Chapter 3: Pay for my lunch

"What is your favorite color?"

Li Jun halted his movements for a second. Today marked the second week in which Iris Zhou arrived at the coffee shop in the morning. She had even come during the weekends, when most of the clientele was missing due to the fact that the café was settled in a business sector.

It was a Saturday, and work was specially slow. The only people present in the shop were Li Jun, the owner, who was busy in the back checking the inventory, and Miss Zhou. After the first week, she had made it her habit to ask him random questions about himself while she waited for her order. To avoid being rude to a customer, Li Jun had briefly provided her with the information she wanted before continuing with his work. Today was no different.

"I don't really have a favorite color."

"Really? I thought it would be black or navy blue, since those are what you tend to wear."

With her elbows resting on the counter, Iris watched him make her coffee with avid eyes. He didn't even ask what she would order anymore, he just began preparing her favorite when he saw her walk into the shop.

Li Jun kept silent, feeling her stinging gaze on his back.

This was Iris' first free day ever since she had arrived at Huisu, so after receiving her coffee and croissant, she happily sat in one of the tables closest to the benchtop. Soon the croissant was reduced to crumbs, and what was left of the coffee had already turned cold, but Iris didn't move from her place.

Unable to bear her stare anymore, Li Jun finally turned to her.

"Miss Zhou-"

"Li Jun, I asked you to call me Iris."

"Uh, Iris, are you sure such a busy CEO like you doesn't have anything else to do on a Saturday morning?"

Iris stared at his agonized face, but he still looked at her straight in the eyes. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"Please, don't tell me you haven't realized it already."

"Realize what?"

"That I am interested in you."

She flashed him a blinding smile, scrunching the corners of her eyes and revealing her pearly teeth. Li Jun was stunned. He had noticed the excessive amount of attention he gave him every day, but he had never expected her to be so blunt about it. He scratched the back of his neck, thinking of what to say, earning another laugh from her.

"Don't worry, I know by now that you are a very reserved person. You can tell me if I am bothering you in any way, I won't be offended. After all, it's me who's barging into your working space to see you."

She stood up and walked a couple of steps closer. In contrast to her usual office attire, today she wore jeans, a woolen sweater and a pair of sneakers. Without the added height of her heels, Li Jun couldn't help but notice how the top of her head only reached his shoulder while she looked up at him.

"I appreciate it, Miss-"

"Iris."

"Sorry. Iris. I am grateful for your words but..."

"You are not interested in a relationship right now."

"Yes."

"I know. Honestly, I am not so sure about this either, but I find myself looking forward to our small talk every morning, you are one of the few people who look me in the eyes when they talk to me, and I think you are stunning."

She watched in amusement as his eyes widened even more, trailing her gaze down to his parted lips. He noticed her stare and couldn't help but choke.

Li Jun had been approached by beautiful people many times. He was aware of his attractive features, so it didn't really come to a surprise when they tried to cling to his side, but none of them had the fierce countenance Iris had. This was the first time someone stood right in front of him and told him they thought he was attractive, and he knew his status didn't come to play since Iris Zhou stood kilometers above him in that sense.

He coughed for a couple of seconds as she pondered about torturing him for a while longer, finally deciding against it. Iris stepped back to give him some room, but didn't stop her advances.

"Uh, I don't really think..."

"Don't worry, I am not asking you for anything other than giving me the chance to get to know you better. Just small talk, nothing more for now."

Li Jun knew he had to refuse. This woman didn't know anything about his situation, and he wasn't about to relive his past mistakes. He was broken enough already, he wouldn't be stupid enough to keep torturing himself.

Before he could answer though, a crash came from the back of the shop, along with a low yelp of pain. Both of them turned wide-eyed to the source of the sound, only to see the owner of the shop sprawled on the floor of the backroom with a grimace on his face.

"Boss!"

Rushing to his side, Li Jun knelt down and held his shoulders.

"Don't move him! You might make it worse. I'll call an ambulance, just hold him there."

Iris immediately made the call, pacing from side to side with a grave face while she explained the accident.

"He seems to have fallen from a ladder while trying to grab some boxes from an upper shelf. Yes, he is probably over sixty years old... No, his head is fine, it doesn't look like he hit it. Thank you, please come quickly."

Ten minutes later the old man was being carried to a stretcher by paramedics.

"X-rays will be needed to be sure, but there appears to be a fracture on his hip. I doubt he will be able to stand for at least a couple of months. Do any of you have his family's contact information?"

"I can give you his daughter's number."

The owner groaned from inside the ambulance. His face was pale, and beads of sweat fell down his forehead.

"Li Jun, I will leave the closing of the store to you."

"No problem, please rest now. Your daughter will meet you in the hospital."

"Sir, we will give you an injection for the pain, alright? Please stay calm and don't move. Breathe slowly."

Tended by the paramedics, the man's figure disappeared behind the ambulance doors, which soon shrank down the street along with the far wailing of the sirens. Li Jun stood on the sidewalk until he couldn't hear them anymore, stepping back into the café to find Iris standing behind the benchtop while tying an apron around her waist.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you close up."

She didn't even look at him before stepping back to the front with a rag and a mop, wiping down the tables. Seeing him standing in the same spot with a weird expression, she sighed.

"I'll take care of the front. You go to the back and pick up those fallen boxes."

Still confused, he dazedly did as she said, but his mind soon drifted elsewhere.

The café obviously wouldn't open tomorrow, or the day after, and his wage stability was probably gone, after all, his boss had to shoulder the medical expenses. It would be reasonable for him to shut down the business for a while, since the shop couldn't be manned by only one person and he wasn't in conditions to hire any more employees.

Li Jun pondered about his options. His college tuition and the rent for his apartment were due next week. Thankfully, he had some savings, but if the boss' condition didn't improve soon, he probably wouldn't be able to afford his expenses next month.

'I'll have to look for a part time job for now.'

The frown on his face deepened. Would he be able to find anything with such short notice? No, would anyone hire him at all?

"Li Jun! Are you done back there? I don't know how this register works."

Iris' voice came from behind him, halting his downward spiral.

Outside, the chairs had been neatly placed on top of the tables, and the floor was sparkling clean, even the counter had been wiped down.

"How did you know what had to be done?"

Iris huffed, placing the mop back where it belonged.

"Before the creation of Seren, I worked as a waitress."

After the simple explanation, she gestured for him to finish. Her bright eyes looked dazzling, sucking him in for a second before he forcibly pulled his gaze towards the screen. Once he was done, Iris had already untied the apron from her waist and was waiting for him at the entrance.

"All that is left is locking the doors, you can go already. Thank you for the help, it would've taken me much longer if I did everything alone."

She stood still with an unamused face.

"I'm leaving when you leave. After all my hard work, the least you could do is pay for my lunch."