Chapter 2

• CYRUS:-/
• It was another busy day at the shop, orders going round, some impatient people causing problems but nothing new. Ruby and I were stationed at the front, juggling orders and smiling through the chaos. Ralph stayed in the back with the chef, managing the stove and shouting out when food was ready. It was our usual routine, but today felt different—heavier somehow.
• I hadn’t slept well the night before, and it was catching up to me in the worst way. My body moved on autopilot, ringing up orders and handing out receipts, but my mind was elsewhere.
• Last night, my brain refused to give me any peace. It dragged me back to the day my life fell apart—the day my parents walked in and saw me kissing another boy in my room. The looks on their faces were burned into my memory: my mom’s disbelief, my dad’s anger. I could still hear their voices, loud and condemning, as they told me to pack my things and leave.
• “You’re not welcome here.”
• Those words echoed in my mind, sharp and cold, as if they’d been spoken only moments ago. No matter how much time passed, I couldn’t stop replaying that day in my head, wondering how things could’ve been different.
• What if I wasn’t gay? What if they’d never walked in?
• Maybe I’d still be at home, maybe I’d be in college now, finishing my last year and preparing for a bright future. Instead, I was here, working at Ruby & Ralph’s with nothing more than a high school diploma to my name. It wasn’t a bad job—far from it. Ruby and Ralph treated me like family, and the work gave me stability I hadn’t had in years. But it wasn’t the life I’d imagined for myself.
• “Cyrus? Are you okay?” Ruby’s voice pulled me back to reality.
• I blinked, realizing I’d been staring at the cash register for who knows how long. A line of customers stretched out in front of me, some tapping their feet impatiently.
• “Sorry,” I mumbled, shaking my head. “I’m just... tired.”
• Ruby’s face softened with concern. She placed a hand on my shoulder, her touch warm and grounding. “Why don’t you take a quick break? I’ll cover the counter.”
• “No, it’s fine. I can handle it.”
• Ruby didn’t look convinced, but she nodded and went back to preparing drinks. I forced a smile as I rang up the next customer, a middle-aged man who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.
• “Large black coffee, no sugar,” he grumbled.
• “Coming right up,” I said, punching his order into the register. My voice sounded robotic, even to me.
• The café was packed, as it always was during the morning rush. People shouted their orders over the noise, their voices blending into a cacophony of demands. The air smelled of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon, but even that comforting aroma couldn’t cut through the haze of exhaustion clouding my mind.
• I tried to focus, to stay present, but the thoughts kept creeping back in.
• Would my parents even recognize me now? Would they care if they saw me struggling like this? Or would they still see me as a disappointment, a failure?
• The line moved forward, and I handed the man his coffee. He barely acknowledged me as he took it and walked away.
• “Excuse me, can I get a mocha latte?” a young woman asked, her tone sharp.
• “Of course,” I said, forcing another smile. My face ached from pretending to be cheerful.
• The rush showed no signs of slowing, and I felt like I was drowning. Ruby was a whirlwind of efficiency beside me, her hands flying as she prepared drinks and chatted with customers. She made it look easy, like she was born for this.
• “Cyrus, order up!” Ralph’s voice boomed from the kitchen. I grabbed the tray of food he’d slid onto the counter and delivered it to a table near the window. The customers barely glanced at me before diving into their meal.
• As I returned to the counter, I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflective surface of the coffee machine. I looked tired, my eyes dull and my shoulders slumped. It wasn’t just the lack of sleep; it was the weight of everything I’d been carrying for years.
• Ruby noticed me again and leaned closer. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked quietly.
• I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Just didn’t sleep well.”
• Her eyes searched mine for a moment before she gave a small smile. “Well, you’re doing great, kid. Hang in there.”
• Her words were kind, but they didn’t ease the ache in my chest. I went back to work, moving through the motions as the hours dragged on. The customers came and went, their faces blurring together. Some were kind, offering smiles and thank-yous, while others barked their orders like I was a machine.
• By the time the rush began to wind down, I felt like I was running on fumes. I leaned against the counter, my head pounding.
• Fred walked in for his shift, his usual grin lighting up his face. “Busy morning?”
• “You have no idea,” I muttered, rubbing my temples.
• “Don’t worry, man. I’ll take over for a bit. Go sit down or something.”
• I glanced at Ruby, who nodded in agreement. Reluctantly, I stepped away from the counter and sank into a chair in the back room.
• As I sat there, the noise of the café muffled by the walls, I let out a long, shaky breath. The thoughts came rushing back, filling the quiet space with their weight.
