Croissants and Latte Art

Chapter 1

Zach is just as ordinary as everyone else. Regular 18 year old, trying to make a decent wager to pay for his college bills. Did he know that he was going to soon become a very popular Latte artist?

No.

Two years ago would he have considered it?

God no. Not with him thinking he's straight. His past self probably would've called it gay and brushed it off.

But now, he couldn't ask for more. He loved working there and helped his mom with financial issues. Even bought his brother a guitar so he could learn how to play just like him.

Zach smiles to himself as he turns the keys of his car and starts backing out of the driveway. He turns on the radio and lets Christmas music flood the insides of his ears as he hums softly to the sound.

Sleigh bells ring
Are you listenin'?
In the lane
Snow is glistening

He lightly taps the steering wheel of the car while he stops at a red light.

Then, inspiration strikes him. He quickly checks the light to make sure it's still red as he grabs a random notebook in his passenger seat, sketching out a detailed snowflake in the outline of a mug. He smiles as he looks at it then pressing the gas as the light goes green.

"Christmas music is always inspirational," he says to himself as he turns down the familiar road.

Have a holly jolly Christmas
It's the best time of the year
I dont know if there'll be snow
But have a cup of cheer

He pulls up behind the snug coffee shop and puts his jacket back on along with his gloves, scarf, and earmuffs. He watches the snow blow by before hesitantly getting out of his car, rushing towards the back door and quickly pulling the keys from his coat pocket.

"Ah shoot, I forgot my notebook," he curses to himself quietly as he rushes back to his car and grabs the notebook sitting closest to the drivers seat. He runs back to the door and pushes it open, feeling the warmth of heat hit his face. He sighs and hangs his coat, gloves, scarf, and earmuffs on a nearby rack.

"Hey, Zachy!" He bears a familiar voice say as he turns towards the kitchen.

"Hey Charlie," he responds, giving her a quick hug then taking his notebook to the front counter and placing it by the Latte machine. She places her mittens down and follows him, peering at the fresh drawing on the page.

"New drawing?" She asks excitedly. Zach chuckles and nods, turning towards the espresso machine.

"I'm gonna test it out and you tell me how it looks, okay? And I'll give it to you," he adds a wink at the end as he sees her face light up.

"They always taste good! And look amazing, too. So I don't think it'll be hard to say it looks terrible," she says, already leaning against the counter, awaiting the drink. He laughs and wipes down the milk steaming wand. He pulses it on and off a couple of times, just to make sure it doesn't have any left over dirt from the day before. He goes to the mini fridge that was sitting in the corner and grabbed the milk, pouring it perfectly at the bottom of the stout. He turns on the wand submerges it so he can hear some hisses. He tilts it carefully to make sure the milk is swirling and he smiles. He checks the temperature and raises the cup automatically as it becomes warmer. After two minutes he checks his clip-in thermometer to make sure it's at a decent temperature. He smiles as he sees it at 160°F. He takes it out from under the wand and taps it on the counter, getting rid of any big bubbles.

He stops for a moment and makes a shot of espresso, pouring it into a bigger, rounder cup. He grabs the pitcher with steamed milk and pours a small amount into the cup, swirling it so it spread faster. He makes sure it looks fully mixed before putting the pitcher close to the cup and starts making a very detailed snowflake in the cup. He sticks his tongue out out of habit and finishes it off, quickly pulling the pitcher up, making sure no access milk ruins the design.

He looks at the finished product and smiles, carefully picking it up and bringing it towards Charlie. She giggles and looks at the design.

"Dude!" She exclaims and pinches his arm. "This is so cool!"

"Thanks, Charlie," he responds. She sips carefully on it and squeal slightly. "Ugh, it tastes evens better! How are you so good at this?" She whines, but smiles as she sips the rest. Zach shakes his head and shrugs.

"But hey, your croissants are to die for," he says as he turns away to clean up any remaining milk.

"Pffft, they're not that good,"

"Yes they are! They go perfectly with my lattes. People would stop coming if I ever say that you quit,"

She laughs at the remark and punches his arm. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. C'mon, we gotta open up shop soon," she says. Zach sighs, he completely forgot about it.

Another day, another boring day. Well, sort of.

A/N: NEW STORY OMG IM SO EXCITED. Here's some background about Charlie btw:

19 years old
Gay af
Single
Total nerd
Has partnership with Zach in the cafe.

Aight so that's it. Erm, see ya in the next update!