Zephyr | Lee Felix

Chapter 17

FRIDAY, WEEK 5

"Thank you for all of your hard work, Felix. You've done so much for the past three weeks, I'd like to thank you as the manager and also on behalf of the kitchen." The woman says, sitting on her office chair with a satisfied smile on her face.

She folds the paper that she has been reviewing over the past few minutes with Felix and puts it away on the desk. "I'd like to apologise once more for not noticing the workload and pressure given to you. I hope that you've learned a lot from us regardless, and I wish you a pleasant journey ahead."

"Thank you, Manager." The intern smiles genuinely, happy that he managed to finish the last week of his internship without too many problems. His results turn out to be perfect despite the criticisms he has received throughout the process.

The boy gives one last bow as a sign of gratitude to the manager before leaving the cafe for good. The moment he steps outside, he finds himself letting out a huge sigh of relief. It's over. It's officially over—all the stress, pressure and whatnot—they're all left behind in the building behind him.

Even if his mentor and coworkers decide to treat him properly on his last week of internship, it isn't good enough to make him want to apply for a position there in the future. It just doesn't seem worth it.

All thanks to you, Eugene. He stares at the sky, watching it turn dark even though it's been 5.15 P.M. only. If she had never spoken to him, he would've experienced mistreatment all the way to the end, and even desperately applied for a position there despite the stressful working environment.

You saved me huh. Felix can't help but smile at the beautiful view above as he thinks about her. He hasn't talked to Eugene ever since she joked about kissing him 2 days ago, and thank God his aunt didn't tell him to pick Lizzie up either.

"Great. Time to go home and relax..." He grins to himself, walking towards the tram stop to return to his aunt's place.

.

.

.

Much to his surprise, Felix doesn't find himself relaxing at home with his games after his last day of internship. Instead, he stands in front of a cozy bookstore cafe, decorated with wooden shelves and potted plants with dimmed lighting.

How did it end up like this? He ponders, stealing a glance at the girl beside him. It was never his plan to meet up with Eugene this soon, especially not when the last time he talked to her was the moment she joked (or not) about kissing him in front of Peter.

Eugene can't help but smile as she observes his somewhat nervous expression. 

"You seem a bit tense." She teases, breaking the momentary silence between them.

Felix glances at her, a sheepish smile spreading across his face. "Well... it was a bit sudden. But I guess it made sense that you wanted to celebrate both of our completion of our internship."

They both approach the counter and order their drinks. Eugene orders a caramel latte, while Felix gets himself a cup of black tea. They pick a cozy corner booth with a view of the rest of the cafe, right next to an ambient table lamp, sitting across from each other.

"So." She starts with a smile, "Congratulations on making it through your internship. You had it hard, yet you managed to push through!"

Felix chuckles lightly, taking a sip from his steaming cup. "Yeah, it wasn't easy, but I guess it was worth the experience in the end." He looks at Eugene, returning her smile. "Thank you. And congrats to you too. You seemed to adapt to all the different rooms so effortlessly."