Phrase VI

Kai groaned into his pillow.

His mouth was dry.
His face was hot.
His brain felt three seconds behind.

He slowly opened his eyes, avoiding the blinding sunlight.
His vision caught a strange shadow on the ceiling.

Ugh.

He rolled onto his back, eyes half-open.

He froze—

His brain finally caught up.

First day.
Shit.
FIRST DAY.

Kai shot up like his strings had been yanked.

He checked the time—

Still early.

—but he still need to get ready.

He threw on his clothes—
Black slacks and a green polo.
—and checked the time... again.

He ran a hand through his hair.
There wasn't much he could do to it.

Kai quickly put his shoes on—
He forgot socks.

He quickly put on his socks, then his shoes, and made for the door.
He was already halfway to it before he realized he hadn't eaten.

Kai shrugged.

The café had coffee.
The café had food.

The way over was a blur.

Kai power-walked with the kind of energy reserved for chasing buses and dodging exes.

By the time the café came into view, he was both underdressed for the breeze and mildly sweating from effort.

He checked the time again.

Thirty-two minutes early.
Perfect.

The bell chimed as he stepped in.

The café smelled just as warm as before—but with an added hint of burnt toast. A line of customers trailed back from the register. The blender whined from the far side of the bar. Someone dropped a cup.

A collective "ooooh" followed.

Kai stood awkwardly near the front, holding his hands together, and twiddling his thumbs.

From behind the counter, someone waved at him—a guy, light brown skin, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back in a puff.

"You the new guy?" he asked, voice light and curious.

Kai blinked. "Uh—yeah. First day."

"Bold move, showing up early." He grinned. "Name's Nico."

Kai moved closer. "Uh... Kai."

"You nervous?" Nico asked, leaning on the register.

Kai laughed once. "A little."

"Cool. You look it."

Before Kai could respond, a door swung open behind the bar.
Sienna emerged carrying two bags of beans and a broom under one arm.

She spotted Kai instantly.

"Ohhh, look at you!" she called. "Early and everything! That's what I like to see!"

She came around the counter full of loud energy.

"You eat yet?"

Kai shook his head.

"You need to!"
She handed one of the bags off to Nico. "Get him something before we train him on the floor."

Nico saluted with mock-seriousness.
Sienna rolled her eyes, turning back to Kai.

"Your trainer will be here in a bit," she said, brushing past to grab a clipboard. "Just hang out for now. Just watch and breathe. It will be easy!"

Kai nodded, trying not to look at every piece of equipment like it was booby-trapped.

He sat on a stool near the counter.
He sipped on the coffee that Nico handed him.

Kai pushed down the butterflies growing in his gut.

Kai sat near the counter, legs tucked neatly under the stool, nursing his cup of coffee.
Behind him, the register beeped.

Nico leaned on it with one elbow, chewing the end of a stir stick.

"He's cute," he said casually.

Sienna raised an eyebrow, scribbling something on a clipboard.

"Cool it," she corrected, grinning. "He's punctual, and polite, and hasn't cried. That's three wins before his shift even starts."

"Sure, sure," Nico said, twirling the stir stick. "But definitely a little anxious. I give it twenty minutes before he spills something."

"Ten," Sienna said, not looking up. "If you distract him."

Nico smirked. "Now you're just encouraging me."


Kai blinked, sensing laughter behind him.

He sipped his coffee without a single glance.

He had no clue what they were talking about.

Kai didn't know how much time passed.
He was sipping the last of his coffee when Sienna clapped her hands together from behind the bar.

"All right, early bird," she called. "Let's get you clocked in."

Kai stood fast enough to nearly knock over the stool.
He caught it and played it cool.

Sienna waved him to the back, already walking him through steps before he could catch up.

"Okay, so this annoying little system's gonna ask you three things. Name. Position. PIN code. Don't mess up the order. If it bites, just scream once."

Kai blinked. "What if I mess it up?"

"You won't," she said, smiling. "And if you do, we'll fix it. Worst case, you'll need a few band-aids'."

Kai snorted, fingers hovering shakily over the touchscreen.

Sienna gave him a quick glance-over. "You okay?"

Kai coughed. "Yes..."

"That's the spirit! First-day jitters mean you care."

She stepped aside just as the door behind the counter opened again.

The staff entrance creaked.

Kai didn't turn.

He was busy fumbling his name into the system.
He suddenly questioned if he always spelled it with three letters.

"Speak of the devil," Sienna said. "There's your trainer now."

Kai looked up.

He turned—

Kai felt his heart drop to his stomach.

The hallway.
The café.
The scowl.

The bathroom.

Memories flooded Kai's mind.


The guy was pulling his hoodie down, sleeves already rolled, face blank and tired—but as his eyes met Kai's, that tiredness hardened instantly.

They both froze.

Kai felt his spine try to leave his body.

His mouth opened, but nothing came out.

The barista's eyes narrowed slightly.
But it felt like tremors on glass.

Kai felt the room grow silent.

Sienna was saying something—

He didn't hear it.

Nico might've looked over—

He didn't notice.


Kai caught his breath.

The butterflies were gone.

The silence was bad.
The stare was worse.

Sienna blinked between them like she'd just caught the tail end of a joke she didn't understand.

"Okayyy..." she said slowly. "Looks like you two met already."

