That morning, or more accurately three hours later, Luke woke up and sat on his bed to gather his soul once again. Like clockwork, he got up and pulled off his shirt, spreading a mat on the floor for his morning routine: two sets of 50 push-ups and 50 sit-ups.
"Yawn..."
Ava woke up and glanced at Luke mid-workout. She hopped off her bed and walked over to him.
"How buff are you trying to get, anyway? Doing this every morning... you should go for a run outside. This room is getting humid from all your sweat," Ava said.
"You know... usually people say good morning... instead of immediately roasting me," Luke panted.
"I'm not roasting you. But as a girl, I'm telling you, I wouldn't want a guy who's too buff like that. And buy some new clothes, will you? Stop wearing Dad's old stuff. Dad was big and tall; on you, they just look huge," Ava said.
"Whatever. I'm broke," Luke replied, out of breath.
"Ugh, fine. I'm showering first," Ava said.
"Go ahead. I'll start breakfast in a bit, I'm almost done," Luke called back.
"Okay, okay," Ava said, heading to the bathroom.
Once finished, Luke grabbed a small towel, walked to the kitchen, and started cooking breakfast for himself, Noel, and Ava.
"Whoa... that smells amazing, bro," Noel said, stumbling out of bed.
"Hurry up and eat, or you'll be late," Luke said.
Noel climbed down from his bunk, still groggy, scratching his stomach under his shirt as he walked to the dining table. He sat down and watched his shirtless, apron-clad brother cooking.
"If you dressed like this at campus, I guarantee girls would be falling all over you," Noel joked.
"Drop it. I don't want to talk about girls right now. My heart is still sore," Luke said.
"Man... if you stay single forever, I won't have the heart to leave you. I'm telling you to find a girl for the sake of my future, too," Noel countered.
"Unbelievable. Here I thought you were worried about me, but you're just looking for an exit strategy," Luke said.
"Hahaha, no way, man. Chill. Even if we live apart, I'm still working here," Noel replied.
"Fine. Eat up," Luke said.
He brought the pan to the table and dished it onto the plates he'd set out. Noel stared at the breakfast spread—bacon, sausage, muffins, and fragrant eggs. Luke took off his apron and sat next to Noel at their round table.
"Does this come with your sweat, bro?" Noel asked, pointing at the eggs.
"No. If you don't want it, leave it," Luke snapped.
"Hey, don't get all sensitive. You're a guy, not a girl. Besides, after a hundred rejections, shouldn't you be numb by now? Still acting moody," Noel teased.
"One more word and you'll get a 'lovely plate' to the head," Luke replied in a dangerously calm voice.
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Eating now," Noel said.
Click. The bathroom door opened. Ava walked out casually, completely naked with a towel draped over her shoulder.
"Put a towel on, for God's sake!" Luke barked.
"Never seen a girl's body before? Poor thing... that's why you need a girlfriend," Ava teased.
"This kid... I swear," Luke muttered.
"Seriously, Luke. Ava and I are worried about you. Your life is just college, the cafe, college, then the cafe again. Every single day. You don't want it to be like this forever, do you?" Noel asked.
"Of course not. And why are you guys so worried anyway? Just focus on your own lives," Luke answered, taking a bite of his eggs.
"It's not like that. Noel and I love you, Luke. You've been taking care of us since we were little. Once I graduate, I'll run this cafe full-time, from morning to night," Ava said, now dressed and sitting between them.
"Just focus on your studies. Graduate, get a real job, and don't worry about me," Luke said quietly, though his heart was actually touched.
Hearing Luke's calm response, Noel and Ava exchanged a look, then went back to their breakfast, occasionally glancing at Luke as he ate while scrolling through his phone.
After Noel and Ava left, Luke walked out of the cafe toward campus. He looked the same as always: long hair tied in a back bun like a professional student, thick glasses that made him look like a total nerd, and the oversized flannel inherited from his late father.
Suddenly, ding! A notification popped up. He pulled out his phone. The moment he opened the notification, Luke froze. He stood perfectly still, as if his feet had been glued to the pavement.
