Three Means Coffee

67

Makary finished his shift at the restaurant and was in a hurry to surprise Błażej. They agreed that he would drop by after work and cook something for dinner the next day. Since Valentine's Day, both of them have been busy, so there was no way for them to meet. They decided to at least find half a day for themselves and do something together. Initially, they assumed that Błażej would be able to return home after closing the shop. Makary, however, quickly dealt with his duties, so he hoped to surprise the first year by picking him up from work. He was extremely lucky, he managed to catch the right tram and arrived ten minutes before the shop closed.

He did not go inside, but waited a short distance outside the door, proud of himself and eager to see his beloved again. In the evenings, the temperature dropped sharply and he quickly regretted that he had forgotten his gloves, which were left in the locker at work. He didn't notice someone watching him through the window. A middle-aged woman called her co-worker to assess the situation for himself.

"What do you think? It's been like that for a while. Do you think he's waiting to come in at the last minute? Maybe he wants to rob us, although he doesn't look like that," whispered an employee named Grażyna, urging Błażej to see for himself.

"Why do you assume the worst-case scenarios right away?" the first year asked, peering through the glass door. It took him a moment to recognize the figure in the dim light from the street lamps. "We have nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? Do you know him?"

"Yes," replied a blushing Błażej. "He's probably waiting for me."

"Ah yes," the co-worker inquired and looked at Makary again. "Where did you catch such a handsome man? Is he your boyfriend maybe? Why didn't you say you had...?"

"Grażyna!" the first year interrupted her, sensing it might be a long series of questions.

"Come on?!" the woman scowled. "Nothing interesting and romantic in my life will happen anymore, so I am interested in other people's lives." She shrugged and went back to cleaning, which she interrupted when she noticed Makary outside the shop.

Błażej looked at his watch, glad that the hour had finally struck when they could close. He accounted for the money and prepared the relevant reports. He changed quickly, and Grażyna dressed very slowly on purpose to annoy him a bit. Błażej was the youngest of the four-person crew and the only man there. The rest adored him and often teased him. Before they left and sounded the alarm, she looked at her young co-worker and smiled at him.

"Remember that we love you and you are part of our little shop's family. And nothing will change that," Grażyna said seriously. "I just wanted to remind you of that. And now it's time to go home!" she ordered cheerfully.

The woman watched as Makary's face lit up with a smile as soon as he saw Błażej, who had a hard time hiding a similar reaction. Grażyna smiled and thought that the love of young people was such a beautiful thing. She said goodbye to Błażej quickly so that he wouldn't feel he had to introduce her to the man who was waiting for him. Makary told her good night in a polite tone, although his eyes were fixed on Błażej, who was slowly approaching him.

"Have you been waiting long?" Błażej asked concerned.

"No," Makary replied, not wanting to worry him. "I'm glad I got you home from work."

"I appreciate it." The first year smiled wider. "But Grażyna suspected that you still want to do a robbery before closing."

"Do I look that suspicious?" The hazel-eyed chuckled. "The only thing I want to steal is your heart."

"You don't have to, I already gave it to you," whispered Błażej.

Before Błażej answered something louder, he noticed that Makary held out his hand and expected them to return home holding hands. His fingers were a little red from the cold, he suspected he'd left his gloves somewhere again. He gave him his, but Makary refused to take it. The first year sighed heavily and told him to take at least one of them. To the surprise of the hazel-eyed man, Błażej grabbed his hand with a decisive movement and hid the other one without a glove in his pocket. Makary did the same, content with a compromise he was reluctant to agree to at first.

"Come on, I don't want you to freeze anymore," the first year announced and began walking purposefully toward the house.

"Krystian won't be disturbed by my presence?" asked the hazel-eyed one after a while of walking.

"He's not here. He's staying with his grandparents for the weekend, helping them with some minor renovations."