Chapter Text
It's already spring on Starfall St.
Though flowers are in bloom---a more potent set of fragrances are carried throughout the streets---into the city's park.
Scents of ristretto.
Freshly baked brioche.
The bittersweet whiff when chocolate meets vanilla.
These are the reasons why people keep coming back to Wonderlands Café.
And the tea, of course.
There, from within the café, a young lady gently piped light blue icing onto a lovely cake fit for a bride.
"Ah- perfect! hmhm ♪" Barbara hummed to herself quietly, while enjoying the smell of sweet sugar.
Morning sunshine filtered in through the windows and cast a lovely soft glow inside the bakery.
Playing inside was music with a sweet, gentle sound to it; dulcet and cute.
♪ Ding ♪
The oven went off,
And suddenly the bright jingle of a tiny bell could be heard ringing above the entrance as a customer opened the door and came inside.
Her ears perked up at the sound.
"Ah good morning! We have a new menu today. see anything you like? take your time and let us know~" spoke a voice with skillful charm, the voice belonged to Dahlia, a young boy around his late teens. Barbara's coworker.
His words were laced with a certain amount of sweetness, but to Barbara, something about them came off as almost saccharine.
"Ohoho! Well then perhaps I'll try this, your new dark roast cold brew with a salted caramel drizzle on top; with some added whipped cream, let's add a milk layer---1/3rd of it dubai chocolate milk---and a light sprinkle of cocoa powder! Oh make sure they don't forget the creamer too" said a somewhat regular customer.
Dahlia gave a simple, understanding, nod.
It was stirring. odd. seeing him back here. Working around him again like this.
"-OH I almost forgot!! See if you can add two shots of extra potent caffeine! I'll need it today, oh and If you could some how make the creamer butter-pecan flavored- I'd be overjoyed!" She continued.
"Hmm now lets see about those new pastries...." The customer began flipping through the menu with an indecisive look on her face.
The lady had only recently started coming here every week, but every time she comes by her orders get longer and more complex.
Barbara who was graced with the honor of making this fantastically impossible order could feel the sweat beads starting to roll off her face.
When she was last in charge of brewing five cappuccinos yesterday with their cafés old rickety appliances from the dark ages... she broke the entire machine and a technician had to come out to repair it. Yay pay cuts.
"Hey, you."
Dahlia looked over in Barbara's direction while the customer sat preoccupied. His voice was cold and dry, it didn't match the momentary front he put on for customers at all.
"This one wants a coffee, so you take over with waiting on her." He held her gaze.
Dahlia made his way to the coffee machine and started brewing the lengthy order in place of Barbara before she could say anything.
"What? Oh eh I know yesterday was sort of a train wreck but I'm already over here so I'll just-"
Said Barbara insisting she should make the cup of coffee instead.
She wasn't really asking.
But neither was he. She could tell.
"I'll be brewing it. You can just go over there and smile at her or something, or don't. we're not busy right now anyway." Dahlia uttered, averting his eyes from hers. That sparkling attitude of his was present as ever today just as it was before, but something, there was something different about it.
"Uh... okay..."
Barbara just sighed and went over to the customer at the wooden table decorrated with a light pink cloth, she looked like she had more she wanted to say but she doubts someone as tight-lipped and standoffish as her colleague would hear her out.
"I guess he still forgot our names are on our tags" She huffed and puffed a bit, her bangs blew up and fell back down into place, slightly ruffled.
"I wonder if I could just write anything on here or if he'd just end up thinking that's my name, something tells me he wouldn't even notice it keeps changing..." she thought to herself aloud in a faint mumble almost contemplating whether or not she should try that.
Well, I guess it's a bit of a relief I didn't have to attempt making another one of those tall orders, its been real fun completing those lately...
Never thought I'd be here missing our last coffee machine this much, and when brewing machiattos didn't smell like burnt dust. I still don't know how our manager talked the owner into a full vintage overhaul on all of our perfectly fine working appliances.
Just last week, the café manager's obsession with 1950s nostalgia had replaced all their reliable gear with temperamental antiques, leaving them to run a high volume cafe with museum pieces.
She took a step back.
'Just go over there and smile or something'
She couldn't help but replay that subtle, jerkish, little remark over again in her mind he had tossed off oh so swiftly.
Maybe I smile too much and he's making fun of me for it? No thats crazy... sometimes I really wonder if this part-timer hates me or not.
I guess it's no surprise there if he did. I utterly embarrassed the both of us when he used to work here.
But. That's exactly just the thing that's gnawed at her this entire time, since the day he started part-timing at the café again.
If he resigned, then why. why come back here of all places to work.