Love Cocktail

The Unwanted Regular

The café was buzzing with the usual late-afternoon rush when he walked in. At first glance, he didn't seem any different from the other customers. But I would soon learn otherwise.

He approached the counter. His eyes met mine as he flashed a confident smile. "Good afternoon, what can I get for you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

He glanced at me, his smirk 😏 widening. "New bee, huh? That's why you don't know me."

I raised an eyebrow 🤨"Do I need to know if you're the partner or landlord of the shop?"

He chuckled, a sound that grated on my nerves. "Of course not." Without another word, he walked around the counter and made his way to the back.

"Hey! You can't just-" I started, but he was already disappearing into the back room. Annoyed and confused, I followed him. I found him standing with my boss, who looked up and laughed.

"Don't you introduce me to your staff?" he demanded.

My boss shook his head, still smiling. "He's no one. Just put him outside the café," he said playfully.

He put on an exaggerated expression of hurt. "How can you treat me like that, Rudra? Okay, let me introduce myself. I'm Abhi, your boss's bestest friend."

I met my boss's eyes, disbelief written all over my face. He nodded, confirming the outrageous claim. "Throw him out," he joked, pushing Abhi back toward the counter.

Abhi turned to me with a grin. "See? Best friends. And now you know me."

I rolled my eyes, already exhausted by his presence. "Great, now if you're done, can I get back to my job?"

"Oh, I'm not done," he said, leaning on the counter. "I'll have a cappuccino, and make it quick. Busy man here."

I sighed and got to work, but his constant chattering and exaggerated mannerisms were hard to ignore. As I handed him his drink, he smirked again. "Is it safe to drink? New bee and all."

"Try it and find out," I muttered, barely restraining my irritation.😠

Abhi seemed to make a habit of visiting every day, always finding new ways to irritate me. One day, he complained that his coffee was slightly less hot than usual. Another day, he insisted his pastry was "too dry" and needed a replacement. Each complaint came with his signature smirk.

Our clashes weren't limited to just words. One afternoon, as I passed by, a cup of coffee "accidentally" slipped from my hand. Instead of helping, Abhi taunted, "Watch your actions, new bee."

I glared at him, my patience wearing thin. "Maybe you should watch your hands," I snapped back.

He narrowed his eyes but was cut off as my boss appeared and patted him on the back. "Abhi, stop tormenting my staff."

Abhi sighed theatrically. "Fine, fine. But only because you asked."

As the evening wound down, I cleaned up the café and prepared to close for the night. My boss came over and patted me on the shoulder. "You handled him well," he said with a smile. "He likes to push buttons, but he's a good guy deep down."

I replied, "I think the same about Anya, but others though are different." I understood.

*. *. *. *. *. *. *. *.

Every weekend, Kai's club became our go-to spot for unwinding. It had turned into a routine for us-me, Veda, and Kai-either shopping for groceries, catching a movie, grabbing coffee, or just hanging out at the club. This Saturday was also like others.

As we settled into our favorite corner booth, the vibrant club lights dancing around us, Veda and Kai exchanged glances, clearly curious about my recent irritation.