After Natalie left, Luke stayed behind the bar, his eyes fixed on Devon and Sarah. They were deep in conversation about everything except work. Luke noticed a side of Devon he rarely saw—smiling freely and looking completely at ease while talking to Sarah. Even Sarah, who usually seemed disheveled, weird, and sometimes awkward, was acting the same way.
"Am I really seeing this?" Luke asked himself.
"Ding." The sound of a notification broke his focus. He pulled out his smartphone and saw a bank alert: MS had sent him another $1,500. He looked back at Devon and Sarah, whose conversation was getting even more animated—Sarah was even touching Devon's arm now—then he looked back at the fresh balance in his banking app.
"Hmm... it's true. Because I turned Sarah down and Devon saved me... I got paid again. Is this for real? My head is spinning," Luke muttered in his heart.
He looked at Devon and Sarah again and smiled; he was genuinely happy to see his friend like that. But suddenly, a thought struck him and his smile vanished.
"Wait, that means the 'Pathetic Trio'—the group of us who are always miserable because we're single—is breaking up... Devon found someone. Now it's just me and Alex left," Luke said in his heart.
Luke eventually snorted and smiled to himself. He tucked his phone back into his apron pocket and went back to watching the couple, who clearly didn't notice him at all. For them, it was like the rest of the world had disappeared.
"Chime,"
The door bell rang again. Luke looked up, and his eyes immediately widened. Claire had walked into the cafe. She was alone, wearing a hoodie and jeans, and she looked absolutely stunning. Claire sat down directly at the bar, right in front of Luke. Luke immediately avoided her gaze, trying his best not to look at her face.
"Just a black coffee, Luke," Claire said curtly.
"Okay, Claire. Just a second," Luke replied briefly, reaching for a cup beside him to get started.
The atmosphere turned silent and incredibly awkward. Even Devon glanced over to check on Luke behind the bar, having noticed Claire walk in, while still occasionally looking back to chat with Sarah. Luke quickly handed the coffee cup to Claire, then slid over the sugar cubes, brown sugar, and cream. He stole a glance at Claire, who didn't seem to be in a good mood.
"Um... just you today, Claire?" Luke asked, trying to make small talk.
"Yeah... I'm frustrated. I got into a fight with my boyfriend last night. He's seriously insecure and controlling. I was just calling my dad because there was something important I needed to discuss about house stuff, so I stepped into the bathroom because I didn't want him overhearing and left him alone on the sofa. But he actually followed me, and once I hung up, he interrogated me. Isn't that crazy? So annoying," Claire answered, immediately venting her frustrations.
"Wait, what? She's actually opening up to me," Luke muttered in his heart. "Oh... I see," Luke replied, trying to be responsive without any intention of getting involved in her business, especially since he was still feeling the sting of her rejection.
"And it wasn't just that. He actually wanted to check my phone. I just gave it to him since I have nothing to hide and it really was my dad I called. But after he saw I was telling the truth, he started digging for other things just so I wouldn't blame him. He brought up every guy friend I have, even every male classmate. It's pathetic... just totally pathetic. I regret even getting with him," Claire said irritably, dropping in some sugar and stirring her coffee aggressively.
"I see," Luke said. He looked like he was suffering as he listened to her; he didn't want to hear any of this, but he had no choice since he couldn't exactly just walk away.
Devon saw how much Luke was suffering and whispered to Sarah, who also looked over toward Luke while pushing up her glasses. But just as they were about to stand up to help him, suddenly,
"Chime,"
Luke and Claire turned to look at the door, as did Devon and Sarah. Luke's eyes widened because this time, the one walking in was Amanda. She looked "expensive," wearing a black tee that was clearly designer, branded capris, high heels, a handbag that obviously cost a fortune, and sunglasses indoors. Amanda immediately looked up at the menu board and pushed up her sunglasses, then glanced at the ring on her finger.
After that, she spotted Claire sitting at the bar and headed straight over to sit right next to her.
"Luke, one caramel macchiato, please," Amanda said while taking off her sunglasses.
"Sure, but why are you here, Amanda? Didn't Noel say you guys had a family event? Vanessa invited him there," Luke replied.
"Well... you know how it is. I'm just not in the mood for all the questions about the wedding plans. Usually, everyone starts meddling when we get together just to have something to talk about with me, so I just came here instead," Amanda said, clearly making a point to lift her hand and show off her ring.
"So what you shared on Insta was real, then? You actually got proposed to, apparently. Who is it? Trevor?" Claire said sarcastically, turning to look at Amanda.
"Of course it's Trevor and what I shared was real. Right now I'm planning our wedding and today I'm just exhausted, so I came here. And what about you, what are you doing here? This is a surprise," Amanda asked, glancing at Claire.
"I'm just hanging out. So, you're serious about Trevor? It's not just because he's loaded?" Claire asked bluntly.
"You think I'm playing around? Obviously, I love him. Why would you even ask something so basic," Amanda answered curtly.
"Huh... as if I don't know exactly what kind of person you are," Claire said, taking a sip of her coffee.
"And where's your boyfriend? Why are you all by yourself?" Amanda asked.
"I don't know, it's none of your business anyway, is it?" Claire answered curtly.
The atmosphere turned tense and silent once again. Luke, while making the coffee, glanced over at Devon, who seemed to be shaking his head with an expression that said, "You better steer clear, bro; those two girls are a nightmare for you."
"Chime,"
The door opened once more. Everyone looked toward the entrance except for Luke, who was busy preparing the coffee. But suddenly,
"Hi Luke, I'm here!"
Giselle, wearing just a casual hoodie and jeans, suddenly appeared behind the bar. She cheerfully wrapped her arms around Luke's waist from the side, clearly oblivious to everyone else around them.
"Hi Giselle. I'm glad you're here. Can you help me out today?" Luke asked casually.
"Of course I can, that's why I came over. Susan is still asleep; I think she's exhausted from walking around all day yesterday, and Lorna is on her way here," Giselle answered.
Suddenly, Giselle turned her head because she felt a sharp gaze from the side. She saw Claire and Amanda staring at her intensely, both of their faces practically screaming, "Who is this girl, just hugging Luke like that... and she's actually as gorgeous as I am." Beside them, she also saw Devon, whose jaw had hit the floor because he was seeing Giselle for the first time. And just as Giselle had mentioned, a moment later,
"Chime,"
Lorna stepped inside and immediately felt the tension in the cafe. She saw Devon sitting there dazed along with Sarah, who also looked stunned. Then she spotted Claire and Amanda sitting at the bar counter, staring at Giselle—who was still holding onto Luke's waist and staring right back at Claire and Amanda.
"Hey... hey... hey... what the hell is going on here?" Lorna shouted, still standing by the door.
Meanwhile, Luke could only stay silent, unable to say a word. "I hope there's no chaos today. Why on earth did everyone have to show up at the exact same time," he muttered in his heart.
***
[Quest: Find 110 match (103/110).]
[Reward per Match: $1500,- received.]