• I wish I could turn back time. I wish I could tell my parents that being gay doesn’t make me less of a person, that it doesn’t make me unworthy of love. I wish they could see me now—not as a failure, but as someone who’s trying, who’s surviving.
• Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away. There was no point in crying over something I couldn’t change. My parents had made their choice, and so had I.
• For now, all I could do was keep moving forward, one day at a time.
• The café was packed to the brim when the afternoon rush began. Every table was filled, the line stretched to the door, and the chatter of impatient customers blended with the clinking of plates and the whir of the coffee machine. Ruby and Ralph were moving at their usual lightning speed, trying to keep up with the constant stream of orders. Fred had joined me behind the counter, his upbeat energy a stark contrast to my dwindling stamina.
• I was exhausted. The morning rush had drained me, and the lack of sleep from the previous night was catching up fast. My hands felt heavy as I worked, and my focus wavered more than once. Still, I did my best to push through.
• I kept collecting orders and did my best to remember them all so there would not be a mix up. Then a man walked up to the counter, he had a permanent scowl on his face as he said his order. His voice, loud, unpleasant and commanding.
• “Triple shot caramel macchiato. Extra hot. No foam.”
• I nodded, punching his order into the system. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the counter while I handed off his request to Ruby.
• Once his order was ready, he snatched it out of my hand and walked to a table to sit. I only shook my head, some customers are just too difficult to deal with.
• It was not even up to three minutes later when he returned with a angry look. "This is not what I ordered!"he yelled.
• " Sir, you asked for a Triple shot caramel macchiato-"
• " I know what I asked for but there is foam in this, and it's not even hot enough."He cut me off.
• I took a deep breath, feeling a headache incoming. "I am very sure I got your order correctly, sir."I told him.
• "Are you trying to call me a liar?" He asked even looking more angry.
• "Of course not-" I was saying.
• “This is why people like you shouldn’t work in customer service. You’re incompetent.” he cut me off again.
• I felt heat rise to my face, a mix of embarrassment and anger. I opened my mouth to apologize again, but before I could, he did the unthinkable.
• He picked up the cup and poured the contents over me.
• The coffee wasn’t scalding, thankfully, but it was lukewarm and sticky, soaking into my shirt and dripping down my arms. Gasps erupted from the customers around us, and the world seemed to slow down for a moment.
• I stood still, not even knowing what to do. I wanted to cry, or even scream. Not having a good night sleep and dealing with this was really draining me.
• I closed my eyes blocking everything else out. Ralph and Fred were confronting the man, I could hear them arguing.
• Then I felt something warm on my shoulders making me open my eyes. The first thing I saw when I looked up was a man, he had a bright blue eyes like the sea or even the sky. Then I noticed that the warm item on my shoulders was actually a jacket, his jacket.
• The man was so tall, handsome and everything, he wore an expensive watch on his wrist and even his shoes looked expensive.
• The kind man turned to the rude customer and gave him a business card, he read it and his eyes widened like he just read something scary. I wonder what it was.
• "Leave." The kind man simply said. His voice sounded so soothing and calm, I could listen to him talk all day.
• The nice man didn’t move, didn’t say another word. He simply watched as the man fumbled with his coat and bolted for the door.
• The café was silent for a moment after he left, the tension hanging in the air like a thick cloud.
• “Thank you,” I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.
• The stranger turned back to me, his expression softening. “No need to thank me. That guy was out of line.” He glanced at the wet mess on my shirt and frowned. “Do you have something else to wear?”
• “I—I’ll manage,” I said, pulling his jacket tighter around me.
• I went inside to the locker room and changed into a shirt that Ralph placed there for me.
• "You should go home. You look like you need a good nap." Ruby said to me. I nodded and picked up my bag. Ralph gave me a paper bag that contained food and I left.
• Outside I was about to walk down to the bus stop when I saw the kind stranger. Was he waiting for his jacket?
• "You are going home." he said.
• "Yes, I will have your jacket dry cleaned but how do I give it to you." I said to him. "I can do it myself." he said gesturing for me to give him the jacket.
• "I'm the one who got it dirty, so I will do it."i told him.
• He took out his wallet and gave me a card. I read it.
• Darius Evergreen
• CEO.
• Evergreen Company
• The card looked so simple but pretty with the gold letters on the black background.
• Evergreen company, that is the name on the skyscraper. That means he is the owner of the building.
• "Let me drop you home." he said placing his hand on my back to lead me to his car. "No thank you. I am sure you must be busy and you have helped me enough."i refused. He gave me a stern look and insisted.
• " Put in your address."Darius said.
• I sighed and entered my address into the car GPS,and we were off.