Kai's mouth was still open.

The other barista—hood down now, jaw set—looked like he might walk straight out the door.

Sienna clapped once.

"Great. Ice broken. Let's get moving."

Sienna nudged Kai toward the bar.

"He's Luca. He'll be training you today."

Luca...?

Kai gave a stiff nod.
Luca didn't move.

Nico raised an eyebrow as Kai passed.
Kai didn't want to look back.

The first few minutes were quiet.

Luca explained how the register worked.
Which screen to tap.
Where the drawer stuck.
What button not to press unless you wanted three receipts and a reboot.

His voice was low.
It wasn't unfriendly—just dry.

Kai nodded along too much.
He hovered at first, then caught himself and backed up.

Then he crept forward again.

Nico passed behind them once, humming.

Luca didn't look up from the screen. "Try a mock transaction."

Kai fumbled—
He pressed the wrong modifier.
And then deleted the drink.

"Again," Luca said.

Kai's face flushed and he tried again.
This time it worked.

Luca nodded once. "Fine."

...Fine? ...Really?!

Kai took the compliment anyway.

They moved to the bar. Luca showed him how to purge the wand, load the grinder, and time the pull.

Kai leaned in to watch—but their shoulders brushed.

Luca shifted sideways.
His fist was tightly gripped.

"Keep the dose level," he said, grabbing a rag. "Don't tamp at an angle. You'll feel it."

Kai nodded. "Right."

He tried. The shot sputtered. It ran too fast.

Luca sighed. "The grind's too coarse. Fix it."

Kai adjusted one notch.
It was still wrong.

Luca stepped in. "Two clicks, not one. Always adjust before the hopper runs dry."

Kai clicked it, reset it, and pulled again—

It worked.


"Better," he said. "Sort of."


Kai looked over. "You really do this all without looking, huh?"

Luca didn't answer.

Kai chuckled. "You know, you're kind of a coffee robot. Like a quiet one."

Still no answer.


Kai shifted awkwardly and moved toward the sink to dump the bad batch.

They reached for it at the same time.

Kai flinched. "Sorry—"

Luca didn't respond.
He turned away sharply, wiping his hands on a bar towel with more force than necessary.

Kai frowned.

The tension was back.
He tried to let it pass—

He tried to focus.

—but something kept stabbing at him.
Luca's silence. His stiffness.
The way he never looked directly at Kai.

Still... he said something.
Maybe that's progress?

Kai let out a soft laugh. "You know, for a trainer, you're kinda..."

Luca barely raised an eyebrow.

Kai shrugged. "I dunno. Mysterious? Maybe... allergic to small talk?"

Still no reply.

Kai tried again. "You don't have to act like I'm radioactive, you know."

Luca paused.
His back stiffened slightly.

Kai smiled, small. "Unless you are allergic to people, in which case—fair. I get it."

Luca turned toward him slowly.

Kai raised his hands, half-grinning. "Okay, okay. I'll shut up. Just—y'know, don't vaporize me."

Luca blinked once.

He turned away.
His hand reached for the tamper.
He pressed it down a little too hard.

The sound was sharper than it should've been.

Kai backed up slightly, confused.

"Seriously, though," he said, softer now. "You don't have to look like you're in pain just being around me."

Luca stopped.
His hands tightened around the edge of the counter.

And then—quietly, under his breath—

"Maybe stop hovering like a fucking stalker."

Kai blinked hard.

The words hit him heavily.
He could feel his arms shaking.

"...What?"

Luca didn't repeat it.

He just slammed the portafilter down, spun on his heel, and pushed through the back door.

SLAM

The cold air outside hit Kai's face like a splash of water.
Luca was leaning against the railing, his head low, and arms folded tightly.

Kai hesitated at the threshold.
Then he stepped out.

"Hey," he said quietly.


Luca didn't respond.

Kai moved closer, his arms were crossed for warmth.

"I didn't mean anything back there. I was just trying to—look, I don't even know what I'm apologizing for..."

Still nothing.
The silence dragged between them like a taut wire.

"...You don't get to treat me like I'm the one who did something wrong."

Luca's breath hitched.
His shoulders tensed.

Kai stepped closer.

"I'm serious. I've tried. I've really tried. You just keep acting like I'm—"

Luca turned suddenly.
His eyes were sharp.
And Cold.

"You think this is about you?"

Kai flinched.

Luca's voice was deeper than Kai expected.
And slightly rough around the edges.

"You don't know anything about me."
"So stop pretending you do."

Kai's throat felt dry.

"I wasn't pretending."

"You followed me into a bathroom!" Luca snapped.

Kai's face burned. "You ran. What was I supposed to—"

"Not follow!"

The words hit harder than they should've.

Luca looked away, his jaw was locked.
His hands were shaking.

Kai took a breath.
He tried to steady his voice.

"I was trying to fix something."

"Don't..."

Luca's gaze cut back.

"...I'm not something to fix!"

"Well maybe if you tried to—!"

"HEY!"

Both turned.

Sienna stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, eyes sharp.

"Whatever this is," she said. "Take five. Cool down. Then get back in there and act like coworkers!"

Her tone didn't leave room for argument.

She stepped back inside.
The door swung shut behind her.

THUD

Luca exhaled and looked away.

Kai didn't speak.
He took a deep breath, and headed back inside.