Yellow Haired Hottie

Ellie hardly realized that a month had already passed since she got back from Paris. She drowned in her work as soon as she got back. She hardly noticed the passing of time. Her excitement to apply what she learned made her forget about the hurt she had. It only proved she made the right choice when she moved away.

Her business has also grown popularity. Before she left, they depended on the university students for their sales, but they were only breaking even. But through word of mouth and the improvements she did on her recipes, orders started coming in.

Now, she had clients would drop by the store to pick up orders they brought online or would pick up something to go. Some would schedule a delivery through an app. As for those the app could not reach, she’d deliver their orders herself. The movie adaptation of the manga that inspired her store added popularity to the store. There are passersby who would pose outside her shop for photos, or walk-in customers who would dine in out of curiosity.

But more orders mean more work as well. Since she did all the baking in her shop, she’s hardly out of the kitchen. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she straightened her back. She had been leaning over, scrubbing the oven for quite a while. Her back hurt a little. With arms on her waist, she leaned as far back as she could to stretch out her back muscles. Oh, how she hated cleaning the oven!

After making sure that her kitchen was spotless, she prepared the ingredients for tomorrow’s orders. She made sure they’re organized on the workstation. A well-arranged work station reduces the work time. When she’s happy with everything in the kitchen, she went out to check on Beth and Maya.

She glanced at the small clock by the register. It was already five in the afternoon and in an hour Beth and Maya’s shift will end. She always saw to it they did not go home late. It is quite dangerous for young girls like them to commute late at night.

Her eyes made a quick scan of the cafe. The small cafe only had four tables that accommodated four people each. Most of her dine-in clients were students from the nearby university. They are mostly groups of friends who wanted to hang out, or young couples who were dating.

It did not take her long to see that there were two tables that were still occupied. A group of university girls occupied the first table. The girls would from time to time giggle as they stone sneaky glance to the man sitting alone on the other table.

The man sat alone on the table by the window. His eyes trained outside, unbothered by the attention the girls threw at him. He looked interesting. His yellow hair screamed ‘look-at-me’. If that’s not attention grabbing enough, then his bright orange shirt made heads turn. He got guts to wear something so eye-catching. If he’s not focused on watching the view outside, he would poke his chocolate cake with his fork. He took his time in nibbling his cake.

A girl tried to take a clandestine photo of him with her mobile phone. As if sensing her movement, his sharp eyes shot to the girl. He did not open his mouth or lift a finger. His menacing look was enough to make the girl return the phone in her pocket. After a while, the girls left.

Maya cleared their table. She wiped crumbs and collected all the plates and utensils they used. Beth was busy counting the money on the register. She checked it against the summary of the items they sold for the day.

Ellie once again looked at the small clock next to the register. It’s already half-past six. By this time, she and the girls would have closed the cafe doors. She and the girls should clean up the store and tidy up the display so Maya and Beth can leave on time. Ellie tapped her fingers at the table. At this rate, the girls will go home late.

“What’s up with Naruto?” Ellie asked Beth. Beth shrugged her shoulders and looked at the handsome man with a screaming yellow hair. The person seemed to have heard her because his head jerked up and he looked in their direction. Ellie felt a little embarrassed. So she smiled at him.

Ellie picked up the bill from Beth and walked up to the customer’s table.

“Sir, we’ll be closing already, do you have last orders for take out?” Ellie gave him the sweetest smile she could give.

He looked at her, a little irritated because she called him “Naruto”. But when she flashed that smile, he held back the acidic words he composed in his mind. “No other orders.”

“Here’s you bill, then.” She handed him a small tray that contained a small sheet of paper.

He looked at her but did not move to take the bill. “But you said that the cake is on the house.”

Eh? His answer took Ellie by surprise. She spent most of her day in the kitchen baking, so when did she tell him that his cake was on the house.

She tilted her head to the left, then to the right to examine the face of the person before her. His screaming yellow hair touched his brows. Long and curly eyelashes framed his deep brown eyes. His straight nose led to a set of soft, full lips. He’s so good looking she’s remember him even if she only bumped into him on the street. So no, she has not met this man before.

She furrowed her brows. “He isn’t a scammer, is he? Who scams for a piece of cake?” she thought.

“Excuse me?” Her inquiry was a mix of amusement and surprise.

“You said that your strawberry shortcake and chocolate cake are to die for. And if I find myself in Baguio City, it’ll be on the house.”