Milk and Cookies

When they entered the cafe, Zero noted how cozy it was.

The decorations and furnishing were minimal, yet, somehow, it felt homely. Perhaps that was why people were taken in by the place. One felt like one could stay here, relaxing, without a care in the world.

Of course, the ambiance was one thing.

The food … one couldn't remain open unless the food was good enough, right? This wasn't a library after all.

Zero's nose could smell the lovely aroma of the freshly baked cookies.

The place … was warm …

Like home.

Zero shook his head to break himself out of the illusion.

Being an orphan, he never did have the warmth of a family.

His family consisted of brothers, that is, the other Diamond Team members. And Lianne, his 'sister'.

No parents.

The closest person to even come close to that would be Kyle, but he hardly fit that bill.

Kyle was someone he respected highly. His superior. His life-saver.

But not 'family'.

"Oh gosh, Zero!" gushed Lianned, "This place is a treasure. Gah. What a pity that this is meant to be a distraction."

Lianne pursed her lips.

The misdirection would only work if she never came back, after all.

They went to the counter and Lianne drooled over the display. She grinned and looked at Zero beside her.

His eyes were actually shining.

Zero had one secret.

He had a sweet tooth.

However, he did not like all those fancy cakes and dessert that the current cafes and bakeries seem to be having right now. The icing always put him off, or the way it was decorated was just too weird for him.

Thus, he had always been completely devastated to find that the place did not have anything that he liked at all. In the end, he even resorted to trying to make his own …

But …

Well, let's just say that the fire department had a field day trying to figure out how a kitchen could burn down from a guy's attempt in using the kitchen.

Surprisingly, though, despite Zero's ineptitude in the kitchen, he could do one thing well - he could bake bread. One would think that would be harder than making a cake but to Zero, it was easier.

The way the dough raised, the way he had to knead the dough … all of it was something he could do well.

But making batter?

To have it 'fluffy'? Or not overbeat the mixture? Using the correct egg size?

Not at all.

After that one disastrous event that no one shall ever mention, Zero never attempted it again.

But his yearning for a good cake or cookie never waned.

And right now, the display case had an array of all the sort of things he absolutely loved.

Lianne playfully nudged Zero with her shoulder, "We can buy it all, you know."

The look on Zero's face when she said that was priceless.

Never had she seen Zero look so unreservedly happy before.

Truly, the way to a man's heart was through his stomach.

Lianne pointed to some chocolate chip cookies and told the server there, "We'll have those to eat now and one serving of everything else to go."

"Any drinks?"

"Do you have warm milk?" Lianne asked.

The server just stared in surprise, "Milk?!"

"What?" Zero asked with a glare.

"N-n-nothing," the server stammered, suddenly realising how rude it was for him to react so when a customer ordered something.

"I'm sorry about that," came a voice from behind the server, who then pushed the server aside, "My name is Lily, and I shall be your server for today."

"Ooh, fancy," Lianne couldn't help but comment at the way the girl spoke.

Lily just smiled, unperturbed.

The lady that came out had a sweet face and smile, but nothing outstanding. Her long, straight black hair was tied up in a ponytail while her round baby face with the slight pinkish hue on her cheeks made her look rather adorable.

It would be hard to guess her age due to that baby-face though Lianne could tell from her full figure that she was not a teen. For some reason, she reminded her of Selena Gomez, complete with that shy, sweet smile.

The only difference was this girl wore round glasses, similar to the style of 'Harry Potter'.

Lily turned her sweet smile at Lianne, saying, "We try to please. We don't normally serve milk, but we can accommodate you."

Then, lowering her voice while leaning forward a bit, she said in a conspiratorial whisper," And I agree with you. Warm milk is perfect with chocolate chip cookies."

Lianne smiled, liking the girl immediately.

There was this wholesomeness, homely and innocent vibe to her that makes people warm up to her immediately.

Lianne pursed her lips.

This girl was obviously the owner.

The way the server deferred to her when he was pushed aside and not retaliating already indicated that Lily was his senior. However, the fact that he looked like he had been reprimanded, albeit gently, indicated that her seniority wasn't just about her being older but in a higher position of power.

The way she conceded to their request for the milk without batting an eyelid indicated at least managerial position.

However, with Lily, it was more than that.

She, and the cafe, seemed to be 'as one'. In the sense that you felt that the way the cafe was decorated reflected her very well. This went beyond 'manager', but indicated someone who was personally invested in the cafe.

The cafe was her second home.

"Since you're taking one of everything here, the milk is free," Lily said as she served them, "I will send the other items to your table once it's all packed."

"Thank you," Lianne replied as Zero took the tray eagerly, "You have a very nice cafe."

Lily was startled, but still managed to reply without breaking her smile, "Thank you."

She gave the change to Lianne (who insisted on paying) and watched the couple leave with a sigh.

They truly looked so cute together.

It had taken all of her willpower not to stare at the guy. He was so darn good-looking that it took her breath away.

But he was with his girlfriend, so it would be really rude to stare. Well, it would have still been rude even if there was no girlfriend but at least, it wouldn't be as bad.

Lily had heard them ordering everything and she was truly excited.

No one had ever done that before and it warmed her heart. She wanted to dash out there and then to see just who these wonderful customers were, but held herself back because she was afraid of scaring them off.

"I'm sorry," said the server softly beside her.

"Oh, Mitch," Lily replied with a smile, "It was a small mistake. Do not worry about it. It gave me an excuse to come out and meet them."

Lily looked at the couple who were eating at the table. To her surprise, it was the guy that was eating the most. He was dunking the cookies in the milk and eating it happily, his face looking so content, while the girl was just smiling and talking to him, drinking her milk.

Lily put a hand on her chest, over her heart.

Seeing someone enjoying her cooking touched her deeply.

She loved baking, and found joy in spreading her love in her food. She often watched people eat in the cafe, but he was the first one that she saw who truly showed enjoyment and appreciation in the food.

Lily sighed softly.

He would be wonderful to cook for.

The cafe bells chimed, indicating someone entered and Lily looked towards the door.

And froze.

Was today 'good-looking' guy day?!