Café Pit-a-Pat - Season 1 (COMPLETE)

Chapter 8

Heaving out a deep breath, Kimmon stepped out of his car and made his way over to the entrance of Café Pit-a-Pat. It was finally the morning of the shop's long-awaited reopening, and he really couldn't afford to lose any more time. But his steps progressively slowed down the closer he got to the door. Because, even after endless hours of mental preparation, he wasn't completely ready yet to face what was inside. Or, more precisely, to face a particular someone who was inside the shop right now.

Nothing happened, he kept telling himself. Just like he told a clueless Copter who had (conveniently) blacked out and had no recollection of anything that night. Nothing f*cking happened. So he really needed to get a grip and come back to his senses. And, for the love of God, to please act NORMAL. Definitely not like how he had behaved the day right after the incident. Which basically summed up to (1) his unconscious and continuous downright staring at Copter, which was (to his embarrassment) eventually noticed by the others and (2) his subsequent awkward and obvious attempts to avoid interacting with Copter at all costs.

Cringing at the horrifying memories, Kimmon let out another heavy breath before finally pushing open the door. With an exaggerated smile plastered on his face, he stepped inside. Luckily, the fragrant aroma of coffee immediately swept past his nose, calming down his nerves and putting him in a much better mood. His eyes took in the sight of Tae and Tee behind the counter and Godt in the kitchen, each of them occupied with preparing for their respective tasks of the day.

"Hey Captain!" Tee playfully greeted him.

Kimmon waved at all of them. "Well, it looks like everything is under control."

"Of course it is," Tae said with his signature gentle smile.

"But we may need some extra help with serving, given that we have a larger space now," Tee added. "I don't think Copter's going to be able to cover both floors."

Kimmon nodded his head in acknowledgment. "I'll be helping, so we'll see how it plays out today. If it does get out of hand, I'll find another employee."

"Good morning, P'Kim!"

Oh my god, here goes. With a silent gulp, Kimmon hesitantly turned his head towards the energetic voice that just joined the conversation. Merrily skipping down the stairs, Copter was flashing a bright smile at him. And, before he knew it, Kimmon's heart instantly sped off with no hope of stopping anytime soon. Oh f*ck. Not again!

"Morning," he managed to say back.

Kimmon dared himself to meet Copter's glimmering eyes. And he immediately regretted it, feeling like he was helplessly drowning in those bottomless pools of dark chocolate. Jerking his head away, Kimmon faked a calm demeanor as best he could. This was going to be such a long day.

***

At first, it didn't turn out to be as horrific a day as he had originally predicted this morning. Mainly because work at the shop was way busier than usual, much more than they had all expected. The addition of Godt had undeniably increased the incoming traffic at a surprising rate. So the morning and early afternoon shifts had flown by in a flash, with every one of them literally scrambling around to meet the demands of their customers. Which left no time for Kimmon's thoughts to wander off to places that he didn't want them to be.