Beautiful Stranger

Chapter 1: Today's new local outbreak comes out!

Asher sighed at the sight of the dumb headline in the book. It was an overrated trope and was heavily disrespectful to the original. He closed his book and decided to call it a day until he got a notification from Csabika, his best friend since Grade 6. He picked up his phone and held it lightly in his hand as he viewed the received text. Csabika was ranting about the seventh girl he asked for their number. He grunted and set his phone down on his counter. He considered going out for a walk since it was too early to head to bed. He checked his clock and saw it was quarter to eight. He quickly tossed on a hoodie and put on his sandals. His cat, Sophia, was purring by his side while he put on his sandals. She was given a light kiss on her head as he left. Asher locked the door as he walked towards his sidewalk, it was only supposed to be a quick stroll around, right?

As the teen boy took a stroll around his neighbourhood, he spotted a brand-new café has arrived near the Food Basics in his area. The crunchy leaves grew louder as he arrived closer to the establishment. The logo was a cup of chai with big black eyes and smile. It was a small maple brown building on the outskirts of his neighbourhood, surrounded by multi-coloured leaves. His footsteps alarmed the building as he stepped inside the small tea shop. 

A stranger awaited at the register for a customer to step inside the café. "Welcome to Magnolia! We haven't had a customer yet; may I take your order?" Asher looked up to see a fellow Filipino man. He seemed around his age and was quite... attractive? He had a permed Edgar cut with hanafuda earrings, like Tanjiro's. "Hello?" The stranger chanted out in a deep breath, hovering over the cashier registers buttons. 

Asher twitches out of his haze as he looks above the cashier, complying his order together. "Can I have a medium hot chocolate with extra little marshmallows on top?" 

The cashier was quick to punch in the order, "$2.49 is your total, what is the name of the order, and cash or credit?"

"My name is Asher, and cash please?"

The cash register made a click sound as Asher paid $5, the cashier gave back $2.50, and Asher considered giving his change back to the café. "Hey, sir? Can I-" He got cut off by the cashier, the introduction struck him in his heart as the cashier told his name. 

"My name is Charles; sir makes me sound old, dude." Charles said to Asher calmly and asking his co-worker to make the hot chocolate for Asher. "Can I tip you guys?" Asher asked, caressing the counter with his hand nervously. 

"Oh yes! It's right here!" Charles pointed at a small figurine holding up a sign saying: "Tips are accepted!" The coins were quickly dispensed by Asher and as he stood, he wanted to talk more to Charles. Just by that simple interaction, something inside of him changed. It was the urge from his gut to just talk to him, nothing too big, just a conversation. 

"Hey Charles?" Charles hummed and glanced at him while talking to his co-worker. "How long have you guys been opened? I am curious." 

"Not long, just a day or two ago we opened. "He replied as his associate handed him the steamy hot chocolate. "Here you go, Asher, have a good day!" He said in a cheery voice as he waved to him goodbye. The ring sounded as he left the café, feeling full of calming energy. He looked around his cup of hot chocolate and saw their logo with a speech bubble saying, "Enjoy!"

As Asher returned home, he set down his cup of hot chocolate on the nearby counter of his house. He called his cat, Sophia, and scratched her lightly until she purred. He set down his sandals and took his hot chocolate with him to his bedroom. Inside his bedroom, he had a gaming system close to the door with Minecraft posters splattered around the rooms walls. His bed was comfortable, with a light black blanket on the edge of his bed, and some simple covered pillows at the frame. The hot chocolate was placed on his table as he plopped down on his bed, facing the ceiling of stars.