After classes were over, Luke brought Giselle to the cafe, naturally accompanied by Lorna, who had insisted on tagging along and still couldn't believe that Giselle was Luke's cousin.
"Click-clack."
Luke unlocked the door and led them both inside, then pulled down three chairs at a table for them to sit. Once they were settled, Luke went behind the bar to grind coffee beans and start a brew. Giselle looked around, taking in the nice, tidy cafe. The space was quite spacious, fitting about ten tables positioned along the glass windows. She noticed the large, wide terrace with neatly arranged tables and umbrellas. Giselle also saw many photos pinned to the pillars along the walls, beautiful lights on the ceiling, and a pastry display case next to the bar and register.
"Wow... this cafe is nice. The design is really professional," Giselle said, looking around.
"Yep, it sure is. Comfortable, right? But are you really Luke's cousin?" Lorna asked, still curious.
"I am. Why would I lie? Luke's aunt is my mom, you know her too," Giselle answered.
"Hmm... I've known her since we were kids, but really? I remember her hair being black, and you're blonde," Lorna noted.
"I get the blonde from my dad, obviously. But my facial features are supposed to look like my mom's; my dad says that all the time," Giselle replied.
"Hm... I guess... you do look a bit like her... but really, what a coincidence," Lorna remarked.
"It's not exactly a coincidence. I transferred to this campus because I knew my mom's house was nearby. I've known since last month, and the transfer process took two weeks," Giselle countered.
"So, did you run away from home?" Lorna asked.
"No way. Why would you even ask that? My dad knows I'm here. Even though he remarried, my stepmother is nice and my older stepbrother is good to me too, but it was just awkward living with them. Besides, I'm an adult now; it didn't feel right staying at home," Giselle answered.
"Oh, I see... alright then, I believe you," Lorna replied.
"Chime,"
The door chime rang, and both Giselle and Lorna turned toward the entrance. They were surprised to see Ava arrive with a man who gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back out and pulling on his helmet. Seeing Giselle sitting there with Lorna, Ava froze in place, standing perfectly still by the door even after it had closed behind her, her hands gripping the straps of her backpack tightly.
"Hey... why are you spacing out, Ava?" Lorna asked.
"Oh, so this is Ava. Luke was just telling me about her," Giselle added, standing up.
"Huh... who are you? Are you Luke's girlfriend?" Ava asked, stunned to see the beautiful woman standing by the table.
"Hi... my name is Giselle," Giselle said, walking over to the dazed Ava and reaching out her hand.
"Um... I'm Ava," Ava replied, shaking Giselle's hand.
After shaking hands, Ava kept her eyes fixed on Giselle, studying her with a look of pure confusion. Giselle, seemingly in a playful mood, let her stare without saying a word.
"Hey, Ava. I thought you said if Luke ever brought a girl home, you'd interrogate her? Well, there she is, right in front of you," Lorna added, chiming in.
"Huh... no, I didn't," Ava said, sounding flustered.
"Cut it out, Lorna. Come on, sit over here," Giselle said, pulling Ava by the hand.
As they returned to the table, Giselle pulled down a chair and invited Ava to sit next to her. Ava sat, but she continued to stare at Giselle with a dazed expression. A moment later, Luke arrived carrying a round tray with three cups of coffee. He casually served the coffee to Giselle and Lorna, then noticed Ava and placed the final cup in front of her.
"You're home?" Luke asked.
"Yeah," Ava answered, still spaced out while looking at Giselle.
"She was just dropped off by some guy on a motorcycle, I think. She smells like exhaust," Lorna blurted out.
"Wait... who?" Luke asked, standing up to look toward the door.
"He's gone already. You missed him," Lorna replied.
"Alright then. I'm going to make one more cup. You guys just chat for a bit," Luke said.
"Wow... this is delicious, Luke. You have to teach me," Giselle said after taking a sip of her coffee.
"Glad you like it. Come on, follow me to the back," Luke replied.
Giselle set her cup down and stood up. Luke led her behind the bar to show her the secret to making a good cup of coffee. Sitting there, Ava's eyes followed Giselle's every move. She then turned to Lorna, who was sitting comfortably across from her, blowing on her coffee.
"Lorna... who is she exactly? Is she Luke's girlfriend?" Ava whispered.
"Hmm... what do you think?" Lorna asked, knowing full well that Ava was both curious and nervous.
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking. Come on," Ava said, annoyed.
"Ask her yourself. Why are you asking me?" Lorna replied on purpose.
"Ugh... seriously," Ava muttered, growing more irritated. She took a sip of her coffee, but because it was hot, she nearly yelled and spilled a bit onto the table.
"Gosh, look at you. It's hot, obviously," Lorna said, standing up and leaning forward to wipe the table with a tissue.
"Fine, I'll just ask her myself," Ava said, standing up.
"Yep, good luck with that," Lorna teased.
Ava walked straight behind the bar, but she came to a complete dead stop. She saw Giselle standing right in front of Luke, who was positioned directly behind her, showing her how to turn the coffee grinder. From where Ava stood, they looked exactly like a couple. "Is she really my brother's girlfriend?" Ava wondered to herself.
Because her curiosity outweighed her nerves and awkwardness, Ava stepped forward toward Luke. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled, catching him off guard. Giselle, who was standing in front of him, turned around as the two of them stepped apart.
"What is it, Ava?" Luke asked, turning toward her.
"Um... is she your girlfriend?" Ava asked, pointing at Giselle.
"Huh... girlfriend? She's our cousin, you know. She's Aunt Sharon's daughter," Luke said.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that, hahaha. Sorry, Ava," Giselle added.
"Huh... cousin? We have a cousin?" Ava asked, even more confused.
"Just show her, Giselle, since she's right here," Luke said, glancing at Giselle.
"Okay," Giselle replied, pulling out her smartphone.
After unlocking the screen and opening her chat history, Giselle showed her phone to Ava, taking Ava's hand and handing the device over. Ava read through the messages. Her face, already flustered, turned a deeper shade of red. She leaned in so close to the screen it was almost touching her face, her eyes darting back and forth in a panic.
"Wait, so you're the one who's been chatting with me?" Ava asked, shocked.
"Yep. And were you the one pretending to be my mom?" Giselle asked with a wide grin.
"I thought it was someone playing a prank, so I just went along with it to mess with them... but... for real? You're actually my aunt's daughter?" Ava asked.
"Yep, for real. This is the person you've been talking to, standing right in front of you," Giselle said, pointing at her own face.
"Wow!"
Luke, Giselle, and Ava all spun around to look at Lorna, who had just shouted. Lorna rushed behind the bar, clutching her smartphone and shoving the screen in front of Luke and Giselle's faces. Luke was stunned to see an Instagram post featuring a hand wearing a stunning diamond ring. It had been shared by Amanda with the caption: Finally, and I said yes! Stay tuned for the date, everyone. Whether it was a coincidence or intentional, Lorna had been tagged in the post.
"Amanda got proposed to?" Luke asked.
"Why? Are you disappointed? Don't worry, I bet they won't even make it to the wedding," Lorna replied tersely.
"Who said anything about being disappointed?" Luke countered. "Is this for real? She was just here yesterday, then I turned her down, and now she's engaged? This is insane. Could the rumors about my cafe be true—that there's a barista with the power to play matchmaker? But that's impossible; the only baristas here are me and Noel," Luke wondered to himself, feeling confused and completely lost.