Zephyr | Lee Felix

Chapter 2

TUESDAY, WEEK 4

Felix finds himself waking up early today; a few minutes before his alarm has the chance to ring.

His usual tiredness and stress seem to have vanished after the unexpected encounter with Eugene at the daycare yesterday. He can still feel the lingering warmth of her hand on his arm and the fluttering feeling in his chest whenever he thinks of her soft voice.

Hmn. Today seems like it is going to be a good day.

As Felix arrives at the cafe and walks into the kitchen, he is met with the usual hustle and bustle of the cook and kitchen hand staff. However, he quickly notices that the atmosphere feels different today. Before he can even set his things down, one of his coworkers approaches him with a grin. The kind of grin that Felix absolutely hates.

"Ayo Felix! I have a little favour to ask." His coworker says, his tone dripping with slyness, "Since you're an intern and all, I figured you wouldn't mind taking on a bit more work, yeah?"

"More learning opportunities." Another one chimes in, putting on the same, mischievous smirk on his lips.

Not again. Felix feels a pang of discomfort in his stomach as he takes in his coworkers' words. He knows they're taking advantage of him, but he struggles to find his voice and refuse their request, being the people pleaser he is. After all, he doesn't want to appear incompetent or unwilling to work hard. Especially not in his first internship.

He grits his teeth silently without them noticing and forces a strained smile. 

"Sure, I suppose a few extra tasks won't hurt."

"Cool. We're counting on you buddy!" They hand over a small note regarding the agenda, making the poor boy sigh softly.

He wishes he had been more assertive, that he had found the courage to draw boundaries. Instead, he feels like he's just taken on more work that he doesn't have the time or energy for.

He takes a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling as he grabs an apron and gets to work. Before the world can let him breathe for a second, his mentor approaches him with another list in his hand. He hands it over to Felix without even looking him in the eye, being the usual stoic person in the kitchen.

"Here's your task list for today." He says in a monotonous tone, "Make sure you get them done before the end of your shift." He turns and walks away without another word.

"... Yes sir." Felix mutters to himself softly, his eyes scanning over the list before he internally sighs in frustration.

He feels like he's been left to figure things out on his own since day one of his internship. His mentor and co-workers expect him to keep up with the fast-paced, stressful environment without any guidance or support.

The thought has him wondering if this internship is really teaching him anything at all. Or whether an internship is supposed to go like this.

No, Felix. You'll be fine. Despite the challenges of his internship, he reminds himself that he has already made it through a week. With only 2 more weeks left to go, he steels himself and decides that he can handle whatever comes his way. 

.

.

.

That. Was. Tiring.

Both physically and mentally tiring.

As the burden of the day's work and stress weighs heavily on his shoulders, Felix takes his time to stand outside the cafe for a moment, taking in the fresh air. It had been yet another gruelling day, just like every other day since his internship began. He sighs deeply—unsure if it's the 20th time today—letting out all of his frustrations.