Love in the Milky Way Cafe

Down time in little café wedged between the neighborhood hair salon and sandwich shop occurred between seven o’clock and eight thirty. The time was seven thirty and the café had about four customers lounging around the red booths and small tables busying themselves with their cell phones as they sipped their coffee. It was a calm evening compared to any other night when the place was packed with college students cramming for the next day’s exam with two cups of espresso to keep them company until closing time.

Behind the counter operated a three man team consisting of three boys by the names of Jin, Jungkook, and Jimin. Jungkook, the youngest of the team, dressed in a blank apron over a white shirt and khakis wiped down the empty tables as he bobbed his head along to the music he heard through the speakers. Jimin stacked the dried cups back on their shelves as he hummed to his own tune while Jin stood behind the register counting off the day’s earnings. The night had been pretty uneventful for the three and with only four hours left, they weren’t expecting much to happen anyways.

“Jimin, when you’re done can you go get a fresh bag of coffee beans from the back and get Jungkook to help you. We need some more milk too.” Jin looked up from his counting at the boy beside him who just finished stacking. Jimin saluted his boss and called out for the younger co worker. The latter flung the rag in his hands across his shoulder and headed towards the back with his friend just as the bell on the door rang.

Jin welcomed the new customer, or rather customers, without looking up. He placed the last dollar bills in the register and smiled at the new patrons who now stood in front of him contemplating over the extensive menu overhead, “Welcome. Order whenever you’re ready.”

The older couple in front of him seemed lost staring up at the menu. Jin smiled though seeing how they whispered to each other about what to order when the man looked back to someone behind him. The couple parted a bit to reveal a young woman behind them who seemed to already know what she wanted. The girl pointed up at the menu and explained things to the older pair. They nodded their heads in understanding when finally she linked arms with the couple and pulled them forward to the counter, “Hi.”

Jin blinked a few times and smiled back, “Hello, what can I get you?”

The girl giggled while she ordered their drinks, “One Americano, small. One green tea latte and…” she paused while taking one last glance up at the menu, “one caramel macchiato.”

Jin rung up the orders and took the man’s card as he offered it when the girl between him and his wife slipped away towards the restroom just as Jimin and Jungkook returned from the back.

“I need one Americano and one green tea latte, guys.”

“We got it.” The two males gave the thumbs up and got to work just as Jin got to work making the last order. From behind him he heard that girl return to her parents. She laughed quietly and conversed with them something that Jin could only pick up a few words on. He heard words like ‘cute,’ ‘quiet,’ ‘nice place,’ etc. He assumed she spoke of the café. It was funny because he’d never seen her before, at least not when it was his shift to work.

He steamed the milk and poured it into the glass mug before adding the two shots of espresso. He could smell the warm caramel and smiled down at his creation. Caramel macchiato was his specialty.

“One caramel macchiato.” Jin called out seeing the girl jump up to receiver her drink when she was gently pushed down by her father. He came up instead to get her drink as well as his and his wife’s. The two women moved towards the door and reached for their drinks just as they looked up to say goodbye, “Thank you.”

Jin bowed his head before waving, “Come again.”

He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a hand on his shoulder, “Why the sigh?”

Jimin peeked over his friend’s shoulder, staring after the family who had just left. Jin shrugged as he flicked the younger’s forehead, “I’m tired.”

Jin left him to clean up when Jungkook raised a brow at his boss who’s cheeks appeared red, “What’s with him?”

Jimin rubbed his forehead with a shrug, “He said he was tired.”

The two boys looked back to see Jin rubbing his face repeatedly, making it even redder, “I guess it’s been a long night.”

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