Because Minseok was still not feeling well and Luhan was still an , Baekhyun and Kyungsoo managed to work the opening shift the next day. Baekhyun was emotionally tired, more so than he felt he should be, but he relied heavily on coffee and D.O’s hate to keep him going through the morning rush, and then into the afternoon.

At around 10:15am the store was completely empty. Baekhyun usually at this time would take a nap or something but since D.O. didn’t have a heart Baekhyun was stuck at the counter. He resorted to playing solitaire on his phone, the volume up all the way so D.O would have to endure every annoying noise from the phone.

“Have you ever considered being a decent person?” D.O. asked after a while. He was sitting at the bar reading some heavy book on Social Theories.

“Only for you Kyungsoo” Baekhyun didn’t look up from his game.

“I told you not to call me that” Baekhyun could feel the bitterness in D.O’s voice. In a moment of boredom and desperation, Baekhyun texted Luhan.

Baekhyun: $5 says D.O. will file a complaint with Minseok by the end of the day.

The Tall Gay Roommate: He always files complaints. No bet.

Baekhyun: He does not?

The Tall Gay Roommate: I bet you $10 you can’t go the whole day without annoying D.O. If he files a complaint you lose. Also he does but Minseok only tells you about half of them.

Baekhyun: Fine. Consider this a virtual handshake.

The Tall Gay Roommate: Done.

Just as Baekhyun steeled his resolve and put his phone in his pocket the door rang and some high schoolers walked in, pushing each other and giggling. There was nothing Baekhyun hated more than serving high schoolers.

“Hello! How can I help you?” he asked in his best tone of voice, winking at D.O who looked suspicious.

After about five minutes of pushing each other and goofing off the three teenagers finally ordered their sugary drinks and D.O began preparing them.

“Oh let me.” Baekhyun said, quickly finishing one of the frozen Green Tea Latte’s and moving onto prepare the next. D.O. continued to look suspicious but didn’t say anything.

After the teenagers were served Baekhyun quickly took D.O’s job of wiping down the tables and preparing for the lunch rush.

“What are you doing?” D.O finally asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…what are you doing?”

“…I’m working. What are you doing?”

“Why are you being so…nice?” D.O. narrowed his eyes.

“I am simply trying to help out a friend. Is that not allowed?”

The bell rang and a girl walked in. She was short with long blond hair. She was really pretty with a small mouth and big eyes. “Hey” She had a nice voice

“Hello! What can I get for you?” Baekhyun smiled warmly.

“Can I just get a small iced Americano?”

“Of course. Can I get a name for that?” Baekhyun didn’t really need a name for it.

“Taeyeon.” She smiled again and paid, sitting at a table in the corner and checking her phone. Baekhyun hoped she wasn’t there for a date, but then wondered why he hoped that. He had always operated under the assumption he was gay.

D.O quickly made Taeyeon’s coffee and gave it to her, glaring at Baekhyun the whole time. Now that she was just sitting there Baekhyun returned the counter and D.O returned to his book. Baekhyun wanted to play his game but he knew if he did while there were customers D.O would certainly call Minseok.

After about ten minutes the doorbell rang again and Jongdae walked in. His hair was pushed back off his forehead and he had on glasses. Baekhyun suddenly remembered why he was gay. “Why do you look so good?” He asked as Jongdae came to the counter.

“Ugh” D.O sighed loudly “I swear can you not hit on something for one minute?”

“Sorry, he gets jealous sometimes. I told you D.O. I’m always available if you want to experiment.” Baekhyun winked and D.O. almost vomited. Jongdae laughed warmly.

“Kim Jongdae!” Taeyeon had stood up, her voice was powerful Baekhyun noted.

“Taeyeon!” Jongdae smiled again and went over to give her a hug. Baekhyun froze. Was this her date? Did Jongdae really arrange for a date at Baekhyun’s coffee shop? Would Baekhyun have to witness a date?

“I thought he was gay” D.O. muttered

“Baekhyun this is my cousin, Taeyeon.” Jongdae introduced, Taeyeon shook Baekhyun’s hand.

“Cousin! Great! I mean. Hey” Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he was more relieved because Taeyeon wasn’t dating Jongdae or that Jongdae wasn’t dating Taeyeon.

“I didn’t know you were friends with the cute barista” Taeyeon said. Baekhyun felt himself turn pink. Jongdae’s smile faltered.

“Yeah. He’s Jongsu’s piano teacher.” He said curtly. Baekhyun didn’t miss the tone shift.

“Great. You call him cute once now I’ll never hear the end of it.” D.O. muttered.

“Awe D.O you’re cute too” Baekhyun coo-d, causing D.O. to launch an empty cup at him.  Baekhyun dodged the projectile and made a kissy face at D.O. Taeyeon laughed at the encounter.

“He’s funny too!” She said.

