The Law of Polarity

2. Everyone, Meet Heidi

Cold.

I haven't felt anything but heat in... in a long time.

I gasp, pulling my hand free. The cooling respite vanishes, leaving me breathless and wide eyed.

"Woah, that was amazing!" Eyes full of wonder, Kal continues, "You're so warm, I'm jealous!"

I'm kind of embarrassed that a simple handshake rattled me so much, but I honestly don't even know what to say.

Wren saves me from looking like a gulping goldfish. "HA! This is so perfect, I could pat myself on the back. When Kal came in and introduced himself to me, I remembered you saying you need an ice crystal... well, here he is!"

If I wasn't already flushed then I definitely was now. Luckily the front bell rang. Saved again.

"Well boys, let's get back to work. Maybe Aiden should try out the register for now while I show Kal the drink basics."

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The afternoon went smooth after that, no more hot flashes since I mostly trained on the register.

The three of us chatted between customers, but the topic of our handshake is thankfully avoided. I definitely didn't think about it at all. Nope. Not at all.

Ok, yes I did.

Kal seems to be picking up cold bar pretty quick, hands aiding in the cooling of drinks. Every time he sets a cup down a crystalized layer of frost in the shape of a hand is left behind.

Business slows down enough just before closing that we can start our closing duties a bit early. Wren talks us through everything and gives us tasks here and there. As we're restocking the cups she asks Kal why he decided to apply here, since she doesn't remember seeing him in here before.

"I haven't physically been in the cafe before, but since my friend, Ronan, stops here all the time I've had your coffee quite a bit, so I decided to apply when he said you were hiring."

"Oh, so you're Ronan's friend! That makes sense now. It's neat that you'll be working here too, I'm excited to get to know you guys better. I'm sure Aiden is super excited too." She winks, shooting me a shit-eating grin. "He looks like a big tough guy, but once you get past his firewalls he's just a big softie looking for human connection like everyone else."

"Ohhh gods," I groan. "I told you to stop trying to set me u—"

"And I told you to stop ruining my vibes, and it has yet to happen. Kal here has great vibes, calm, cool and collected... Maybe a hint of spice, but that's the fun part." It's his turn to get winked at, but he just smirks right back.

I shake my head.

"Anyways Kal," she continues, "you've had the drinks here, do you you have a favorite?"

"Hmm," he takes a second to think. "I don't actually. I like different things depending on my mood... coffee, movies, people."

I raise my eyebrows, but hold my curious tongue.

Wren doesn't.

She leans in conspiratorially. "Ooooh spilling the tea. Really no preference??"

"Oh, I've got a lot of preferences, I'd be happy to share anytime."

Just as Wren opens her mouth to respond, I beat her to it. "As much as I'm sure she would love to discuss those with you, perhaps it can wait until after we close up and aren't in the middle of the cafe?"

He shrugs and she pouts, but they go back to the tasks at hand. We clean and restock until the store empties out and the open sign is flipped to closed.