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When Prae finds a new job as a barista at the coffee shop a block away from Kongpob’s place, Kongpob is determined to fulfill his best friend duty by showing up every day and sampling Prae's caffeinated creations. Usually, he gets one of the variations of iced coffee on the menu, but sometimes, when he’s in the mood, he asks Prae to put in different kinds of syrups in his coffee. Prae, for the most part, doesn’t mind. Kongpob being there relieves some of the mundanity of the job.
Well, that is until a pale-skinned guy begins showing up.
The new guy comes in every day at 2 pm, orders the lightest latte possible, and puts all the change into the tip jar. After getting his order, Arthit, the name of the guy (which Prae learns rather quickly because of his consistent and generous tipping), then always takes the corner table and opens his laptop and usually stays for an hour and a half.
It doesn't take long before Kongpob begins to take notice of Arthit, and Prae should have known. Arthit has ivory pale skin and lips that make the most beautiful smile. His round cheeks become rounder whenever he smiles. He is, with no doubt, her best friend's type.
Before Arthit started showing up, Kongpob usually dropped by around noon, but then, his time of arrival has changed, him coming in later and later until his daily appearance in the shop coincides with 2 in the afternoon. He also suddenly switches from his regular spot near the register to the table next to the corner one. Prae prides herself on being a good friend by not commenting on her friend’s obvious pining.
It also isn't long before Kongpob makes his move.
The “move,” if it can even be called that, is less of a move and more of an embarrassment.
It’s Tuesday, 2:33 pm, and Arthit is nowhere in sight. But eventually, he shows up. He comes in another half an hour later, and Kongpob, who impatiently waited for him as if they had a set meeting, gets up abruptly in excitement upon seeing Arthit at the door. Upon doing so, Kongpob knocks his head against one of the low-hanging globe light fixtures adorning the ceiling of the coffee shop.
Prae covers her face with the dessert menu, wondering where her calm and collected friend has gone and asking who this embarrassing dork is.
Arthit’s snort only worsens Kongpob's obvious wince and embarrassment, and Kongpob can’t do anything but give Arthit a weak smile as he rubs his head. Prae looks at Arthit disbelievingly as he flushes and looks away bashfully at having been caught laughing, immediately brisking away from the door and over to his usual spot to put down his messenger bag.
Taking his chance for redemption, Kongpob sidles up to Prae, and she frowns. “You’re not allowed behind the bar,” she says as she pushes Kongpob out, threatening him with a plastic coffee stirrer.
“Okay, okay! Calm down! Listen, I just need your help,” Kongpob whispers.
“Help in what?”
“Just let me pay for his drink, and…”
Prae sighs. She should know better than to go along with one of Kongpob’s schemes. But she already knew what she signed up for when they were thirteen years old and Kongpob suggested they should climb the tree in his backyard so they could say “hi” to the boy next door. The boy had ivory pale skin and round cheeks. Kongpob fell and broke his arm.
When Arthit walks up to the cashier after settling in to order his drink, Prae already has it prepared and slides it across the counter.
“It’s been paid for,” she says.
Arthit furrows his eyebrows. “Who…” he manages, trailing off when he reads the message written on the cup.
Sorry for being an embarrassment. - K
“Who’s K?” Arthit asks Prae.
“The embarrassment,” she responds flatly.
And as if that makes sense completely, Arthit looks up at Kongpob who has his head ducked but then lifts it a bit when he gives a little wave.
Arthit locks eyes with Kongpob, his face staying impassive. For a moment, Prae thinks Arthit will reject the drink or insist on paying, but then, Arthit pulls out the money originally for the drink and puts it all into the tip jar.
Prae widely smiles at that.
However, Kongpob visibly deflates when Arthit proceeds with his usual routine and doesn’t do anything else to acknowledge the drink Kongpob bought for him. And with that, Kongpob goes home with Prae’s arm over his shoulder.
The following day, due to being a whole embarrassment and having a cute guy witness it all, Kongpob has no plan to show up for his best friend duty.
