Luke pulled Noel and Vanessa over and sat them down at the table. Meanwhile, Lorna, Giselle, and Ava sat in a row, leaving a chair for Luke in the middle of them. Once seated, Luke crossed his arms and stared at the two of them as they kept their heads down.
"Can you explain what you were just doing in there?" Luke asked firmly.
"Um... talking... doing homework," Noel and Vanessa answered at the same time.
Since their answers didn't match and came out simultaneously, they immediately glanced at each other. Meanwhile, Giselle, who was sitting next to Luke, flanking him along with Lorna, observed the two and caught a certain scent. Her face instantly turned red, and she looked away. Naturally, Lorna noticed and leaned forward to look at Giselle.
"What's up with you, Giselle? Why did your face just turn bright red?" Lorna asked, confused.
"It's nothing," Giselle answered softly without looking back.
Then Lorna also turned to see Ava acting the same way as Giselle, despite only being fifteen. Naturally, Lorna grew even more confused, scratching her head with her finger, her face a mask of bewilderment.
"Hey... what is wrong with you guys?" Lorna asked, baffled.
Meanwhile, seeing Giselle and Ava's reactions, Noel and Vanessa's faces went pale because it was obvious they'd been caught. They secretly squeezed each other's hands under the table, and then, in a desperate attempt to change the subject, Noel pulled out his smartphone and set it on the table.
"Luke, look at this. Vanessa's sister, Amanda, just got engaged to her boyfriend. She posted photos on Instagram and Facebook and even made a TikTok video," Noel told Luke.
"We already know about that. You still haven't answered my question. What were you doing in there?" Luke asked firmly.
Noel opened his mouth and then shut it again, lowering his head once more. Suddenly, Giselle turned toward Luke and placed her hand on his arm, which was still crossed tightly over his chest.
"Let it go, Luke. It's fine. They're adults now, and I'm sure they understand what they're doing. Just let it be," Giselle said.
"Huh... I guess so. Fine then," Luke said.
Giselle then turned toward Noel and Vanessa and gave them a quick wink. However, Noel and Vanessa just stared back, stunned to see the exceptionally beautiful Giselle holding onto Luke's arm.
"Um... who are you? Are you Luke's girlfriend?" Noel asked, looking at Giselle.
"She's our cousin. That's why when you get home from school early, you should open the cafe instead of making out in the back... I'm going to check later, and if you were upstairs, you're dead, hmph," Ava snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Hey! Don't just say whatever comes to your head," Noel shouted back, frustrated.
"Enough... stop arguing. We have to open the cafe in a bit, so everyone get ready. (Turning to look at Giselle) Giselle, if you want to rest upstairs, you're more than welcome to," Luke said.
"No thanks, I'd rather help out. But is it okay if I take a look upstairs?" Giselle asked.
"Of course. Ava, can you show her the way?" Luke asked.
"Got it. Come on, I'll take you up, Giselle," Ava answered as she stood up.
"Okay, let's go, Ava," Giselle said, standing up.
Then Ava and Giselle went into the locker room to head up the stairs, while Noel and Vanessa watched them go. After they left, Noel turned back to look at Luke.
"Where is this cousin from, Luke? And do you know her too, Lorna?" Noel asked.
"I just found out myself a little while ago," Lorna answered shortly.
"She's Aunt Sharon's daughter... remember how before the accident, she mentioned she'd been married and then divorced? Well, Giselle is the daughter from that marriage," Luke explained.
"Oh, I see... but how come she doesn't look like Aunt Sharon? Aunt Sharon had black hair... and hers is blonde," Noel noted.
"I asked her the same thing at first. She said her dad is blonde and she took after him, that's all," Lorna replied.
"She is... so beautiful... like a model. My sister can't even compete," Vanessa remarked.
"That's exactly it. Seeing a girl that gorgeous hanging all over Luke? I'm worried the world is actually coming to an end," Noel joked.
"Shut it, Noel. Let's get ready. Vanessa, do you want to help us or maybe rest upstairs?" Luke asked.
"I'll help, Luke!" Vanessa answered enthusiastically.
