章 44: Cafe regular

The bell chimes again but this time, it's someone Kaiden recognizes—dark brown eyes that don't waver and platinum blonde hair with not a strand out of place.

"Lucy," Kaiden exclaims, completely forgoing the standard greeting.

Seeing Kaiden's customer service smile bloom into a genuine one, Lucy can't help but smile back. "Well, well, what a surprise! If it isn't my favorite barista," she says while walking towards the counter.

"Well, well, what a surprise! If it isn't my favorite regular," Kaiden quips back, copying her tone and words.

This playful interaction between them effectively throws the matter of Caoli and her friend at the back of his mind. What's there to worry about when Lucy's here?

Seth and Jed, the other part-timers, greet her too as they start their shift. The twins have been nothing but nice to Kaiden, so they're in Lucy's good books. That means an extra dollar (or fifty, if they're being honest) for them whenever she's around, and that goes a long way for the two college students.

"Will you be having the usual?" Kaiden asks her as if he already doesn't know the answer.

Lucy hands over her card, confidence oozing from the actions as she says, "You bet."

Kaiden takes her card in one hand while punching her order on the machine with the other. Her usual order is simple—black coffee—and easy to memorize. It has no frills, if not for the extra three espresso shots she asks to be added to the drink.

No one makes a comment about her caffeine intake anymore, especially since she comes at least once a day, ordering the same drink every time. If she's feeling peckish, she orders a cinnamon bun, but other than that, everyone knows she comes here mostly for Kaiden. It's why she arrives whenever there are not a lot of customers and leaves before the afternoon rush wave.

Her schedule is perfectly calculated, down to the last minute. This time, however, Lucy lingers on the counter a second too long after she puts away her card.

Kaiden has turned around to start making her drink, expecting her to be heading to her usual spot. Instead, she calls out to him, "Kaiden."

When it is evident that Kaiden didn't hear her the first time, she calls out again, a bit louder, "Kaiden."

With a nudge from Seth, Kaiden finally looks back from his shoulder, confusion written in his wide eyes.

"Can we talk?" Lucy asks. Although her expression is the same as before, not a single crack to her composure, her voice doesn't have the same confidence she displayed from their earlier playful banter.

Kaiden doesn't immediately answer, trying to ignore the way his stomach clenches at the telltale sign of panic.

When he doesn't respond, Jed tries to persuade him. "Go ahead," his coworker says while trying to push him out, "we got this."

Stuck between hesitation and confusion, Kaiden only moves after receiving a nod from Seth. "I'll bring Lucy's order to her table. Don't worry, the two of us can handle this," he assures Kaiden, because even the twins felt the sudden tension appear at Lucy's request to talk.

Seth and Jed don't know what it's about—they aren't curious either. They prefer to be out of the crossfire when the guns start shooting.

Kaiden mumbles a quiet 'thank you' to the two before taking off his apron. He clocks out for an early break at the same time. The cap holding his long hair stays on, only because it's a pain to redo the low bun on his head, yet right now, he wishes to take it off and cool his sweating forehead.

Lucy guides him to a tucked in corner of the coffee shop without a word, all the while Kaiden is discreetly trying to wipe his palms on the side of his pants.

Primo fumbles through the layers of blankets piled on top of him with his eyes closed. The buzzing he feels starts low, but the vibrations eventually become stronger, pulling him out of his sleep. He hates being woken up this way.

"Kaiden," he says while rolling around, voice groggy and impatient, "turn off your alarm."

When a minute passes without hearing a response, he finally remembers that the other Omega has left for work. Alone in his nest, he kicks away the blankets to reach for the offending device.

He doesn't bother to check the screen, pressing at whatever button he touches first, still with his eyes closed. He throws the phone back somewhere on the bed, but not even three seconds pass before the buzzing starts again.

When it's clear that it isn't an alarm but a phone call, Primo has no choice but to sit up, answer the call, and yell, "WHAT?!"

There's a moment of silence on the other side, followed by a low chuckle.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Primo can't help but groan, falling dramatically back on his bed. "What do YOU want?" Try as he may to sound angry, the drowsiness left in his system dampens his attitude.

"Open the door," is all the person on the other side says.

Primo rolls to his side, letting the phone rest atop his face instead of holding it as he asks, "What? Are you in front of my place?"

"I brought food." Again, the caller ignores Primo's questions.

Primo counts to ten in his head, asking himself if the food is worth letting this menace inside his home. He's not hungry either.

In his silence, the caller takes this opportunity to convince him by saying, "Dumplings from that restaurant across your school. Four different fillings."

"8-1-7-7-6." Primo doesn't hesitate in giving his passcode upon hearing that.

Of course, food isn't the answer. Food is the question and the answer is always yes.

"First, I have to apologize." The cup of coffee in front of Lucy is starting to get cold, yet she hasn't taken a single sip.

Kaiden leans back on his chair, trying to maintain eye contact with the blond despite the urge to go hide eating him up inside.

"It's standard procedure to do a background check on anyone who comes into contact with the president, and I did yours a year ago," she continues as if she doesn't see the anxiety written on his face. "That's when I knew you were kicked out by the Westers."

Kaiden gulps, breath coming in fast and shallow. He doesn't like where this is going. His disownment is not a secret, but Lucy wouldn't have asked to talk if there's nothing more to that.

"However—" she taps a finger on the table, the sound driving a nail to Kaiden's chest with every beat "—there's nothing about you after that. Not a single trace, even after all this time."

Kaiden clutches the armrest on his side, preparing himself for what follows.

"Who are you, Kaiden?" The rhythmic tapping stops. "And who are you hiding from?"

He stares into her eyes, trying to see if there's any malice hidden underneath. When all he sees is concern—and even a trace of sorrow—he sinks into the chair, letting go of his worries.

That's right, he tells himself, he can trust Lucy. Lucy is the older sister he wished for. She deserves to know.

He steels his heart and carefully considers his next words. With this resolve, he begins by saying, "I was in a car accident with my mom when I was seven."

Upon seeing Lucy nod, silently encouraging him to go on, he continues, "I'm the only one who made it out."

Like this, he tells the story that has always been kept in the dark.

He describes the nightmare he calls his childhood.

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