Wanna Talk About It?

Chapter 02

The sun was still rising on the horizon, the first rays competing with the city buildings to illuminate the darkest corners. The colors of dawn painted the sky beautifully, with low clouds being tinged with shades of red, orange, and purple. The same colors combined in the sky during the early hours of the morning, making the dark blue of the sky fade into a light gray.

The traffic was becoming constant. Various birds could be heard in a nearby tree. Everything indicated a calm morning, if it weren't for the café door opening quickly and being slammed shut with unnecessary force.

"Good morning, Mr. Kaeya!" Amber entered, raising her arm and spreading her fingers wide as she waved to her boss, with the other hand holding onto the strap of her backpack so it wouldn't fall off her shoulder.

"Morning..." he replied slowly.

Standing behind the counter, Kaeya finished organizing the display case when the teenager appeared. Straightening his body, he followed her with his gaze, accompanying the girl's path to the coffee machine and picking up a plastic cup to serve herself. He raised an eyebrow and let out a nasal laugh.

"Did you fall out of bed or...?" he muttered, as if speaking to himself rather than to her. "Or did you not even sleep?"

"What makes you think that?" She turned to him with a small pout, placing both hands on her hips. "Can't I just show up early?"

"You don't like coffee" he didn't even have to think before responding. "And the last time you used with this coffee machine without having any customers to serve, you had stayed up all night studying for a history test. You even fell asleep in the bathroom" he emphasized in the last part.

An index finger pointed in his direction, Amber's lips parting and air being drawn into her lungs, but she interrupted herself, biting the lower lip lightly before changing the sentence she wanted to say.

"It was a brief nap of twenty minutes!" she said, crossing her arms, her cheeks turning red as she spoke the sentence.

Kaeya responded with a mischievous laugh, making her look away and devote all her attention to the coffee machine.

"So... How was class yesterday?" he went back to focusing on his tasks while they talked. "Did you find out about a last-minute test or something like that to keep you from sleeping?"

The answer didn't come; he could say he heard some murmurs from Amber, but the coffee machine was loud enough to obstruct any sound she made. Eventually, the display case was closed, and the tray it held was placed on the counter.

Arms crossed, hips leaning against the closed showcase door. "The cupcakes didn't work, I suppose." Despite a discreet smile on his face, he didn't provoke Amber with his words. In fact, there was genuine curiosity and a little concern in them.

Silence persisted, with Amber finishing preparing her coffee, the machine filling the plastic cup halfway. She blew on it four times before taking the first sip; the drink was still too hot for her taste.

"They worked..." she grumbled, staring at the small bubbles that formed on the surface of the liquid. "That's the problem."

Kaeya's gaze widened with surprise. Based on the way she spoke, he really expected a different answer. His smile grew, and he chuckled between his teeth as he uncrossed from the counter.

"Well, that explains a lot, then. Our little Amber stayed up all night talking to her charming prince."

Amber was in the middle of her true first sip when she heard those words, almost choking on the end of the sentence, squeezing the cup to the point that it dented, the noise standing out in the silent environment.