They started implementing small details little by little, like the design of the glasses, the presentation when buying two or more drinks, plus a few new flavors that were not bad at all.

At first, I felt very uncomfortable being around John because of what had happened that night, and although he did not show it, I knew it was the same for him. Even so, we did not talk about it again, and little by little, I stopped giving it much thought.

He had been making me stay a few extra hours every now and then at the end of each day to try his inventions, and he always tried to strike up a conversation with me.

"This tastes horrible," I declared one day. It was the third time he had given me one of his creations. "This one's the worst of them all, definitely."

"What? No it's not, I tried it!"

"Well, your taste buds aren't working."

John smiled.

"As cruel as always." He grabbed my glass and sipped, wincing as soon as he swallowed. "Hey, I swear this tasted good yesterday."

"Yeah, ujuh."

In the end, I just stood up and went to throw it away, while John grimaced from his seat trying to stop me, to no avail.

This has happened many times before, with some that tasted good and others that did not.

Besides that, John kept wanting to ask me questions, but when he saw that I wasn't answering any of them, he gave up.

In return, he started telling me about his time in Korea. About the people, their customs, the seasons, the food, and everything related to Seoul, where he had studied.

He described everything in such detail that I felt as if I had been there.

"You're good at explaining," I had told him.

"I get that a lot. I'm sure I'll be one of those parents who are great at telling stories to their kids," he had replied, proud of himself.

"I guess so," I had simply responded.

Little by little, I had begun to get used to his presence as well, just like his parents', although I spent more time with him. His atmosphere was always cheerful and calm at the same time. He would release a faint scent of his pheromones when he was happy, and they would change when he became nostalgic while talking about his life in Korea.

It was weird.

He was an alpha too, but I did not mind being around him anymore. I had at first, but now I had no problem with it at all.

Every now and then I had glance at him curiously, but as soon as he noticed, he would turn away and smile at me, making me immediately turn my head, somewhat awkwardly.

He also used to deal with the alphas when they tried to flirt with me, which I appreciated. That way I would not hit anyone or bother everyone with my pheromones.

Three months have passed since my last conversation with Matt, and little by little I had stopped feeling so empty. My moments of blanking out and staring into space had decreased compared to when I first arrived.

In a way, it was also because the number of people coming to the cafe had increased lately, so everything was much busier, which helped me think less and do more.

People started to leave work around this time, and that is when a small line even formed.

I had learned to be much faster, so when I finished taking orders, I helped prepare the drinks I already knew how to make.

When the rush hour passed, we relaxed. People were still coming in, but not as many. As soon as the doorbell rang, I turned to greet them, but I stopped mid-sentence. John had placed a hand in front of me, making me step back a little.

I stared at him for a second. He was tense, and he had a look I had not seen him give the entire time I had been here.

I followed his gaze to the entrance.

It was the alpha I had fought with the other time.

I felt John start to release pheromones, so I grabbed his arm, and he glanced at me sideways.

I shook my head, let go, and stayed put.

The alpha looked at me for a second, serious.

"Oh, right," I said suddenly. I went to the lockers and grabbed the bag with his clothes to give them to him. He had not been back since that time, so they had been stored there after I had taken them to be washed.

I stood in front of him and offered it to him.

He still had his arms crossed, probably waiting for me to say something.

I took a deep breath and lowered my head apologetically.

"I'm really sorry for my behavior that time," I said.

I did not want to apologize, but I also did not want to cause any more trouble, so that seemed like the right thing to do in this situation.

I raised my head and saw a hint of surprise on his face.

"Your drink is on me today," I added.

"Wh-...?" John said, astonished and angry from behind the counter, trying to reach me with his hand. I glanced at him, and he stopped halfway.

When I turned back to the alpha, I was surprised to see he had blushed and looked away.

He scratched his head nervously.

"Oh, no," he began. "I'm sorry, I did something really bad to you, and well..." He looked at me again and then looked away once more.

The way he spoke to me had completely changed.

"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly.

“I am,” I replied with a polite smile. It had happened quite some time ago; so it was not even relevant to ask now. A lot of bad stuff to say came to mind, but I held back.

To my surprise, he blushed even more.

“I-I see,” she stammered.

I avoided raising an eyebrow so as not to create any misunderstandings. I went back behind the counter, ready to continue serving.

I took his and his friend's orders, and they went to sit at the same table as before, occasionally glancing nervously at me.

"Why were you the one who apologized?" I heard John say beside me, sounding annoyed.

"Because I started it by throwing that drink at him," I responded while made him turn around so he could start preparing the order. "And I don't want any more trouble here."

He remained silent, his fists clenched.

