Coffee at 23:45

Chapter Three - Red Eye

"When there's nothing else to do, pretend to look busy by wiping the counters and tables even though they're already clean." Rose instructed the brand new barista named Kai who followed her like a lost puppy.

Kai was the only one who genuinely looked interested when he applied last week for the job in person. He introduced himself,

"Hi, my name is Kai. I use he/him pronounce, and I'd like to hand in my resumé."

Rose smiled at him and asked how old he was.

"Twenty-five." He said,

"Why do you want to work here?"

"Uh. Honestly, I dropped out of my last year of nursing school and now I'm in debt with student loans." Kai blurted out quickly.

Rose hired him right there on the spot.

The other applicants didn't introduce themselves like Kai did. They just asked for Rose, and plainly gave her a resumé.

As the week progressed, Rose was busy training Kai the ropes. She introduced how to make drinks first and they practiced a lot. He was a fast learner, and it was easy because Kai was so genuine about wanting to learn more about coffee, teas, and the pastries that Rosetta serves. She didn't have to try so hard training him with cleaning and sanitizing since he used to be a busser/dishwasher at the local Italian restaurant.

He was also charming and friendly with the customers while still maintaining professionalism. Rose definitely saw a few customers handing him their numbers. But Kai politely declined them all. Rose also noticed the tip jar and digital tips increased rapidly.

When asked why he left the Italian restaurant, he replied with,

"They didn't like how I buzzed my hair and dyed it grey."

"Oh that's lame." Rose replied. "I like your hair."

"Thanks." Kai replied with a wide smile, his dimples appearing.

"Hey pretty boy, I need a hand over at the front." Holly called from the swinging door. Rose and Kai were counting inventory in the back, and Kai narrowed his eyes, and immediately perked up at Holly's voice.

"Be right there." He called out.

"Word of advice, don't get too intimidated by Holly."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. She can be too demanding sometimes, but the longer you get to know her the sooner you'll realize that she's just a teddy bear."

"She looks like she wants to beat me up." Kai interjected but grinned nonetheless.

"Exactly. But in reality she wants what we all want. A job well done." Rose explained.

"I'm glad I work here. You're pretty cool, Rose."

"Aw shucks-"

Holly's head appeared by the swinging door again. Her expression serious. She didn't need to say anything else because Kai bolted after her, muttering apologies.

Rose smiled at them and continued her count on her laptop.

***

Another week passed by and Rose was busy taking down outdated flyers on the bulletin board during late afternoon. She was putting up new ones that she received just this week. She wanted to introduce open-mic nights every Mondays starting at eight in the evening but didn't know how to make a poster out of it.

"I can make you one." Holly said when Rose pitched the idea. "I can finish it tonight easy during my break."

Rose was grateful that Holly's majoring in Graphic Design.