[alarm clock rings at 8:00 am]
Dimitri opens his eyes in a panic, it's Saturday, it's the one day his mom could rest completely while he opens up the shop, he lives in the second floor of the cafe, same as his mother but she lives in the room across from him, they have the luxury of living in the same building as their cafe, it's called Latte Haven, there was no way he was gonna let his mother wake up before him to make breakfast, he swiftly goes down stairs to start on the breakfast, they had breakfast sandwiches, latte, americanos, even some teas that help in different ways, he quickly began on an egg and placed a slice of cheese on top, arranging a sandwich and hot latte for his mother, the shop opens in about 40 minutes so that gave him enough time to deliver his mom's breakfast and to change into his uniform, first he walks upstairs and gently knocks on his mothers door, slowly peaking his head through the door and sees that she's still asleep, he sighs softly, knowing how tired his mother must be, he decides to leave the food there by the nightstand, hoping she wakes up soon, even if she didn't, he could just whip something else for her later, with that being done he walks out of her room, leaving her a peck on her forehead. He makes his way out of her room and quickly rushes to his room, putting on his Latte Haven uniform and beginning on the breakfast for the cafe. As he makes it downstairs, he begins cooking up all the breakfast, making sure all the espresso shots are in order and the teas are arranged, turning on the food warmers and placing the food into the containers, prepped and ready to be served, by the time he finishes it's already 8:55, only five more minutes until the cafe opens. Dimitri walks over to the front of the store and switches the closed sign to open, he knew his mother must be awake already and she should be heading out to read in the park like she does every Saturday, Dimitri is happy that he's able to help his mom out with something like this, ever since his dad left they have been at peace, he wasn't going to be a part of their life again and Dimitri is happy with that, he took away their happiness for years, but finally things seemed to be going their way, and just as Dimitri thought, his mother was dressed and was carrying her book bag, greeting Dimitri as soon as she sees him
"Hey Sakharok, how is everything? I hope it hasn't been too stressful" -said Katerina (mom)
[Sakharok is a Russian term for sugar]
"Hey mama, I was just about to go check on you, I'm doing fine, go enjoy your day off, I have everything under control" -Dimitri said
His mother smiles and hugs him before heading out, today was definitely a calmer day, there was no customers, even though they're usually full, but just as Dimitri was getting comfortable, the sound of the bell rang, signifying that a customer has come in
"Good morning, welcome to Latte Haven, how may I help you?" -Dimitri said
Dimitri looks up and is met with a group of tall college students, they were dressed in some sort of sport uniform, Dimitri couldn't tell what sport they play though, suddenly a young man with the softest smile spoke
"Yes, I'll take 4 iced americanos and 2 vanilla lattes, iced as well" -random guy
Dimitri wasn't expecting such a soft and soothing voice to come from a guy who was in a crowd of athletes that looked like they were about to curse him out, Dimitri quickly inputs the order and says the wait time
"Okay Sir, I'll have that out for you in about 15 minutes" -Dimitri said
The man then bows and flashes a soft smile towards Dimitri, Dimitri could tell that the man was Asian but it had been a while since he's seen someone be so respectful, yet outgoing at the same time, with that said and done he begins on the drinks, Dimitri was a bit annoyed that the first order was 6 drinks but he was happy that at least it wasn't his mother doing it
[crash]
Dimitri turns over quickly and sees that one of the men that was in that group dropped a plant pot, immediately the Asian man stands up and begins to pick up the mess, Dimitri saw that the guy that dropped it was laughing and the others were slapping him on the back in a joking manner
"Aye dude, why would you do that?" - one of the men said
"It was on accident" -said the man who dropped it over in a unapologetic manner
The Asian man then stands up and walks to the guy who dropped it the flower pot
"I only let you come along because you said you wouldn't act out, does this look like a laughing matter?"-said the Asian man
You can see the laughs shift to silent faces, even Dimitri didn't know how to step in, suddenly the Asian man turns around and walks over to Dimitri, just hovering over him, he speaks
"I apologize on behalf of my friend, please let me buy you another pot and flower bouquet, this should have never happened"
The man bows again and Dimitri can't help but be flustered by the interaction, this man is bowing which is something Dimitri is not used to, he's not sure on what to say
"No please, I have plenty of pots and flowers of my own, don't worry about something like this" -Dimitri states
The man locks eyes with Dimitri for a second before he answers, then looks back at his friends, you can feel the disappointment in the air, this man is so sweet but the others know that acting out of line is a no go when around this guy, the Asian man then turns around back to Dimitri
"I apologize again, the plant was beautiful, it must have taken a long time to grow"
Dimitri quickly shakes his head and puts up his hands, signaling that it's okay
"It was on accident Sir, don't worry about it, I'll have your drinks out as soon as I can"
Dimitri quickly walks back to the prepping station wanting to get rid of all these guys before all of this becomes too much to bare, he quickly whips up three drinks then 2 then once he's finishing the last one, the Asian man can be seen standing right in front of the counter which startles Dimitri
"Is there anything else you'd like Sir?" -Dimitri asks
"No Sir, I'm just here to take the drinks off your hands, before these guys become even more troublesome" -says the Asian man
Once the man states that, Dimitri finishes up the last drink and packages them, feeling rushed as the others begin to walk out of the Cafe
"Here you go Sir, will you be able to carry these?"
Dimitri hands over the carrier with 6 drinks in it, happy to finally be getting rid of these loud strangers, just as he reaches over, the mans hand brushes against Dimitri's and he takes the carrier
"I didn't get your name" -said the Asian man
"Oh- it's Dimitri"
"Dimitri? That's a pretty name"
Dimitri is taken by surprise
"My name is Haru, nice to meet you, I'm sorry we couldn't meet on better terms, hope to see you again soon"
With that said, Haru bows and takes his leave while Dimitri is left in utter shock, obviously not shown on his face but never once has anyone kept talking and talking to him like this, it felt new, strange, there was no words that could explain what he felt, he wasn't sure if he was mad, overwhelmed or just tired, just like that, the day continued
YOU ARE READING
One Chance
Romancea young man named Dimitri takes care of his mother and lives his life making sure she stays safe, providing for her and making sure her cafe doesn't go out of business. Soon after starting his second year in college, a young man named Haru comes int...