"... Move your hands," I told him, seeing that he still was not moving.

Since no new customers were coming in, I turned around and started helping him with one of the orders to speed things up.

John continued preparing, lost in thought. We delivered the orders, and as they were leaving, the alpha returned to the counter.

"Hey, so... I know we didn't get off to a good start, but would you mind giving me your number?" he asked suddenly with a nervous smile.

"...Have a good day," I replied with a forced smile.

He tried to insist, but his gaze drifted behind me and he shrank slightly, sighing, and walking out the door.

I watched him catch up with his group of friends, glaring at him now that he could not see me.

"Who does that idiot think he is?" I heard John mutter behind me, making me smile slightly.

I could not agree more with that comment.

When my shift ended, John was still quiet.

And it was very strange for him to be like that. Normally, he would be chattering away or making some noise, as he always does when there is silence, and for him to be so calm was just too odd.

"Is something wrong?" I asked as I took off my apron.

"No," he replied.

I glanced at him and saw he was pouting.

That big guy was pouting. I felt like laughing. I thought for a moment about why he might be acting like that, and the only thing I could think of was that he was probably angry because I had apologized first, even though I had ended up being the one who got hurt the most.

Having someone get angry because of me made me feel strange. The only person who had ever cared about me was Matt, but now I had these other people who did too.

For all these months they had made me feel like I was one of them, and I felt like I could really relax here, and even trust in their good intentions.

"What?" I said, approaching him from the side, teasing him.

He looked at me and was startled by how close I was. I let out a small laugh at his reaction.

His eyes widened when he saw me do it. I think it was the first time I had laughed since what happened with Matt; so even I was surprised. When he reacted, he frowned and scratched his nose.

"It's just that... Well..." he said, trying to find the right words. "When I came in that time, I saw him on top of you, attacking you."

His brow furrowed even more.

"I thought he was... You know... And well," he continued. "He's a big guy, and you're..." He weighed his words. "...Smaller and more delicate."

I raised an eyebrow.

"That's because I'm an omega. This is the normal build for one," I said, opening my arms wide.

"I know." He looked away. "But it really bothered me. I mean, who wouldn't be? A huge alpha had just brutally beaten up an omega and then tried to take advantage of him and..." He took a breath, trying to calm himself. "And now he comes back and even gets an apology from you. It's not fair, you know?"

I raised an eyebrow again.

"Yeah, well, there are a lot of unfair things in this life."

He glanced at me. He wanted to look serious, but I could see the corners of his lips trembling as if he wanted to laugh. I had not said anything to make him laugh, but this guy really did laugh at everything.

He cleared his throat and looked away from me.

"Even so, he shouldn't have come back... I should have hit him harder," he whispered at the end, more to himself.

“Hit him?”

This guy? Hitting someone? 

That would be interesting to see. I felt like I had missed something, and now I wanted to know.

“What? Oh no, it's nothing.”

“Nothing? Come on.”

He glanced at me and frowned. He seemed to really not want to say it, but I was not going to give up. I stared at him until a hint of a blush crept across his cheeks.

Finally, he sighed and looked away, turning his head so I could not see him.

"I just... ended up hitting him, that's all," he whispered.

I knew there was something else he was leaving out, but I was surprised just to find out that he had hit someone.

I had no idea he had done that, because he was always all smiles wherever he went. In fact, I doubted he had ever get upset about anything.

I chuckled softly.

Maybe that is why that alpha had not returned all this time, because John had beaten him to a pulp.

"Thanks for that," I said, smiling.

He stared at me for a long time, so much so that it made me nervous and I looked away, and he did too.

"Well, I started it, actually. Or rather, he did, but I attacked first," I clarified. "I spilled coffee on him and then threw a punch. Well, several," I said with an embarrassed smile.

His surprised expression could not have been more priceless.

"You did it?" he asked, astonished.

I nodded and he smiled.

"Well, after hitting you like that, he deserved it. And my punches and the... the other stuff too. He deserves even more than that," he said. "And on top of that, he dares to come back and ask for your number. He's got no shame." He declared, frowning.

The other stuff?

I did not ask, because he did not seem to want to say, and it was enough for me to know he had gotten what he deserved.

"You sound like an old man talking like that," I joked about what he had said last.

He smiled and patted me on the head. Then turned around and headed toward the house.

My hand went to my head, where he had just touched it. It did not cover the space where his hand had been; it was too big. It reminded me of when Matt used to stroke my head, and I smiled sadly.

"Oh!"

His voice pulled me from my thoughts. He was standing right at the bottom of the stairs, turned toward me with a smile.

"Do you want to have dinner with us?"

                 Merry Christmas!