Zephyr | Lee Felix

Chapter 7

FRIDAY, WEEK 4

Felix stares blankly at the espresso machine, his mind filled with thoughts of the events from the previous night. He could still hear Eugene's gentle encouragement ringing in his ears, urging him to stand up for himself against the unfair treatment he had been enduring at his internship.

As Felix glances at his mentor, who is busily working away without a care in the world, doubts start filling his mind once again. The mentor's stoic expression does not indicate that he would be willing to listen to Felix's complaints, adding to his uncertainty and second-guessing himself.

"You have to advocate for yourself, Felix."

The memory of her words fills him with a small spark of determination, but it is quickly overshadowed by the doubts that still lingered in his mind. He steals another glance at his mentor, who still appears aloof and unapproachable.

Will his mentor hear him out at all?

"!!"

Suddenly, the kitchen doors swing open, revealing the manager who enters briskly with a notepad in her arms. She exchanges a few words with the mentor, while Felix stands on his spot, wondering if he should take the chance to speak to the manager instead.

She has been a helpful woman since the beginning. She was the one who welcomed him nicely to the cafe at the start of his internship, but he barely sees her at all since she's mostly situated in her office.

While debating in his mind, he can see the manager getting ready to leave the kitchen after finishing up her conversation with his mentor. She takes a moment to survey the room, her eyes drifting over each employee. Then, her gaze lands on Felix, and she seems to pause, taking a moment to really look at him.

Felix gives her a light bow with a smile, once again, having his fellow internship student's voice ring in the head.

"But sometimes making noise exactly what you need to do to be heard."

Move your feet goddamn it. He grumbles in his mind, trying to muster up the courage to approach his one and only hope.

But before he could do anything else, the manager walks over to Felix with a friendly smile on her face, her expression warm and open.

"How's your internship going so far, Felix?" She asks, in a casual and pleasant tone. "I hope you've been enjoying yourself?"

"A-Ah, good morning, manager."

He stammers out a vague reply, "It's going... fine, I think." He tries to maintain a neutral expression, but his voice betrays him, quavering ever so slightly.

The manager tilts her head, her eyes narrowing as she catches the hint of nervousness in Felix's voice. She seems to pick up on his hesitation, so she asks in a softer tone to avoid intimidating him. 

"Just... fine? Nothing specific you want to mention in particular?" She probes.

Felix glances quickly over at his mentor, checking to see if he's paying attention to their conversation. Seeing the mentor still preoccupied with his own work, Felix turns back to the manager, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, there's... there's something I wanted to talk to you about." He mutters, his eyes flicking nervously back towards the mentor.

The manager catches the quick glance in the mentor's direction and instantly picks up on Felix's uneasiness, sensing the discomfort to speak.