Damn it, of course I wanted to see him, but I wasn't sure today was the right day for that.
I wasn't in the mood at all. I had to clench my hands and focus on every bottle to keep from dropping them while I put his drink together.
It was maddening.
Today, I had no idea what to make for him, because whatever inspiration I usually had was gone. It had been drowned out by irritation and a stupid anger that gathered at the back of my head like unpleasant heat.
I reached for another bottle to finish the drink, stretching over the crowded shelf, and my fingers brushed a neighboring one, which was enough to knock it over.
But the crash never came.
A broad, fur-covered hand snatched the bottle out of the air with inhuman ease, stopping it inches above the floor.
I froze for half a second, pulse thundering in my ears as Kazuo straightened and held the bottle out to me. He looked at me with that quiet, worried crease in his brow.
"Careful, Luka," he said it so softly that it seemed to me he knew exactly what was going on with me today.
All I could do was swallow, nod, and pretend I wasn't falling apart over a damn drink.
On top of that, my face was burning under the mask. It was because I'd screwed up in front of the one person I really didn't want to look clumsy or incompetent around. But of course, today I was clearly on a roll.
"Pathetic" seemed to be the word of the day.
My hands were still shaking, and the worst part was knowing he probably saw it.
Kazuo, meanwhile, straightened to his full height, crossing his arms over his chest. Even without looking, I could feel the way his attention locked onto the man.
I caught pieces of his expression out of the corner of my eye. It wasn't friendly, but rather hostile, and a little… assessing.
And then, he broke the silence, saving me from the whole situation.
"Well," he said. "You're not exactly the usual type for this place, are you?" He tilted his head. "Look around. Half the regulars can't stop staring at you. Kinda makes you look like you're here on inspection duty or something. Except, inspectors don't wear suits that nice."
I thought it was weird how irritable Kazuo sounded. He didn't usually behave this way.
"So maybe you're here for a drink. Except this sure as hell isn't a fancy lounge. No imported bottles. No velvet stools. And I'm sure you definitely don't live in our neighborhood." He raised a brow. "So… what's the reason? Why come all the way out here?"
The man didn't answer right away.
As for me, I forced myself to finish the cocktail. Standing there with my back to the man any longer would have been strange, so I finally exhaled, turned around, and slid the glass toward him. Right at that moment, he spoke.
"This place serves unusual cocktails," he said. "And your bartender always guesses what I'll want that day."
Kazuo seemed to frown slightly. "Unusual?" he said. "Luka makes pretty standard drinks." He glanced at me and, realizing that his tone had only made my tension worse, let out a sharp breath. "Then again, who knows," he added. "Maybe you're coming back for the muffins I bake sometimes. That'd be flattering, you know." A brief pause. "So. You like sweets?"
The sudden shift in Kazuo's mood clearly threw the man off, and for a moment, he looked genuinely unsure how to respond.
Then he lifted his gaze to me and asked, "What about you, bartender… do you like sweets?"
I froze mid-motion, halfway through returning a bottle to the shelf.
My pulse spiked, but I kept setting the bottle down with care before finally turning to face him again.
Kazuo was waiting, clearly enjoying himself.
"Luka, you love my muffins, don't you?" he said, lifting eyebrows. "Don't even try to deny it. Remember those strawberry ones I made last time? You practically cleared the whole tray by yourself."
I managed a weak smile and forced a shrug. "Maybe," I said. "But I think you're exaggerating a bit. Yeah, they were good, and sure, I ate a lot… but I was starving that day. And you kinda overhyped them."
Kazuo clutched his chest as I'd stabbed him. "Cruel." He was already halfway turned when someone called his name from across the room. "Duty calls. Don't steal all my spotlight while I'm gone, Luka."
And then he vanished, leaving behind a heavy sense of awkwardness.