Work Shift

After getting dressed for work, Liam stood in front of a large mirror in his apartment.

"Hair is good, skin is good, and clothes are good." He nodded in approval.

Leaning his head to his armpits, he took a couple of sniffs.

"Sniff-sniff"

"Smell is good too," He continued.

"And, finally, face is good" He said as he smiled to the mirror.

Putting his shoes on, he stepped out of his appartment and headed to work.

…

"I will take it from here, you can go home and rest bro." Liam said, as he patted his co-worker on his shoulder.

"Thanks Liam, enjoy your shift." He chuckled, as he took off his apron.

Liam looked at him with a deadpan expression then rolled his eyes.

"You are not funny, don't make me pray on your downfall Johan. My wishes seem to come true,"

Johan laughed and sarcastically said.

"If that was true, you wouldn't be working as a barista for minimum wage, and five times a week at that"

Liam paused for a while, not knowing how to retort.

"Johan, if i told you a secret would you keep it to yourself?" Liam said, as he glanced around as if worried someone might overhear him.

Johan nodded hurriedly, as he saw Liam's serious expression.

"Tell me, your secret is in a deep well, that will not see the light of the day"

Liam nodded, his expression serious.

"Johan, i…" he said with a pause.

Johan leaned closer to hear him more clearly.

"Hurry up, what is it" he said, his tone impatient.

"I-I am the son of the richest family in the world, and im only here to experience life before i gain trillions for my inheritance."

Hearing the ridiculous story, Johan glared at him.

"Damn you Liam, you are taking revenge on me. You are clearly wasting my time, so i can get less rest." He gritted his teeth, as he punched Liam's arm.

"Hey! Ouch! I was going to invest in you, but you just lost that chance. Don't come crying to me later! Im warning you kid." Liam said, as he rubbed his arm.

Johan's glare intensified as a smirk appeared on his face.

"Yeah sure man, if you are the son of the richest family… then i am the son of art"

"art?" Liam repeated in confusion.

"Yes art, he is the richest man i know." Johan said.

Liam nodded.

"Well i guess you are the son of art, since i really am the son of the richest family in the world." Liam shrugged, as he put his apron on.

Johan rolled his eyes, not bothering to argue with Liam as he left the store.

Casting a side glance at Johan leaving the coffee shop, he let out a low chuckle he was suppressing.

"That's what you get, i wasted ten minutes of his time…not bad."

As he waited for the espresso machine to finish Liam leaned on the counter, his hands idly flipping a clean rag over his fingers.

A customer approached, their heavy boots thudding against the tile floor.

"Latte, please," the man said, his voice gruff but polite.

Liam straightened and nodded. "Coming right up," he replied.

The hiss of steamed milk and the soft click of cups kept his mind occupied.

The man stood quietly, waiting, his eyes scanning the menu as if double-checking his choice.

"Here you go," Liam said, sliding the cup toward him. The man nodded, tossing a few coins into the tip jar before heading out.

"Double espresso, here you go." He said, handing the espresso from earlier to the customer.

"Thank you," the customer said, as they walked out of the coffee shop.

"Next," Liam muttered under his breath, already moving to clean the counter.

The door jingled again, followed by the clatter of multiple heels on the floor.

Liam glanced up and sighed realising what was about to go down.

A group of girls strutted in, their designer handbags swinging on their arms, their laughs louder than a donkey.

They approached the counter, their voices overpowering the music playing softly in the background.

"Four Americanos," the girl at the front said, not bothering to meet Liam's eyes as she examined her nails.

Her tone was high and mighty, as if she was ordering her servant for a drink.

Liam punched their order into the register, his face neutral.

"Name?" he asked.

The girl arched a brow, finally sparing him a glance. "Chloe," she said, dragging the word out as if it was an inconvenience to utter.

"Got it." He didn't bother making eye contact, instead turning to the machine.

Behind him, their laughter rose again, this time sharper, like they were laughing at something—or someone.

He didn't care to find out.

'Not my business, and even if it was… it's still not my business'

The drinks came together quickly, and Liam slid them onto the counter.

"Four Americanos," he said, his voice calm.

Chloe barely looked at him as she grabbed the tray. "Thanks," she said, though it sounded more like an afterthought than genuine gratitude.

Her friends giggled as they walked off to a corner table.

Liam exhaled through his nose, moving on to the next task. He had dealt with far worse.

A crash of laughter broke through the café's calm, drawing his attention to a group of kids crowded around a table near the back.

They were slouched in their chairs, their voices were extremely raised causing chaos, it was a mess of jokes and inside references.

"Hey, guys," Liam called, his voice firm but not aggressive. "Could you keep it down a bit? Other people are trying to enjoy their coffee."

The kids barely glanced his way, one of them rolling his eyes.

A boy wearing a backward cap smirked, leaning closer to his friend to whisper something. More laughter soon came through.

Liam pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head as he returned to the counter. "Figures," he muttered, wiping down the surface hard.

The shift went on and the time was moving as slow as ever, but the constant flow of customers kept him busy enough to keep his mind from wandering too much.

It wasn't until the door jingled again that he looked up and saw her—the girl from yesterday.

She hesitated for a moment at the entrance, her eyes darting toward him before quickly looking away. Adjusting her backpack strap, she approached the counter, her gaze fixed somewhere to the side.

"Latte," she said softly, barely audible over the buzz of the café.

Liam nodded, his expression calm. "Name?" he asked.

"Just... just put Sarah," she replied, still not looking at him.

"Alright, Sarah," he said, his tone neutral as he moved to prepare her drink.

The familiar hiss of steaming milk filled the silence between them.

She stood there, shifting her body from one foot to the other, her eyes flicking up once before darting away again.

He placed the latte on the counter, giving her a small nod. "Enjoy," he said simply.

She took the cup with both hands, mumbling a quick, "Thanks," before retreating to a corner table.

Her head bent low as she pulled out a notebook and a stack of textbooks from her bag and buried herself in her work.

Liam watched her for a second before turning back to the counter.

He didn't let his gaze linger on what she was doing, it wasn't any of his business.

The day flowed, by the time his shift neared its end, the coffee shop had emptied out the bad customers, the late-morning rush ended.

Liam stole a glance at the corner table. Sarah was still there, her pen scribbling furiously as her latte sat almost-finished beside her. Her gaze never once wandered toward the counter.

"Long day," Liam muttered to himself, leaning on the counter as he let out a small sigh.