3. Chapter 3
“I switched shifts with Don because I have a swim meet tomorrow,” Erick said, striding out of the break room.
Yareli met Donna’s gaze. It was her fifth day at the cafe, but Erick’s tardiness meant she hadn’t yet interacted with him since the first time.
He made her nervous. Being from the same college, there was a chance of running into him on campus, and he screamed of extroversion—something that had always unbalanced her.
Tortoises liked minding their own business, staying in their lane.
Erick, however, seemed like a social butterfly, ready to dive into new social circles and push boundaries.
“And you know how I hate losing my beauty sleep,” he continued. “Hey, Yareli, I’m Erick, the cafe sweetheart.” He winked at her.
“Yareli,” she replied automatically and cringed. He already knew her name.
He laughed, the airy, pleasant sound filling her ears. His lips settled into a devious grin, and he took her arm. “I’ll show you the real stuff that Donna won’t.”
Donna grabbed his shoulder, stopping him, and shoved a broom at him. “No, you won’t. You’ll be sweeping the second floor.”
Erick deflated. “Don’t be a party pooper! Let me hang out with Yareli. She’s new and sparkly.”
“Go.”
They glared at each other, each an unmovable force that made Yareli uncomfortable. The words slipped out of her mouth.
“I’ll do it!” She grabbed the broom before Donna could say no, and Yareli scurried out of the room.
She took the steps two at a time, eager to lose herself in the mundane chore.
Arguments, she thought, were best done in private, away from her.
Her discomfort faded as she stepped into another realm.
Not literally, but it might as well have been.
From the ceiling hung what she swore was a stolen piece of the Milky Way; it twinkled down at her, lighting the room in brilliant hues of purple, gray, and blue.
If she had a ladder, would her hand grasp a handful of the sky? Would it drip off her palm like water?
It was her favorite part of Enchanted Brew.
Tucking her earbuds in, she began her task, sweeping the entirety of the second floor.
She banged against mushroom tables and their matching seats, collecting dust and specks of garbage.
Against the far wall, she bent down to get under the wooden booth tables.
A soft breeze pushed her hair forward, and she frowned.
Was that the AC? She continued sweeping, moving onto the next booth.
To her relief, nothing abnormal—outside of the blood contract—had occurred; Enchanted Brew operated as a regular cafe.
Even the pinched-face, top-hat customer had stopped staring at her, and she had gotten used to his presence.
He wasn’t there that day, which, if she were honest, was surprising.
A loud crash startled her, and she spun on her heel. The mushroom tables were in disarray, flung about the room as if a tornado had torn through the room. She took off her earbuds.
“What the f—”
A groan interrupted her, and she clutched her broom tighter. The second floor had been empty the entire evening. She crept toward the booth by the door, her broom held out like a weapon. A mound of hair popped into view, and she screamed, whacking it.
“Ouch!”
The familiar voice soon had a familiar face attached to it.
August rubbed his head, holding his other hand out to stop her from swinging again. “It’s me, Yareli. It’s me.”
“August?”
“Surprise?”
She jabbed him with the broom, earning herself a yelp. “What the actual fuck? I could have seriously hurt you!”
“With a broom? I doubt it. I’m pretty thickheaded.”
His smartassery only infuriated her further. “Cut the crap. What were you doing there?”
At her biting tone, he sobered up, his face turning serious. “Okay, sorry I scared you. I was… taking a nap.”
“On a hard, wooden booth?” she asked dryly.
A blush stole across his cheeks. “I was tired.”
His reasoning fell flat between them, and she raised her eyebrow. “Does Enchanted Brew allow its customers to sleep in their cafe?”
A rush of footsteps pounded on the stairs; Erick burst in. “For this customer, we do! Yareli, meet our resident napper, August!”
She stared between the two, her gaze never staying on one for more than a second. Her gut told her she was missing something.
“The tables fell over,” she said carefully, watching Erick for his reaction.
He waved it off. “They do that sometimes. We also have a permanent ghost who visits us frequently.” He began picking them up.
“Right.”
August avoided her eyes, pretending to stretch. He cleared his throat. “Erick, this is my friend Yareli.”
“Oh, she’s that Yareli?”
Yareli’s ears perked up; he had talked about her to Erick?
“Wait, you talk about me?”
Erick laughed. “When doesn’t he? That’s the actual question.”
“I do not,” August said, rolling his eyes. “I only mentioned you a few times while trying a new tea of theirs.”
She bit down her smile. “I see. And do you actually sleep here often?”
“Only on occasion.”
Donna’s head popped up by the doorway. “Oh, August is here. I wondered what the commotion was about.”
August greeted her. “Hey, sorry about the tables.”
Yareli’s eyes narrowed. “You did that? I thought you were sleeping.”
“N-no. I mean, I feel bad about them falling over.”
“Yareli, come help me with the front. Let Erick finish the sweeping,” Donna interjected.
Torn, Yareli had no choice but to listen to her manager’s order.
“Coming,” she said, but she gave August another good look. He gave her a sheepish smile, waving goodbye.
As she walked down the stairs, Erick’s laughter trickled in. August had said he was a regular, but he seemed to be more than that. Her gut clenched; something was amiss at Enchanted Brew. Only, she didn’t know what yet.