Barista Boy [Coffee Shop AU] (Maxian)

☕ Chapter 6 ☕

Ian had to wonder if his lectures were really worth it.

While they were giving him his much-needed education and access to a variously brighter future, the number of hours he sat through, dreaming that he was somewhere else while he scribbled down notes had him bored half to death and reconsidering the option of dropping out.

As the American walked down the street which was ultimately becoming a piece to his routine walk, his mind roamed the possibilities of other things he could be filling his time up with. He didn't exactly welcome the fact that the first thing to pop up and take him by surprise was that Chad's coffee shop--his very destination, at present--in which he could be there, taking down notes.

That lead to another thought; the one of how unobservant those who worked at the bistro were.

For days, now, he had been taking a little notepad and pen which would normally be clipped to his sweater or t-shirt and documenting or taking notes at random intervals.

The baristas hadn't even given it a thought, or if they had, it wasn't audibly. That would be quite unusual considering both of the employees were without a filter most of the time, so it was decided that they had been none the wiser to his little journaling process.

Upon the swinging open of a perfectly clean, mostly transparent door, a noise which was as welcoming as his mother's voice greeted Ian into his favourite space to vacate; and along with it, came the deafening sound of a yell and scream. Music to his ears, by this time.

One of the outbursts was overfamiliar and brought a grin to Ian's lips, though the other cry made his dark eyes dart up wearily, the glass frame behind him drawing closed with a soft click. 

The first set of eyes to peer up and meet his own were familiar and bright shades of nature, painting a large smile over Ian's entire face as he lost his train of thought to the capturing contact they shared.

Maybe it was the American's wild imagination playing games with his tortured soul, but he swore that he saw a beaming light twinkle in greens that remained locked to his own hazel eyes.

To break whatever train of thought prompted such an idea was a much less comforting shout.

Uncomforting, because it was completely new to Ian.

Before he could inspect for the source, Ian watched the light and airy smile fade from the Australian teenager's face, soon replaced with a sour glare as he turned his head away from the American to scream some more at what was presumably a new recruit placed behind the counter

Ian stood at the front counter for no longer than a second, jamming down a five dollar note as he routinely did, then slipped on over to his usual stool where he noticed the odd absence of one ever-present customer. 

He waited until Max had stopped calling the new worker names and whacking him with a dirty dishcloth before speaking up.

"Where's Jap-boy?"

Max snorted obnoxiously, wordlessly prepping Ian's coffee like second nature, working at a professional rate.

"Think he's got an exam or some dumb shit like that. Shocking right?" Max allowed his eyes to wander up to Ian's hastily before they darted back down to the almost finished beverage. "I was beginning to think he didn't even actually go to college."

Ian found the minimal eye contact from what were customarily Max's most expressive features strange, especially from the rambunctious nature of the Australian boy, but he shrugged it off.

"What? Did you think he was homeless?"

"A bit, yeah," Max replied almost sheepishly, though a cheeky grin stained his lips like grass on white clothing.