Monday nights at the Continental, they were always quiet. The week would have just begun, leaving would-be customers with much more important matters to handle. They'd be at home prepping for the remainder of the week, whether that's school or work. Coupled with the cafe's usual closing time of 8:00 PM on Monday, and you end up with an almost guaranteed empty cafe by 7:30
And for Damian, who voluntarily chose to work closing shifts, the nightly silence of the cafe was deafening. He would do anything to get someone to order, just so he could hear someone else's voice. The mechanical whir of each appliance behind the counter slowly set off something within his brain, he disdained it. And God forbid he makes himself a beverage, his Dad would probably lecture him on why he can't just do that, and also prevent him from working for a week or two, in that order.
This is where Jin and Claire came into the picture.
See, the three of them have used the café as a hangout spot for a while now, however, once Damian landed the position as a barista there, their café hangouts happened less and less as the environment turned from their lounge spot to Damian's workplace. That is, until Damian proposed to them (and his Dad) to stay at the café later, even past closing time, knowing that once the store closes, the space could be all theirs. All the parties involved were understandably unsure, but eventually, Damian's Dad gave them the green light to stay after hours, on the condition that they would clean up any mess they made.
And so, there they were. Damian just finished washing a large array of metal cups, and now was wiping down his workstation while his friends were almost occupied with their own affairs. Claire was eyeing her flower art-adorned latte, doodling it into her sketchbook, while Jin was laser-focused on his laptop monitor, typing down lines of code like it was clockwork.
Oh, and they're conversing. Can't forget about that. That's why they were almost occupied.
Monday, August 28, 2023
7:50 PM
The Continental Café
"You know, I'm starting to think that those Starbucks TikToks have a point," Damian said, swiping a cloth towel across the countertop.
"Wait, like the ones where the barista hates it when people order stuff?" Claire asked with a light chuckle.
"But, isn't that their job?" Jin added.
"Well it is, but when you're alone like I am sometimes, it can feel like hell. Like, we usually end up attracting borderline hipsters, right? Their orders are always so complicated, and for what?" Damian rambled.
"Hey, Damian? You're getting sidetracked again." Jin replied, cutting him off.
"Oh, my bad," Damian said, recollecting himself.
"It just feels awkward having a customer just kind of... be there while you work. Maybe during a busier hour, it would be fine, since I have coworkers to talk to and customers are busy with each other, but when it's just me and the other guy. It gets real weird, real fast."
"True... but do they also have to film everything too?" Claire said in response.
"Okay, THAT is something I will never understand. Besides, how do they never get caught on the job with their phones like that?" Damian questioned.
"Maybe their manager isn't as strict as your Dad?" Jin questioned in return.
"Okay, he's not THAT strict, man. Give him some slack." Damian answered, looking backwards in hopes that everything that was just said wasn't overheard by his Dad.
"Wait also!" Claire said, successfully nabbing Damian's attention.
"What's up?"
"Do you think you could get away with heating up one more brownie for me? Please?" Claire asked in a hushed tone.
YOU ARE READING
Gap Year
Teen Fiction"Why did we ever stop talking?" Sometimes, College Application doesn't go your way. Maybe your dream school didn't accept you, or the program you were applying to was full of applicants. That is now the case for Damian Walker and his friend group, o...
