Phrase X

Kai wiped down the counter with practiced motion.
The silence between him and Luca had become lighter.

For a Saturday, it was comfortable, if not a little stiff.

Luca was rinsing pitchers on the other end of the bar. His sleeves were pushed up and his eyes focused. He hadn't snapped at Kai once today.

Kai wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
His thoughts had been swarming all shift.

Just ask him.

He turned toward the fridge, grabbing another milk carton.

It's just for the project.

Kai stared at the barcode on the carton.
Maybe it would give him instructions.

"Hey, I need your number..."

No. Too direct.

Luca looked over with eyebrows barely raised.

"My friend Eli needs your number..."

Better?

Yeah... No.

Kai pretended to be deep in milk analysis.


Nico slid into view a few minutes later, tray in hand, his grin already loaded.

"Aw, look at you two," he said, dropping mugs at the rinse station. "Coexisting without cat fighting. Kinda romantic."

Kai stiffened.
Luca didn't look up.

Nico leaned against the counter between them.

"No murder attempts yet?" he said. "That's gotta be a win."

Luca dried a mug slowly.
Kai kept his eyes on the frother.

Nico didnt stop.

"You even trained him not to hover! I'm proud! Kinda like watching a cat finally tolerate a dog."

"Did you need something," Luca said flatly.

Nico held up his hands with faux innocence. "I'm just saying. You're like, a chronic stormcloud. And Kai's like, I dunno—sunlight filtered through existential dread."

Kai blinked. "That's... oddly specific."

"Thanks, it's a gift."

Luca looked like he wanted to gift Nico a one-way trip through the pastry case.

"Anyway," Nico continued, grinning wider, "this banter is touching, but do I need to go grab Sienna to referee, or—"

"That's enough," Kai said.

He didn't mean to say it out loud.

Nico looked over, slightly surprised.

Kai cleared his throat. "You're not exactly subtle."

There was an pause.

Then with a lopsided grin. "Well someone's protective," Nico responded.

Kai flushed. "I just don't like when you're mean."

Hid words landed harder than he'd expected.

Nico looked at Luca, then back at Kai.

"Noted."

Sienna's voice chimed in before the tension could linger.

"Hey, team!"

She breezed through the back door, hair in a loose braid, with a tote bag slung over one shoulder.

"Just checking inventory. Anyone break the espresso machine while I was gone?"

"Nope," Nico said, already moving toward the back.

Sienna looked between Luca and Kai, eyebrows raised.

"Everyone still alive?"

Kai managed a smile.
Luca gave the smallest nod.

Sienna pointed at the front. "Cool. Gimme five and I'll swap one of you out."

She vanished into the stock room.

Kai felt the quiet echo around him.

Luca rinsed another pitcher.

Ask him.

Kai adjusted his apron. "Hey," he said, voice casual.

Luca glanced over.

Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "So—uh. Bio. The group project. I need your number."

Luca stared at him.
Expressionless.

Kai raised his hands. "I'm not gonna text you. Its just—it's for the group chat."


Luca dried his hands on a towel, then reached into his pocket. He grabbed an extra napkin and wrote down his number, handing it to Kai.

Kai nodded. "Cool. Thanks."
He could feel his arms shaking.

Luca didn't respond.
He went back to organizing cups.

Kai typed it into his phone, fighting back his hand tremors.

His stomach didn't feel any calmer.

Happy birthday to me...

Kai adjusted his hoodie as he crossed the quad.

It was chilly Tuesday afternoon.
The sun was out, but the breeze had a bite to it.
Mid-September never could make up its mind.

He could already see the library ahead—
it had an ominous hum of productivity.

Just get through the meeting, he told himself.

Then escape.


Inside, the study room smelled like whiteboard ink and dust.

Kai stepped in.
He froze—

Luca was already there.

He was sitting at the far end of the table, one leg crossed over the other.
The chair was too small for him.

Luca looked bored.
Not angry—just very, very bored.

Kai took a mental note of the two empty seats between them.

Eli waved from the other side. "There ya are!"

She scooted over to make space.

"I was just tellin' Isaac 'bout our sections," she said.

Eli motioned towards the guy in a sports hoodie.
He nodded without looking up from his laptop.

Kai mumbled a short greeting and sat down.

He didn't look at Luca.
Luca didn't look at him.

Eli pulled out a handout. "Okay, so we got bacterial tracking. Two weeks of logs, an' report with a five-minute presentation."

Kai nodded automatically.

They reviewed their roles—
Isaac offered to compile the spreadsheet.
Eli took the report intro.

And somehow—
Kai ended up with half the analysis and part of the visuals.

Nobody mentioned Luca.


Eventually, Eli glanced over. "Hey, ya good with closin' it out?"

Luca blinked. "Sure."

It was the only word he said the whole meeting.

Thirty minutes later, they were mostly finished up.

Isaac left without a word.
Eli snapped her folder shut.

"Well, I have a club thing," she said, slinging her bag over one shoulder. "Later, nerds."

Kai raised two fingers in a lazy wave.
Luca didn't respond.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Kai stood slowly.

Luca was still sitting.
Still not talking.
Still unreadable.

Kai opened his mouth—

But Luca was already moving.

In one clean motion, he stood, flew past the chairs, and made it to the door without looking back.

Kai blinked, his mouth was still open.

The door hadn't even fully shut.

"...Cool," he muttered to the empty room.

His heart felt heavy, and his stomach upside down.
He didn't know what just happened.

Kai grabbed his stuff and left, alone.