My eyes stayed fixed on Jayson as he moved around the café, delivering orders with practiced ease.
I sighed, shaking my head at my ridiculous train of thought.
No, it couldn't be him. There's no way.
His mannerisms, his way of speaking—it didn't fit the image I had of Syl at all.
But really, who was I to assume? I didn't even know what Syl looked like.
For all I knew, he could be a teenager or some old dude faking his identity!
Still… there was a tiny chance that maybe, just maybe—
PAK!
A sharp slap landed lightly on the back of my head.
I winced, turning around with a grimace—only to immediately shrink back.
There stood my feisty manager, glaring at me under layers of thick makeup.
"Did I hire you just to gawk at your male co-workers, hmm?" Amor snapped, arms crossed.
I chewed on my lower lip, forcing myself to stay silent before I could say something that would get me into more trouble.
I was already on this man's bad side—I didn't need to make things worse.
But something about the way he was pressing into me today felt… different.
Almost personal.
My eyes flicked back to Jayson.
Was Amor picking on me because of him?
Could it be that they… knew each other? Like, in that kind of way?
It was possible. Amor had been acting strangely ever since Jayson arrived. Could he see me as some kind of rival just because Jayson had been nice to me? Or was it because he caught me staring at him?
Does this mean Jayson is off my list of being Syl?
Argh!
I groaned internally, shaking the thoughts away.
I needed to focus.
Otherwise, Amor was definitely going to chew me out again.
***
It was a five minutes before seven, but my shift was already finish as the one whose shift is seven came ten minute earlier and started taking my work. She never been this early before, she had kept coming more after we hired Jayson and obviously, more customers has been coming to our cafe lately.
Guess Amor knew the impact his friend would have. That's probably one asset why he hired Jayson.
While in the faculty room, just as before I leave the café. Jayson entered and went to Amor who was just sitting at our usual staff's long table.
"Is it okay for me to get a leave on this week's Friday night? I have an urgent appointment to meet." Jayson stated.
"An urgent appointment? Hmm..." Amor pondered for a while "Sure, from what time can't you work?"
"Starting at seven in the evening."
"Oh, at a rush hour..." Amor seem to have realized how heavy the work flow would be from Jayson's absence.
He's only been working with us for a few weeks but he's one of the diligent and fastest worker in the café, especially during rush hours. What's more, I heard Elise and some other employee also took a leave for Friday.
"Okay, you can." Despite the long pondering, he still gave Jayson his approval.
"Are you sure? Aren't you also leaving on Friday night? Will the café run without you?"
"I might have need to move that next week, so I'll probably be here on Friday, don't worry."
"Then I'll cancel—"
"Jayson, it's fine. If it's urgent you have to go, mine's not that urgent anyway, so it's fine."
Jayson was still insisting that he would cancel, but their voices faded as soon I closed the door.
"Is Jayson still in the staff room?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin when Yula, the part-timer after me, suddenly popped up with her usual hyper tone.
"You startled me," I muttered, pressing a hand to my chest. "And yeah, he's still in there. Why— actually, never mind. I'm heading out."
She opened her mouth to say something, but I walked past her before she could get a word in. I wasn't in the mood for chit-chat—especially when I knew it would just lead to her pestering me about Jayson.
Stepping outside, the evening air hit me like a blast of ice, making me shiver. Why is January always colder than December in this country? Brrrr.
I should start bringing a cardigan from tomorrow—just in case. The weather here is so unpredictable.
I lingered in front of the café, watching the streetlight flicker across the road. Two men approached, stepping inside together. They were tall, but I couldn't get a clear look at their faces.
I sighed. Why do all the hot guys show up after my shift? The others inside had no idea how lucky they were, getting to serve such eye candy.
Stretching my arms, I checked my phone for the time and was about to head left when—
Bump.
A firm hand caught my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," a deep baritone voice said.
My breath hitched. My body froze.
The man barely paused before pulling away, striding off in a hurry. Stunned, I turned instinctively, watching his silhouette fade into the night as he got into a taxi.
That voice.
That voice.
The man I just bumped into—the one who had just stepped out of the café where I worked...
It was him.
It was Syl!