Chapter Text
The smell of freshly ground coffee and sweet caramel syrup, mixed with the steady hum of the grinder, greeted Sheena as she entered the café.
She had just finished her classes and was waiting for her sister to pick her up, so she headed straight there.
It had been her go-to café since it opened. Not because she gets a discount. Sure. Totally not the reason.
She walked up to the counter and greeted the girl busy with the POS, fingers moving quickly across the screen.
“Hi, Jho! Walang klase today?”
Jhoanna looked up, her face instantly lighting up. “Uy! Boss baby! Wala, mamaya pa ako.” She leaned her elbows on the counter. “Late ka ata ngayon?”
Sheena adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Kinausap ko pa kasi prof ko.” She glanced at the menu out of habit even though she already knew what she wanted. “Usual ko, Jho, please. Thank you.”
“Ay, wait!” Jhoanna suddenly straightened, glancing over her shoulder. “May trainee kasi ako. Tuturuan ko siya dito sa POS.” She lowered her voice slightly. “Pwede siya mag-take ng order mo?”
Sheena’s brows lifted, curious. “Ay, may bago pala kayo? Sige, sige.”
Jhoanna turned towards the espresso machine area. “Mikha! Tara muna dito saglit.”
A red-haired girl wearing glasses and the café’s apron looked up from where she was wiping the counter. She blinked, startled, before quickly making her way over.
There was something careful about the way she moved, like she was constantly reminding herself not to mess up.
Jhoanna stepped aside to give her space. “Take mo order niya. Turuan kita.”
The girl nodded as Jhoanna shifted so she could stand in front of the POS.
“Every customer, ang opening mo, ‘Welcome to A&C Brew, can I take your order?’” Jhoanna reminded her softly.
“Sige po,” the girl replied, eyes still fixed on the screen.
She took a small breath.
“Welcome to A&C Brew, can I—”
And then she looked up.
The moment her eyes landed on Sheena, her thoughts stopped.
Completely.
She never thought someone could look that perfect in a simple sweatshirt, track pants, and glasses.
She was a living, breathing masterpiece. A work of art so flawless, so impossibly exquisite, that Mikha felt the world had been lying to her all this time. Every painting, every sculpture, every song ever written? None of it mattered. None of it could compare to the beauty she was seeing right now.
Her eyes traced every line, every subtle motion, like she was the 8th wonder of the world, meant to be admired for eternity. Mikha’s vision felt blessed, chosen, as if her entire life had been practiced for this sacred act—to see her.
This was why she had been given sight. To look at her, to study her, to marvel at her, to exist in awe before her magnificence. To observe her like one would observe a painting in the Louvre.
Mikha wanted to cry, to sing, to write every word ever, just to honor the beauty standing in front of her. She had never been more certain of her purpose in life. She was alive. Truly alive. Because she could see this beauty.
She—
“Hello? Earth to Mikha? Huy, okay ka lang ba?”
Her thoughts shattered when Jhoanna gently tapped her shoulder.
“S-Sorry! Sorry po! Can I take you… your order? Can I take your order po?” Mikha stammered, cheeks heating up.
Sheena chuckled and glanced down at her name tag. Then, looking back up, she said,
“Hi, Mikha! Can I get a large iced butterscotch latte with sea salt cream? Light ice, please, and sub oat.”
“M-Medium… po?” Mikha blurted before she could stop herself.
Sheena tilted her head slightly, a soft smile playing on her lips.
“Large,” she corrected.
“Oh! R-right… L-large po,” Mikha stammered, fumbling over the buttons like her fingers had suddenly forgotten how to type.
Jhoanna leaned slightly over the counter, tapping a button on the POS with a small smirk.
“Light ice… H-Hot or… I-iced po?” Mikha asked, her voice cracking just a bit.
“Ha?” Sheena laughed softly.
Mikha’s soul briefly left her body.
