You're probably wondering how the two of us met, right?
Well… let me take you back to two months ago.
The café doorbell chimed as the last customer stepped out, and Lily flipped the sign to closed for the day.
"Julieee… I can't do this anymore. I'm sooo tired," Lily whined, holding Julie's hand.
"We've been getting so many customers lately. I can't serve them all alone."
Julie leaned against the counter and let out a slow breath.
"I know," she said. "I'll have Lucy help you out when there's a rush. I can handle the kitchen alone for a while."
"Ehhh, but Lucy's so clumsy," Lily complained.
"Oh come on," Julie replied. "She isn't that bad."
Both of them turned toward the sink, where Lucy was busy washing dishes.
"See?" Julie said, nodding toward her. "She's doing a pretty good job."
Lucy carefully rinsed a glass, but when she tried to place it down, she completely missed the table.
Crash.
"Ah!" Lucy yelped.
Lily and Julie spoke at the same time, "Ah… she's bad."
Lucy froze, then awkwardly tried to hide the broken glass behind her back.
"Lucy," Julie said calmly. "I saw that."
"Ehhh… I'm sorry, boss," Lucy said in a panic, bowing her head. "I didn't mean to—"
Julie rubbed her temple.
"I'll see what I can do," she said. "If the café keeps getting busier, we might run into troublesome customers. When that happens, I need someone I can rely on. I think I'll look for another staff member this time—maybe a guy."
Lily nodded. "Yeah… that might help."
Lucy tilted her head. "What are you guys talking about?"
"We were thinking about firing you," Lily said casually, clearly joking.
Lucy's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Bosss… don't abandon me," she cried dramatically. "I'll do better, I swear."
Lily burst out laughing. "I'm just kidding!"
Lucy immediately started hitting Lily, tears streaming down her face.
"You meany!"
Julie laughed softly at the scene.
"Alright, alright," she said. "Stop fooling around and go home. I'll take care of finding someone for work."
"Bye, Julie. Bye, Lucy," Lily said, waving.
Lucy waved back energetically.
Julie tilted her head up, glancing at the evening sky.
"I wonder what he's up to," Julie muttered.
She pulled out her phone and dialed her cousin.
"What are you doing?" Julie asked casually.
"Not sleeping, thanks to you," her cousin replied groggily.
"You wanna work at my café?" Julie asked sweetly.
"Fuck off."
"I'll tell uncle."
"…When do I start?"
Julie chatted with her cousin for a while before hanging up. She let out a satisfied sigh.
"Haa… now that's taken care of. Let's just head home."
(Next morning)
"Morning, Julieee."
"Morning, Lily," Julie replied.
Lily opened the counter while Julie tied on her apron and headed for the kitchen.
"Lily," Julie said, pausing, "about what we discussed yesterday—my little cousin will be joining us tomorrow."
"Ah… that was fast," Lily said. "What's he like?"
Julie thought for a moment.
"He can be a real troublemaker sometimes, but despite his silliness, he's actually a kind kid."
Lily's curiosity sparked.
"Just make sure to keep an eye on him," Julie added. "I'll leave him in your hands."
"Yes, boss," Lily replied obediently.
The doorbell rang.
"Good morning, Hank. The usual?" Lily asked.
"Morning, Lily," Hank said with a grin. "Looking beautiful as always. Yes, I'll have the usual."
"Come on, Hank," Lily said with a laugh. "You know flattering me won't get you a free coffee."
Both of them laughed.
"Hey, Lily. How are you?" Ron called out.
"Welcome, Ron," Lily said warmly. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Haha, yeah. I was sick lately."
"Hope you're feeling better," Lily said. "How about a lemon tea on the house?"
"I appreciate that," Ron said sincerely. "Thank you for looking after me, Lily."
"You know," Hank added, "I'm also kind of feeling under the weather lately."
"Shut up, Hank."
The three of them exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.
Time passed, the café growing livelier as Lily served customers and made small talk. The space filled with laughter and soft chatter.
The doorbell rang again.
A tall guy with slightly wavy black hair stepped inside.
"Welcome to the café," Lily said. "What would you like this fine evening?"
[Woah… he looks younger, but he's taller than me.]
"I'll have a coffee," the customer replied.
"Lucy, I'm going to step out for a moment and see if Lily needs any help," Julie said as she untied her apron.
"Okay," Lucy replied.
Julie paused and glanced back. "And don't break anything while I'm gone."
"Don't you have any faith in me?" Lucy asked, pouting.
"No," Julie answered flatly.
Lucy puffed out her cheeks in protest.
Julie stepped out of the kitchen and immediately spotted Lily talking with a customer near the counter.
"Oh?" Julie murmured to herself. "Is that how you want to play it."
Lily walked over to the counter to prepare a cup of coffee.
"Hey, Lily," Julie said smoothly. "You can stay there. I'll personally serve him."
"Oh?" Lily asked, tilting her head. "Is that someone you know?"
Julie smiled. "Yeah. He's someone very special to me."
She carried the coffee over, set it down, and casually sat beside the customer. Lily watched the scene with barely contained curiosity.
"Did you miss your sister so much that you came early, Noah?" Julie asked.
"Where did the cute lady go?" Noah replied innocently.
Julie's eye twitched. "You want to get smacked on the head?"
"I was bored at home, so I took the first train," Noah said lazily.
"Hm," Julie hummed. "You can stay at my apartment. I haven't cleaned your room yet since you said you'd be coming tomorrow."
"That's fine," Noah replied, then leaned closer. "You didn't spit in my coffee like last time, did you?"
Julie stayed silent.
"…Answer me, you witch."
"Just drink it already," Julie snapped. "I didn't do anything."
She stood up, already done with him. "I'll introduce you to everyone after we close. Wait here until then—and tell me if you want something to eat. You're probably hungry after the journey."
She gave his head a quick pat and walked away.
"Julieee," Lily whispered excitedly. "Is that your cousin you mentioned?"
"Yeah," Julie replied. "I'll introduce you properly later."
She headed back toward the kitchen, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Noah remained seated, quietly watching as Lily moved around the café, handling customers with practiced ease.
(After closing)
Julie gathered Lily and Lucy near the counter.
"This is my little cousin, Noah," Julie announced. "He'll be joining us starting tomorrow."
"Welcome to the team, Noah," Lily said politely.
"Thank you for having me, senior," Noah replied earnestly. "I'll work hard."
[hoo… he's so polite]
Lucy leaned forward, grinning. "Hey, tall kid. Call me master and I'll take you under my command."
Noah blinked. "Huh? Who do you think you're ordering around, you shrimp?"
Lucy's eye twitched. "Haa? What did you just call me? You want a piece of me, you shit?"
"Well," Noah replied thoughtfully, "wouldn't that make you shrimperer?"
The two of them immediately started arguing.
[ahh… I take back what I said]
Julie stepped in and smacked both of them on the head.
She let out a tired breath. "Noah, you'll be helping Lily. I'll be leaving you in her care."
"Okay," Noah said obediently. "Senior Lily, I'll be under your care from now on. Please take care of me."
"Y-yeah," Lily replied, flustered. "I'll try my best to guide you starting tomorrow. If you have any doubts, feel free to ask anytime."
Lucy watched them nervously from the side.
"Oh," Noah said casually. "In that case, can I ask you something?"
[Julie: ah… I have a bad feeling about this.]
"…What is it?" Lily asked.
"Are you single?"
"Huh…?"