Before Avery knew it, it was Monday and he had the morning shift. Or rather, an all-day one, as on Mondays it depended on the situation; usually, both he and Joshua were on the floor, since people needed the most caffeine motivation at the start of the work week. 

It was almost a typical Monday, with everything that came with it, from unloading deliveries to the rush of people in various work uniforms. Almost.

The first surprise of the day was the young medic who appeared in the doorway, his presence reminding Avery that another person knew not only his real identity, but also where to find him when he was not in the club.

Just like on Friday, Luca did not seem very sure of himself, but once he spoke, the barista realized it was probably not because of his doctor.

“I hope I’m not crossing any boundaries,” was the first thing he said when he stepped up to the counter.

“You’re fine,” the blond assured him immediately. “What’s wrong?” He automatically assumed something had happened if the medic decided to stop by. After all, the last time they saw each other was in the car, and he had not shown up at the club since, so Avery had actually been a little worried about him.

“Nothing, really,” he said at first, but the way he bit the inside of his lip made it clear that was not entirely true.

The barista stayed patient and waited. The café tables were currently full, and no one else seemed to be coming in. The coffee cups were filled, and his hands were free, so he had a moment to play therapist.

After a few more seconds, Luca sighed and finally revealed the real source of his concern. “I’m working with Doctor Mellark today. Not the whole day, but the first half of my shift.”

If Avery was honest, he had already forgotten what his bastard doctor was even called, since the fewer details he remembered about him, the less tempted he was to find him and land a right hook.

“Just him?”

“No.” That was good news. “There will be nurses with us too, but still. It’s the first time I’ll see him since Friday and—” he stopped suddenly, as if unsure what to say next.

“You’re breaking up with him, right?” Avery made sure immediately, even though on Friday it had sounded like things were already officially over. He had no doubt the doctor would try to crawl back later as if nothing had happened and demand Luca’s attention again. It was up to the brown-haired resident to finally reject him.

Luca nodded, though the motion was not entirely confident. “I’m planning to tell him today that our relationship has to be strictly professional.”

“That’s good,” the barista praised him right away. “Just don’t let him throw you off, and don’t stay alone with him in a room for too long. I’m sure even if he acted like he was done with you, he won’t want to let you go, and you can’t let yourself be manipulated.”

On Friday, Avery had asked if he could be honest. Today, he simply was. The sooner Luca got rid of that idiot, the better.

“I know,” the medic assured him.

“Do you want some coffee for a boost?” the blond asked, remembering they were in a café and that it was his job. “My treat.”

“I can’t accept that,” Luca protested immediately, but before he could say more, Avery stopped him with a wave of his hand.

“You’ll repay me by holding your ground today and walking out of work with your head held high.”

Judging by the change in the medic’s expression, he was not entirely sure he could manage that. Before he could voice it aloud, however, Avery asked for his coffee order to lead his thoughts elsewhere.

“Cappuccino, please,” he replied almost automatically.

“With cinnamon?” The barista remembered the detail from his Friday order, when he had offered him coffee to go.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Thank you.”

Avery started preparing the order, while Joshua appeared behind the counter after a moment just to put dirty dishes into the dishwasher before moving back to the floor. He did not have much to do, so the blond did not ask if he needed help and continued frothing the milk.

“How much time do you have before you need to go to work?”

After a moment of silence, unsure whether Luca was giving him space to work or simply did not know what to talk about, Avery decided to start the conversation again. After all, the barista knew best how fragile the medic’s confidence was, and he was not about to give him any more reason to doubt himself or replay their conversation in his head later, wondering if he should have said something differently.

“Almost an hour.” The resident’s tone was cautious again, just like his gaze, as if he was afraid Avery might throw him out at any moment. Instead, he hummed in understanding and continued making his coffee. He had not asked earlier whether he wanted it to go or to drink it here, but now he could guess the answer himself.

Besides, it only took one quick glance for the barista to notice that one of the tables near the counter was slowly clearing out, so Luca would soon have a place where he could sit and drink his coffee in peace.

A cappuccino was a fairly simple order, so he had it ready on the counter in front of the brunet in no time, taking the cinnamon and sprinkling it on top right in front of him. Before letting the resident take the cup, however, he stopped him by leaning in slightly and meeting his eyes.

“You know you can stop by here anytime, right?” Luca looked genuinely surprised by the statement, but Avery was not finished yet. “Even if it’s just for a bit of chit-chat or just coffee. I’ll be happy to see you.”

Even though it had been Luca who asked if he was crossing boundaries, now the blond was not sure if he was not the one doing it. After all, they were not friends. The young man was his customer. He was literally used to paying for his company. Avery, however, naively hoped that it could lead to more and that he’d have more than just one friend. But he didn't want to get ahead of himself just yet. 

“Are you sure?”

Aside from his desperate need for new friendships, his second biggest motivation for this conversation was Luca’s fragile confidence. It hurt to look at such an attractive man and see him so broken.

“A hundred percent,” he assured him with a nod.

That seemed to be enough for the medic for now, and he moved to the table that had become free during their conversation.

“Your friend?” Joshua asked as soon as he returned behind the counter and tossed a cloth over his shoulder.

“Something like that,” Avery replied vaguely, since he himself was not sure what to call him.

Joshua gave him a strange look, but then just shook his head and started wiping down the counter, which was not actually dirty, but he had nothing better to do, and the café owner did not know how to enjoy a quiet moment.

Not that the quiet lasted long.

The blond was just bent under the counter, checking the stock of special straws they were testing to see if they worked better than paper ones, when he heard the bell above the door ring. 

“Oooh.” “Wow.” “Holy smokes.” “Someone’s lucky.”

Whoever had walked in clearly caught the attention of the entire café, so Avery straightened up in confusion, and as soon as he looked toward the door, he understood.

A man—judging only by his build and clothing, since his face was almost completely hidden behind a massive bouquet of flowers—walked up to the counter and shifted the flowers in his hands so he could speak.

“I’m looking for Avery.”

“What?” slipped out of the barista automatically, convinced he had misheard.

“I have a delivery for Avery.” He slightly lifted the flowers as if they could somehow be overlooked. There must have been about a hundred of them, and it was a miracle a piece of paper and a ribbon were holding them together.

“I’m Avery,” the blond replied like an idiot, but that was apparently enough for the delivery man, who placed a paper and a pen in front of him. The barista signed where he was shown almost automatically, still trying to process what was happening.

With the signed paper tucked back into his pocket, the delivery man hummed in satisfaction and then pushed the bouquet of roses into the barista’s arms. Avery took it instinctively, and as his gaze fixed on it, he did not even notice the man leaving the café before he could ask who had sent them.

“Do you have a secret admirer I don’t know about?”

The bouquet was so large that as soon as the blond focused on it, he did not even notice when his boss stepped closer again.

“No?” he answered automatically, his eyes quickly counting the roses, as he truly started to feel like there were a hundred of them. They were white, light pink, and red, the colors contrasting beautifully, and Avery had to admit he had never seen anything so stunning.

“That’s the biggest bouquet I’ve ever seen.”

It seemed Joshua was not the only one curious, because when the blond lifted his gaze briefly again, he noticed Luca on the other side of the counter.

“Do you know who it’s from?”

“No.” This time he managed to make it sound like an answer, though his tone was still startled.

“There’s usually a card in bouquets, right?” Luca suggested.

“He’s right.”

Both Joshua and Luca were staring at him expectantly, and since the blond was starting to worry they would soon begin helping him search instead of just asking, he quickly started scanning the flowers himself until he actually found what he needed.