A/N: First of all WOAH I cannot thank violetfireflies, CAPJHMPAgirl, tiedyedseashells, and Cotton Candy Mareep enough for your lovely reviews! I just about passed out when I saw some of my favorite fic authors reviewed MY little fic. This was just going to be a one shot but your reviews convinced me to write more. Therefor this chapter is inspired by and dedicated to you!
I tried really hard to make this chapter better than the last, but I'm not sure I succeeded. It's also quite a bit longer. What do you think, better? Worse? Anyway, please enjoy chapter two of Cafe Castanet!
The Day Shift
Sounds of light sleepy chatter swirled in the air with the strong aroma of coffee and fresh pastries baking in the kitchen. Molly breathed in deeply, eyes closed, soaking it all in. The atmosphere of the little cafe was her favorite aspect of her job. There was something about it that made her cozy and warm. Everything here felt a little more special than it did elsewhere. In the right mood she would even describe it as magical.
"Ah. I love the day shift." she said aloud to no one. Molly stretched her arms behind her back. She had just finished taking the orders of what seemed like would be an endless stream of customers and now scanned the restaurant searching for something to keep her busy. She was about to step around the counter to wipe down some recently vacated tables when she saw Luna walking towards her.
Luna's pink ponytails tied up on either side of her head bounced as she walked. Her blue eyes were focused on the phone in her hand, but she masterfully maneuvered through the little cafe without missing a step. Molly had always loved Luna's eyes. Paired with her lovely hair and pretty face, Luna had the kind of appearance that made you look twice upon seeing her for the first time.
"Hey, Luna. You leaving already?" Molly asked, noticing Luna was no longer wearing her uniform.
"Yup." Luna replied, looking up from her phone and tucking it into her pocket. "I'm going out with Gill today. He's driving us up to Flute Hill. Don't worry, I worked it out with Master Yolanda first. By the way, why isn't she here today? I thought Chase only worked the night shift. Anyway, Maya should be here in a few to cover my shift. See ya later." Luna finished clocking out and was already headed for the door before Molly could say anything other than a quick goodbye.
It was always like that with Luna, which Molly didn't usually mind. Getting a word in with Luna could be a feat, but even one-sided conversations with her were never dull. They didn't share many classes but working together allowed them to become closer than she was with many of the students in her own year.
Molly was still pondering her relationships with her younger peers when, just as Luna said she would, Maya walked through the door.
"Good morning, Maya!" Molly called to her friend.
"Mornin', Molly! Busy day today?" Maya hopped behind the counter to clock herself in.
"Yup." Molly replied. "You just missed the first rush. Luna just left too, did you see her on your way in?"
"Yeah! How come she's leaving so early? Granny didn't tell me. She looked like she was in a super big hurry. So I just waved extra fast and she smiled." Maya smiled bigger than she was already. That's what Molly loved most about Maya. She was so bright and quick to smile. The smile was always genuine in a way that made Molly smile too just talking with the younger girl.
"She was in a hurry. She said she has a- oh, sorry, I'll tell you later. Could you please go clear those tables over there? We've got a few more people about to come in."
"Yup, sure thing! I'll be super quick." she swiveled around and leaned over the pass-through separating the dining room from the kitchen. "Good morning, Chase!" she called to the peachy haired chef's back. When he didn't reply, she turned back around, waved at Molly, and skipped off to set about her tasks. It was obvious that Maya shrugged off the minor offense from Chase. Molly, however, was miffed in her stead.
"Tsk, Chase! You can't at least say good morning to Maya?" Chase looked over his shoulder at Molly but continued cutting fruit into small chunks.
"I don't like her." He said no more and turned back to his cutting board. Just as she was about to reply, two new customers stepped up to the front counter ready to order. She turned to take the orders of the new guests, smile on her face and honey in her voice.
"Well, I do like her and I would rather you didn't upset her." Customers cared for, Molly resumed their conversation as if there had been no interruption. She leaned her crossed arms on the pass-through. "Besides, that isn't fair. You don't like anybody."
Chase set down his knife and turned to face Molly. He set his arms in front of hers, mirroring her stance. Molly tried not to notice how close their faces were to each other. The thin surface of the pass-through forced their arms to touch, sending distracting tingles up her arms.
"That's a bit dramatic. And wrong. I like you."
Molly's eyes shot up to meet Chase's. His eyes were wide, his expression a jumble of emotions not all of which Molly could put names to. Shock, regret, and...anticipation? It seemed to Molly as if he had said more than he meant to and was now anxiously waiting for her reaction, though his face had almost immediately defaulted to an unreadable expression. Molly's mind raced for something to say. What should she say? What did she want to say? He probably hadn't meant anything special, and she was just reading too much into a simple phrase. But then why did he react the way he had? She opened her mouth to speak and took a sharp intake of breath when a soft tentative tap on her shoulder startled her. She jumped, her arms flying off the pass-through so quickly she nearly hit Chase in the face as she straightened up.
