"Two iced Angelic Americanos!" I call out as I set the two drinks on the elevated counter. I look over the bustling cafe with a careful gaze, attempting to locate the man who ordered them.
The Hallowed Grounds is relatively busy which brings joy to my heart. It's a gentle confirmation that everything will be alright if we keep working hard. I only hope Kasey is able to see it when she pokes her head out from the kitchen. I worry that she doesn't see the smiles on the customers often enough to understand how amazing of a job she is doing. I hope she knows she is being appreciated by every customer who walks into this sacred place.
A family of three sits at one of the tables, enjoying their breakfast treats with a gentle smile on each of their faces. A couple has taken the window spot and judging by the way they are gazing into each other's eyes, I'd say they are too in love to notice their coffee going cold. I see a few new faces pass by as they curiously examine the bookshelf and the artwork section. Then I see him.
The never-late, bright-eyed gaze of eight o'clock and his sleepy companion.
Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi.
The two iced Angelic Americanos.
Hoseok is dressed in a faded green jacket with baggy black pants, his soft brown hair is parted in the middle to show his forehead. He weaves around the gathered customers who are focused on the new featured paintings hanging on the wall and gestures for his friend to follow him.
Yoongi tears his gaze from one of the paintings and casts his friend an open-mouth complaining look before dragging his feet to follow. I have never seen him wear anything but black clothing and today is no different.
"Here you are," I say cheerfully, pushing the two drinks towards the edge of the pickup counter. "Have a blessed day and come again soon!"
Hoseok greets me with a smile of equal energy and takes the drinks. "Thanks, you too!"
Yoongi catches up and his eyes are already focused on the coffee in Hoseok's hand. His pout fades as he takes his cup and sips it lightly. A satisfied expression appears on his face and he nods in approval like he always does.
"We always come back," Hoseok adds, watching Yoongi happily drink his coffee. "Remind me to thank Namjoon for choosing a place close to a coffee shop."
Yoongi's eyes lift from the drink briefly. "This is where all of our paychecks go, Hoba. They make good money off of us," he complains.
Hoseok giggles and flashes me a smile over his shoulder. "It's an equal exchange. We see plenty of you guys stop by."
I laugh lightly and nod in agreement, "Yeah. It is." For the other baristas, at least.
Bangtan Chicken and Brewery is a fairly new restaurant that opened across the street from us. They are known for the best Korean fried chicken, savory snacks, and excellent beer, which they make within their bar. They also sell massive-sized pizzas with every topping imaginable, including macaroni and bacon, steak, BBQ chicken, and flaming pineapple which is literally a burning pineapple for bonus points for presentation. It is locally owned by Kim Namjoon but according to what I've heard, he helps out just as much as the other workers as a waiter.
I have been meaning to try their food during a calm hour; I don't want to be caught in the dinner rush. Not only that, the prices on their food are slightly more expensive than I can handle at the moment. Though I love my job and pays for everything I currently need, it doesn't necessarily pay for wants. It keeps me from burning through my money and living a minimalistic life but that's because I have no other choice.
"Aish, we're going to be late," Yoongi says urgently, glancing up at the clock painting that reads eight forty-five. He grabs Hoseok's jacket sleeve and tugs on him.
Hoseok remains rooted in his spot and looks up at the painting with blatant confusion. "But I thought it was eight..."
I can't help but laugh and shake my head, "It's one of the new paintings. It really blends with the wall. It's still eight, don't worry."
Yoongi's eyes widen with realization before he shrinks back. He smiles awkwardly and lets out an embarrassed laugh, "Oh. Wow, I'm an idiot."
"You're just tired," Hoseok offers and pats his friend's shoulder with his free hand. He casts me another heart-melting smile, "See you on Monday! Thanks for the coffee!"
Yoongi blinks in surprise and gives Hoseok an odd look, "What do you mean on Monday? What are we—?"
