"Uh, hey!"
Ayisha turned from the counter and looked at Josh.
"What's up?"
Josh shifted on his feet.
"About Thursday..."
"Hm?"
"I changed my mind."
Ayisha blinked.
"Huh? Why?"
A teasing grin appeared on her face.
"You don't want to hang out with me anymore?"
Josh's eyes widened.
"What? No!"
His reaction was so immediate that she almost laughed.
"It's not like that."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I was thinking... maybe we could do it today instead. After work."
He met her eyes.
"If that's okay with you."
Ayisha thought about it for a moment.
She didn't have any plans after work.
"Sure."
Relief instantly appeared on Josh's face.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks."
His smile was impossible to miss.
Before either of them could say anything else-
"Hoy!"
Mark's voice echoed from the kitchen.
"Work hours pa tayo! Walang landian!"
Several employees immediately laughed.
Ayisha rolled her eyes.
"Narinig mo 'yon?"
She nudged Josh lightly with her elbow.
"The chef's watching."
Josh groaned.
"Chef, wala pong ganon."
"Sure."
Mark didn't sound convinced.
The laughter only grew louder.
Shaking her head, Ayisha grabbed her order pad and headed toward an occupied table.
"Good afternoon po. Ready to order na po ba?"
Josh watched her walk away.
Nat appeared beside him and patted his shoulder.
"So?"
Josh sighed.
"So what?"
"Jackpot ba o defeat?"
Nat smirked.
"You know she already has someone."
The smile on Josh's face dimmed slightly.
"I know."
His gaze drifted toward Ayisha as she took a customer's order.
"I know that already."
"Then why bother?"
Josh was quiet for a moment.
Then he shrugged.
"I just want to tell her something."
Nat studied him before ruffling his hair.
"Good luck, bud."
"Thanks."
Though judging by Nat's expression, it sounded more like sympathy.
While waiting for the next order, Ayisha pulled out her phone.
A quick message.
Don't pick me up later.
She sent it to Simon.
Then slipped the phone back into her pocket before she could overthink it.
The lunch rush hit not long after.
Orders piled up.
Customers filled nearly every table.
The restaurant buzzed with movement.
Ayisha balanced a tray of dirty dishes in her arms as she headed toward the kitchen.
Before she reached the sink, the weight suddenly disappeared.
She looked up.
Josh had already taken the tray from her.
"I'll take care of these."
Ayisha blinked.
"Oh."
Then she smiled.
"Thanks."
Josh tried not to look too pleased with himself.
"No problem."
He carried the dishes away before she could notice the grin threatening to appear on his face.
The afternoon rush finally slowed down.
The restaurant was still busy, but at least people could breathe again.
Ayisha stretched her shoulders as she stepped away from the counter.
"My feet hurt."
"You're getting old," Mark called from the kitchen.
"You're older than me."
"That's not the point."
A few staff members laughed.
Ayisha grabbed a glass of water and took a long drink.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Simon.
She ignored thinking that it would probably be him being naggy.
She put her phone into silent mode then slipped it back into her pocket.
Across the room, Josh noticed her looking at her phone but quickly looked away before she could catch him.
---
The clock finally struck six.
"Okay!" Mark clapped his hands once. "Good work, everyone."
A few employees immediately started cleaning up their stations.
Ayisha untied her apron and hung it on the rack.
Josh appeared beside her.
"You ready?"
"Hm?"
"For later."
"Oh."
She nodded.
"Yeah. Let me just tell Mark I'm leaving."
A few minutes later, they were walking outside together.
The evening air was cooler than usual.
Streetlights had begun flickering on, casting a warm glow across the sidewalk.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Josh shoved his hands into his pockets.
Ayisha glanced at him.
"You've been nervous all day."
"I have not."
"You have."
"I haven't."
She laughed.
"You literally look like you're about to take an exam."
Josh groaned.
"You're not helping."
"Sorry."
She wasn't sorry at all.
---
They stopped at a small milk tea shop a few blocks away.
Josh held the door open for her.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
After ordering, they found a quiet table near the window.
Ayisha stirred her drink.
"So."
Josh immediately straightened.
"So."
She pointed her straw at him.
"You said you wanted to tell me something."
His grip tightened around his cup.
For the first time all day, Ayisha noticed how serious he looked.
Not nervous.
Seriously.
The playful atmosphere faded.
Josh took a slow breath.
"Ayisha..."
He continued. "I've liked you for a very long time. I just wanted to tell you that but I'm not expecting you to like me back because I know you already have someone. And it's fine with me."
Josh smiled weary. "I'm happy for you."
Ayisha froze at the revelation.
"Are you joking?"
He shook his head. "No"