"Oh, goddess, I'm so sorry, Chase! Y-yes, Maya? I'm sorry, what do you need?" The orange haired girl looked between Molly and Chase, who had also straightened himself, looking disappointed and noticeably annoyed at the interruption. Maya seemed to shrink under the undeserved glare Chase gave her.
"Uh...'scuse me. Sorry to...interrupt? Do you have the order ready for Toby and Renee? They've been waiting. Not that they've really noticed. Lost in each others eyes like they are." Maya giggled nervously, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to have the opposite effect on Chase as he retreated back into the kitchen, presumably to fetch the order. Molly apologized again to Maya, who waved it off, her usual smile back on her face.
"Really! 's no problem. Just came ta check on the order" Despite Maya's assurances, Molly still felt ashamed at her inattention to her guests. "It's not like they've been waiting that long. Oh, see! Chase finished the order already. That was super quick." Maya went to grab the tray that carried a cup of coffee, green tea, and a slice of cake that Chase sat down on the pass-through before silently busying himself with some task in the kitchen. Before she could get her hands on it, Molly had already snatched it up.
"I'll take it! I want to apologize personally." Molly explained after seeing Maya's slightly startled face.
"Oh, ok! I'll watch the front for ya. Before you go could I just-" Molly moved the tray to her other side, out of Maya's reach.
"No, you can not taste the customer's cake!" The look on Maya's face used to convince Molly to give in to the girl every time. By now, though, she had learned to resist that youthful face and her sparkling blue eyes.
"Aw, boo! Not even just a little taste?" Maya pouted.
"Nope. You can have some leftovers after work. Now I've really got to take this before Toby and Renee actually manage to look away from each other."
Now that the traffic of the morning crowd had ended, the relative quiet of the cafe gave Molly the opportunity to think. She swept at tiny crumbs and wrappers on the floor, forming them into small piles. At the same time, she tried to sweep her thoughts into coherent piles. Neither she nor Chase had talked about, or even mentioned, that night shift they'd worked together. Sometimes during quiet moments between classes or shared free periods their eyes would meet just briefly and she could swear she read that night in his eyes. But before she could question that look, he'd turn away or bring up another topic. Work didn't provide any better opportunities. The two hadn't shared a shift together again until today. Molly only worked day shift, and had been covering a shift for a coworker who had gotten sick that one night. She didn't know why Chase was working the day shift today. Up until now the cafe had been too busy to try asking him. For some reason the thought to question his presence hadn't crossed her mind anyway.
She glanced over to the kitchen for what seemed like the hundredth time, trying to be inconspicuous. This was unlike her, a fact that made her feel hyper aware of the act.
Chase was, of course, busy in the kitchen. Currently he was mixing some unknown ingredients in a large bowl. Even from her position on the other side of the room, she could see the glint of the silver hairpins Chase used to keep his hair out of his face when he cooked. Her stomach made a weird tumbling sensation that she did not like. She had given him those hairpins long ago for the very purpose they were still being used for. How had she not noticed before? They couldn't be the same pins, could they?As if he could feel her eyes on him, Chase suddenly glanced behind him. The unexpectedness of the glance startled Molly. His electric eyes struck hers like lightning, causing an uncomfortable flutter in her chest. That was the last straw. Unable to handle the annoying flutters and careful glances any longer, her tensions snapped. Screw this! She thought to herself.
Steeling her resolve, she advanced towards Chase. Realizing she was coming towards him, he rotated the rest of his body around, a very confused expression on his face. At the exact moment she opened her mouth to speak her mind, the usually charming chime of bells went off above the entrance, announcing the arrival of new customers.
"Holy Harvest Goddess above! Of all the goddess forsaken- it is noon! Who the bloody bells-" Molly turned on her heel towards the incoming duo, muttering angrily under her breath. Not quiet enough, however, to keep the now very amused chef from hearing. His poorly stifled snickers turned to full out laughter when Molly snapped her head around to him, eyes glaring and cheeks pink with anger and annoyance. Her hair spun about her face before settling back above her shoulders. Chase threw up his hands defensively and backed away returning again to his work. Molly huffed, greatly annoyed and disappointed with the ill-timed interruption, but masterfully turned on her "hostess" mode. It was something she was very good at. Usually.
The duo that had entered lingered back, looking at the simple menu on the front side of the counter. The short menu was drawn daily on a whiteboard in alternating colors. One of the boys Molly recognized as Owen from school. The other was familiar as well, but Molly couldn't recall his name. What she recognized wasn't his face, but the very distinctive fire patterned bandana tied over his wild blue hair.
