It was a sunny and a quiet Thursday afternoon at Cafe Ai. Everyone inside could smell the scent of freshly brewed coffee beans prepared by Ayaka. The cherry blossom period has ended, but the trees still beautifully swayed with the breeze outside the shop. The scenery was bright, but someone's mood was gloomy. A month had already passed, and Sakura had neither contacted Haru nor visited the café yet.
"Sweeeeet. Thanks a bunch, Ayaka!" Kiyoshi grinned after serving his first cup of coffee to the nearest table.
Ayaka's shift has ended, but she still brewed the beans for them. "I know I'm sweet!," she batted her lashes, "Kidding aside, I'm still waiting for Nana so..." and noticed Haru, who was just standing in front of the espresso machine. "Haru, are you okay?"
Kiyoshi glanced at him, too, "Yo dude, you forgot to wear your name tag."
"Oh," he murmured and listlessly searched inside the pockets of his pants and inside his beige apron.
"Aren't you spacing out lately?" Kiyoshi returned to the counter and placed the tray on it. He pulled a round wooden stool and sat in front of the coffee bar.
Nana, whose shift has also ended, came out of the employee's room. She instantly caught the attention of the customers, as if they'd seen a model, as she walked towards her colleagues while wearing a white cropped tank top and straight cut dark brown pants paired with a mini satchel bag and all-white chunky sneakers.
She sat beside Kiyoshi, "Is it because of Sakura? Hasn't been a month since you two talked?"
"No shit?" Kiyoshi's mouth almost dropped.
Nana took a compact mirror from her purse and checked herself out, "What if the receptionist had forgotten to give his note and accidentally threw it away?"
"I don't think so," Haru chimed in, finally finding his name tag placed beside the cash register and attaching it to his apron afterward.
"What if... she's totally forgotten about you," Kiyoshi said in a jokingly manner.
Ayaka removed her apron and handed it to Kiyoshi. Despite her dainty figure, her ample chest was noticeable from her off-shoulder long sleeve blouse, "Guys, she just broke up with her ex. Of course, she's still in the process of healing. Just give her time."
'Finally, someone with sense,' Haru thought as he filled the empty jar with double chocolate cookies.
"Or…" Kiyoshi crossed his arms and rubbed his stubbled chin with his right hand.
"Or?" Ayaka stood by the edge of the countertop.
"She already has someone new."
"No waaaaaaaaaay," Nana paused from applying her dark red lipstick. "She was really heartbroken to the point of not eating and even passing out. I don't think she could move on right away," she shrugged while Haru slightly nodded.
"Or maybe…" Kiyoshi spoke again.
"What now?" Nana raised her brow.
"They've gotten back together."
"Oh…" the two women said in unison.
Haru tapped his forefinger on the counter upon hearing what his fellow barista has just said. He recalled the night he took care of her when Sakura called Ruki's name instead of his as soon as she woke up from her deep sleep. He remembered every detail of her kissing his jaw and telling him how much she loved Ruki. But that guy broke her heart into pieces, and he witnessed how shattered she was. Did Sakura forgive him so easily?
"Well, it's possible since they're just not together for a month. Their love might still be there, you know," Kiyoshi added.
"Ya'll know a lot," Haru shook his head, still not convinced with his explanation.
"We've all been in a relationship except for you..." Nana continued applying the lipstick on her lips.
Haru finally had the courage to speak up, "Alright. Enough of that. We don't know her at all. She's not even our friend. We shouldn't be talking about her and her personal matters just because she hasn't contacted me yet. It's not a big deal."
"It's not a big deal, but you act the other way around," Kiyoshi snickered, and Nana nudged his side.
"We understand, Haru," Ayaka looked at him. "But then again, we're curious about what might have really happened. We're also worried about her. Don't you think it's weird that she hasn't thanked you yet after all the things you've done for her?"
"I don't know, but something's really off," Nana added.
"Should we check out her IG? She probably posted a photo of them if they're back together, what do you think?" Ayaka suggested.
"Alright, let's be quick," Kiyoshi said as he glanced at Haru who was just watching them. He was waiting for a violent reaction from him, but since there was none, he took out his phone and checked her profile. The three huddled together except for the other barista.
"We're lucky her profile is not private," Nana peeked on his phone.
"I've seen their pics, but this guy…," Kiyoshi shook his head in disbelief. "Damn, how do you look so good in every candid picture. Her ex-boyfriend is too good-looking, it's a scam!" he smirked. "But of course, Haru's better looking than that scum!"
They all chuckled while Haru tried to remember what Sakura's ex-boyfriend looked like from the screenshots Kiyoshi sent in their GC a month ago. As far as he remembered, her ex has brown comma hair, golden skin, and a sharp jawline. His vibe felt like he's a businessman or someone who's in a managerial position.
"She hasn't updated yet, but she also didn't delete their pictures so…." Ayaka sighed.
"They're probably back together, no?" Nana said as she kept her mirror and lipstick back in her purse.
Based on what they said, there's a chance they'd really gotten back together, so he dismissed his thoughts earlier. How could he forget that even if Ruki had hurt Sakura, she's still her first love?
"I told you, it's not a big deal. She probably has forgotten about me and Kiyoshi. She hasn't met Nana-
"Aww... don't be sad," Nana gazed at him with sadness in her eyes. Even if she only spent some time with Haru taking care of Sakura, she felt how sincere and thoughtful he was.
"I'm not sad. It's just… Maybe I was expecting a little thank you or something, but it's alright," Haru smiled melancholically.
"What if she's really back with her ex..." Ayaka sighed once again.
"Who wouldn't want to be with their first love?" Haru replied, filling the other jar with chocolate chip cookies.
"He's her first love?" Kiyoshi's brows raised in surprise. "Didn't they say that first love never dies?"