But at 2:06 pm, he receives a text from Prae.
𝙶𝙴𝚃 𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴 𝙽𝙾𝚆!!!!
Prae never texts him like this, in all caps and with more than two exclamation points, unless there's an emergency, so Kongpob hurriedly shows up at the coffee shop's door panting a few minutes later, and Prae witnesses her best friend’s pathetic attempt to not look over at the corner table and its occupant.
Kongpob shifts his focus to Prae when he reaches the counter and asks if everything is all right with earnest concern for a friend.
“No, everything isn’t all right,” Prae says, arms crossed and left eyebrow raised. She hands Kongpob a cup of iced coffee. “I can’t believe I’m playing cupid.”
Kongpob turns the cup around until he can read the message in Prae's handwriting.
Don’t be sorry. It’s funny. (I’m doing this because you paid for my drink.) - A
Kongpob rereads the message over and over until it clicks. It’s a reply to his message yesterday. Prae is sure if she turns off the power, Kongpob’s giant smile will still light up the whole shop, and she isn't sure whether that's a good thing completely. She has an inkling her job is only going to get much more infuriating.
And she’s absolutely right. For the next two weeks, Kongpob and Arthit continue to buy each other drinks and make Prae write love letters, except that they aren’t really love letters; they’re more like text messages written on coffee cups, and instead of the two of them writing the notes, it’s the poor barista who does it for them.
Thanks for the drink last time, but how did you know what I wanted? - K
I asked your friend. And, again, just to be clear, I only did that because you bought me a drink last time. - A
I’m doing this now because I think you should really try this. It’s good. - K
I don’t disagree. - A
What does “A” mean? - K
Stop pretending you don’t know and haven’t asked your friend. - A
Busted. Anyway, enjoy this apple fritter with your latte. - K
The lemon chiffon slice is better. - A
Do you like lemons? Try this lemon meringue latte. - K
I will never drink that again. - A
I should’ve trusted Prae when she said not to buy you that. Sorry. - K
Can I ask you a question? - A
Only if I can ask one in return :) - K
Did you ever fall from a tree when you were young? - A
Prae’s face whenever writing those evidently flirtatious messages is unpaintable, but she earns so much in tips from them (mostly from Arthit), so she continues writing them despite wanting to either: (1) lock the two in the backroom or (2) strangle them. From behind the counter, she can see them trying to look at each other when they think the other isn’t noticing. It’s utterly tragic and makes her want to stab them both with coffee stirrers.
It all comes to a head when Kongpob shows up extra early and asks Prae for his latest request.
“You’ve really come to this point, huh?” Prae says.
“Just do it for me, please.”
Because Prae can never really say “no” to her best friend, for he might think of a much worse plan, she ends up handing Arthit his usual order, but this time, the lid is off, and the drink has a latte art on top, a heart.
Prae thinks it’s very tacky and also quite unoriginal. It seems to work on Arthit, however, because he blushes upon seeing it along with Kongpob’s note.
Go on a date with me?
Rather than dragging this out for another day, Prae would rather have them get their shit together now, so she hands Arthit an empty cup and a marker.
Arthit shyly bites his lip as he considers his reply, but he finally jots down a message and hands the cup to Prae before quickly grabbing his latte and striding quickly to his usual seat.
Kongpob sits at the end of the espresso bar with an anxious look on his face. Feeling pity towards her friend, Prae finally reads Arthit’s message for Kongpob.
Pick me up here later at 7 :)
Prae smiles and gives her best friend a thumbs up. Kongpob instantly lights up and quickly stands, hitting another one of the light fixtures and startling the lady next to him. From the corner of her eye, as she makes Kongpob’s drink, Prae can see Arthit smiling and obviously fake-reading something on his laptop. They’re so embarrassing.
Later that night, Arthit and Kongpob both show up 30 minutes early and overdressed. Prae thinks she deserves a medal for being the most hardworking wingwoman.
But now, she just needs the two to stop making eyes at each other so she can start closing the shop.