Hoseok frowns playfully, scrunching his nose, and starts to walk away, "We always come before our shift. We'll be back like always. Come on..."
Yoongi rolls his eyes, "They can probably recite our card numbers by now..."
Hoseok only grins, "Then we can get our drinks faster. Come on, let's head over. Hyung said we need to help with seasoning the chickens today." He pauses and casts me another heart-fluttering smile, "Thanks again, hope to see you again."
With that, the two men walk out of the cafe, sipping on their drinks and leaning against each other's shoulders. I watch them leave and cross the street to their restaurant.
Sam notices my lingering gaze as he passes by with the ice bucket still in his hands. He sets it up on the counter and starts refilling the blender, "They come almost every Saturday," he comments nonchalantly. "Teryn says that if she wasn't so in love with Ben she'd go after either of them. Or any of the workers at Bangtan."
I blink hard and return my gaze to the unfinished caramel macchiato in front of me. I grab the caramel syrup from the rack and start swirling it around in the piping hot liquid. A drop of caramel sticks to my black gloves and smears with a shiny texture. "Oh," I reply, trying to sound uninterested. "They are quite attractive, I'll give her that."
Sam's hands freeze and he takes a whole second to stare at me in utter disbelief. "Girl, are you blind? They are the hottest men I've ever laid eyes on. The Gucci models don't even touch them."
I stiffen under his gaze, surprised by his earnest reaction. "Oh... I guess you're right. I don't pay much attention... I don't usually work the morning shifts either. I'm always in the back with Kasey so I guess that's why..."
Sam smirks at me, "Somebody could hit you with a baseball bat and you still wouldn't notice. Time to join the real world, Fin, if you don't save those poor guys from Teryn, I might do it instead."
I smile awkwardly and return to making the macchiato in front of me. I grab a lid from the stack and carefully push it onto the cup. My hand has slipped too many times from rushing. Too many spills, too many burns.
Sam might be right about my habit of not paying attention to "the real world". I spent the majority of my time within my mind thinking about things rather than doing. If I end up doing anything, it's because I thought through it and am consciously following a plan. Maybe I'm too organized, too careful to pay attention to the chaotic whims of the world around me.
"I'm not that oblivious, I just don't—," I begin to answer but he turns on the blender and my voice is drowned out by the grinding noise. I cut myself off, faintly disappointed, and give up on trying to explain.
I finish up the drink and set it up on the counter, "One caramel macchiato!" I call out, straining my voice to rise above the sound of the blender.
One person breaks away from the painting viewing party and approaches the counter with shy hesitation. She glances around the room a few times before finally coming closer. "Um," she clears her throat with distant panic in her eyes, "hi there, is this one... is this one mine?" She points meekly at the drink, most of her hand is hidden underneath her sweater paw.
I glanced between her and the drink, unsure if she was the one who ordered it. "Did you order a caramel macchiato?"
She nods slowly, quickly avoiding direct eye contact.
I give her a reassuring smile and nod, "Then it's yours."
She lets out a breath of relief, "Okay, thank you!" She takes the drink with an apologetic look, "Sorry."
"Oh, you're fine. Don't worry. Have a blessed day!"
She smiles gratefully and bows her head to me. "You too." Just as she turns, somebody stumbles into her, and the drink tips over—
"OW."
I let out a gasp and am already grabbing napkins from the holder. I quickly rush around the counter without hesitation, knowing on a personal level how bad coffee can burn.
The shy girl staggers back with wide eyes, on the verge of tears. Her hands are trembling and already flaring with red stains. The cup lays open on the ground and spills out over the tile flooring.
The person, a middle-aged woman with a lopsided haircut, is gaping at the coffee stain spreading across her faded jeans. She appears to have frozen.
"Are you alright?" I ask the young girl first, noticing the tears filling her eyes.
She shakes her head tightly, fighting back a small cry, and takes the napkins from me. She wipes her hands off and studies them with mild fear, "I—, I'm so sorry... I didn't... I didn't mean to, I wasn't paying attention, I'm so sorry..."
