Love Flavored Latte

Chapter 6 - Just Like the First Time

"Wait, what?"

Matt's suitemates gasped in sync before Chloe said in disbelief, "R-Really?"

Matt sighed. "You're the one trying to pry that piece of information out, and now you're asking me that?"

"That's not the point here!" Chloe said loudly. "Prof Angevine... he's your customer?"

"Say that more loudly for the whole world to hear, will you?" Matt hissed through his teeth, swaying his head to and fro to see if anyone heard it. Luckily, no one did.

"S-Sorry, I'm just..." Chloe lowered her voice. "I'm just surprised."

"Yeah, me too," Eve said. "So today isn't your first time meeting him?"

"Yes," Matt answered, looking over to his left. "He came into the shop... uh, last Saturday."

"Dude, no way!" Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief. "I can't believe you didn't tell us about this that day!"

"I didn't know he was our professor at that time, Ethan!" Matt explained. "So of course I wouldn't mention meeting him."

"That's not what I'm saying, Matt," Ethan said. "The point is that you met a handsome guy that day and didn't tell us. Let's be real here, there's no way you weren't checking him out back then!"

Matt had nearly frozen in place. "Wh- What?"

"Look, I'm not into him in any way, but..." Ethan averted his gaze for a short while. "You've got to admit he's good-looking."

Matt felt like something was stuck in his throat.

"Ethan, I'm not that desperate to the point that I'll hit on my customers," Matt protested, glancing up at Ethan in the process. "At least not until I'm completely sure they're interested in me."

"Sorry then."

Ethan chuckled and Matt just let out a long sigh as the four of them finally reached the cafeteria. It was lunch time, about twelve o'clock, so they chose to grab some lunch together. Matt had decided to tell the other three about how Professor Angevine had entered his shop and met him, but only a small portion of his story was true. He lied for the most part, including the day they met-he first saw his professor on Saturday two weeks ago, not last week. If he had been honest about that detail, one of them would have been able to figure out that the "handsome customer" was their professor. Matt suspected that person would be Eve.

While lying to them made him feel bad, he had to admit that there was no other way. He really couldn't bring himself to tell them that he was attracted to his own professor, because he was sure that they would be weirded the hell out. Of course, they were his friends and he knew that they always supported him, but there were still some boundaries on things they could agree with him. They might not say anything, but it was still unsafe to confess to them about his own attraction towards their professor.

Matt secretly let out a small sigh as they all took their lunch. He was pretty good at solving problems by himself, which was a great experience he got from his workplace. But this one, he truly had no idea how to deal with it. He chose to forget about it for now and wait for the next day to arrive. He was pretty excited about it, because he had work tomorrow, and his professor did say that he would be coming for his latte.

Well, he had been excited until that day finally came around the corner.

Tuesday afternoon soon rolled around, and after handing a customer his tea, Matt looked at the double doors, waiting for a certain brunet to open them. He had been an hour into his shift and there was still no sight of his professor coming in, which elicited a sigh from him.

When he first got to the shop for his shift, he was super thrilled and nervous at the same. He was thrilled to meet his professor at the shop again, to make him his favorite latte, but that also was the same reason he was sweating the whole time. Waiting for him was the best and worst feeling ever because every time the door swung open, he would expect his professor to be there, but then he would be disappointed to see that it was just a regular customer. Even so, he tried not to show it and continued greeting everyone with a bright smile.

After fixing his apron, he sighed, resting his forearms on the surface of the counter. Maybe I'm getting my hope up, he thought. Maybe I'm just upset over nothing at all. Professor Angevine's a busy person, so it's not like he has all the time to come here whenever he wants.

He straightened himself up and exhaled, closing his eyes and trying to find something to motivate himself. Come on, Matthew, cheer up. You have a job you love doing and you should only think about it-

"Good afternoon, Matthew."

Matt had nearly tripped and fell to the floor at the sudden greeting that pulled him back to reality. There was no mistaking that face and that deep voice. It was truly his professor, the professor he had been waiting for in the past hour. His heartbeat increased greatly in a matter of seconds, and it wasn't just because he was startled.

"G-Good afternoon, professor!" Matt stuttered, scratching the back of his head while trying to keep his composure. "What can I get for you?"

"Well, just like last time," his professor said. "Except the vanilla part."

"Understood, professor!"

Matt replied before getting the ingredients, but he had to try very hard to focus on his job, or else he would have dropped the cup the first moment he picked it up because of how shaky his hands were.

This may take a long time to get used to, he thought to himself as he prepared the coffee. His professor was just standing there, waiting patiently like last time, but there was something about his calmness that just made Matt blush madly. His expression looked so relaxed, but the way his eyes were looking at him that just confused Matt. His eyes did look calm, but it also held... something else, something that he couldn't quite get a grasp of.

The latte was finally done successfully without leaving any mess behind, and Matt gave it to his customer.

"Here you go, professor."

"Thank you, Matthew," Professor Angevine said with a smile that always melted Matt's heart. "I was really looking forward to this."

"Y-Y-You're welcome, professor! Please, enjoy your drink!"

And just like that, his professor walked away, choosing a table near the counter yet again, and Matt still hadn't been able to decide whether it was good or not. Professor Angevine opened his book and started reading again, just like the first time they met in this very place in this very city. That collected look, Matt could still remember it clearly, as well as the way his eyes followed the page as he flipped it. Hadn't it been for his job and the new customer that just arrived, he could have stared at the man forever, forgetting about time itself.

"Good afternoon, miss. What brings you in today?"

Matt greeted the woman with a bright and friendly smile. After taking her order, he proceeded to go make her coffee.

But what he saw next was out of his expectation.

After he had taken the coffee beans, he turned over and caught a pair of blue eyes, the ocean blue eyes he adored, staring at him, and he had almost dropped the coffee for it.

At first, he thought that those eyes were just looking at something behind or near him, but he soon found out that it wasn't the case because they seemed to be following his steps as he proceeded to brew the coffee. Still unable to believe it, he blinked his eyes a few times to confirm that he wasn't just seeing things.

He really wasn't.

The owner of those eyes didn't seem to notice him staring back until a few seconds later. In a split second, those eyes had turned away, returning to the book on the table and pretending that they weren't just locked on him a few seconds ago.

Matt could have frozen in place if his mind hadn't reminded him that he still had a customer to serve.