Lava Java (5)
Aki was puzzled by what Liam meant as he watched the other guy interact with the other customers. Seeing him here was like meeting a new person Aki had not met before. Liam was courteous with the customers as expected but there was something with the way he interacted with them that enthralled Aki. It was that politeness that sets the patrons at ease and gave a welcoming ambiance to the cafe. Liam was good at looking after the people around him which suited his job as he would make sure he would cater to all of their needs to the best of his ability. Aki had a sudden, dizzying sense of unfamiliarity in watching all of that happen in front of his eyes.The number of people in the cafe had grown since Aki first arrived. He only noticed it now but the majority of the customers were female. "But of course," he thought. He bet he already knew the answer to that. Liam glanced on Aki"s direction, catching him staring before giving him a smile. Aki blushed and frantically stuffed his face with food.
“How was the food?”
Without him noticing, Mia approached the table and casually sat down across him again.
Aki wondered if it was okay for staff to blatantly skip work. He did not want to be the one to blame if they got scolded. He scanned the room again, hoping to see the boss hovering around. “Won"t your boss get mad?”
Mia"s eyebrows rose and she giggled. “Don"t worry, I have permission. So… are you enjoying the food?”
“Yes. This is amazing! Thank you so much for inviting me in. I love this place.”
Mia laughed but not unkindly. “The one who made that would be very happy and he-- I mean, we love to have you here.”
Aki turned his face to the kitchen. “You must have an amazing chef.”
“You"re facing the wrong direction.”
Aki looked at her curiously. In turn, she pointed towards Liam"s direction. Liam saw them staring at him. Mia waved which made Liam"s expression to turn dark. Aki thought Liam did not like him talking with his girlfriend or whatever they were. But then something else struck him.
“You mean…?” His eyes widened and his mouth gaped. Mia smiled as she watched the realization dawned on him.
No wonder the taste seemed familiar. But deep down he was not really surprised because Liam had always been good at cooking. It was even his dream to own a cafe.
“I never thought that he was so good that he"s using his skills to sell here.”
“Oh no, not like that. He only did that today. It"s not for everyone to taste. Though sometimes, we put up special deals for our staff to sell their cakes, cupcakes, etc. We"re lucky to have people who are good at various things. Saves us the expenses.”
Aki"s eyes wandered unconsciously back to Liam who was waiting for his order on the counter. Liam quickly looked away when Aki caught him looking at their table.
“I didn"t know that he works here,” Aki said.
“He didn"t mention it?”
Aki shook his head. “Though I know that he has a job. I just didn"t know what it was.”
“Sometimes he really does not like talking about the things that he"s doing. Like he"s keeping his efforts a secret, thinking that telling them is equal to bragging. Like how?” Mia dramatically flipped her hair even though it was short. The action made Aki laughed, followed by Mia. Then she added, “Most of the time, I don"t understand that guy.”
“Well, he has a point,” Aki murmured. He did not understand but somehow, he felt compelled to stand up for Liam.
Mia looked up at him at that, a smile playing on her lips. This made Aki blushed as if he was caught on something but did not know what.
But before Aki could speak again and dispel the awkward atmosphere, Mia spoke and pointed at the flyers on the table. “Are you looking for a job?”
Aki nodded.
“Did you find one already?”
“No… I haven"t yet.” Aki idly played on his spoon as his mind returned to the more pressing matters. He needed to decide now.
Mia did not respond and just sat there seemingly thinking over some things. After a while, she spoke again.
“How do you feel about working here?”