chapter 1

139 25 5
                                    


Author's POV------------

The coffee aroma lingers around the cafe. On the counter,stood a guy with a charming look. His gentle and warm smile makes everyone's heart skipped a beat as they ordered. On his cloth, a nametag named 'Xiao Zhan' was hanging there.

"One cafe latte and one strawberry smoothie. Am I right, miss?"He repeated the order as he lifted his face and smiled at the lady. The lady nodded and said;"Right!"Xiao Zhan smiled and said the price. As the lady paid,he gave her the receipt and asked her to wait until she's being called. The lady squealed and ran to the table where her friend was waiting for her.

Xiao Zhan started making the order with a smile on his face. "Zhan ge. I'll do the drink. Please look over the counter for me."Yu Bin,his co-worker said. Xiao Zhan turned at him and raised his eyebrow. "Why suddenly?"He asked as he passed his work to Yu Bin. "Well... My cousin came. I'm lazy to deal with him... Please do it for me."Yu Bin said,sighing. Xiao Zhan chuckled and walked to the counter with a smile. A man around 20 years old was standing there.

"Hi Jingyi." Xiao Zhan greeted the man. Jingyi looked at Xiao Zhan excitedly. "Zhan ge!"He exclaimed happily. "What do you want today?"Xiao Zhan asked as he looked at the screen,ready to take order. "Hm... Today is quite hot... I want to have a smoothie... One blueberry smoothie, 1 strawberry macaroon and 1 green tea macaroon,please!"

As Xiao Zhan heard the order,he tapped on the screen and repeated his order. After confirmed with it,he gave him his receipt and asked for him to sit and he'll call his number soon. His sweet smile never fade from his face as he take the orders.

Time passed by and Xiao Zhan's shift is finally over. He'll be closing soon when suddenly,a customer came in. His face was rather cold. He looked at the shop then Xiao Zhan. Their eyes met. Xiao Zhan smiled at him. "May I help you?"He asked. The customer walked towards Xiao Zhan,expression unchanged. "Are you guys closing?"He asked. Xiao Zhan smiled. "It's okay. I can close it later. But,you can only order a take away. Is it fine by you?"He asked with a nervous smile.

The customer stared at him for a while,looking straight into his eyes. "That's fine by me."He said after a while. Xiao Zhan breathed out a sigh of relief and asked;"Then what would you like to have,sir?"

"I'll have a latte macchiato,please."He said. Xiao Zhan took his order and when he looked up to give him a receipt,he caught the customer staring at him instead of the receipt. Xiao Zhan smiled and said,"Here's the receipt. Please wait until I call your number."He said as he started making the order. The cafe was quiet as his co-workers already went back home. He's the only one staying behind.

After a while,Xiao Zhan called for his number and gave him his order. He said with a smile;"Here's your order! Enjoy! Please come again."He said as he bowed. The customer bowed back and said;"Thank you and also thank you for delaying the closing time to take my order. I'll come again for sure." He said with a small smile. Seeing that smile,Xiao Zhan smiled back and said;"You're welcome!"

When the customer left the store, Xiao Zhan let out a sigh of relief.

"That customer stared at me a lot. I wonder why.. He's handsome though."He mumbled as he cleaned the cafe and started closing it.

The next day,Xiao Zhan came to the cafe early. No one was there as he's the one who'll open the cafe. While he was humming and swinging around the keys,he found the customer from yesterday was standing in front of the cafe, staring at it like an innocent little kid. "Eh?"Xiao Zhan looked at him with widened eyes as he ran to him.

"Sir. What are you doing here so early?"When Xiao Zhan spoke to him, he stared at him and pointed at the cafe. "Did I come too early?"He asked. Xiao Zhan looked at him and laughed. "Sorry sir. Our cafe open at 9 in the morning. It's just 8 am now."Xiao Zhan said,bowing. "Ah..."He uttered as he stared blankly at Xiao Zhan. Silence filled them. Xiao Zhan gulped nervously and laughed to break the silence. "Um.. Is there anything on my face? I noticed that you've been staring at me since yesterday."Xiao Zhan asked awkwardly as he rubbed his neck.

The guy stared at him and a small smile was formed. "You have an attractive face. Your smile is warm. Your personality is gentle. I like it."He said,smiling. Hearing those praises,Xiao Zhan flustered. He laughed nervously and said;"Ahahaha thank you.."He said shyly. It's not like he never got it,but seeing how someone said that while looking straight into his eyes with a small and warm smile,he couldn't help but get shy.

Click.

Xiao Zhan opened the cafe's door and entered the cafe. He ran to the staff room and opened his jacket,put on his apron and cap. He rushed out of the staff room to see the customer standing next to the counter.

To be continue...

Thank you for reading!! Stay safe and healthy!! ❤️

Barista(Yizhan)Where stories live. Discover now