Pink chaos

How much does a person need to be happy? It's a difficult question, isn't it? Actually, not as much as you might initially think. For example, for Ren, happiness was extremely simple and clear: opening his own coffee shop, living in eternal warmth, and delighting ordinary people with something personal, something homely. Perhaps that's why, immediately after graduating, he began searching for available space all over the city. The first space that met the criteria turned out to be extremely good on all counts: it itself was small, in an old wooden building, which made it very cozy, with a distinct atmosphere of something elusively homely even in such an empty state. Ren was also delighted with the location – the building was only a half-hour walk from his apartment, which would make work much easier. And despite the fact that the city's busiest center is an hour away from the coffee shop, there were very few people there, mostly workers or schoolchildren who simply found it convenient to stop by. And it was precisely this factor that couldn't help but delight Ren. He's not a very sociable guy, so working with a relatively small group of people appealed to him. He'd been saving up his entire university career for this very moment. Ren spent the entire month of August preparing. He spent an incredible amount of time and money decorating the space, purchasing coffee machines, buying all kinds of beans, and consulting with his parents and friends about what would be best. And every new day, Ren was overjoyed – finally, his dream had come true! Just a month, and his brainchild, "Moon Nut," would finally be born! Incidentally, he'd come up with the name back when he was seventeen, considering it the most original and most personal, because it was the very first one.

***

It was September, a new school year that Ren finally stopped considering the beginning of the end, and, most importantly, his first day at his new job. He arrived an hour before opening, and literally a couple of minutes later, a white delivery truck pulled up to the building, and a young man emerged from it. He introduced himself as Kyle, and as it turned out from their dialogue, which began thanks to his chatty mouth, he was only interning as a loader, while simultaneously studying in his second year at the university from which Ren himself had recently graduated. Kyle helped set up the workspace, they cleared the space of small debris together, and Ren finally received his order — several clay pots with flowers, the finishing touches to complete the atmosphere of a homey coffee shop. Of course, there was still a lot of work to be done, but for now, that was secondary to him. Once they were done with the interior decoration, Ren turned the sign on the door with a touch of excitement, announcing the opening of the "Moon Nut". Since the newly minted barista didn't know what time anyone would even show up, he agreed to Kyle's offer to go outside and smoke. Although Ren had never smoked, he simply couldn't refuse and decided to stand "for company." – Hey, Ren, why the barista? – Kyle casually began the conversation, breaking the morning silence and satisfying his eternal curiosity. He still hadn't left, explaining that Ren was the only one who'd ordered delivery so early. Ren himself merely shrugged. – I have no idea, – he answered honestly, looking off into the distance. – I just felt like it, that's all. I don't have many ideas of where else to go. He smiled slightly and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. – To tell you the truth, I'm not very good with people. Kyle jumped in surprise. He looked Ren up and down in disbelief — a tall, clearly powerfully built guy with funny dark curls and puppy-dog brown eyes. And he doesn't get along with people? – Are you serious? – Kyle finally asked, letting out a light chuckle. – You look like a big teddy bear, shouldn't girls be all over you? – Oh, no! – Ren threw up his hands in a retreating gesture, feeling like his cheeks getting warm. – I told you, I'm pretty quiet, and hardly anyone even notices me! What girls... This wasn't true. Or rather, for Ren himself, it was true, but in reality, many people noticed his figure from afar, both girls and boys. It's just that no one dared approach someone who was nearly two meters tall and looked like he went to the gym (where, incidentally, Ren had never been in his life). But who's going to tell him the truth? Probably no one except his best friend, who he now has one more of. – Dude, you're the first thing people will notice when they walk into this place, – Kyle replied with a smile, clearly taking it as a compliment. Ren looked down, unsure whether to smile or consider himself "too conspicuous" to work in a coffee shop. Well, it didn't really matter as long as he enjoyed the job. Right? Just half an hour later, the first customer came in, and after that, the barista lost track of time. He enjoyed preparing various coffee drinks, occasionally chatting with customers, and had absolutely no regrets. Working was easy, largely because the people were mostly the same. After being here for a week, Ren knew exactly when the not-so-sociable construction worker would stop by for his morning coffee, when the sweet old lady would come over for a pie and a chat and when a group of high school girls would come to gawk at the young man at work. And Ren just pretended not to notice their glances.

***

The first week passed in this manner, then the second, then the third, and finally September was behind us. Ren had fully immersed himself in the life of the Moon Nut and now considered himself a full-fledged part of the local fauna. On another empty evening, the coffee shop was silent, broken only by the soft clink of a mug against a saucer and the lazy hum of the coffee machine. Ren wiped the glass display case with desserts, stealing glances at the wall clock - there was still an hour left until closing, and judging by how slowly the time was ticking by, this day was clearly not going to get any more interesting. Suddenly the door swung open with a resounding thud, as if someone were testing its strength. Ren's whole body flinched in surprise and he quickly rose to his feet, throwing the rag on the counter as if it were evidence of a crime. – Oh, man, it's so sweet in here! – a loud voice rang out, and a noisy group burst into the room. Ren smiled automatically as he turned to face the new customers, but his gaze immediately caught on the one walking ahead. Really short pink hair, a tight black top with a revealingly low neckline, ripped oversized jeans, a bunch of bracelets, a sparkling breeches and septum, reflecting the rays of the autumn sun and turning them into playful highlights - everything screamed one thing: "pay attention to me!" – Girl? – flashed through Ren's mind, but then the boy — and it was definitely a boy —turned and their gazes met. Green eyes, gleaming predatorily in the lamplight, made Ren freeze for a second. – Hey, pretty girl, we need four rafs, and hurry up! – shouted one of the pink-haired boy's friends, lounging on the corner couch and luring the others along. – I'm not pretty girl, I'm a divinity, – he snorted, gracefully lowering himself onto the chair opposite and crossing his legs. His gaze slid over Ren, and the corner of his lips twitched in a barely perceptible smirk. – What, do you work here or are you just standing there for show? Ren felt his ears warm, but his professional smile didn't waver. – Working. Four rafs, did I hear you right? What syrup would you like? – Maple, cutie, – the pink-haired boy propped his head up with his hand, clearly enjoying the way Ren tried not to look at his plunging neckline. – Would you guys like some dessert? – he grinned, turning to his group. They merely said, with a predatory glint in their eyes, deliberately sweetly, "You're our dessert, sweetie." Ren barely heard these words, in a kind of semi-daze, staring at the floor. He nodded quickly and turned, heading for the coffee machine, but he could still feel the gaze on his back. His hands reached for the portafilter, but his fingers suddenly felt weak and unresponsive. Something about this guy was... odd. – No, just a simple guy, what's so special about that? – Ren tried to reassure himself, focusing on his order. – Just... a little more open than the others. Yeah. Nothing strange about that, right? Ren stole a glance at the reflection in the polished steel of the coffee machine. The pink-haired boy stared straight at him, his green eyes dancing with amusement and a dangerous twinkle. This evening was definitely not boring. And now, despite all the business rules he'd learned, Ren sincerely prayed to all the gods that this hurricane wouldn't want to become a new regular customer. It seemed he wasn't asking very hard.