I reach the store and swing the door open. As part of my “cultural education” at the LIC I was shown pictures of Starbucks, but I’ve never actually been inside one. This store matches the ones I was shown in the classes, with wooden walls, a shiny counter, and a chalkboard displaying the menu. It smells like syrup, coffee beans, and whipped cream, and I breathe it all in. Now I know why they’re so popular. The very air of this place is delicious.
Only two tables are occupied, one by an elderly couple who are both sipping cappuccinos, the other by a stern-looking guy in a sharp suit who is sipping from a to-go cup while he checks his phone.
A buff black guy, maybe early thirties, in a too-tight black shirt and green apron makes his way around the counter. His smile is wide and his eyes light up with it, making me feel like he’s genuinely pleased to see me even though we’ve never met. Looks like I’m not the only one here who can act.
“Are you Caden?”
I nod. “Yep.”
“Good, good. I’m Levi, the manager here. Your mom told me a lot about you and I’m happy to have you on the team.” He claps his hands together. “So, did you bring your uniform?”
I raise my backpack slightly.
“Great. There’s a bathroom down the hall. Go get changed and wash your hands, then come out here. Remember, when you’re in uniform you represent the company, so smile all the time. And never say anything rude to a customer, even if they’re being rude to you. If you do those two things, you’ll do fine. Get going! The after-school rush is going to get here any minute.”
I enter the bathroom and step into a stall. After getting changed I check my reflection in the long horizontal mirror. The shirt is too small, and the sleeves press tight against my biceps, which I’m sure was intentional. I push my bangs down, then leave the bathroom holding my bag in my hands.
“There he is!” says Levi. “You look good, man. Black is your color. Come with me, I’ll show you around.”
No new customers have entered the store while I was getting changed, though one more staff member has appeared, a girl with messy mousy-brown hair and terrible posture. She’s by the coffee machine, slowly cleaning a silver strainer with a blue cloth. There’s a hole in her nose where a ring obviously should go, but she must’ve removed it for work. Her name tag tells me her name is Iris.
Levi leads me into a cramped storeroom. The shelves are stocked with sacks of coffee beans, rows of mugs, and bottles of syrup. Oh goodness, this room smells even better than the rest of the store. I breathe in deep then let out a happy sigh. Levi reaches around a sack of coffee and retrieves a folded green apron that’s wrapped in plastic.
“You’d be a medium, right?” he says, and I nod. He passes it to me. The plastic crinkles.
“Good. I have a lot of them but they never get used. Most of the people who work here are girls or the types of guys who barely eat or exercise. It’ll be nice to have another actual man around here. Now put that on and I’ll show you how to use the cash register. Don’t stress, it’s easy. If Iris can do it, I’m sure you can. Oh, and you can leave your backpack in here if you’re ready to start.”
Time passes pretty quickly. Fat drops of rain are splattering against the windows, drenching the green umbrellas outside. It’s been pretty quiet, so Levi’s been showing me the ropes. My initial judgment of him is quickly disproven, as he’s obviously a genuinely nice guy. He patiently showed me how to use the register and explained the basics of the coffee machine. He also made me this month’s special, a butterscotch latte, so I could suggest it to customers. It’s sweet and a tiny bit bitter, which is exactly how I like my coffee, so I don’t have to lie when I say I like it.
I’m sipping the latte when the door opens. It’s Juliet. She’s wearing an oversized gray hoodie, tight black yoga pants, and UGG boots. The rain has dampened her hair, making it darker and super curly. It hangs casually over her shoulders. The cold has made her nose red and her cheeks pink. I wish this weren’t our first day, because if this were happening after a flirty relationship had been established, I could hug her to warm her up. I’d press her against my chest, and she’d smell the cologne Kaylee picked out for me, one that apparently includes a note or two that Juliet loves. Right now, though, I need to keep my distance, because hugging her would be mega-creepy, especially if she figures out that I’m only doing it so that she can smell me.
“Caden?” she says, stepping forward. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes cross from me to Levi.
“Wait, you know Juliet?” asks Levi. I nod and he turns to her. “Do you want the regular?”
“Yeah, thanks, Levi,” she says. Levi taps the screen in front of me, then moves across to the coffee machine and starts frothing some milk.
Juliet is still looking at me. “So you work here?”
“Have to pay the bills somehow.”
“I still can’t get over this,” she says as she reaches into the pocket of her hoodie and pulls out a green leather wallet. “I haven’t seen you for so long and now you’re … here.”
She taps her credit card against the card reader. It’s accepted.
“It’s weird for me too,” I say. “But it’s a good weird.”
“Totally!”
The receipt is printing so slowly. I scratch my elbow; Juliet pretends to be fascinated by a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans. Where’s Kaylee? Why isn’t she giving me a line?
“One tall peppermint mocha,” says Levi, placing a steaming cup on the counter. Juliet picks it up, brings it to her lips, and lets out a contented sigh.
“Thanks, Levi. And thanks too, Caden. I promise I’ll be more normal later. It’s just seeing you still kind of freaks me out. I mean, you were MIA for so long and now you work at my favorite place on the freaking planet! It’ll take some time to convince myself you aren’t going to leave again. I’m sorry I’m not more normal.”
“Take all the time you need, Juliet. I’m not going anywhere.”
She’s smiling as she walks away.
*
I slump down onto my bed, the events of the day replaying in my mind. I raise my hands behind my head and nestle down, getting comfortable. Well, I can’t get too comfortable, because I’m still wearing my muddy Chucks and I don’t want to wreck my sheets. But undoing tight laces now would be way too much effort. I compromise by grabbing a towel from the floor and shoving it under my feet. Once that’s done, I lie back down.
Where was I? Ah yes. Juliet.
Her round face. Her hair, so soft and so dark. Her perfume, like flowers, which smelled so incredible when mixed with the rain at Starbucks. The splattering of freckles on her nose and cheeks. Her quick laughter and the warmth of her smile.