful item that can make a difference in your day or life. A Montana man knows what it feels like to get VIP treatment from a barista at a local coffee shop. However, he suspects it’s because the barista had a crush on him. Now, when another worker stepped in to put an end to the perks, OP has been wondering if he was a jerk for doing that?
The post, made on r/AITAH, asks, “AITAH for not telling the barista I’m straight and accepting perks?” OP goes on to explain that he works in a corporate office and frequents a local coffee shop almost every day. He said he’s certain that one of the baristas who works there (a gay male) developed a crush on him. Because of this, OP has been receiving what he deems “special perks” from the barista, including personalized notes on his cup, free size upgrades, and faster service than others who frequent the establishment. When OP spilled the beans about these perks to his coworkers, they said that he was the only one getting that “VIP treatment.”
OP has strictly mentioned that he never told the barista about his own sexual orientation. He went on to comment, “In my mind, I was just existing and enjoying the coffee perks” and “didn’t see it as leading anyone on.” Unfortunately, one of OP’s coworkers doesn’t see it the same way. His coworker, Sally, believes that OP is leading on the barista and thinks he should put an end to it.
When Sally was at the coffee shop, the barista told her, “I want to ask you a question about [OP’s name], but I don’t want to ruin my fantasy.” Sally told OP that he hasn’t been handling the situation correctly and decided to take matters into her own hands. Meddling Sally told the barista that OP is straight. Ever since then, the treatment that the barista gave OP seemingly stopped right there. Now OP claims “He started to treat me like a regular customer, maybe worse. He would refuse to acknowledge my presence and would put my order out without saying my name.”
OP asks, “AITAH?” and questions if he was in the wrong and if his behavior was, in fact, leading on the friendly barista. Commenters quickly rushed to tell OP that he didn’t act out of line. One person said, “It would be kinda awkward to approach a barista and say ‘hey I’m straight btw’ so NTA.” Another person responded to this, “Exactly. For all you know, the person was hooking you up because you were polite and didn’t treat them like a drone.”
Others shared their opinion on Sally’s role in this situation and how she should have stayed out of it. One person jokingly commented, “Tell Sally to search for seashells and shut the fk up lol.” Another said, “I think Sally was jealous of the special treatment and wanted to bring OP down a peg” while a second commenter added, “I want to know what f***g Sally said to upset the barista that much… I am going to guess she was harsh and made it seem like OP was taking advantage of him. She needs to get a life.”
You truly have to watch what you say to coworkers, because they aren’t always your friends. Sometimes, the jealousy is too real!
