Chapter 5 : Luke likes him!!

Luke tended the coffee cup to pour a delighted fountain of cream, swirling the milk stream to make a beautiful design, teaching his new employee his first lesson on cappuccino.

Ryan followed everything like Luke did, but somehow it looked like a plain coffee with a white bulge floating in the middle.

As he chuckled, Ryan turned red, shame flushed over his cheeks, “There, there, don’t be ashamed, it’s your first time. Let me teach more practically.”

He poured another cup of coffee, pushing it to him, “Here, make another one, but…”

When Ryan picked up the cream to make it again, Luke went behind him to grab his right hand tenderly, other hand on his shoulder, teaching him exactly how to swirl it to make a perfect cappuccino.

This time he smiled, not on his employee’s failure but a fruitful success. Both of them smiling, Luke advised him to make another one when someone scoffed behind them.

“Uhmm, uhmm,” a girl came in wearing their café apron, leaving her hair loose, her eyes darted them sharper than actual darts, she coughed again to remind them to separate and stay in distance. The way they stood, their people might think their handsome and lovely owner is having some sweet moment with his lover in the kitchen.

She scoffs again to say, “Boss, there’s many people at the counter, and we can’t handle them. Please go there asap.”

“Ah, I see, I’m going there, Amy,” Luke turned to Ryan, “You’ve done great. Now Amy can teach you other things. And I’ll come after attending to those customers.”

While leaving the kitchen, he patted Amy’s shoulder, mumbling, “Teach him properly.”

Earlier, at the counter just after Luke took him to the kitchen, letting his two female staff take care of his café, one of the girl, exclaimed to her coworker, “That boy is cute, I want him,” her blue eyes sparkled as she noticed Ryan’s hazel eyes beneath his overly grown hair strands on his forehead.

Another girl, her name tag on her apron showed, Stacey, snapped a rubber band, trying to tie her already short enough hair, when her co-worker made such a comment.

“Well… Amy…” her astonished face stared at Amy, standing beside her at the counter. She was mute to remark anything.

“What? I want him and it’s normal, isn’t it?” she fixed her makeup and hair quickly, taking out a small hand mirror out of nowhere, to see if her hair is good enough for making a move on a guy.

“You should stop, Amy. Don’t you remember what happened last time?” Stacey slammed her palm against the desk on the counter, declaring her annoyance, “Let him be, he looks young, and we’re on our fourth semester of university, shouldn’t you focus on your study more than bullying that new kid,” she snapped at her.

Without caring for her, Amy went straight to kitchen, giving her a wink, clutching the doorknob, “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna eat him, just a little tease and I’ll be out.”

Aa soon as Luke left, Amy started her move, first asking his name politely, not letting him know her actual intention.

“So, what’s your name?” she asked, taking one of the cup of cappuccino he made.

“I’m Ryan,” he felt a little uncomfortable, talking to a girl, he barely knew, his eyes turned to the cup she was holding, it was the first cup he made with a lump of cream floating in the middle, instead of a double swan.

“Oh, I’m Amanda Charles. You can call me Amy. I’m working here for quite a long time.” She put down the cup, placing her right hand on his palm, making him shiver down his spine.

“Yeah,” he hid his awkwardness behind a sweet smile, though one can say he was uncomfortable.

“You’re not much talkative… never mind, how old are you?” her left hand jumped on his shoulder to slide down near his waist, when Ryan flinched to get off her.

She chuckled, placing her hand on his shoulder again to reassure, “Alright, enough teasing. By the way, how old are you?” she looked at him, swirling her blonde locks.

“Seventeen,” he looked away.

“Only,” she sneered, sipping on the cappuccino with the lump, she murmured, “It’s bland…” she continued, “So that means I’m older than you, heh.”

Moving her face in front of him, staring right at his dark hazel eyes, she raised her eyebrow. She felt like her heart drowning in his eyes, standing so close to him he could hear her breath.

“I-I think we should focus on our job right now,” Ryan backed off, pushing her by her shoulder, to restrain her from unnecessary touching she was doing.

Annoyed by his tug, she rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

She turned to look at the cup and stated in an icy voice, “This coffee isn’t good,” she sighed, “You have to learn a lot.”

 She asked, “Have Luke teach you how to use these coffee machines?” Her tone suddenly changed, as if it’s another person he was talking to .

“No… Only how to start it…” he answered nervously, when she instructed on how to use everything and taught him to make basic coffees.

“Your primary job is to serve, but still, learn some of these basics.” She showed him exactly how to do a double swan.

Ryan tried again. Leaving a breath, he placed the cup in the machine, pressing the button to pour the hot water, when Amy suddenly asked, “Are you single?”

Getting this sudden question, he looked at her to answer no, but his hand slipped and hot water spilled on his hand. Thanks to his fast reflex, there weren’t many damages, just a little burn on his index finger of his right hand.

