Intangible

[2] White Chocolate Mocha

       Christmas Eve isn't as bad as Black Friday when it comes to opening, but it's still pretty close. Eli has to roll out of bed at four-thirty in the morning to unlock the doors on time, and he does so knowing that he's working with his aunt all day. Not that he doesn't love her, of course he does, but she's all about the customer service aspect of the business because 'the customer is always right' and Eli knows she'll be on his ass all day about smiling and wishing people Happy Holidays!

       When they get to the store at five, she puts furry brown antlers on his head, complete with little red bells, and tells him he better not get caught scowling at the customers today. The day sucks before it even really begins and he hates himself for having thought it would go any better.

       His cousin, Josh, comes in at six-thirty wearing the same ridiculous getup and his uncle walks through the door at seven, sniggers, and claps them both on the back supportively, the strength of it sending their bells jingling.

       Eli really regrets his poor life choices.

       They hit their morning rush at about seven-thirty, and Eli's first real annoyance comes around when Olivia Meyers, with her curling red lips and short bob cut, orders a drink they don't carry—some rare kind of specialty diet protein shake.

       "We don't serve that here," Eli tells her, and she narrows her dark eyes at him.

       "What do you mean you don't serve it here? What type of coffee shop are you even running?"

        Before he can answer her, his aunt, sensing an unhappy customer, ushers him out of the way.

       "I'm positive we can make something similar, sweetheart," his aunt says warmly to the girl. Eli just rolls his eyes and lets her handle it.

       Nevertheless, he survives most of his shift without exploding over anything. At noon, Kaleb and Stacy return, order their unreasonably complicated coffees, and complain loudly about how crowded the store is—as if they expect Eli to do something about it. He doesn't, of course.

       "We do have plenty of seating outside," he suggests. It's like thirty degrees outside, so he knows just how rude he's being to even recommend it. Stacy unsurprisingly turns on him.

       "Excuse you?" she says. "Is that supposed to be witty?"

       Eli just raises his eyebrows in a silent challenge to her. He has an insult on the tip of his tongue when he hears Sebastian's loud laugh a few steps away. Stacy promptly diverts her glare, and Eli can't help but smirk a little. 

       "Sebby," she says, sounding pleasantly surprised as she goes to wrap her arms around him.

       "Stace," Sebastian greets with a curt nod, and there's a harmonious aura there that mystifies Eli—how two personalities so unlike could get along so well is beyond him. "I see you're enjoying another early morning of terrorizing the innocent staff."

       Stacy snorts and Kaleb scoffs before he wanders off to wait for their drinks. Stacy stays behind and smiles at Sebastian before she says, "What? He gets paid to put up with it."

       Sebastian laughs—a sweet and delightful sound—and says, "Actually, he probably doesn't get paid at all and if he does, it's only to make your guys' stupid coffee, not to put up with your bickering." 

       Stacy rolls her bright eyes. "Oh whatever, he's a big boy, he can take it," she says, but then she strides off, too, meeting Kaleb at the end of the bar.