Warm sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Starlight Café and scattered soft patches of light across the polished wooden floor.
Weekend afternoon.
The rush had just passed, so the pace in the shop finally slowed down.
Jazz played from the speaker in the corner, smooth and lazy.
Ding!
The wind chime hanging on the glass door rang out, and it cut through the quiet.
A tall boy walked in against the light.
He had neat short black hair and sharp, well-defined features, and that naturally cocky good-looks vibe made the girls at the front desk slow down while their eyes lit up.
The ones who were chatting shut up right away, and they fixed their hair and their aprons.
One of them, bolder than the rest, put on a professional smile and stepped up, and her voice turned extra sweet.
"Hello, sir. Welcome. How many people?"
He didn't look at her.
He scanned the shop first, and then his eyes locked onto Nina, who was behind the counter wiping down glass cups with total focus.
He took a few long strides, went around the girl who was trying to please him, and walked straight to the counter while he tapped the surface with his knuckles.
"Nina. Order."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was low and magnetic.
Nina froze for a second while she worked with her head down.
Then she looked up, and the moment she saw him, those lively deer eyes widened.
A clear red flush spread fast, like dye dropping into water, and it climbed from her neck to her pale little earlobes before it flooded her cheeks.
"Lu… Luca bro… why are you here?"
Her voice turned even softer than usual, and there was a shy note she couldn't fully hide.
The boy named Luca Zale curled his lips.
"What, I'm not welcome to come support your business? Why do you look like you just saw a ghost, little bunny?"
"N-no!"
Nina lowered her head even more, and her fingers fidgeted as they picked at the edge of her apron.
"Then why aren't you serving me?" His eyes stayed on her, and that cocky smile got deeper.
"I… I…"
When he saw her bite her soft pink lip and give off that unintentional, tempting look, his eyes darkened, but he stopped pushing her.
"Get me an iced Americano."
"…Okay."
The girls at the front desk crowded over, curious and dying for gossip.
"Wow, Nini, you know this super handsome guy?"
"Look at you two. This isn't just normal, huh?"
Their teasing made Nina blush even harder, and her lips moved, but she couldn't get a word out.
Luca let out a light laugh and answered for her.
"We grew up together."
"Whoa…"
"Childhood sweethearts."
A wave of cheering and dirty teasing filled the air.
"No wonder Nini never accepts any guy chasing her. Turns out she was taken a long time ago."
"Th-that's not it!" Nina waved her hands fast. "We're just… just…"
"Just what?" Luca raised his brows, and he looked at her like he was half-smiling.
Nina shot him a glare, but those watery big eyes had zero threat, and they only made her look more cute and pouty.
"Come on, stop messing with her." One ponytailed girl laughed and tried to smooth it over. "Nini, go take care of him. We've got things here."
Nina nodded and led him to a seat by the window.
Light from outside fell on her side profile, and it softened the lines of her brows and eyes.
I came down the stairs holding an empty tray, and I caught the whole scene, like a cheap idol drama playing out in real life.
A few male coworkers who were on break saw it too, and they started saying the usual background-NPC lines.
"Tch, another rich kid who drives a flashy car."
That sour tone was so strong it smelled like jealousy from ten feet away.
"Look at the sports car outside. That's probably his."
"Fuck, it's always feast or famine." Another one complained. "We work our asses off here, and he was born at the finish line. Look at how red Nina got. He definitely already has her."
I put the tray back where it belonged, and their pointless envy just sounded loud and stupid.
"Enough." I said, "They're a perfect match, so stop whining and get some rest, then get back to work. If the supervisor catches you talking trash, you'll get your pay docked."
The second I mentioned pay, their little jealousy fire died out.
They shut up, annoyed, and they scattered.
I turned and headed to the back kitchen.
Finally, it was quiet.
…..
8:30 p.m.
There were still thirty minutes until the café officially closed at 9:00.
By shop rules, two part-timers stayed every night to handle the final cleanup.
It wasn't heavy work, since it was mostly cleaning the coffee machine, wiping down the counter, and doing the last sanitation check.
According to the schedule, it was me and Nina tonight.
Everyone else changed and clocked out one by one.
The café was left with only the low hum of machines and the splash of water rinsing metal tools.
I cleaned the grinder and sorted the trash, while Nina carefully wiped the water marks off the counter.
"Good job today."
Her voice sounded extra soft in the quiet. "Those trash bags over there are really heavy, so I'll help you carry them out later, okay?"
"No."
I answered the same way I always did, short and emotionless.
Nina was used to my low-power mode, so she just said, "Oh," and didn't push it.
Most of the lights were already off, and only a few warm spotlights above the counter stayed on.
Her innocent, gentle face looked distracted now, like she had something on her mind.
It didn't matter to me, so I kept working.
When I tied up the last trash bag, the cleanup was almost done.
"Haa… finally done. I'm so tired…"
Nina took off her work cap, and her thick chestnut hair fell down to her waist like a curtain.
She stretched hard, and her white work shirt pulled up and tightened over her body.
The fabric outlined the full curve of her chest with nothing held back, and her slim waist cut a sharp line under the dim lights.
As she stretched, her body rose and fell slightly, and that mix of shy and grown-up curves flashed in and out under the light and shadow.
She rubbed her sore shoulder, turned to me, and smiled with a small dimple.
"Bro, let's hurry and finish so we can go home. I'll put all the cups back into the sterilizer, and you mop the floor, okay?"
"Mm." I grabbed the mop leaning in the corner.
Nina hummed an off-key tune as she moved through the booths and collected the cups and plates people had left behind.
That stiff uniform didn't hide her looks at all, and it actually made it worse, because the neat, proper cut clashed with her soft vibe and gave off that pure-but-sexy pull.
I mopped in silence, and dark wet trails spread across the floor before the air conditioner slowly dried them.
Just when the quiet was about to reach the finish line….
Bang!
The glass front door got slammed open from outside with a huge force, and the wind chime on it rang nonstop.
Both Nina and I froze at the same time.
A woman stormed in on high heels, and she had perfect makeup and a sharp, aggressive aura.
She wore a tight red dress with an expensive trench coat over it, and a limited-edition bag swung from her wrist.
Her eyes looked like ice-cold knives, full of danger.
From the moment she entered, her stare locked onto Nina, who stood by the counter with a shocked expression.
I didn't know what happened, but I knew she didn't come here for anything good.
With my fingers tightening on the mop handle, I braced myself.
…Work is annoying enough already.
Can't I just clock out in peace for once?