Brrrrrriiiiiiinnnnggggg!

Chanyeol groaned and pulled the pillow over his head. He had stayed up until two in the morning browsing pictures of famous male soloists, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy. But he couldn’t find him anywhere.

Brrrrrriiiiiiinnnnggggg!

He d around on his nightstand and slammed his hand down on his alarm clock. The ringing stopped and blessed silence filled the room. It was barely six, but he wanted to get to the shop early. Yesterday had been hectic with him running the entire place. If he prepared some of the food beforehand, perhaps he’d keep up with the midday rush. Chanyeol swung his long legs off the bed and onto the floor. He slouched toward the restroom to begin his day.

After a vigorous teeth brushing and four stops on the metro, Chanyeol let himself through the back entrance of the shop. All was quiet in the grey morning light, but Chanyeol felt his skin prickle. It felt like someone had been here, although the door was locked. He carefully looked around the shop. Everything seemed in order. The cash register was closed and all of the bags of coffee sitting on the “For Sale” rack looked in order. Chanyeol shrugged.

“Get it together. Right, let’s make a lemon pie and a strawberry cake,” he muttered, pulling on his apron and fastening his nametag.

He busied himself with baking, placing the pie and cake in the oven. Then he started making drink mixes for the special of the day. Outside, the sky lightened as the golden rays lengthened along the ground. A few customers gathered outside the door. Chanyeol waved at them before hurriedly putting the last few touches on his pie and cake. He slid them under two glass domes and then took a last look around the shop. Everything looked neat and welcoming. Time for round two.

“Good morning! Come in!” he called as he opened the door.

His regulars trickled past him, all giving him a nod or a quiet “hello.” Chanyeol slipped behind the counter and started taking orders. Coming in early and preparing some of the drinks beforehand was definitely the right move. Already he felt more efficient than yesterday. The morning crowd thickened as the clock ticked toward eight. A few more minutes and then crowd w