“Ay! Sorry po…” she mumbled, still aggressively tapping at the screen like it personally offended her.
“Okay lang,” Sheena said, amused. “First day mo?”
“O-opo…” Mikha replied, then instinctively turned to Jhoanna with wide, helpless eyes—very obviously asking for the next step without actually saying it.
Jhoanna pointed subtly at the screen. “Repeat mo ‘yung order niya tapos tanong mo kung may iba pa.”
Mikha nodded quickly. “So one large iced butterscotch latte po with sea salt cream, light ice, and sub oat. Anything else po?”
“That’s it. Thank you,” Sheena said with a smile that absolutely did not help Mikha’s situation.
Jhoanna casually reached over again, pressing another button. “Then pindutin mo na ‘yung store order. Usually sasabihin mo na ‘yung total tapos payment na. Pero kapag siya ‘yung customer…” she added lightly, tapping another option, “pipindutin mo muna ‘yung 20% discount.”
“A-Ah, sige po.”
Mikha did exactly that, trying her best not to overthink every single button she pressed.
“Your total po is 199 and 20 cents.”
Sheena pulled out two one-hundred-peso bills and handed them over. “Galing! Fast learner, ah.”
“She is,” Jhoanna chimed in, grinning. “Naaasahan ko na nga siya sa base ng most drinks.”
Mikha just stood there shyly, carefully counting out the change before handing Sheena the eighty cents. She avoided eye contact the entire time.
“Turuan ko lang siya gawin drink mo, boss baby,” Jhoanna added casually. “Upo ka lang muna.”
Before Mikha could fully recover, the bell above the café door chimed again.
Another customer stepped in.
Jhoanna gave her a small nod, silently telling her to handle it.
Mikha straightened immediately. Her voice came out clear. Her fingers moved smoothly over the POS, pressing the right buttons without hesitation. She repeated the order perfectly, processed the payment without fumbling, and handed over the receipt like she’d been doing this for years.
Jhoanna watched the whole thing with a raised brow before breaking into a grin.
“‘Yun oh! Hindi na siya kinakabahan! Nice job!”
Mikha allowed herself a small, composed smile.
Well.
It helped that it wasn’t her.
Across the café, near the window, sat the sole reason for her earlier system malfunction.
It didn’t take long to prepare Sheena’s drink.
Mikha didn’t make it entirely on her own. Jhoanna stepped in for a few parts, explaining that Sheena had specific preferences with her coffee that she already memorized. Mikha listened carefully, committing every detail to memory.
The other customer’s drink, though, she made entirely on her own, which earned her a crisp high five from Jhoanna.
“Nice,” Jhoanna murmured, impressed.
Once both drinks were ready, Jhoanna called them out.
Sheena approached the counter, smiling as she took her cup. “Thanks, Jho! Thank you, Mikha!”
Mikha panicked.
She didn’t know whether to wave, smile, nod, or say something cool and professional.
So she bowed.
A full, polite bow.
It earned a laugh from both Sheena and Jhoanna.
“Tatambay ka pa rito?” Jhoanna asked casually.
Sheena shook her head, taking a small sip of her drink. “Nasa labas na si ate. Wala raw siyang maparkingan.”
“Hala, sinong ate? Si crushie?”
Sheena laughed, nodding.
“Sayang naman,” Jhoanna sighed dramatically. “Hindi ko masisilayan crushie ko. Sabihin mo samahan ka rito bukas!”
Sheena just laughed again. “Sige na, bye na! Bye, Mikha! Good luck!”
“T-Thank you po…” Mikha managed, voice softer this time.
The bell chimed as Sheena exited the shop.
Silence lingered for half a second.
Then Jhoanna slowly turned towards Mikha and inhaled sharply. “Parang may something…”
“H-Ha? S-Saan?” Mikha froze.
Jhoanna laughed, shaking her head. “Wala! Tara, linis muna tayo.”
But the smirk on her face said otherwise.