The open board of the Ruth Espresso was sticking with the transparent door when I kicked with my full force as my hands were busy holding the brick-sized engineering books.

"Argh!" There was no spark of dust when I put the books over the table reserved for me. When it comes to her passion, my friend Ruth is always hygienic!

I took my camera in my hand and went to look for her. "Ruthie! Get me a pancake!"

There was no one to give me permission to enter the restricted area, just like other days.

Ruth's curly hair was tied by a cotton ribbon and bounced back at me when she turned to me.

"Lee, you know we don't sell pancakes!" Her eyes drifted to something else in my hand.

"Wow! You bought a new one?" She wiped her flour-stained hands in her checked apron and grabbed my camera.

"Nah. Just got it repaired." I clicked the on-button for her to let her see its performance. "Since when did I pay for big deals?"

"You don't have money, right?" She reminded me of that nightmare.

"That's true..." Subtly hiding the cookie I stole, "Besides, I want to make sure that I make the right choice of getting a new one. My college is releasing magazines soon. I wanna be the photographer!"

"Only if you stop stealing my cookies, Livi, you would get what you wish." Ruth slapped my hand gently and took her cookie back from me.

"Hey, give me that. I'll pay!" Said I, trying to take another one from the bowl.

Ruth pushed my camera to my tummy, and I held it. "Who gave you permission to step in? Now go out and serve this cappuccino to table 4."

"Only if you agree to come with me today to buy a new camera." I take the tray of coffee cups and nudge my friend.

Her unreadable face blossomed a new sense of bliss. "You have chosen? Where do you get the money?"

Grinning at her, I lifted a credit card to her face from my pocket.

"For once I thought your parents gave that!" She twirls around and resumes to squeeze the dough. "I'm on it."

Though she runs a café with her mom, they provide some pastries except my favourite pancake.

"My brother gave me, Ruthie!" I couldn't stop holding that, 'cause I was wishing for this moment to happen forever. Walking past the counters, I grabbed the door but was halted by her voice.

"Tell that Aiden looked hot yesterday on the football field."

As usual, her premature-romantic side popped up. I still wonder what she saw in my brother. The only thing he's good at is football; other than that, he's a drumstick!

"Die with him!" I cursed her and pushed the door to serve the tea to the respective table.

I breathed the caffeine in the air, and yeh, this is a splendid day to work. I am a part-time job worker in my friend's café, which brings something in my pocket and is handy.

The waiters and waitress like me were moving here and there.

"Thank you for ordering in our café, enjoy your cappuccino, sir." I placed the cup on the wooden table where two men sat, facing each other.

"Here is your bill." I tried to place the strip of paper in front of them.

Suddenly the man in the black suit slapped the wooden table, and the cup of coffee danced with the wave of noise. I jerked in dismay.

What the!

The tray in my hand fell on the ground as I froze by the stunt.

"Is this why you called me here?" That voice, it shrieked like thunder in a stormy night.

The other man, who looked older than the guy who barked, with a shivering yet mindful face, opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn't given a space to speak.

"DO NOT DRAG THE MATTER HERE LIKE MY MOTHER!" The man in tux perches his broad shoulder in the slender chair in which he was sitting.

"Mr. Blaze, you need to come here at any point, which is obvious." The old man said.

"DO YOU THINK I FUCKING CARE?" The guy replied like he's getting sick of his words and hit the table again in frustration.

This time the cup slipped the content, and everything flowed down like a coffee waterfall from the edge of the table.

"Excuse me, sir. Please behold your patience, so that other customers aren't disturbed." My tiny voice drew his attention.

The older man's face melted in anxiety for some reason I couldn't decode, and he signalled me with his eyes to move out of the place.

It was too late for my stupid brain to realise that I'm in trouble.

The man in tux turned his face to me, which was strangely uncomfortable.

"What do you want?" He broke every syllable of each word he spat.

"Uh, I just want to make sure you pay for your untasted cappuccino without creating any scene."

Why did I say that? May be I am a waitress, yeh.

I couldn't tell where his eyes are actually going because his black shades hide it when he turns his face to the half-spilt cup of coffee. He is noticing that just now.

"None of your fucking care." He gets himself up from the chair after kicking it backwards and snatches the bill from my hand.

He reaches the bill counter and throws a leather wallet from his pocket before storming outside the café.

I revert back my eyes from the peculiar man to the mess he left as an outlet of his stupid backstory.

The broken cup, dripping coffee, and the upside-down chair.

He is a storm.

The older man was quickly behind him, like a slave calling 'Mr. Blaze'.

Very next moment, other servants reached the place and got it clean. But I was staring at my hand.

Something is missing, isn't it?

The bill? No...

"My credit card, oh shit!!" Crying out, I sprint to the bill counter and lean across Emily's table.

"Fuck!" I slapped my forehead without caring that I was leaving the café in the middle of my job.

There I saw a black car, which I bet was expensive and couldn't care what it was named, in which the stormy guy got in hurriedly.

"HELLO!" To everyone's astonishment, I was running behind the expensive car in the street, "STOP THE CAR!!"

I screamed my lungs out, but the vehicle left the place after blowing the smoke on my face.

It was my mistake to think he was such a customer who I face every week. No, he's not.

Not at all...

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