“Yeah he is. We should let him get back to work” Jongdae said, grabbing his coffee and sitting at the table. Baekhyun wasn’t quite sure what happened but he knew he didn’t like it.

They sat down and began to talk ad Baekhyun tried not to eavesdrop but there wasn’t anyone else in the store so it was difficult. They talked about the funeral arrangements mostly, Jongdae talked about Jongsu, Taeyeon said she was probably going to move back to the town so she could help with whatever he needed.

Taeyeon had a nice smile and a nice laugh and was very pretty and Baekhyun felt himself going into a crisis. Looking at the two people sitting at that table he wasn’t sure which one he wanted to kiss more. He had never felt attracted to a girl before but he kind of had tunnel vision sometimes and wasn’t sure how many girls he had really been exposed to. 

Thankfully Jongdae and Taeyeon left because Jongdae had to go to work and Taeyeon was going to go visit his mother in the hospital. Why you would visit someone in a coma was beyond Baekhyun but he digressed. On his way out Jongdae smiled at Baekhyun and Baekhyun felt like there was something more behind it but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Luhan arrived to relieve Baekhyun so he could go home and prepare for his afternoon lessons.

There was about an hour before his student showed up so Baekhyun found whoever was around to listen to his problems. Today it was Minseok, who dispite being sick still was doing housework.

“So this girl walks in and she is hot, like, ok Minseok I am gay but like, she is so hot. And so I get her name, Taeyeon, and god her voice was so pretty and like, calming. Wow I just like, wanted to keep talking to her”

“Mhmm”

“And like, she sits down and like looks like she is waiting for someone so I’m like, its probably a date right-“

“Mhmm”

“And then, get this, ing, Jongdae walks in”

“Mhmm”

“So I think, he is also hot, so I do my thing make his coffee, and Taeyeon geos up and gives him a huge hug! So I think, ‘ he is her date!”

“Wait I thought you said Jongdae was gay”

“Okay he never said ‘gay’ he said, ‘not straight’”

“So he might be bi or pan or ace?” Minseok coughed.

“Wait. . Yeah, but ok there’s more. She isn’t his date, she is his cousin. And they are like, talking about funeral and like Jongsu and as they talked Minseok I ing, I don’t know what I was thinking but both of them were so! Hot!”

“Mhmm”

“But god she was so pretty and nice and she said I was cute and funny and by the way did D.O. call you today to complain about me?”

“Um..no?”

“Ok good Luhan owes me $10 remember that, anyways, I wasn’t sure which one fo them I wanted to make out with more.”

“Baekhyun have you ever considered that you might be bi or pan?”

Baekhyun halted. To be honest no he hadn’t ever considered that he might be bi or pan. There had only ever been Chanyeol and since he was a guy Baekhyun had just assumed that he was only into guys. Minseok laughed as Baekhyun had frozen.

“You obviously don’t have to know everything now but like, consider it. Taeyeon sounds nice.” Minseok said.

“Oh here is another thing, “Baekhyun recovered quickly, “When she called me cute and funny Jongdae got like, weird? Like he stopped smiling and like, made her stop talking to me and like, when he smiled on his way out it was weird like, I don’t know it was just…weird.”

“Maybe he doesn’t like his cousin calling you cute” Minseok said.

“What?”

“Maybe he likes you.”

“Um.”

“I mean, you obviously like him.”

“Obviously?? Is it obvious?”

“Oh my god Baekhyun anyone with two eyes and brain can see you like him” Minseok sighed and patted Baekhyun’s head, “Don’t stress yourself out about it okay? Just see what happens.” Before Baekhyun had time to respond the doorbell rang and Minseok went back to bed.

After his student left he went to the kitchen to find Luhan and Minseok having a sort of heated discussion,

“Dude, four employees is not nearly enough to keep a coffee shop running. Baekhyun and D.O. aren’t even full time”

“We have done fine until now” Minseok was fastidiously scrubbing the dishes. Luhan sighed and turned off the water, pushing himself between Minseok and the sink.

“Okay you are sick and I don’t know what the is wrong but if you aren’t better by the weekend you’re going to the hospital, secondly-“He raised his voice to cover up Minseok’s protests “-if you hire more people you can have longer hours, better for business, also I know at least three hundred students who would kill for a part time job at a coffee shop”

Baekhyun silently retreated from the kitchen, they had had this discussion before, it was their biggest recurring point of conflict. Baekhyun agreed with Luhan, a total of four employees was not enough for a coffee shop so close to a university, but he didn’t want to get involved and he didn’t want to vocalize support for Luhan.

Dinner was tense, Minseok and Luhan were still recovering from their ‘fight’, Baekhyun was still having his uality crisis and Jongin was not with Taemin so he didn’t really say much, instead feeding his dogs bits of chicken under the table and hoping no one would notice. They all knew he did that but no one really cared enough to mention it.