After finishing his shower, Luke headed straight downstairs, ready for work. He took his position in front of the bar, right across from Noel, who was already standing behind it.
"Hey bro, look at that," Noel said, gesturing toward the window.
Luke turned and saw Bill and his crew walking past the café before disappearing behind a solid door nearby. "Chime." The door opened again.
"You've got some nerve coming back!" Luke barked toward the door.
But it was Lorna, followed by Alex and Devon. The three of them froze in the doorway, startled by Luke's sudden outburst.
"Damn, dude. You're being pretty aggressive," Alex remarked.
"Sorry, some thugs showed up earlier. Come on in, have a seat," Luke replied warmly, ushering them in.
Lorna immediately sat at the bar and pulled Luke's hand, coaxing him to sit beside her, while Alex and Devon looked over the menu board above the display case.
"What can I get for you guys?" Ava asked politely.
"Hmm, can I order you?" Devon flirted with a wink.
"Well, you'd better ask my handler first. Take a look, over there," Ava replied, pointing to her side.
Devon turned to see Luke clenching his fists with a look that could kill, his chin tilted up in a challenge.
"Oh boy, the alpha is terrifying. I surrender," Devon said, shaking his head with a smile.
"Hehe, Devon's funny. What would you like to drink? Alex, how about you?" Ava asked.
"I'll just go with a standard cappuccino," Alex said.
"Same here. I'll have what he's having," Devon added, pointing at Alex with his thumb.
"Got it. Just a moment, make yourselves comfortable," Ava said as she drifted away.
"I've seriously got a crush on Luke's sister. She's a catch," Devon whispered, watching Ava.
"Careful, if her brother hears you, you're in trouble. Better give up now, hahaha," Alex replied, patting Devon on the shoulder.
"Hey, Lorna, why are you sitting so far away?" Devon called out.
"Leave me be. I want to spend some quality time with the handsome barista," Lorna joked.
"Who?" Luke asked, sounding confused.
"Ugh, forget it. I'm not even going to answer that," Lorna pouted.
"Geez... alright then. I'm heading behind the bar," Luke said, starting to stand up.
"Stay here for a second. I want to talk to you. Don't go anywhere yet," Lorna insisted.
"Come on, it's about to get busy. What is it?" Luke asked.
"Give me your ear," Lorna replied, leaning in.
Luke leaned down and tilted his head toward her, but suddenly—nibble—Lorna bit his ear. Luke jumped back immediately, clutching his ear.
"What was that for?!" Luke asked, confused.
"Hahaha, I'm just kidding. Go on, get behind the bar. (Looking toward Ava) Ava, one avocado latte, please!" Lorna called out.
"Coming right up!" Ava replied.
Luke stepped behind the bar and helped Noel prepare the cappuccinos for Alex and Devon. After serving them, he made the avocado latte for Lorna and set the glass in front of her.
"Thanks, babe," Lorna said.
"Chime."
The door opened, and several female students walked in, heading straight to the bar to place their orders before taking their seats. Shortly after, a group of male students arrived, then headed back out to sit on the terrace. As more and more guests poured in to order pastries and coffee, Lorna took notice and turned to look at Luke behind the bar.
"Wow, it's picking up. Want some help, Luke?" Lorna asked.
"Sure," Luke answered.
"Got it. Give me a second," Lorna replied.
She headed to the staff room and emerged moments later wearing the café's uniform. Lorna immediately began taking orders and delivering them to the guests. But as she placed a cup on one table:
"Excuse me, do you know that barista's number?" one of the students asked, pointing at Luke.
"You should probably ask him yourself. I wouldn't dream of giving it out," Lorna replied with a flat expression.
"Oh, so you do know it then?" another girl chimed in.
"Um... yeah, I know it," Lorna said, her face remaining blank.
"Aww, no fair! We want it too!" the first girl complained.
"I'll ask him for you later," Lorna said to end the conversation. "The nerve of them asking for my man's number. I'm not asking, and I'm definitely not passing it along," Lorna muttered in her head.
Lorna walked behind the bar and pretended to talk to Luke, giving him a playful nudge. When Luke looked up and went back to work, Lorna caught the eyes of the disappointed girl and signaled a "no" by crossing her arms. Suddenly, "chime," a man in a blue shirt walked in and went straight to the girl who had been asking Lorna for the number.
"Your name is Jenny, right? Do you want to go out with me?" he asked, getting straight to the point.
Jenny's face turned bright red and she went blank for a few seconds. Then, she covered her face with her hands, peeking through her fingers at the man in front of her.
"Are you serious? Your name is Oscar, right?" Jenny asked.
"Yes, exactly. I'm serious. Dead serious," Oscar replied.
"Okay then... yes,," Jenny replied, hiding her face again.
Oscar looked ecstatic. He leaned in and hugged Jenny while she kept her face covered. "Woooo!" the entire café cheered. Even the guys sitting outside could be seen through the window, clapping their hands. The atmosphere was suddenly electric and full of happiness.
However, Lorna, Noel, and Ava all turned to look at the big guy who seemed intensely focused on washing cups. The three of them shook their heads. Suddenly:
"Ava, do you want to go out with me?!" Devon shouted as he stood up.
"No!" Ava shouted back instantly, without a second's hesitation.
"Yes... I got rejected!" Devon followed up with an enthusiastic shout, though it was hard to tell if he was being serious or not.
The entire cafe erupted into booming laughter, including Luke, who was still at the sink washing cups. It seemed Devon had shouted that on purpose, just so Luke wouldn't feel down after seeing someone else start a relationship in his cafe. Once Luke finished, he wiped his hands on a towel, but suddenly—ding—he heard a notification on his smartphone despite the noise in the crowded shop. He pulled it from his apron pocket and opened it.
"Huh."
"Thud."
Without realizing it, Luke staggered back, bumping into the cup rack behind him and sending every glass inside rattling. His eyes went wide as he stared at the screen. A notification from his personal banking app had appeared. With trembling fingers, he opened it to find a deposit of $1,500 sitting in his account. He checked the transaction history—once again, it was MS who had sent the money.
"Huh... what is this now?" Luke muttered, completely bewildered.
"Hey... Luke, what's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Lorna called out from across the bar.
"Oh... it's nothing," Luke replied, tucking his phone away.
"Come here a second," Lorna said, waving him over.
Luke stepped forward. Lorna grabbed the front of his apron and pulled his face close to hers.
"That girl who just got a boyfriend? She actually asked for your number earlier. But since it seemed like she was just playing around, I didn't give it to her. Sorry about that," Lorna whispered.
"Oh... is that so? Well, she's with someone now anyway, so just let it be," Luke replied casually.
"Yeah, I just wanted to let you know. Anyway, I'm heading back out, someone's ordering," Lorna said.
As Lorna walked away, Luke started to think. He glanced at Jenny and Oscar, who were now sharing a table; he could see Jenny looking shy while Oscar had his arm around her shoulder. Then, something clicked in his head.
"Wait, could it be... but no way. Even if Lorna had asked me, I wouldn't have given my number to her anyway... was it because of that? But if it's because I refused... or the opposite... I get money? Seriously? But if I think about it... was that $200,000 a payout for getting rejected a hundred times? Could it really be? Ah, I shouldn't overthink this. I need to find out the source and make sure everything is clear first," Luke muttered in his heart, feeling confused but sensing a new understanding taking root in his mind.
***
[Quest: Find 110 matches (101/110).]
[Reward per Match: $1,500 received.]