Impress Me Not: Insomniac Cafe

Chapter 72

"Don't go after him, Mel," Anton stopped his cousin. He had a rush of people at the perfect time. But it was only brief. Now that everyone was seated or had left with their drink, he was back to wiping up the counter. And, of course, making sure that Mel didn't try to maul the guy who left.

"Why?" The man was acting like an angry black cloud. It would have been funny in any other situation. Mel was very aloof most of the time, with an uncaring attitude. But once he was angry his stare alone would send people packing. That's probably why Mateo didn't give too much resistant when he was leaving.

"It's not worth it," Anton sighed.

"How is it not worth it?" Mel continued to argue. "He hurt you."

"Because I'm tired," Anton admitted. "I'm tired of getting hurt and wanting revenge. I'm tired of others fighting for me. We both decided to see each other, Mel."

"But you didn't know what his intentions were."

"It doesn't matter," he kept his head down towards the counter. "No love can blind me enough to sign my business away. This was going to happen eventually. You just helped it end sooner."

Of course, it hurt to hear about the true Mateo Thompson. He hadn't realized how much he enjoyed being with him. It was one of the few relationships that felt like he could enjoy just being around him. There was laughter and long talks about many things. It felt like they had a connection.

It just goes to show that even if it seems authentic, there's always a way to be fooled.

"I'm sorry, Anton," Melvin said, his voice low and quiet. "I wish I hadn't pushed you towards him."

Anton looked up to see his cousin with a guilty expression. When he first met Melvin, he didn't think the man was all that empathetic. He seemed like a loner that was forced to socialize. It wasn't until he really got to know him that he realized Melvin actually cared a lot. He was just picky about the people he gave his care to.

"It's not your fault, Mel," he told him. "Don't worry about it. I'll be alright."

He had stayed up all of the night before contemplating things. Anton went over every conversation and memory he had with Mateo. It shocked him, because everything about him seemed so real, even his flaws. A part of him didn't want to believe that was his true intentions.

Anton even wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt when he called him earlier that day. At first, he was going to tell him that they needed to talk. But then he had to hesitate. It was as if the universe was answering a question he hadn't even asked.

It didn't matter now, anyway. Anton was never lucky with love. Nothing was easy in life, especially not his. He was probably not meant for love. At least, not romantic. Maybe he was just meant to have his family and friends and leave it at that.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Mel asked, slipping on his jacket.

"I'll be fine," he assured him. "Go take care of your club. I only have a half hour shift left anyway."

That was the plan at least. Anton was taking care of the afternoon shift because one of his workers had an emergency, and the other one had planned leave. It didn't bother him. It had been a slow shift, and he had worked with little to no sleep before. The physical work helped him sort out his thoughts.

"You seem like you've gotten your heart broken too much," a voice made him look up from his work. It was a regular of his, sitting at the counter where Mel was before.

"Hey, Will," Anton ignored the question. "How's the touring business?"

"It's going," he said, giving a small smile. "Unfortunately, I've hit a little slump."