At Your Service (Book Two)

Chapter 4: Café Kahoy

That smell still amazes me.

The coffee house hummed with a symphony of sounds of scents, enveloping the café patrons in an atmosphere both comforting and invigorating. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mingling with the warm notes of roasted beans. Soft jazz music played through the café's speakers, its gentling melodies adding a touch of sophistication and comfort to the ambience.

The room was adorned with vintage furnishings, cozy armchairs, and wooden tables, inviting customers to settle in and savor their chosen brew. Swift took a deep sniff, letting in the solacing aroma of his cappuccino being brewed behind the counter while he waited. He always admired that beautiful scent. It convinced him to always visit Café Kahoy when he had the chance, a place he considered to be the best coffee house in Philadelphia.

"Hang on, hang on," The barista by the name of Nari, said out of disbelief. She, based on Swift's knowledge, is the daughter of the café's owners. Part-time, the fifteen-year-old girl works as a barista and helping hand for her parents. Swift was taken aback that she was surprisingly a good brewer, and he always trusted her expertise. "You... blew up a yacht?" She finally placed the crafted cup of coffee on the table in front of him.

Swift tilted his head sideways, "All in my day's work."

"Bull." Nari smiled, teasing him in denial.

"It's all over the news." He slid his phone across the ceramic counter towards her. She looked at the open screen, reading a news website with the headline: 'Mysterious Explosion Devours Yacht In Florida Coast.'

Nari turned surprised, "Damn," She was wide-eyed that Swift managed to do something like it and walk away from it seemingly unfazed. "Your average job, huh?"

"Yeah," Swift then took the coffee cup and had a sip, the warm cappuccino entering past his lips. He cherished the taste of his favorite kind of coffee. "You still surprise me, Nari."

"Hey, I was born a barista," Nari gestured to Swift with finger guns. A slight chuckle left him. "So, what about Tom? He went along the ride, too?"

"Yeah," Swift lets out a sigh. "Didn't exactly go smoothly for him, though."

"Why's that?"

"He was injured."

"What?" Nari said with a hint of worry. "How?"

"He..." Swift held back the guilt. "Got ran over by a car." He said, leaving Nari in shock.

"Hit by a car?!" She gasped, almost covering her mouth after realizing how loud she went. Swift put his finger over his mouth to silently tell her to keep it down. "Sorry. Is he okay?"

"He's fine, he's fine," Swift assured her. "A few bruises here and there, but overall, he's alive."

Nari exhaled, "At least you protected him, right?"

Swift replied to that with an uncertain face, mixed with a wrinkle of shame, "Not as much as I dragged him into this mess." He stared at his coffee cup melancholically.

"What do you mean?" Nari looked at him in concern, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Swift stopped, his mouth agape before he spoke again. "These past few days... I'm not really sure if dragging Tom into my own business is the greatest thing to do."

"Why? Isn't he your partner?" Nari asked. She knew about Tom since Swift would tell her about him a few times during his visit to the café.

"Yeah, but... I don't know. It just doesn't feel right that I keep on putting him in danger. I'm saying this because," He stopped again. His jaw shook as traumatic memories started to flood his mind. After a deep breath, he continued, "I lost someone I loved recently."