There was no avoiding Wendy when Joy came home from her evening shift. The waifish girl was sitting in the living room where she had been ‘living’ for the past couple weeks, curled up on the couch with a blanket over her lap.

Joy took a deep breath. Wendy looked up at her with an expression that Joy felt more acutely than if Wendy had been outright angry with her. It was disappointment.

“Wendy, I-”

“Did you want to sit?” she asked quietly, reaching over to grab one of the throw pillows to make a space on the couch.

Joy swallowed. She had really made a mess of things, but she also had the least to lose from the situation she had created. That didn’t stop her from feeling guilty about throwing Wendy under the bus just for the sake of some gossip, however.

She mutely came to sit next to Wendy. Wendy hugged the pillow to her chest and rested her chin on it.

After a moment, Joy tried again. “I’m really sorry, Wendy.”

Wendy sighed. “Joy, it’s okay. I’m not mad.”

Joy turned to her with wide eyes. “Not mad? How are you not mad? I’d be furious…” she asked incredulously.

Wendy wore a small, wry smile. She glanced over at Joy. “Joy. You took me in. That mess with my scholarships and losing my apartment… You could have said no, but you helped me.”

Joy scoffed and looked away. A couch in the cramped living room of Joy’s studio apartment was hardly worthy of praise. And she especially didn’t want any credit after embarrassing the girl in front of the whole store. “Please. It’s literally the least I could do,” she dismissed.

Wendy’s small smile grew. “What I’m saying is how could I be mad at you after that? I… I know it was just a mistake.” Joy may be mouthy and anti-establishment on the surface, but Wendy was becoming convinced the girl didn't have a mean bone in her body.

“Stop being so Canadian! You’re still allowed to get mad.” Having all of the good things Joy had done for Wendy pointed out to her was somehow making her feel even worse. Wendy would make a great mother someday.  

“Really, Joy, I’ve got bigger fish to fry, now. After all, you did tell Seulgi that I drunkenly spilled her darkest secrets to you.” If anyone needed to start practicing her apology, it was Wendy.

“See? It’s all my fault! If Yeri hadn’t egged me on about the whole Irene thing-” Joy gasped and slapped a hand over .

“Wow, you’re really bad at this, aren’t you?”

Joy groaned into her hands.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask. But do me a favor and go easy on yourself, okay? I’m walking on enough eggshells at work these days, I don’t want to have to be like that around you, too,” Wendy said, scooting closer and putting an arm around Joy’s shoulders.

Joy peeked up at her through her fingers. “So you forgive me?”

Wendy pretended to think about it for a moment. “Hmm, I think a week without me making your lunches will serve you right.”

+++

“Why are you here?” Yeri asked as she saw Wendy come up to the bar. It was rare for off-duty baristas to voluntarily come into the store, and Wendy clearly wasn’t dressed for work, so she wasn’t here to cover a shift. She was wearing a backwards baseball cap over her long, wavy hair, a sweater with her college’s logo plastered on the front, and a pair of ripped jeans completed her look. Yeri wasn’t sure what the look was, but she supposed it somehow suited Wendy’s style.  

Gunhee came up behind Yeri and peeked at Wendy from over the blonde’s head. “More importantly, what’s in the box?” he wondered, indicating the parcel in Wendy's hands.

“Is Irene here?” Wendy asked, ignoring their questions.

Yeri’s eyes narrowed as she glanced between Wendy and the box. “Yeah… she’s in the back, why?”

Wendy ignored her again and walked around the bar, making her way towards the back room.

“Is it doughnuts?” Gunhee asked, following her. Now that Yeri thought about it, it did look like some sort of pastry box.

Wendy held it up away from Gunhee defensively. “It’s not for you, it’s for Irene!” was all she said as she nudged the stockroom door open with her foot and scooted inside.

The door swung shut in the two baristas’ faces and they exchanged a curious look.

As Yeri had mentioned, Irene was sitting at the desk, her forehead in her hand as she irritatedly tapped her pen against some papers that were spread out in front of her. Wendy heard her grumble something as she collected all the pages and stuffed them in a drawer. She stood up and turned suddenly, and they both startled.

“Oh-!”

“Wendy?”

Wendy swallowed. Irene still seemed very frustrated, but her gaze softened the longer she regarded the barista. “I-Irene, I uh… here!” Wendy nervously walked over to the desk and offered Irene the box. So far, this wasn’t exactly going to plan, but there was no backing down now.

Irene blinked rapidly and took the proffered box. She gave Wendy a brief, suspicious look before slowly opening the lid.

