may

“no, i said i wanted extra chocolate drizzle, not extra chocolate chips. also make sure to give me extra-” she cuts herself off and her eyes light up when she sees you. hutao whisper-yells your name and starts asking you questions, as if kinich isn’t standing just four feet away from her. “who is this? i’ve never seen him around. you didn’t mention anything about this to me! how could you!”

you can’t help but close your eyes and take a deep breath. “it’s his first day, hutao. now leave him alone! your drink will be out shortly.” you walk away while looking at kinich, “i already know what she wants. don’t worry.” 

over at the side counter, you’re making hutao’s drink for her. it’s truly amazing how someone can drink so much sugar first thing in the morning. you’re busy mixing in the millions of add-ins she likes when you overhear hutao talking to kinich. “did you know she’s my best friend!? i love her so so much!! we met in high school and i promise you she’s the most amazing person ever…” she rambles while he just awkwardly stands there. 

“miss hutao! your special, personalized drink is ready for you!” you announce. she quickly sprints over to the other side and starts sipping her drink right away. while hutao’s busy starting her sugar high, you whisper a quick sorry to kinich. unfortunately, there’s a line of customers outside the door, so there’s no opportunity for more chit-chat. 

it’s only 12 and you’re already wiped. you didn’t get much sleep because when you were supposed to be budgeting for your college expenses, you were too busy rewatching kpop demon hunters for the umpteenth time. it’s not your fault the movie is so good and zoey is so adorable. 

you settle on eating a small sandwich from the cafe. as you’re waiting for it to heat up, you decide to call xiao to ask for a pick up order later. you’re just drooling at the thought of jueyun chili chicken and rice pudding!

the toaster oven dings and you put your delicious cheese sandwich on your plate, scouting for a place to sit. your eyes land on a table by the window. kinich also seems to be on his lunch break, but it looks like he’s just playing games on his phone. there does happen to be an open seat across from him…

“have you eaten yet?” you ask, nudging your plate with two sandwich halves closer to him. “you can have the other slice if you would like. i’m not super hungry”

“sure, thanks.”

you pick up your sandwich and scroll on your phone. kinich is still sitting there playing on his phone, but the game he’s on does look oddly familiar.

“...is that cookie run?” you giggle. “i’ve been playing since sea fairy came out. it’s my favorite.” hopefully this is the golden ticket to a conversation. 

“i recently downloaded it. i’m overwhelmed.” he replies, dropping his phone on the table. you push the plate with his half closer to him. “why is there so much stuff to do? is there even a point to this game?” he asks while taking a bite of the sandwich. 

you laugh at how annoyed he sounds saying that. the two of you continue eating and talking about cookie run. although, it’s mostly just you talking. in fact, it’s just you talking. kinich only hums at your words every now and then. the game is a surprisingly good (one-sided) conversation starter. with just how much content there is, you could probably talk for forever. 

“we're finally free! i can't believe it’s been four years already!” hutao screams as she jumps up and down.

you laugh at hutao’s adorable giddyness and pull her into a tight hug. “i wouldn’t have chosen anyone else to suffer with!” you exclaim as you invite xiao into a group hug. “i’m glad it was you two i stuck with the whole time.”

“i’m extremely proud of you both,” xiao smiles. “is the sleepover at hutao’s place still on?”

“you betcha! i’ll see you guys in a few hours,” hutao responds. you all huddle closer together for group photos. “we’ll meet after we all have dinner with our families, okay? see you guys soon!”

“so… what are our group plans for the summer?” you ask.

hutao grins excitedly. she instantly braindumps everything that’s been on her mind. the beach, amusement parks, night markets, concerts, museums, and cafe runs aren’t even half of the activities she listed.

“we definitely have to go to the beach. this is going to be the hottest summer yet,” xiao replies. “although, i’m not too sure we can check everything off of the list, hutao. i already have a part-time job at my dad’s almond tofu restaurant, but we’ll try our best to make the most of the summer!”

you add on to xiao’s response, “for sure, this summer is gonna be our best one yet! however, on the topic of cafe runs, there's a new spot that just opened two blocks from my house. i was thinking of applying because i’m really gonna need money to pay for college. plus, some work experience wouldn’t be too bad.”

then, the most perfect idea pops into your head. “oh my gosh, hutao! you have to apply with me. since xiao already has a job secured, we can try working together too. just imagine, we could bring leftover pastries to a sleepover and xiao could bring leftovers from his work. it would be so much fun!”

“that sounds pretty solid to me, but are we sure hutao won’t be too chaotic for the job…” xiao says. hutao lightly wacks him in response.

“honestly, that does sound really fun but i’m too lazy and working at a cafe just isn’t for me.” hutao says as she locks her glaring eyes with xiao. “i will add that it is NOT because i am too chaotic!” turning back to you, she smiles and says “you got this though! i’ll make sure to visit you every single day and i’ll literally stop by all the time. i’m your number one customer!”

xiao quickly chimes in, “besides, we all know college funds aren't the only reason you want to work at the cafe…”

“hey now. just what do you mean by that, xiao!” you exclaim. “if it’s what you think, i am a hundred percent not working there to get writing inspo for my cafe au fanfics!”

you walk to the cafe and pick up an application the following morning. surprisingly, you hear back very quickly! after a successful interview with the owner, you're proud to announce to your two friends that you are officially employed.

you start working right away. xiao and hutao make sure to very unsubtly support you on your first day. “support” meaning they laugh in the corner every time you get tongue-tied when ringing up customers. “support” also meaning they did this for three hours straight. the duo truly did have pure intentions though, and their company made your first day a lot less daunting.

two weeks pass and as hutao promised, she stops by every single day. just how much money has she spent on chocolate chip frappes! regardless, your job is just as fun as you expected. you gain a lot of experience as a cashier and barista, gradually find it easier to make small talk with customers, get to use those cool espresso machines for the first time, and even help the bakers out!

today wasn’t the busiest. xiao stopped by during his lunch break and hutao stayed for a little while in the afternoon, but it’s finally time to clock out! you're wiping down the tables when your manager calls you and your coworkers in for a short meeting.

“good work today everyone! i have one quick announcement before we can all go home. someone new will be joining us tomorrow morning! be nice to him, alright? he seems pretty reserved, but i can tell he’s a very hard worker, so let's give him a warm welcome.”

how exciting! since you started working, no one new has joined the team. you’ve become acquainted with most of your coworkers, but this might be a great new opportunity for a new friend.

as you walk into the door, you see a new face behind the counter. 

he’s stunning… no, get it together! like i told xiao, i’m just here to help make money for my college tuition!

“hi! you must be our new employee. it’s really nice to meet you!” you say, trying to hide your slightly shaky and sweaty palm behind your bag. you know you’re not the most outgoing person, but why are you so unusually nervous right now!

“hi. i’m kinich. it’s nice to meet you as well.”