Sponsored Love

Chapter 1

It was closing time at Pepe's café; a quaint and humble space large enough to comfortably accommodate twenty-five seated customers and five more at the waitress' bar. Leather booths lined the front wall, and the large glass windows were decorated with orange, red, yellow and brown maple leaf stickers. The neon open sign which faced the street soon switched to Closing Soon. The usual strong scent of freshly grounded coffee beans had faded in the atmosphere, and blended perfectly with the soft aroma of the last baked sweets left in the store that day; vanilla with a hint of dark roast.A couple who had shared blueberry muffins and hot cocoa in the far booth near the bathroom stood and made their exit while waiving at the waitress who stood behind the bar and wiped the counter for the umpteenth time since the start of her shift. The waitress, Stephie, a caramel-skinned girl with wild brown and blond curls and coils currently pulled back and tied at the base of her skull, wore a simple bl...