"WELCOME TO ROBBIE'S!"

Here we go again. Another boring day. Another struggling eight hours. Another set of troubling customers.

"A cup of coffee."

"One caramel macchiato, stat."

"How much is a slice of New York cheesecake?"

I can't understand why people keep on asking how much a slice of New York cheesecake is when it's already posted on the menu wall. I don't know if they are really clueless or if they are tired of reading or if they just want to annoy me on a Monday morning.

These New Yorkers seem so fast-paced, they didn't even bother checking their surroundings. Well, I can relate. I don't even remember the faces of my customers after serving them their drinks. Until…

"Hello," a guy greeted me.

When I looked at the person who said it, I'm sold. I was in awe. As if Edward Cullen stood in front of me. Like how vampires in Twilight do, his skin is sparkling for some reason. Or maybe because the sun is already scorching hot at 8:00 in the morning?

"Can I get an iced matcha latte, please?"

Please? That was the very first time in the three months I've been a barista here that I have heard that word.

"Hey, Trick, someone's ordering a drink," Oakley, my co-barista, elbowed my back. I must have been staring at the guy for quite a while.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, sir. What was it again?"

The guy smiled.

Damn. Such a perfect set of teeth he has. How can life be so unfair? How can I have the same?

"An iced matcha latte, please… Trick?" he mentioned as he reads my name in my name tag.

He called my name. He called my f/ucking name! And he said 'please' again for the record. Wonderful!

"S-Sure. Would you like to have soy milk or skim milk for your latte?"

Suddenly, he became pensive. "I think I'd like to try soy milk."

"Or full cream milk, perhaps?" I suggested.

"I'd stay with soy," he then giggled.

He giggled! It sounds like music to me. Justin Bieber nor Shawn Mendes won't be able to have a record like this!

"All right. How about something to eat with your latte? I recommend our new Decadent Chocolate Truffle."

"He doesn't want anything, young man. Can you carry on? We're on a rush here," the old guy behind him shouted.

He smiled wryly. "I'll just have the latte."

I gave a faint smile. I grabbed a cup and found a quantum of solace in my next move. "Your name, sir?"

"Fei," he replied coyly.

I wrote his name on the cup and gave it straight to Oakley for processing. "That would be 3.65, sir."

He handed me five dollars and told me to keep the change. I put the change in the tip box instead. Before he left, he smiled at me again.

That smile is more than enough to energize me the entire week.

After a short while, he went back to me and laughed.

"Hi again, Trick," he said as he reads my name tag again.

And suddenly, I felt my heart fluttering, which is something I never felt for quite a long time. I've actually forgotten how it felt.

"Hi, sir. Is there anything I can do for you again?"

"It's actually Fei," he reiterated.

"Yes, Sir Fei. How can I help you?"

He raised his cup and snickered. "It's spelled as F-E-I."

I looked at what I wrote.

FAYE

Of course, how can I be so stupid? Focus, Trick! Focus!

I lost all sanity in front of him. Was it because of his glistening skin? His perfect teeth? His laughter that sounds like music? Or when he called my name?

"I'm really sorry, sir. If it's okay, can I change your cup and write your name correctly? I'm gonna replace your drink as well."

Fei shook his head. "No, you don't have to. I just want you to know how it's spelled, so whenever I get back here, you know how to write it correctly."

"I promise, sir! I won't make the same mistake." I even raised my right hand.

"All right. Thanks, Trick. Have a nice day." He took a sip of his drink and looked at me as he approaches the door. "This tastes really great! Good job at recommending soy milk."

"My pleasure, sir. See you next time!" I shouted before he closed the door.

After seeing him leave, I felt like a bucket of ice water splashed on my head. That was so embarrassing!

"What happened, Trick?" Oakley inquired.

"Oh, nothing. I just misspelled a name," I uttered.

"Happens all the time, bro. Was he mad?"

I shook my head. "No, he wasn't. I think he just reminded me."

"Good to know. You know how irate some customers can be. At least, he didn't cause a commotion. He's good-looking, though. Looked very oriental, actually, unlike me who is super Black and proud."

"You think?" Oh, I thought I was the only one who noticed how good-looking he was.

Yes, Oakley is correct. His oriental features were evident. I surmise Fei stands six-two. He has almond-shaped dark brown eyes that are almost gone when he smiles. Chiseled nose, and perfect set of teeth. He has a lean built, but not too muscular. His complexion is fair-white, and oddly glimmering. Maybe because he jogged before he arrived in the coffee shop or our air conditioning is terrible.

"Yeah, I do," Oakley responded.

"I think so too. He's really cute," I opined.

Oakley stared at me with a smirk. "Hey. I thought you were referring to him looking oriental."

"I… Ah…" Words won't come out of my mouth.

"You fancy him, don't you?" straight to the point, he questioned.

My eyes widened. "Hey! Where did that come from?"

"I didn't peg you as someone who would admire Chinese guys," Oakley said.

"What? I mean… How can you tell he's Chinese? Moreover, how can you say I like guys?" I defensively asked.

"Hey, hey, hey, buddy," Oakley raised his two hands as if the police asked him to do so. "I don't mind if you like guys or Asians. No judgment here. As long as it makes you happy, I'll support you. Hey, three months ago, we were hired here. We barely go to parties or get-togethers. We don't know much about each other, dude."

I sighed. Oakley is right. We don't really know much about each other.

He didn't know I was evicted in my previous pad, so I needed a place to crash. Good thing, my friend who is a drag queen allowed me to use his space, which I offered to pay something like electric or water bills. He didn't know that I was an orphan since the beginning of junior high school, which I barely finished. He didn't know that I never had siblings, but I used to have an uncle who molested me, so I ran away from him and lived in the streets and in the pier for a time. He didn't know that I was adopted by a house mother who is a drag queen and grew up in the drag world, although I must say that competing in the categories isn't my thing, I help in the behind-the-scenes. He didn't know that our house was set on fire and my two house siblings and my house mother were stuck and didn't make it out, which happened while I was on my way home after my shift in the coffee shop. Hence, the eviction two months ago. To top it all, he didn't know I like guys. Perhaps, the influence of my house mother and siblings who are members of the rainbow community.

"Yeah, you're right. We just meet here in the shop. After our shifts, we part ways. How about this? Let's go out some time. Get drunk. Be wasted," I suggested.

Oakley's face brightened. "That sounds like a plan! How about tonight?"

Again, my eyes dilated upon hearing that. "Really? That fast?"

"Yeah, but I need to make an appearance at my high school classmate's best friend's grandma's 99th birthday celebration. It won't take long. I promised him that I will be there. Would that be okay?"

I got puzzled by his sentence. "Wait. So your high school classmate has a best friend."

"Yup," Oakley agreed.

"And his best friend has a grandmother who is 99 years old?"

"That's correct. You're good at listening, yeah."

"Dude, are you sure? We're like strangers crashing a party," I said with reservations.

"Wouldn't it be fun?" Oakley grinned. "Don't worry, Trick. I believe the celebrant's family is really loaded. They won't notice if a dumpling is missing on the buffet."

"All right. As long as we're not in trouble, it's all good. What time are we meeting tonight?"

"Is seven good?"

"Sure," I spoke.

"All right. But going back… Be honest. You fancy Fei, don't you?" he said with his eyes squinting.

"He's fancy," I answered.

And I fancy him. For the very first time in my barista life here, I was inspired.

"Whatever, Trick." Oakley stared at the door and shouted. "Oh, look! Fei's back. Hi, Fei!"

By just hearing his name, my heart skipped a beat! When I looked at the door, I saw…