White… the blanket of snow that engulfs my universe.
White… the numbness that edges my vision.
White… the colour of death as it approaches.
White… the long slender hands that reach out to me. An angel? A devil? So warm, so cool… It soothes me.
...
Business at Café Nim was booming. Since first opening its doors less than a year ago, the establishment had quickly gained popularity among those living in the area for the unrivalled quality of its pastries and coffee, as well as its quaint vibes. Many members of the working crowd liked to go there for a leisurely pick-me-up in the middle of the day, or after office hours. There was already a growing number of regulars, among whom there were a handful of men hoping to win the favour of the petite and dainty owner, Nimue.
This January, however, the café was attracting a new demographic: a swarm of high school girls, each one vying to catch the attention of the café's latest golden-haired, blue-eyed employee. Nimue found herself constantly torn between laughing and sighing as she watched the girls blush and swoon at Cardin's innocent greeting smile.
At least they're coming into the café and making orders instead of ogling at him from the windows, she mused. Even if the atmosphere in the shop had gotten rowdier after school let out, Cardin was technically bringing in more customers. Besides, he had proved to be a diligent and meticulous worker who had swiftly learnt how to do things within the last couple of weeks. Now, Nimue could not imagine how she had ever managed to run the café without him around.
"Thank you, see you again!" As the last customers left the café, Cardin shut the door after them, flipped the sign to indicate that they were closed, then promptly proceeded to collapse into the nearest chair with a loud groan, flopping face-down on the table. "I thought they'd never leave," he mumbled into the wooden surface.
Nimue laughed affectionately. She had long realised that behind that gorgeous face, Cardin didn't have a shred of arrogance in his bones. Once the guests were gone and he was allowed to drop the professional attitude he took when serving them, the boy became like a puppy, honest and endearing. She set a glass down in front of the blonde head as she joined him at the table.
"We had more customers than usual today, and you worked really hard. Here! To replenish your strength."
Cardin took a peek, then sprang up in the chair. "Double Chocolate?!" He was on it in a flash, then lifted a face with full cheeks to give her a look of utterly helpless gratitude, making her laugh again. All at once, his expression changed as something caught his eye.
"Ah. Somebody left something behind again." He pointed to one of the tables beyond her.
Nimue got up to take a look, and sighed. It was a name charm for a mobile phone. She would have assumed that it had fallen off by accident, except that there had been too many such "accidents" over the last few days. She tossed the trinket at Cardin, who had come to stand beside her with his chocolate milkshake.
"That's yours."
"Eh?" Unprepared, he fumbled but managed to catch it, then held it up to the light. "'Abigail'? Am I 'Abigail' now??"
His obliviousness made Nimue snort. "It's those high school girls and their way of introducing themselves to you. They're either creating an excuse to come back, or hoping that you'll return it to them somehow."
"Like how?"
"I guess they want you to look them up and return it to them in school or something?"
Cardin blinked blankly at her. "School?"
"Yeah…" Her voice trailed off as something clicked in her brain, and she suddenly pointed at him, horrified. "Wait! Why aren't you in school?? The winter vacation ended last week!"
Startled at her abrupt change in tone, Cardin stuttered, "I– But my family just– We only just moved here–" It was the lie he had told her when he applied to the café, and the only excuse that sprang to mind.
"Haven't they enrolled you in a school yet??"
"Um… No…?"
In truth, this was the first time the concept of attending school had occurred to Cardin. He hadn't even paused to consider how old he actually was, and Nimue hadn't asked for his age when she interviewed him for the job either, a fact that the silver-blonde was also just realising as she slapped her palm on her face in self-reproach.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Cardin. I was so desperate for help that I only paid attention to whether you were old enough to work here, and forgot to be responsible to you. If you need time off to settle your enrolment, just let me know beforehand."
"Is it really… necessary?"
Her responding expression made him feel the stupidity of his question. "Don't you need to get your academic qualifications and figure out what you want to do in the future?" she asked. "I'd be more than happy to have you work here, but you're still so young! Surely you don't mean to be my café assistant for the rest of your life?"
...