"See, Luke! I told you, man. This is a coffee shop. They don't got lunch." The red-haired Owen told his friend.
"Aw, but the sign outside looked so EXTREME!" The other boy, Luke, replied. Molly noticed he wasn't actually paying much attention to his friend or the menu. He scanned the little cafe back and forth as if looking for something.
"Dude, it looked like a coffee shop sign. Come on, lets-" Owen tried to urge his friend towards the door but Luke just shrugged him off and pulled Owen forward instead.
"Nah, man. Let's just try it out. Hey, lady!" Luke said to Molly, unnecessarily loud for their proximity. "Whatcha got that's the most EPIC?!" Most of the guests that came to Cafe Castanet were sleepy commuters looking for their daily pick-me-up, or young high school/college aged kids that enjoyed the atmosphere and had acquired tastes for the relatively expensive treats. A guest like Luke was completely new to Molly, and she wasn't completely sure how to react to him. His exuberance had all but erased her previous anger and frustration from just minutes ago, instead replacing it with a neutral temperament better suited to her.
"The most epic?" Molly repeated. "I'm not sure, are you looking for something to eat or drink today?" she asked, trying to find out just what it was this boy wanted from her.
"Either. Or both! Whatever's awesome!" This was going nowhere. Molly suggested a few of the more popular items, none of which appealed to Luke. Owen stood just behind Luke, arms crossed, hoping the younger boy would decide to go elsewhere.
"Luke!" Maya appeared next to Molly, a bundle of napkins in her arms. "And Owen!" she exclaimed, noticing him still slightly turned towards the door. "Hiya, guys! I didn't expect to see you two here. What's up?"
"Maya! There you a- Oh, um, yeah! I was just- I mean. We were looking around for something awesome for lunch and this place was like 'I'm awesome, eat here!'. So here we are." Luke bounced and waved his arms as he talked. He punctuated his speech with a click of his mouth and shoved his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans, still bouncing. Owen rolled his eyes, now understanding why his friend dragged him to a coffee shop for lunch. The oblivious Maya giggled and set the napkins on the counter.
"This place is super awesome. What can I getcha?" Molly swiped the pile of napkins from the counter, communicating her intentions to Maya with a nod. She stuck the napkins in their holder still watching the exchange with the two freshmen, a smile on her face.
"I dunno. I'm not really into sweets. D'ya got anything else?"
"Oh, I know just the thing for ya!" Maya said excitedly. "How 'bout a super delicious smoothie? They're available by request. And we can put spinach in it!"
"Woah, that sounds EXTREME! I'll take it!" Luke smiled and punched the air.
"Great! Hey, Chase! We got any spinach left?" They all turned to look at the entrance to the kitchen where the chef in mention leaned against the doorway, curious what all the noise was about.
"Yeah. But I am not going to ruin a perfectly good smoothie by putting spinach in it." He gave the two a look that implied they were insane for even suggesting it. "Besides, the spinach is for the salads."
"Wait, wait. You have spinach salads too? Epic! Can we get some of those too?"
"Cool, so two spinach salads and two banana-spinach smoothies?" Maya looked questioningly at Owen, asking if that was correct. Although obviously still disappointed with his friend's chosen destination for lunch, but wanting to be supportive, he muttered a "whatever" and pulled out his wallet.
"I am not making a banana and spinach smoothie!" Chase repeated, annoyed at being ignored.
"Aw, come on. Please, Chase?" Maya pouted.
"Pretty please, Chase?" Luke repeated the name he heard Maya give, not knowing the chef himself.
"Yeah. Pretty please, Chase?" Molly joined in. She was too amused with the entire situation to resist. Chase just stared at her, unable to believe she was supporting the horrendous display. When he again refused to "defile a perfectly good smoothie" she clasped her hands together under her chin, mock pleading. She stuck her bottom lip out and batted her eyes a few times for good measure. She giggled with childish delight at the sudden flush of pink in his cheeks. He threw his hands up in defeat.
"Fine! Just this once, got it?" The group cheered and chorused "Thank you" at the offended chef, which he ignored. Maya and Luke slapped an enthusiastic high five.
The event with Maya's two friends things simmered down in the little cafe. Everything was clean and tidy. The few people still in the cafe were silently working on laptops or scribbling in notebooks, textbooks sitting open beside them. Maya skipped cheerfully through the cafe taking care of any little task that caught her attention. A rumble from her stomach reinforced her next decision. Now was a good time for her break.
Molly signaled to Maya, letting her know she'd be in charge for a while, then poked her head into the kitchen.
"Chase," she called. "I'm going on break. Can you make me a-"
"Yup." he interrupted casually.
