Unpretty Me

Now Brewing #12: The Office Discovery

>>>>>

The day was dragging for Luke Bautista. He spent the morning dodging questions from employees about why he looked like a "kicked puppy" and spent every other minute wondering why Isla was avoiding him like he had the plague. He knew something was up, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure it out.

Every time he tried to approach her, she either found an excuse to bolt or mysteriously needed to "check inventory."* Even Bea, the café's resident gossip, gave him a pitying look as if to say, Wow, dude. She's really avoiding you, huh?

After hours of this cat-and-mouse game, Luke's patience was wearing thin. He needed to talk to her, now.

"Hey, Bea," Luke called over the espresso machine. "You seen Isla?"

Bea tapped her chin thoughtfully. "She was heading to the back office last I saw her. Probably hiding from you."

Luke sighed. "Thanks for the brutal honesty, Bea."

Bea smirked, unbothered. "Just callin' it like I see it, boss."

With a determined stride, Luke made his way toward the back office. As he reached the door, a sound stopped him in his tracks—a voice, soft but clear, floating through the crack in the door.

He knew that voice. It was SirenAngel.

Luke's heart pounded in his chest. He leaned closer, straining to hear the familiar melody of Molly Sandén's "Like No One's Watching."

I'll dance like no one's watching, no one's watching/Make love like no one's watching...

The voice was haunting, beautiful, and so full of raw emotion it made his chest ache. But there was no mistaking it: the person singing wasn't some mysterious online star. It was Isla.

Luke carefully pushed the office door open, the soft creak barely audible over Isla's singing. There she was—sitting cross-legged on the floor, her eyes closed, completely lost in the music.

Her mopped curls framed her face, and there was an unmistakable vulnerability in her expression, as though singing was the only place she let herself be free. Holding a familiar mermaid plush, it was Marina.

He stood there, stunned, unable to reconcile the quirky barista he'd been chasing for months with the ethereal singer who had unknowingly captured his heart. The truth hit him hard and fast—Isla was SirenAngel.

Before he could speak, Isla's eyes fluttered open.

She froze.

Their eyes locked, and in that moment, the world seemed to stand still.

"Luke—" Isla began, her voice shaky. "I didn't mean to—" She stopped herself, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "I didn't mean to catfish you."

Luke opened his mouth to respond, but Isla was already scrambling to her feet, panic written all over her face.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, brushing past him. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Before Luke could stop her, Isla darted out of the office like her life depended on it.

Isla ran through the café, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure everyone could hear it. This was not how things were supposed to go. How was she supposed to face Luke now that he knew her secret?

In her frantic escape, she didn't notice the stack of delivery boxes by the counter. Her foot caught the edge of one, and she stumbled.

Marina, her beloved mermaid plush, slipped from her grip and hit the floor with a soft plop.

Isla cursed under her breath and bent down to grab it, but then she heard Luke's footsteps behind her—getting closer.

Panic flooded her veins. There was no time to retrieve Marina. She shot one last glance at her fallen plush before bolting through the café's entrance and out onto the street.

Luke chased after Isla, his heart racing. "Isla, wait!"

He reached the small entrance to the bar counter—just a step away from following her out the door—but something made him stop.

His eyes fell to the floor where Marina lay. He bent down slowly, picking up the plush mermaid. The soft fabric felt familiar, and he realized with a strange pang in his chest that this was the same mermaid Isla always carried around. The one she had used as SirenAngel's stand-in.

Luke's mind swirled with a thousand thoughts. He had spent months chasing a fantasy—and all along, the real thing was right in front of him.

But Isla... she wasn't what he had imagined. SirenAngel was supposed to be this dreamlike figure, unattainable and perfect. But Isla was real—messy, awkward, full of quirks... and completely different from what he expected.

And yet, somehow... it felt right.

Still, he couldn't move. He stood there, holding Marina, staring at the door Isla had just fled through.

Luke exhaled slowly, his thoughts running wild. This wasn't how he thought things would go. He had imagined meeting SirenAngel a hundred different ways, but not like this. Not in a back office. Not with a plush mermaid in his hand and the realization that he'd been falling for his employee all along.

He thought about following her, but... would that be fair? She had clearly been scared—panicked. Chasing her down now might only make things worse.

And then there was the other issue—could he accept that SirenAngel was Isla?

It wasn't that Isla wasn't beautiful—she was, in her own way. She was kind, funny, and had a voice that could stop time. But Luke had built up this image of SirenAngel in his mind... and Isla didn't fit that image.

Could he let go of the fantasy and embrace the reality?

Luke stood there for what felt like an eternity, Marina still clutched in his hand. He knew he had a choice to make.

He could run after Isla, tell her that everything was okay, and figure things out together. Or... he could stay where he was, letting her go, and pretend that nothing had changed.

But deep down, he knew the truth—something had changed. He could never look at Isla the same way again. And maybe... that wasn't such a bad thing.

With a sigh, Luke tucked Marina under his arm and headed back to the office.

He wasn't sure what the future held, but one thing was certain—he wasn't going to let this story end here.

>>>>>