Three Means Coffee

99

Błażej returned home mentally exhausted. When a colleague from work noticed that the hickeys were visible, he was nervous that every customer could see it and no one knew what they thought about him. Meanwhile, in reality, people didn't care, they were too focused on themselves to care about what others were doing. They stare at small screens and are too tired of their problems.

On the same day, late in the afternoon, Monika and Tymek visited them. The young woman felt the need to talk to her friends about what was happening with Przemek. She didn't expect wise advice, but rather listening and possibly expressing her opinion. She just hoped it was positive. Besides, both Krystian and Błażej encouraged her to give Przemek a chance.

The three of them were sitting in the kitchen, but Monika still had some doubts about whether she could freely bring up the topic in front of her son. Błażej saved her by remembering that a colleague from work had recently been cleaning out and found many unused books with activities intended for children Tymek's age. He asked if I wanted to take care of them.

"Sure, but I'll go to my uncle's room because your adult conversations will distract me," the boy announced and boldly jumped off the chair.

"So what do we need to discuss today?" Krystian asked when Błażej returned to the kitchen.

"Przemek," Monika replied. "I guess something will come of it after all," she blushed like a teenager just remembering the name of the boy she liked.

"We are delighted." Błażej smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. He knew his cousin too well. "But..."

The woman told, omitting a few details, what had happened and shared her concerns. They were mainly concerned with the fact that Przemek was her superior, and romances that began in the same place of work tended to bring problems. Even if single people got together, the feelings emerging between them would not hurt anyone.

"You said yourself that he had liked you for a long time. So far, he has behaved professionally, he hasn't favoured you, he hasn't suggested anything, and he hasn't done anything that would cause gossip," Krystian noted.

"Do you think that if you start being serious with each other, it will suddenly change?"

"That's what I'm afraid of because then we would both be out of the team and one of us would probably have to look for a job elsewhere."

"Give yourself time," Błażej consoled her.

"Talk to him about it, set the rules and stick to them, maybe it will turn out that you are unnecessarily afraid. And your team will support you and not curse you to the heavens."

"Since when have you been so smart, huh?" Monika laughed and poked her friend in the side.

"It's probably thanks to Sylwia," Błażej interjected and unconsciously revealed what he had been trying to hide from everyone all day.

"I'm not the only one who could say something interesting about the previous evening," his cousin noticed after she and Krystian exchanged significant glances and burst out laughing loudly.

"Come on," the first-year said indignantly. "Nothing even happened." More eloquent gestures, this time nodding, expressing only doubt. "No matter what you think!"

"Why was uncle screaming?" Tymek entered the kitchen with a worried, raised voice. "Are you arguing?"

"Of course not," Krystian replied. "It's just me and my mom teasing my uncle a little bit. Can you show me what you solved?"

The boy nodded and remembered that he had a problem with one of his previous tasks and immediately asked for help. When Monika and Błażej were left alone for a moment, the woman sighed heavily.

"But in Przemek's arms I felt so fragile and at the same time safe..."

Her words automatically made him return to his memories, when he woke up hugged by the hazel-eyed man, feeling only love. After a while, however, he came back to reality, but the smile remained on his face.