"Alright then, it's about time for me to head home. Good luck, guys," Lorna said, starting to stand up.
But before she could fully get to her feet—thud—Lorna was shoved back down into her seat so hard it rattled the table and the cups on top of it. Luke had pressed down on her shoulder from beside her. She turned to glare at him.
"What gives, Luke?" Lorna asked, looking at him.
"Where do you think you're going? You're helping," Luke answered flatly.
"Wait... that's so unfair! You let Giselle rest, you ask Vanessa if she even wants to help, but when it comes to me, my only option is to help?" Lorna protested.
Suddenly, Luke leaned his face close to Lorna's cheek and "mwah," he kissed her cheek. Lorna's face instantly turned bright red. She clutched her cheek and turned to look at Luke, who had already stepped back with a completely flat expression.
"Wh-what did you just do?" Lorna asked, stammering.
"That kiss was your payment, which means I've already paid your wages. Now, come on and help," Luke replied. He casually stood up and walked into the staff room as if he hadn't done anything at all.
"Okay... okay... I'll help," Lorna replied shyly, cupping her flushed cheeks with both hands and looking down.
Lorna stood up and hurried into the staff room after Luke, leaving Noel and Vanessa staring at the doorway in disbelief. Vanessa shifted her seat slightly closer to Noel.
"Babe, are Luke and Lorna actually dating or what?" Vanessa asked.
"Hmm... no. Lorna is our childhood friend. She and Luke have been like that forever. Why do you ask?" Noel replied, confused.
"I don't know, it's just... the way they joke around, they're like a married couple. I've been watching them since yesterday. When Amanda asked for Luke's number, Lorna got all worked up immediately. That alone seemed weird to me," Vanessa explained.
"I guess so, but if they wanted to date, they would have done it a long time ago. They've just always been this way," Noel said casually.
"Has Lorna ever dated anyone else?" Vanessa pressed.
"I don't think so. She's always here, stuck to Luke's side. Or she's hanging out with Alex, Devon, and Luke as a group... why?" Noel asked, still puzzled.
"Nothing... it's just, no wonder she was the only one who didn't realize what we were doing in there, even though Ava knew. But that's not the point. If Luke has never dated anyone either and Lorna is always with him, aren't they basically soulmates?" Vanessa asked.
Noel went quiet for a moment, thinking it over. But because he had known Lorna since he was a kid, he eventually just shook his head.
"Forget about it. Let's just see what happens, because I honestly don't think it's possible. Come on, let's go change. You're helping, right?" Noel invited.
"Yeah, let's go back inside, hehe," Vanessa replied.
Finally, the two of them followed Luke and Lorna into the back to get ready to open the cafe.
***
Meanwhile, upstairs, Giselle looked around at her three cousins' living quarters. She saw a coffee table with a long sofa behind it, a television in front, a bed by the window, and two more beds lined up on the right side. There was a kitchen, a dining table, and a single door leading to the bathroom.
"Hmm... it's like a studio apartment. Honestly, I'd love to live here too if I could because it seems fun with everyone around and I'm bored of being alone. But whatever, there's clearly zero privacy here. Though for the three of them, it's probably fine. And obviously, Noel and his girlfriend do it here... I can still catch a bit of the scent, hehe," Giselle thought to herself.
"So, what do you think of our place, Giselle?" Ava asked proudly from beside her.
"Oh, it's nice! It feels cozy. But are you guys really okay without any privacy like this?" Giselle asked.
"We're used to it. There used to be two rooms, but it made everything feel so cramped. Finally, when Auntie was in the hospital, we decided to just tear down the partitions. I mean, we've been together like this since we were little anyway," Ava said casually.
"Ah... that makes sense," Giselle muttered. "You're right, if there were walls, it would be tiny and really tight," Giselle added, scanning the room.
"Where do you live, Giselle?" Ava asked.
"I'm renting an apartment. I'll have to invite you over to my place sometime," Giselle said.
"Wait... really? Promise?" Ava asked.
"Yeah, I promise," Giselle replied, smiling as she held out her pinky.
Ava immediately hooked her pinky around Giselle's, and then they headed back downstairs to help Luke open up the cafe.