Buns & Beans was now closed for the night, but the buzz of what happened hours ago was still lingering in the air. This, Francis could see with the way Lala and Aki laughed over a story You just shared. Something about his younger sister forgetting to put on pants in the morning and only realizing it after breakfast. How that happened was beyond Francis, but still, it was amusing to hear as an outsider.

Speaking of Aki and Lala, they’ve been stuck together ever since. Where one went, the other followed. It was very cute to say the least. You hasn’t complained about them just yet, and Francis asked him not to for a while because they just settled things down (You said no promises, but it was worth a try). Now here all four of them were, hanging out and sharing stories around as they ate their sandwiches.

Francis, however, kept himself moving by hanging up the Christmas lights around the coffee shop. Aki tried getting him to stop and relax with them on their table, but Francis was determined to finish the job. After all, the lights would add a nice touch to the place! They could pretend they were fairy lights or something, and it wasn’t like his parents would miss these lights anyway. Yes, Francis stole them from the house, but they had a bunch of others so it was fine, right?

“There we go!” He hung up the last of the lights and plugged it in.

“Oh, it’s bright alright.” Aki commented with a whistle.

“Yeah, well, we gotta brighten up our life sometimes, you know?”

Francis then went over to turn off the main light switch, so only the Christmas lights would shine. The vibe was warm and comforting, like they were kids around a campfire, taking turns in telling tales of dragons and princesses. In their campfire was a home they found all on their own. Or at least that was how Francis would describe it if someone were to ask him. With one last look at the lights, he turned to face the others and bowed before them.

“Someone tell me I did a good job!”

“You did an awful job.” You immediately replied, earning a laugh from everyone else.

“Don’t be so mean!” Lala pouted, then gave Francis a thumbs up. “I think you did great.”

That was more than enough for Francis to return to their table and sit beside You. “So, where were we?”

“I was talking about myself because someone was asking questions. I feel flattered that you want to get to know me.” Aki smiled at Lala, bumping his shoulder on hers and making her blush.

“Oh? What did I miss so far?”

“Not much, Francis. Just that I’m a freelance artist living far away from home.”

“Like musician-artist or drawing-artist?”

“The latter.” Aki took a sip of his drink. “Although I would love to do music gigs from time to time. Music, after all, connects me to my home. My roots, if you will.”

“Well, someone’s getting deep.” You chuckled at that and downed his coffee like it was a shot. Francis wanted to ask if he burned his tongue, but it didn’t look like it with the way You moved on like it was nothing.

“What if you do music gigs here in Buns & Beans?” Lala suddenly suggested, her eyes sparkling with the idea. She then shook Aki’s shoulders. “Like, it doesn’t have to be everyday! What if you do it every Saturday night? Let’s say around 6PM, or 7PM? What do you think, Aki? It doesn’t sound so bad, right?”

And as Lala went on and on about music gigs in Buns & Beans, Francis felt content just watching everyone go on before him. It was nice sitting here and being a part of a group of friends. Even if they tended to poke at each other. Actually, the poking made it all the more fun with how everyone poked back. Lala was still going on about how Aki’s soothing voice could calm even the stressed out college students, when You suddenly laughed at a realization he had.

“You just want to hear him sing more often, don’t you, Lala?” You probed, smirking all the while.

Her face flushed at that, and Francis had to laugh because he got her spot on just like that. When he looked over at Aki, he too was blushing mad with how he didn’t really know what to say to that besides ‘Thank you.’ What a cute pair they make! Francis leaned forward on the table, putting his chin on his hands.

“I like the idea of Saturday night music gigs, unless Aki doesn’t want to do it, then we won’t force it.” Francis looked at the guy.

“I’m game.” Aki held up a fist and shook it slightly. “I have my guitar for it too, so trust me when I say I’m definitely up for it.”

“Then it’s settled!”

“My parents would never imagine me in this scenario, that’s for sure.” Lala took two bites of her sandwich, but that alone sparked curiosity in Francis. What did she mean by that? Surely, there must be a story behind it, so he lightly kicked her foot under the table. She looked over at him for that, tilting her head slightly.

“You opened the door, so you might as well share the rest of what you meant by that.” Francis cheekily smiled at her.

“Let’s just say they gave me money so that I could take my Master’s here, but guess what? I didn’t and used that money to open this coffee shop instead!”

Aki, You, and Francis all shared a surprised look then, processing what she just said before they all turned to face her. “You did what?!”

Francis couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that, doubling over and clutching his stomach as he laughed and laughed his heart out. He always knew the people here were a bit peculiar like him, but that sure was something to hear! And so the bear was acting rogue against her parents this whole time. You seemed to be scolding Lala for— Francis wasn’t sure what for, but Aki was trying to get them both to calm down.

“Now, just hear me out!” Lala raised both hands as if to defend herself. “I know money is tight, but everything I buy for Buns & Beans has its reasons!”

“What kind of a reason would that gigantic mirror even have?!” You snapped, gesturing at the thing a few ways away from them.

“So the customers can take cute selfies! Look, I even added big bear stickers on it!”

“We don’t need that!”

“Yes we do!”

How did things turn out this way? Francis only grinned at them as they went at it with all their hearts. He even cheered for both sides, doing the audience's commentary such as ‘Ooohhh!’ and ‘Aaahhh!’ the longer they continued this amusing exchange. Maybe You meant well by being concerned with the expenses, but it was Lala who had the final say in it, and Francis wasn’t so sure that rubbed You the right way.

“Woah, wait, the mirror selfies are actually a cute way to get customers to stay.” Aki pushed down You’s hand away from Lala. “It’s her coffee shop, so I think she has every right with her actions. Come on now, You, that should be obvious enough.”

“Thank you, Aki!” Lala pouted, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Ugh, fine, whatever.” You rolled his eyes and leaned back on his seat.

“The mirror was what caught my eye when I got here the first time around. Remember that, sir?” Francis nudged at him.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Oh my god, you guys are ridiculous.” But You had a smile on his face, which he tried to hide by taking a big bite of his sandwich. “Feels like it’s been ages since I first interviewed you.”

“Speaking of that!” Lala suddenly held out a hand to Francis. “What do you say in officially becoming part of the Buns & Beans team?”

He stared at her for a moment— to be honest, after everything that has happened, he kind of forgot he still wasn’t permanently hired. But now that the opportunity was right there, Francis broke into a huge grin and shook her hand with a firm grip. Did this mean he’d get a higher pay? He sure hoped so because plane tickets are expensive!

“About damn time!” He teased, earning a cheer from everyone as they poured more coffee into their mugs for a toast.

The three of them then fell into another topic as Francis leaned back on his seat, watching them go once again. His eyes trailed on the way Aki casually draped his arm around Lala’s seat, smiling at her before looking back at You. She seemed to like that very much and leaned closer to him as she commented a thing or two in the conversation. They looked so adorable that Francis felt proud he was able to help them out.

He thought of that woman then, and wondered if she was still there after all these years. Now that he was officially part of the team, he was a step closer in affording a VISA. He looked out through the window, and wondered if she ever thought of him like how he thought of her. Though that sounded unlikely. Still, memories of her played in his head one by one, making him smile. Oh how he missed her so. Francis eventually snapped out of it when the others yelled for a toast, and so he tucked the memories away in the very back of his mind.

For now, Buns & Beans was where he was.