Finally Found You (TayNew AU)

Chapter 6

New got to the small coffee shop where he also worked just in time. He greeted Win who was behind the counter, the shop owner and also one of his best friends, and Podd, who was busy baking some treats and pastries for the day. He went to his locker to keep his backpack, changed into his uniform, and proceeded to arrange the tables and chairs before the shop opened.

It was quite a busy day, what with some drama crew shooting nearby and some fans were flocking the shop but New took it all in stride, preparing and serving the drinks with a warm and welcoming smile. He was used to it by now, the fatigue from standing and walking endlessly all day without a moment's rest. Win noticed New yawning and touching his neck while working so he went up to him and asked him to take a break.

"It's okay Win. I can manage" New said.

"Don't think that I don't see how tired you are New. Go on and rest for a while at the back. I won't have you faint from exhaustion on my watch. Now go." Win admonished.

New yielded and thanked Win on his way to where they normally took breaks. He stretched his arms and legs and went straight to the table where he found a cold drink and some brownies on a plate. He smiled to himself and silently thanked his friends for it. What did I do to serve such nice friends? He nibbled on the food before putting his feet up on one of the chairs and take a quick nap to replenish his energy.

He felt someone tapping on his shoulders after some time and slowly opened his eyes to see Podd in front of him. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already 6pm. New's eyes grew wide and he panicked a bit. I  really slept for almost 3 hours?!

Podd shook his head at his friend's actions and chuckled a bit. "It's okay. Win insisted so we didn't bother to wake you up until now. Besides, it wasn't as hectic as this morning so we handled the rest ourselves."

"But–"

"No buts. If you're this tired you should have said something." Win said walking in on them. "You must've overworked yourself again. What time did you come home from work last night?" Win asked with his furrowed brows. New just scratched the back of his neck and timidly smiled.

"Newwie...." Win just looked at his friend, sighing. He knew how hard his friend worked but he knew he couldn't do anything about it.

It's not like New had a choice though. Aside from their daily expenses, there were their father's debt from his gambling in the past and then their mother's incurred medical bills from when she was hospitalized that they had to pay off. He knew he didn't have the luxury of time to rest so he'd take on any paying job he could get, no matter how tiring it was just so he could earn something.

"I shouldn't have slept that long but thank you for letting me rest. And for the snack too" New looked at the two of them and they said nothing more to each other, just exchanged a few knowing smiles. New helped with cleaning up the place and volunteered to close up the shop after. It was 7:15pm when he finished closing up, enough time he deemed for him to get to his next job.

He had a shift at 8pm at the club and so he walked his way there. On his way, he found a car by the side of the road and an elderly man coming out of it. The man was checking his car here and there, scratching his head and New realized that the car might've broken down.

"Hello Sir. Is there something wrong?" The old man looked up to see the young man approaching him with a concerned look on his face.

"Oh. My car seemed to have broken down and I don't know what to do or how to fix it."

Having worked part-time in a mechanic shop before, he knew something about fixing cars and so he tried to inspect the car's engine.