When Felix got to the pastry shop, the owner had already packed up his order.
"Hi Alex," he greeted warmly.
"Good morning," Alex said with a smile. "I added an extra box of strawberry cupcakes for you to snack on."
"Thank you, you spoil me too much." Felix chuckled. "You should come over for coffee soon, I've added a new flavour to the menu."
"Your nutty coffee turned out the way you wanted? Congratulations."
"Ehn… I didn't make it."Felix scratched the back of his neck. "Granny Betty gave me a basket of fruits, so I decided to make something with them. I tried a lot of bends and finally created the 'Grange' coffee."
"Grange?"
"Orange and grapefruit."
Alex gave a short laugh. "Sounds like you."
He walked over to the small table where his order was waiting. There were two boxes and a wicker basket. He held the basket in his right arm and balanced one of the boxes with his two hands.
"Let me help you with the other box," Alex said, picking it up without waiting for Felix's reply.
"Thank you."
They walked side by side in comfortable silence down the quiet street toward the café. A few neighbors passed by, calling good morning greetings as they passed. Felix responded with a nod and a smile.
"Uncle Felix! Uncle Felix!" a young child called as he ran up to him from across the street. "Candy for Uncle Felix."
Felix bent down to take the candy from the child's hand. "Thank you."
"It's mango," the kid whispered as if sharing top-secret information. "I didn't give anyone else."
Felix gasped. "I'm honored. I'll make sure to hide it well."
"Ron!" the kid's mother called from inside the store.
"Bye bye, Uncle Felix." he chirped, running back to answer her call.
Felix stood, smiling fondly.
When they reached the cafe, a crowd of high school girls was already gathered outside, giggling and whispering excitedly.
"Oh my god, he's so good-looking!"
"That's my future husband!"
"No way, He's mine!"
"I thought seeing Felix every day was heaven, now there's another handsome man to bless my eyes."
"I want to be the cat he's holding."
"Me too."
"I can't wait for school to be over, I want to spend the rest of the day there."
Felix cleared his throat. "Emm girls… You're going to be late for school."
They turned toward him, their faces lighting up.
Felix!
Morning!
Ah, my first love!
Felix rolled his eyes, half amused. "Alright, alright, off you go." He shooed them away. "The shop would still be here when you get out of school."
With a chorus of goodbyes, the girls waved and ran off, glancing back every few steps until they disappeared around the corner.
Alex turned to Felix. "You're good with teenagers. They always act like I don't exist, and when they do, they call me Uncle."
Felix smiled in response.
"I'm blessed with a handsome face and good character," he said teasingly. "I—"
Before he could say more, the cafe door swung open from the inside. Adrian stepped out wearing an apron over his shirt. He took the box from Felix's hands without a word and walked back into the shop.
His actions were smooth, like this was their regular routine. His presence made Alex feel a sense of [there's a term people use when they meet their love rival. Do you know it?
Alex paused. "Who is that?"
"My new worker. He started today."
"I see why the girls were going crazy." He arched a brow. "Where did you find him?"
"On the streets," Felix said casually.
"Huh?"
"I met him outside, right there," Felix pointed at a spot on the pavement, "And I invited him in. Then offered him a job and he agreed."
Alex sighed dramatically. "The universe is unfair. I have a 'Help Wanted' sign up for weeks, and not a single soul walked in."
"Have you tried waiting outside? Maybe fall dramatically to your death." Felix muttered under his breath.
"Sorry?"
"Nothing."
They walked inside the store one after the other, carrying their respective basket and box, and placed them on the counter.
"Thank you," Felix said with a warm smile, moving behind the counter to start unpacking and began unpacking the pastries..
"It's no bother." Alex turned to leave, then stopped, and asked, "Do you have any plans this evening?"
Filex focused on arranging the pastries into the display case and replied absently. "Not really. Why?"
Alex shifted awkwardly, then looked down, fiddling with the hem of his apron. "I was wondering if you would maybe be open to going out to dinner… or catching a movie with me.
His voice faded off into a whisper by the time he finished.
Before Felix could process the question, Adrian walked back into the shop, holding a tray of food.
"Thanks again for breakfast," he said, his tone casual but his gaze flicking between Felix and Adrian. "It looks delicious."
He set the tray on a nearby table and sat down to eat. The cats crowded around his legs.
"You're just about to eat?"
"I felt I should open up the shop first."
"I'm blessed. My first staff member is a dedicated worker."
Alex's eyes widened. "Breakfast?..... You live together?"
"Yes," Felix answered, his voice even. "Employment perks. I'm a good boss."
Then he reached for the apron behind him and put it on. He turned back to Alex. "You were saying something about dinner….I didn't quite get it."
Alex's face flushed. "Emm.. Nothing.. I… I just remembered I need to pack an order. For a customer. A big one."
Alex turned and hurriedly walked out of the store.
"Wait— you haven't tried the coffee…" Felix trailed off. He turned to Adrian. "Did I say something weird?"
"No," Adrian said, his tone unreadable.
"Then why did he run off so fast?"
"No idea."
Adrian took a bite of his toast, chewing it slowly, his gaze remained lowered, fixed on his plate.
Felix slightly and sighed slightly, watching Alex's retreating figure through the window. It seems he needed more practice dealing with people. He had properly said something was wrong.