His eyes widened. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, blinked hard, and put them back on. Then he pinched his cheek and tried to shove his jaw back up. On his screen was a bank account from a different bank—definitely not his usual one, but it was in his name. The balance clearly read $200,000.
His shaking finger hovered over the screen as he counted the zeros. He rubbed his eyes again, turned the screen off, then back on. He opened the banking app and entered his pin—which turned out to be the same as his cafe account. When the login cleared, Luke almost threw his phone, catching it just in time. He stared at the balance again.
"Is this... for real? I suddenly have $200,000? From where? Maybe someone accidentally opened an account using my name... but that's impossible. How could they do that without my data?" Luke muttered, starting to sweat, his face turning pale.
Before he could process this miracle, hey! Someone clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Devon walking up beside him, throwing an arm around him.
"Cheer up, bro. It's too early to be looking this drained," Devon said.
"I'm motivated, don't worry about it," Luke replied while sliding his smartphone into his pants pocket.
"Who's your target for today? I want to place a bet against Alex," Devon joked.
"You're a real piece of work. Still teasing me about yesterday? Fuck off," Luke said.
"Sorry man. I feel for you, but it's just too funny," Devon replied.
"Whatever. I'm just going to focus on school and graduate. The girls will come eventually... hopefully," Luke said, sounding unconvinced.
"Please. Even after you graduate, you're just staying at the cafe, right?" Devon asked.
"I mean, yeah. But we'll see. One of the reasons I chose Economics and a Management major was for the cafe. If I can turn it into a franchise like Starbucks, that'd be the dream," Luke answered.
"Damn. It's a pipe dream, but I hope you make it happen, bro," Devon said.
"Thanks, man," Luke replied.
Thud! Because they were talking while walking, Luke accidentally collided with a female student. The impact was hard enough that she almost tumbled forward. Thump. Her bag hit the ground. She turned to look at Luke with pure rage.
"Watch where you're going! What is wrong with you?" she snapped.
"I-I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time. Are you okay?" Luke asked with genuine sincerity.
"Save it. Don't act like you care. It's creepy coming from you. Get lost," she spat. She was actually quite beautiful.
"Y-yeah, sorry," Luke stammered, handing her the bag.
She snatched the bag from his hand and stomped toward campus without looking back. Luke looked down, his confidence taking a nosedive. Devon, seeing his friend's dejected face, put an arm around him again.
"Don't let it get to you, bro," Devon said.
"Yeah, I know. Let's go," Luke replied.
Suddenly, two female students walked past them toward the campus buildings.
"Hey, you know that cafe at the end of the street? Let's go there this afternoon," one of them said.
"Sure. Maybe I'll find a match there. I've been single for way too long," the other replied.
"Yeah, besides being handsome, one of the baristas there has some kind of matchmaking power. It happens in all sorts of ways. Suddenly a guy will walk in to comfort a girl who's upset, or a girl will suddenly run out to meet the guy she likes. It's 100% success rate," the first girl said.
"I hope I find someone who fits my criteria, hehe. See you this afternoon," the second girl said.
"Deal. Wait for me after class, don't go there alone," the first one added.
"Don't worry, I'll wait," the second one replied.
After the two girls passed, Luke and Devon stood there, stunned. Luke felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He knew exactly which cafe they were talking about, and those "matches" were the very girls who had rejected him. Devon finally broke the silence.
"Man, my heart hurts for us," Devon said.
"Tell me about it. We're pathetic," Luke muttered.
"Wait, isn't that cafe at the end of the street yours? Why are you still struggling then?" Devon asked.
"Please... it's not like mine is the only cafe there. They didn't even say the name. Besides, a barista with supernatural matchmaking powers? No way. A barista makes coffee. People come up with the craziest stories," Luke answered.
"I'm gonna check it out later. Might even go see your sister, hehe," Devon teased, half-joking.
"I'll kill you if you even think about hitting on my sister," Luke barked.