“Hah, silly,” she turned to leave to when Luke came. Seeing Ryan’s finger, he exclaimed, “What happened?” He ran to see he had a minor burn on his finger, which can be treated only with ointments. “Thank god it’s a minor burn. Amy,” he turned to her, “Bring me the first aid kit,” but seeing her ignoring the situation, Luke raised his voice, “Immediately…”

She came back with a small white box containing almost everything a doctor would need to treat wounds. Luke carefully applied the medicine to lessen the burn feeling.

“I am sorry, I was careless,” Ryan apologized, staring at his hands.

“Don’t be, it happens, while working here you might get burned or even get a cut… All done,” he put a bandage on his finger, “It’s not a big wound, two days should be enough for it to recover. Don’t overdo yourself. You have serving as your job, so you have some time to learn it all,” he smiled to cheer him up.

In the evening, many people came to the café. His first day is going to be tremendous.

Luke stood beside him, Ryan was way more nervous than any schoolkid ever on their first job, Luke patter his back, “You’re worried for nothing, it’s easy,” he assured just when a group of four girls walked in, ringing the bell at the corner of the door, coming in.

“Go, take their orders. They’re heading to the table 9,” he pushed him to go there, knowing he was nervous as hell.

As Ryan turned up, those four girls looked at him at the same time, like he did something horrendous to them.

Awkward, nervous, he took out his notebook to take their orders, “Can I your orders?”

“New face!” One of them snapped, as she closed her compact powder case, to take a proper look at him.

Other three intensified their stare when Lilia, her name shown on the tag of her uniform, talked to him, “Ah Sorry about this, can we have four slices of red velvet cake and cappuccino each…”

Ryan left as soon as he noted the order. Lilia pushed forward her round glasses, letting them not to slip, asked the girl sitting beside her, “Stella, so onto our topic. How could you do this? She was late because she had to attend to her grandma, and you… you threw a whole bucket of dirty water on her.”

“Tsk.. Can you stop your lecture?” Stella turned to see the new boy with the owner. They seemed to have a good time. “How annoying!”

“Oh yes, I am annoying…” Lilia infuriated, which was quite abnormal. She was furious. For a girl like her, just like the name, she is always calm, only when someone gets higher marks than her in any test, be it a small class test and when Stella doesn’t listen to her even after warning her, she gets mad.

She stood up to leave when Stella grabbed her hand. “I didn’t mean you. It’s annoying to see him there…”

“So not me,” her tone changed suddenly, as if she was never angry, “Now you’ll listen to me! I won’t stand this anymore. Remember, I am never a part of this and if this continues, our friendship ends,” she declared furiously.

“Okay, okay, I won’t, fine? But this, I can’t stand this,” she stared continuously at Ryan and Luke talking to themselves.

All three of them looked at the counter. Lily turned to her friend. “No Stella, you won’t,” she knew her friend more than anyone, what her short and brown curly hair covered head was thinking and was about to do. She was worried.

Stella liked Luke from the first day she came to this café with her exboyfriend, who broke up with her because of him. His gentle behavior made a move on her. From that very day she came there almost every day, she didn’t have the courage to tell him, though.

“Don’t stare at him like that, it’s creepy,” Lily warned her as her face looked like she was about to eat his crush up.

“Shut up! It isn’t. I like him. Is it creepy?” she asked, darting the question to all three of them.

Two of her side kicks nodded to disagree, but Lily claimed, “Not your feelings, silly, your face, it’s like you wanna eat him.”

“I’ma a good girl. I don’t think dirty. I just want him for myself, but this guy seems to be my rival…”

“He is? How come? He’s just a worker here,” she assured the fact. “It looks normal. What’s the problem with that?” Lilia pushed her glasses again to her nose with a sigh.

“I won’t give in to that boy. Luke for my. I will put him out of the scene,” she smirked, looking wicked.

Ryan left early, although it was his first day. He requested his boss for the early leave, as it was Darius’s birthday.

He left with a small cake in his hand. Although the cake was small, it was filled with his love for Darius. He never celebrated his birthday these past two to three years, but this time he promised himself to celebrate.

He bid his goodbye to Luke, sipping on an iced Americano before leaving. He turned to a dark, spooky alley.

Suddenly someone caught his both arms at the sides, that Americano splattered on the ground and that cake he bought for his friend.

A coarse, yet familiar female voice lingered, “So, you are this weak, I thought I have to bring some guys from my school, but it is enough for us to take you down,” the voice came forward, showing her face in the streetlight.

“So you were waiting for me to leave the café. Now, now, what do you want? Luke?” Ryan smirked, seeing her confused face.

“…”

“Ah, I think I know what you want, you want to beat me,” Ryan sneered, trying to get loose, but two girls grasped his hand stronger than a guy do.

“You… You,” she grumbled, her face flushed orange in anger.

“Yeah… Me, I heard you while you were planning to take me out of the scene when that glasses girl left the café… Oh, where’s she?”

“… She went home, but that’s none of your business.”

“Do whatever you want. He will never like a bully like you, but I’m sure he will like me,” he scoffed as he saw her rage.

“Heh… You won’t be laughing,” she pulled out a paper cutter with a sharp and shining blade.