Luca Chessman has been longing for love his entire life. The only problem is-he can't seem to find a guy that likes him the same way.
With his family cafe, Chessman's, struggling to keep afloat and no help from the bank, he's slowly accepting the d...
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When I walk into the cafe the next day around five o'clock, I spot Luca preparing coffees. There are two customers at the counter and when the bell rings, he doesn't even look up. I wonder if today has been busier than normal.
Once he's served the coffees, his eyes dart to mine and they widen before he instantly looks away. "Hey," I say.
His throat clenches. "Hi."
I press my brows together, his eyes wandering everywhere but my face. "Everything okay?"
Luca's cheeks begin to flush with a light pink, popping against his fair complexion. "Hmm? Yeah. Everything is absolutely fine."
I'm not entirely convinced but I choose not to push. "Alright," I say slowly.
He clears his throat and presses a hand to the counter. "W-Would you like a drink?"
"Please, thank you."
I watch as he pushes himself away from his hand and gets to work, his head low as if he's ashamed of something. I can't take my eyes off him and I can tell the more I look at him, the redder his cheeks become.
Have I missed something?
When Luca finishes making my coffee, I hand him the money and tell him to keep the change as usual. He thanks me and I take a seat in my usual spot. I glance over my shoulder and spot Luca staring at the wall, a hand to his forehead, mumbling something to himself.
The corners of my mouth twitch. I'd love to know what he's saying right now.
I sit and wait until Luca shuts the shop so we can discuss improvements for the business. I spent all night putting a bunch of ideas together so I can pitch them to him today. When he walks to the front of the shop and turns the sign to 'closed' and locks the door, he swipes his hand through his golden hair.
"Let me tidy up and I'll be with you," he says as he passes, grabbing a tea towel from the side.
My back straightens in my chair. "Want me to help?"
Luca shakes his head. "All good, I'll be twenty minutes."
I nod and pull up the list I made last night on my laptop. I spent far too much time researching new ideas because if I'm going to give them this loan, I want them to transform this cafe into something amazing. Something different, and from what Luca has told me before, it sounds like his mother hasn't done what she really wanted to with the cafe because of their funds.
Now is the time to change that and make it the cafe of their dreams.
When he's done he sits opposite me, practically collapsing into the chair. "You wanted to share your new proposition for this place?" He says, his voice low and evidently tired.