The woman inhales sharply and glares at the girl, "Why did you do that?" she snaps.
I turn to the woman without fear and give her a level look, handing her the leftover napkins. "It was an accident, ma'am," I explained calmly.
The woman's face screws up with disapproval and looks beyond at me, to stare daggers at the girl, "I said 'excuse me', you just ruined my clothes! Do you know how much this costs? I have a job interview today! I don't have enough to change, why did you do that?!" Her voice starts to echo off the walls of the cafe as her anger consumes her.
From the painting viewing party, a few heads turn our way with mild surprise. Somebody in the back whispers, "Cheese and rice, lady..." in a heavy sigh.
I set my shoulders back and remain completely calm, trying to divert her attention from the girl. "Ma'am, it was an accident. We have a restroom you may use to wash it off... but we are sorry. Please, can I take your order? We can get it out to you right away." The faster, the better. I never want to see this lady again. How dare she attack this girl? It was an accident!
The woman's face is reproachful as she turns her attention on me. "That doesn't exactly help me," she complains stubbornly.
Sucks for you, doesn't it?
"We're sorry, but that's all we can offer."
Her eyes narrow with an all-too-familiar expression. "Where's your manager?" she asks curtly.
Kasey is very busy with the cake order right now. She doesn't have time to deal with this lady.
I am about ready to claim that I'm the manager when Sam speaks up for me. He finishes shaking the blender contents to shift the ice around and comes up to the counter. "I'm the manager," he announces with authority.
The lady begins to smile as if she had won and struts up to him confidently. She starts trying to explain what happened, even though Sam saw the whole thing, and ends up asking for a free drink in return. I leave Sam to deal with her. He's been here long enough to know the procedure for dealing with people like her. It isn't a normal day unless we get one Karen whining about something.
I focus on the girl and check over her hands, "Hey... are you okay?" I ask gently.
She takes a shaky breath, pale as snow, and nods. "Yeah... I'm okay... I'm really sorry."
"It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong. It was an accident," I explain in a reassuring tone. I shoot the lady a dark look over her shoulder when her back is turned. "She was completely out of line. Sam will deal with her. But for now..." My eyes soften as I look back at the girl, "I'll get you another drink. Free of charge. What's your name?"
"Thank you so much... my name's Anika. What's yours?"
"Finley, but you can call me Fin. Come over here." I motion her to come to the pick-up counter again to wait for her drink. I round the edge of the counter and start making her caramel macchiato again. In the corner of my eye, the lady is staring hard at Sam but Sam looks as chill as ever. He explains once again that it was an accident and manages to convince her to order a drink.
Anika watches me with interest as I work. She peeks over the edge of the divider with wide eyes. "It looks so complicated..."
"It takes a little practice," I explain casually as I grab the syrup out of its holder again, "but you get used to it. Are your hands okay?"
"Yeah, they're fine. Thanks for asking." Anika shrinks her hands back into the paws of her sweater and lifts her shoulders to her ears. She ducks her head briefly and watches me with bashful shyness. "You're so nice."
I finish up her drink and set it up on the counter for her. "Oh, no problem, but you might want to run your hands under cold water for a bit." I give her a warm look, "Take care of yourself, alright? Have a blessed day, Anika."
To my surprise, her cheeks flush and she nods quickly. She takes the drink with extra care and nods, "Thanks, Fin." With that, she leaves the cafe and disappears around the corner.
I smile to myself, happy I was able to help her, before refocusing on the new tasks at hand. I make sure nobody else is waiting in line behind the rude woman, and find the mop tucked in the far corner. I roll it across the floor and start cleaning up the spilled coffee before it dries sticky.
A/N: I hope you are enjoying the story so far! What do you think of Finley? Tell me what your favorite drink is in the comments below! Remember to eat well today, love you guys! <3