"What? You didn't even let me tell you what I want."
"I'll make you something. Go take your break." Her silence prompted him to look in her direction. She glared at him skeptically. "What? You'll love it, I promise." He turned back around. "Maya will bring it to you in a few minutes." Molly shrugged and left. She thought his "request" was odd but she didn't have a problem with it. Chase's food was always delicious. And after all the years they'd known each other he knew what she did and didn't like.
Outside behind the cafe Molly stood on her toes stretching her hands as if she were reaching for the setting sun. After being in the relatively chilly cafe for so long the warm sunlight made her feel like she was thawing. It was for this reason she liked taking her breaks out here when she could. She hadn't been outside for long when she heard the back door opening. Fully expecting to see Maya with Chase's mystery snack, Molly was a little shocked to see the chef himself instead.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked. "I thought you were sending Maya out." Chase closed the door with his foot then leaned casually against the wall next to it."I'm taking a smoke break." he answered, offering her a styrofoam cup.
"Chase, you do not smoke." Molly replied, taking the offered drink. She hadn't meant it to be, but the unspoken "You'd better not" was so palpable she may as well have said it aloud.
"Don't look at me like that," he chuckled "Of course I don't, but Master Yolanda doesn't know that. If you haven't driven me to smoking by now you probably never will." Molly punched his shoulder which just made him chuckle again."Did you just come out here to tease me? As I recall, you promised me a snack I'd love." Suddenly Chase looked hesitant.
"Yeah, I..." Chase cleared his throat to clear the nervousness from his voice.
"Are you alright? It's ok if you forgot." Molly angled her head trying to get a better look at Chase, who had stopped looking at her. "Your face is kinda red. Do you wanna go back inside?"
"No, I'm just...Goddess, this is stupid. Here." He handed her a small white box she somehow hadn't noticed he was holding. The bow on top was a bright red-orange, Molly's favorite color.
"What-" Molly began.
"Just open it." He stepped a little closer, watching for her reaction.
She pulled at one end of the ribbon until it came undone. She stuffed the ribbon into her pocket and pulled off the lid. Immediately she recognized the contents and gasped. Inside the box was a small pie, a little bigger than a cupcake would be. The filling was rich, creamy, strawberry cheesecake covered with a lattice crust. Swirls of pink and red icing decorated the lovely golden-brown lattice. On the top of the pie a single pink cat mint bloom sat on a dollop of thick whipped cream, giving the sweet dessert a delicate and beautiful appearance.
"Is this-"
"Yeah." He smiled and visibly relaxed, apparently pleased with her reaction. "I promised I'd make it for you someday. I know it took a long time. I wanted to get it perfect before giving it to you."
Molly remembered it vividly. When they were younger walking to school together they would stop and peek through the windows of a fancy restaurant along their route. One day Molly had spotted a young couple sharing the very dessert she now held in her hands. They had decided then that when they were older they would go to that restaurant and share the pretty treat. Unfortunately, not long after that, the chef moved away and the restaurant closed. Molly was so upset, Chase made the promise that he'd keep learning to cook and would one day make the dessert for her himself.
Molly was at a loss for words, though she tried to find say something.
"Chase, it's so... I can't believe..." She gave up. Carefully tightening her grip on the box in one hand, she reached for Chase's arm, meaning to pull him into an embrace. As soon as she touched his arm, the back door slammed open causing her to jump and grip Chase too tightly. She stumbled trying to keep her balance and Chase steadied her with a hand on her back.
"Really, guys?" Maya shouted, upset with the scene she'd walked out to. "You can't just both leave me alone by myself, meanies! Flirt after work, there's a buncha people in there getting real impatient. I won't tell Granny, but at least one of you has gotta help me out!" Maya looked expectantly at the two, fists on her hips.
"Flir- Maya, we weren't-" Chase began.
"I'm so sorry, Maya! I totally forgot. Don't worry, we're coming right now. Come on, Chase." Molly grabbed Chase's hand with her free one and pulled him along following behind Maya. She was acutely aware of the pink in both her cheeks and his, as well as the the way he adjusted his hand to fit more comfortably in hers. But now was not the time to think about those things. They had work to do.
A/N: Tada! Now it's a...two-shot? I'm pretty happy with this but I'm not sure about the length. It feels a little too long for one chapter, right?
Story time! The smoke break scene was inspired by a story my teacher told us when I took a cooking class once. He noticed a bunch of his coworkers were getting extra breaks to go smoke so he'd go out and chat with them even though he didn't smoke himself. When his boss found out he told him he wasn't supposed to take those breaks since he didn't smoke. So he started buying cigarettes and pretending to smoke them so he could keep taking the breaks. It sounded like something Chase would do, so I added it in :)
Well, I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading~