I looked at my watch to check the time and a grimace of hesitancy twisted my face after seeing its hand on ten in the morning. The work in our café wasn’t extremely tiring, mostly because of the friendly atmosphere between people working here, and it was safe to say that we were welcomed to take a short rest even during the most hectic hours. Luhan wasn’t the best boyfriend, but I’d be lying if I said that he wasn’t a good boss considering how he treated his employees, giving them a free hand at work and helping in self-development. But there were a few rules everyone had to comply with. A few rules no one ever dared to violate because everyone knew what would happen if we did.

Seeing your boss in berserk mode was the last thing you wanted while dealing with impatient clients and hot coffee.

Luhan gave us freedom during work and he expected us to stick to those few rules. The most important one was to not disturb him before noon. Every unexpected visit, every business matter which wasn’t planned beforehand and that Luhan hadn’t informed us about had to wait till the clock struck twelve noon. I’d always respected it and I would respect it till the end because I knew Luhan was working hard during those few hours to keep the café’s reputation on the highest level. And although I played a role of heartbroken girlfriend now, I wasn’t going to be a pain in the just because of my relationship problems.

“Well...” I wetted my lips, looking at the watch again as if the time would have miraculously changed. “I’m sorry, but I think he’s busy now. Can you wait a—“

“I’m his friend,” the blond guy cut me off, and I almost scowled because of his interruption. He lifted his left hand to grab the strap of his backpack and I felt my breath catch in my throat after seeing a long, perfectly straight scar appear from behind two bracelets I had already seen, reaching down to his elbow. Its still-pinkish tint was a sign that whatever had happened to him hadn’t been too long ago. I felt a shiver running down my spine, making my body shake with discomfort. God, that looked painful.

“So?” The guy’s firm, cold voice brought me back to reality. I saw him quickly dropping his hand to the side, probably noticing what I was looking at the whole time, and I raised my eyes to examine his face. When I saw his jaw clenched in discomfort, I realized how rude it was to openly stare at his wound.

“Sorry,” I muttered almost immediately, feeling the embarrassing heat crawling up my cheeks and ears. ”But you can catch Luhan after noon.”

“Is he in the café now?” he insisted, and I had to hold myself back from rolling my eyes in annoyance. I hated people who didn’t understand or simply ignored what others were saying, and he was one of them. Seeing him looking around, probably searching for Luhan, I could already sense that this guy meant trouble.

I sighed tiredly, making another attempt to explain why he couldn’t see Luhan now. “Yes, he is but—“

“Never mind then,” he interjected again and walked past me, heading for the first door behind me, hitting my arm with his guitar on the way. I turned around and scoffed with disbelief after seeing him make his way to Luhan’s office like he owned the whole place. Oh God, what an !

“Hey!” I shouted, running after him and grabbing his hand, which was already squeezing the doorknob. “You’re not allowed to come inside!”

“Listen!” he snapped back – or more like yelled at me – shaking off my hand from his like it could burn him. He turned his whole body to me and his nose scrunched with anger and irritation as he folded his arms across his chest. “I haven’t slept for two days, I had my last meal yesterday morning and I stink like I’ve just received a small tour of local refuse heap because some decided to steal my wallet.” He took a deep breath before continuing, keeping his cold eyes on mine but with his voice a few octaves lower now. “So if you still don’t get the point, let me tell you, little girl. I’m hungry, I’m tired and really, really pissed now so pretend like you didn’t see anything, politely go back to work and let me finally talk to Luhan before I lose my patience.”

I winced involuntarily when he had finished speaking.

Good thing I didn’t have a gun on me, because his words – especially the ‘little girl’ insult – would’ve been enough for me to pull the trigger. It was my turn to clench my teeth in fury, putting aside the good manners my mother had inculcated in me every single day. “I think you have a big problem with hearing, so let me repeat myself. I won’t let you inside, so step away, please.”

He snorted, sending me a half smirk and putting his hand provocatively back on the doorknob. “Make me.”

And I was more than glad to do it. In a second I forgot every part of our costumer’s policy and was ready to wipe the stupid grin off his face. But then the door opened and an angry Sehun stormed out of Luhan’s office, almost trampling the guy standing next to me. The blond stranger jumped away at the last moment, preventing himself from getting knocked down by the hard, wooden door. Too bad it didn’t hit him right in the face.

“As if I care—“ Sehun muttered furiously under his breath as soon as he had opened the door, but stopped halfway at seeing me standing in front of him. Something was odd in the way he was acting after his encounter with our boss, but I couldn’t ask about it. Not here, not now. The sudden enmity flashing in his eyes melted away the second he realized he wasn’t alone, and he sent me one confused look, raising his brows questioningly. “What are you doing here?”

I pointed at the guy standing next to us, not even looking at him to emphasize my frustration. “Dealing with a small problem. Do you mind helping?”

Just then Sehun looked to the left, noticing the stranger accompanying us and furrowing his brows, he straightened his back to look taller – not like he should have to in the first place, as he was already much taller than the guy with the guitar. “I’m sorry, but only personnel of the café have the permission to be here.”

“I need to talk with Luhan,” the guy persisted, and I growled with frustration. Seriously, it was like talking to the wall in an empty room – every word you say bouncing back at you after meeting with the cold concrete.

“Listen.” I put my hands on my hips, blowing hair out of my face. “I already told you that he’s—“

“What’s going on here?”

The three of us jerked our heads in the direction the voice had come from to see Luhan leaning against the doorframe, holding the door with one hand and observing us with curiosity. His blond hair was falling down over his forehead, completely covering his brows, which were currently lifted in surprise – as though the small meeting in front of his office was the last thing he’d expected.

I opened my mouth, ready to explain the whole situation before he got mad, but then Luhan laid his eyes on the stranger and a sudden cheerful smile appeared on his face, leaving me even more puzzled than before. He walked over to the unannounced guest and hugged him. “Geez Baekhyun, it took you forever to get here.”

“I had to deal with some obstacles on the way.” The guy hugged him back sending me a victorious look, and I clenched my fists, feeling the anger boiling inside of me. I hope he was planning to leave the café within five minutes, because it took herculean effort not to punch