“... A cake?”

Wendy beamed at her, unable to help being a little proud at how well it had turned out, even in the face of Irene’s withering gaze.

“Yeah, I thought I’d… I made it for you,” Wendy said, verbally stumbling over her tangling thoughts.

Irene looked at her in surprise. “For me? But why?” Irene briefly looked away in thought. Was it her birthday? No, that was last month. She shook her head and regarded Wendy again. “I mean, thank you, Wendy.”

Wendy smiled at her shyly. So far so good. “It’s… an apology,” she began hesitatingly. “I feel like we didn’t quite get off to a good start, and… and I feel like I’ve only been making things worse since then.”

Irene carefully considered Wendy’s concern. It was true; there hadn’t been a lot of opportunity for them to interact together one-on-one, but Irene felt like she had still been able to piece Wendy together through watching her work. Irene knew you could tell a lot about a person by seeing them operate under stressful situations, and Wendy’s positive attitude had held up even better than even the more veteran baristas at this store. Irene had come away with a good impression of the girl, even if she might be a little clumsy.

But there was that one dark cloud that hung over Irene’s thoughts about the barista now whenever Wendy came up: Joy’s text. Still, Irene grinned at her, catching Wendy entirely off guard. She was almost more worried now than when Irene had been glaring at her. “Wendy, you don’t have anything to apologize for. If you’ve been feeling like this lately, then maybe I’m the one who should apologize.”

Wendy’s face screwed up in confusion.

Irene gave a short laugh and looked away. “You saw us, didn’t you?”

Wendy swallowed, hard. “I…” This was part of the reason she felt compelled to have a talk with Irene before any more incidents could pile up.

Irene took her near-lack of response as an affirmative. She nodded, a faint, wry grin on her face. “Why don’t we step outside and talk for a bit?”

Irene put the box on the desk and walked over to the back door. Wendy followed obediently, feeling apprehensive about what Irene might have to say. The manager swung the door open, the “DO NOT OPEN, ALARM WILL SOUND” sign still plastered on it uselessly, and motioned for Wendy to exit first. Irene took a flattened piece of cardboard from the recyling and wedged it in the door jam so they wouldn’t be locked out.

Wendy shut her eyes as the sunlight hit her face. Spring was easily her favorite season, and it came a lot faster here than it did up in Toronto. She turned and savored the warmth on her back as she waited on Irene.

“I don’t really know what to say about what you saw,” Irene began immediately, raising a hand to her brow to shield her face from the bright light. “It was exactly what it probably looked like.” Irene sat on the curb, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her arms on top of them.

Wendy shifted her weight in embarrassment, but didn’t volunteer her thoughts about what she had witnessed. She sat next to Irene with her legs splayed out in front of her.   

“It was unprofessional, and it won’t happen again,” Irene said soberly.

Wendy looked over at her in shock. “What? Why?”

Irene raised a brow curiously. Wendy glanced away quickly. “S-sorry, it’s none of my business.”

“Why do you seem so surprised?” Irene asked slowly, despite her better judgement.

A mortified expression overtook Wendy’s features at being asked. “I guess I’m not actually surprised - I know you could lose your job.” It wasn’t a threat, Wendy was simply acknowledging the fear she had had since she realized Irene was going to be their boss.

Irene nodded slowly. She felt like Wendy was dancing around something, and her curiosity was getting the better of her. Wendy seemed like a terrible liar. “There’s more,” Irene stated, rather than asked.

Wendy winced.

+++

“Oh thank god you’re here,” Yeri said, leaning over the counter dramatically and grabbing at Seulgi as she passed on her way to the back room. “I was beginning to think this day was never going to end!” Seulgi was Yeri’s relief today, though Seulgi herself was anything but relieved, knowing that she was closing with Eunae tonight.

And Seulgi wasn’t exactly thrilled to see Yeri either. She didn’t have the heart to shrug the young girl off, though. “Let me just put my stuff down then I’ll come on so you can go,” she said in a flat voice.

Yeri instantly dropped the playful act. “Hey, Seul,” she started, with a grip on Seulgi’s shirt. Seulgi halted. Gunhee made himself scarce.

Seulgi sighed. “What’s up?”

“I feel bad,” Yeri admitted. “It’s my fault Joy messed everything up. I just got a little carried away about you and Irene, and I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“Me and Irene?” Seulgi finally turned to face the young barista. Joy had clearly been talking about Seulgi and Eunae, so what was Yeri going on about?

