"I'm sorry, Luke, I can't go out with you. I already have someone I like. Again, I'm sorry," a beautiful, sexy girl said, standing in front of him with a pitying smile.
The messy young man, with his long hair tied back, wearing an oversized flannel shirt and thick glasses, stood there dazed. The girl turned and walked away, leaving him frozen in place.
"Yesss... a record! Finally, rejection number 100. I could get into the Guinness Book of World Records with this. God, my life is so pathetic," the young man muttered to comfort his tangled heart.
Feeling drained, he trudged through the campus parking lot toward his workplace—which was also his home, just a short walk away. Suddenly, he was intercepted by two slightly scruffy guys who looked almost exactly like him. They both clapped him on the shoulders.
"You truly are the most pathetic man in the world, Lucas Davis," one of them said with a wide grin.
"Screw you, Alex. Don't tease me, man. You know we're all in the same boat," Luke said.
"Hahaha, you two are hilarious," the other guy chimed in.
"You think you're not? You're just as pathetic, Devon. Get real," Luke snapped back.
"Hey, we are the Pathetic Trio after all, but you're the most pathetic of us all, dude," Devon replied, patting Luke's shoulder.
"Besides, your target was Claire. That's a heavy lift, man. Find someone standard, at least someone with a face that matches yours," Alex said.
"Whatever, she's the last one. I'm done. It's crazy—from middle school to college, I finally hit the big 100 in rejections," Luke said.
Explosive laughter immediately broke the silence of the empty parking lot.
"Hahahahaha... that's brutal! Since middle school? That's why I said you really are the most pathetic guy in the world," Alex laughed.
"Hahaha... I'm dying. Anyway, let's head back to my place and play some PS5 to cheer you up," Devon invited.
"I can't. I have to go to work," Luke said.
"Oh right, true. Alright then, don't stay sad, okay? Just think of it as a record. Let's go, dude," Devon said.
"Okay, cool. Watch out for cars, dude. Don't go jumping in front of one on purpose," Alex teased.
"Don't worry, I'm not that desperate. I'm out," Luke replied.
After saying goodbye, Luke walked in the opposite direction. Once he was far enough away and made sure his two friends were out of sight, he looked back.
"Good grief. If it wasn't for that horoscope on my phone saying today was a good day to find a lover, I wouldn't have asked out Claire, one of the campus queens. Even though I knew the result, it still stings just as bad," Luke said in his heart.
"Swish." His hand pulled the elastic band from his long hair, letting it fall loose. He immediately took off his glasses and ruffled his hair with his hand. "Click." He unbuttoned several buttons of his oversized long-sleeved shirt and rolled up the sleeves.
Full of confidence, Luke walked toward his workplace—a family-owned cafe and popular hangout near campus. Suddenly, "clatter." Luke heard something fall to the ground. He turned around and saw Claire standing there, frozen with her mouth agape, having dropped her smartphone.
Luke turned back, walked toward Claire, and leaned down to pick up her phone. He then pulled Claire's hand and placed the phone in her palm.
"I'll be going now," Luke said, winking.
"Y-yes... um, can I revise my answer from earlier?" Claire asked.
"Um... what answer?" Luke asked, confused.
"Oh, never mind. Sorry," Claire answered, coming to her senses with a smile.
"Okay, I'm off," Luke replied.
Luke turned and walked away quickly, glancing at the watch on his muscular arm. Claire remained dazed, staring at Luke's back as he moved further away.
"Gosh, I shouldn't have answered so quickly. But oh well... even though my crush isn't as handsome and hot as him, I'm kind of regretting it," Claire said in her heart.
***
"Chime."
The cafe door bell rang. Luke entered the cafe and went straight to the staff room next to the bar. Once inside, he opened his locker to put away his bag, then took off his oversized flannel and put on the rolled-up black long-sleeved shirt that was the cafe's trademark.
He then took a few hairpins and styled his hair so it stayed neat behind his ears. After swapping his glasses for soft lenses, "thud," Luke closed his locker, but he was immediately startled and jumped back.
"Whoa!" Luke shouted.
"Geez, big brother, what now?" asked a girl standing right behind his locker door.
"Ava, can you not scare people? You just show up like a wandering ghost," Luke barked.
"Then don't zone out like you have nothing to do. You didn't even hear the door or the locker opening, and now you're calling me a ghost? That's cold, bro," Ava said.
"Bang." The staff room door opened. A thin young man in the same uniform and a black apron looked inside.
"Big brother Luke, Ava, hurry up. It's already crowded out front," the young man said.
"Patience... stay cool, Noel," Luke said.
"Yeah, brother Noel, be patient. Can't you see Ava is still in her uniform?" Ava added.
"Well, why are you guys late? What were you even doing?" Noel countered.
"Breaking a record. Rejected a hundred times. Sigh, my life is so miserable," Luke said sadly.
"Ugh, whatever, bro. I'm bored of hearing it. Just get out here, I'm overwhelmed," Noel said.
"Yeah, yeah, wait a second. Let me put on my apron. What a bratty younger brother—have some sympathy for your sad older brother," Luke grumbled.
After that, Luke went out with Noel to serve the customers. Luke was the eldest, twenty years old, still in college while managing the cafe because their parents were gone. Noel was the second child, eighteen and a senior in high school. Finally, Ava was the youngest, fifteen and just starting high school. Their cafe was called Davis' Coffee, open from the afternoon until midnight.
When Luke and Noel stepped out together, the atmosfer shifted, all eyes turned toward them to see the two handsome baristas starting their work. Most of the customers were women, ranging from students to office workers. They loved the coffee served there as much as the eye candy.
"Chime."
The cafe door opened. A beautiful girl entered with a handsome young man, walking toward the bar to order.
"Luke, one mocha latte, please. What do you want, babe?" the girl asked.
"Hmm, I'll just have a black coffee, babe," the young man said.
Hearing that voice, Luke looked up and saw the girl standing at the bar was Claire, who had rejected him less than an hour ago, now with her crush.
"Got it. Just a moment, Claire," Luke replied with a smile, but in his head, "wait, they're already calling each other 'babe'? They're dating? Oh my god, why does it always happen like this? After I get rejected, they always come here with a new guy they just started dating. What did I do wrong? Everyone seems to love hurting me," he muttered, holding back the pain in his heart.
Luke didn't look at Claire again as she walked in and sat at a table with her new boyfriend. But without Luke realizing it, Claire, now seated, rested her elbows on the table and kept watching Luke from behind as he prepared the coffee, a slight look of regret on her face.
"Babe, why do you keep staring at the barista?" the young man in front of her asked.
"Oh, sorry babe. I forgot we just started dating right at the front door, hehe," Claire answered.
"We literally just became a couple, babe. Don't tell me you're already looking at another man," the young man sulked.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Claire replied, still watching the barista. "Hey Luke, hurry up and hit on me again. This time I'll give you the right answer, I promise. This guy is a loser, we haven't even started and he's already jealous and insecure. I really regret this. Come on, Luke, I'm waiting for you," Claire said in her head, looking at Luke expectantly while he was busy preparing coffee for her and her new boyfriend, trying his best not to look at her.