“I see the way you look at each other,” Yeri persisted stubbornly. She had never been afraid of Seulgi, having worked with her too closely over the years to be intimidated by the ‘Legendary Barista’s’ serious exterior. She knew better.

“We don’t… She looks at me?” Seulgi asked, suddenly feeling a little shy.

Yeri stared at her. “Gunhee saw you two kissing and you’re acting like she’s some unobtainable crush?”

Out in the cafe they heard a clatter as Gunhee knocked a bunch of merchandise off a shelf he had been dusting. He slowly stooped to pick everything up, pointedly not looking up at either of them. His face was bright red.

“We weren’t kissing!” Yes, they were.

Yeri rolled her eyes at Seulgi’s bold-faced lie. “Adults are weird.”

“You’re 18.”

Yeri ignored her. “Anyway, if you’re going to make your move, you’d better do it quick. Wendy’s got a leg up on you,” she teased. It seemed Yeri wasn’t sorry she had been gossiping about Seulgi - only sorry that she had been caught.

Seulgi gave a faint, wry grin at how cheeky she was, but it faded quickly. “What do you mean a leg up?” All’s fair in love and war, but Seulgi still wanted to know what Yeri’s insider information was.

“Wendy brought her a cake.”

“A cake?!” Seulgi groaned. She was done for. She may as well give up now. There was no beating Wendy’s baked goods.

Yeri snickered at her obvious distress. “Well, she’s also dressed like a 12-year old boy today, so maybe you still have a chance after all~”

“Wait, she’s here now?” Seulgi peeked through the stockroom door’s window but didn’t see either of them. She did notice the cake box on the desk, however.

Yeri gave her a push and Seulgi stumbled into the back room. She composed herself as she heard the door slowly swing to a close behind her. She wasn’t exactly sure what her plan was, though she was fairly certain she could guess what Yeri was hoping would happen. This wasn’t one of the blonde’s novels, however. These were real adults with real feelings, and to be honest, after everything that had happened lately, Seulgi was beginning to doubt her ability to make someone else happy.

Seeing Eunae again had brought all of those insecurities crashing back to the fore. She had made great strides towards regaining her confidence and her inner peace after Eunae had suddenly left her, but now that she was back, Seulgi meditated on those old fears anew. Would Eunae have stayed if she had been good enough? If she had made her happy enough?

She was putting Irene at great risk because of her selfishness, but would she be able to follow through? Would Irene find her worth it? Would Irene eventually give up on them, too?

Them.

There was no 'them'.

Seulgi walked over to the desk and opened the box. She rolled her eyes - the cake looked perfect, of course. Not professional, but it had that homey touch that went straight to the heart. A crack of light caught her eye and she realized the back door was slightly ajar. A quick glance around the room told her no one was taking the trash out, and it had been years since they had had a barista who smoked, so who…?

Seulgi crept towards the door, staying out of sight.

“I’m just worried because I feel like this is all my fault,” she heard Wendy saying. “Do... do you remember when you first came in the store? Before you started working here?”

Irene had a suspicion she knew where this was going, but she played along so that Wendy would continue. “Vaguely,” she replied, though her intense gaze was undoubtedly giving her away.

Wendy took a shuddering breath. “Your order… the cup. It was me.”

Irene’s eyebrows twitched in shock and she dropped her ignorant act. “What?” she asked breathlessly.

“I wrote Seulgi’s number on your cup,” Wendy admitted with a small groan.

“But… but why?!”

Why, indeed. Wendy had made quite a mess of things. More than Joy, more than Yeri… Wendy spared a brief glance up at the sky, some choice words coming to mind for their collective beverage god or whoever else was listening. She shrugged. “The whole time you were in the store, she couldn’t keep her eyes off you. I’d never seen her make so many mistakes before.” She gave a short, quiet laugh at the memory. “That was before I knew about Eunae, though.”

Irene said nothing, her expression dark as she listened.

Wendy turned to her. “But she told me she’s not in love with her anymore! They’ve been broken up for quite a while. Eunae even moved across the country…!”

Seulgi couldn’t listen anymore. It was too much to hear how hard Wendy was working for her sake. And what had Seulgi done for the girl in return? She’d just been jealous. She’d just hoped that Irene wouldn’t see everything everyone else saw in Wendy, and that she’d stand a chance.

She went and sat down at the desk and laid her head on her arms, biting back a long, bemused groan.

“-what do you mean there’s cake? What are we…” Eunae’s voiced died out as she came in the back room and saw Seulgi sitting in a forlorn position at the desk. “...celebrating?”