• Honey Boba •

Chapter-2: A Lovely Day at Black Pearl Rose

Cold showers usually work just fine on days where he gets no more than four or five hours of sleep, but today seems to be an exception.

He is still exhausted and very much drowsy as he brushes his teeth while the cold water washes him down. He is yawning and stretching his sore muscles even after rinsing off the fruity-scented suds off his body (he thinks that he put all his weight on his left arm while sleeping today as it hurt to move it, but it isn't unbearable to the point he can't get by at all). He is tired as he makes himself some quick breakfast while wearing only the light blue towel—three wheat bread toasts topped with banana slices, drizzled with some honey. Though he doesn't like having a sweet bite first thing in the morning, he deems he needs it today for energy. He hopes the coffee also works in favour of this instead of making him more sleepy like it usually does during the day.

Marble wakes up to the noise in the kitchen and walks up to him after doing her usual cat stretches, and soon she's greeted by his coos, "Good morning, mini Marbs! Did you have a good sleep? Would you like brekky noms too?"

The calico only 'mrow's happily and rubs herself on his leg, earning an ear scratch and a 'mrow' back from him.
He doesn't take too long to feed her, and as she is eating her food, he is eating his own as well, taking his phone out to play his 'Dawn/Dusk Vibes' playlist on shuffle, automatically singing along when Aurora's 'Queendom' starts playing.

He changes into the pair of dark blue jeans and full-sleeved beige sweater that he picked out before heading in to shower, and then fluffs up his hair in a way that is neatly messy. Once satisfied, he grabs his phone that is sat near his computer and checks the time, sighing in relief as he sees it flashing 7:45am; September 1.

He then continues his normal getting-ready routine— sunscreen, compact powder, dark brown eyeshadow on the outer corners accentuating his eyes in a way that gives them a more sharp and serious look (but they still have a softness to them, nothing could hide the child-like charm he has), cherry red lip balm on his lips, cheeks and the tip of his nose along with his everyday accessories and one of the more subtle fruity-scented perfumes as final touch.

Setting up the calico's lunch like usual, hugging her and kissing atop her head earning a paw tap on his cheek in return, he leaves for work after double-checking if he has everything he needs (earphones, music and his sling bag are always a must) and catches the bus at exactly eight. It's only a ten-minute bus ride and he would be there more than half an hour earlier than his shift, but better an hour early than a minute late; or he might just have one of those days where he zones out and spirals into a seemingly endless void of frustration and anxiety for most of the day, ending it by curling up in bed and crying for two minutes then feeling numb and heavy, dissatisfied with the little amount of crying— which usually adds to the frustration.

Yeah, he would rather not have one of those days today. The least he could do for his own birthday is to get by and have a fairly good day without any major issues.

And the day seems to be going just fine. He is loving the gentle warmth of sunlight falling on him through the tinted window of the bus, and that accompanied by the music he's listening to only adds to the pleasant morning for him. The spots of green he sees outside every so often is nice on his eyes, and the pretty, warm, earth-toned buildings with intricate designs add to the aesthetic.

Sporting a tiny smile on his face, he walks up to his workplace after the lovely bus ride is cut short upon reaching his stop. He is then greeted with the signature aroma of fresh bread and pastries along with that of coffee and boba tea. One of the many reasons he loves working as a barista here is because of how pleasant to his senses the place is— warm yellow light bulbs hanging over each round table, softly illuminating the nearby areas; and the polished, dark brown horizontal wooden planks that cover less than half the tall walls reflect off the warm light in a way that is soothing to both the eye and the ambience. Chester ivy vines hang from the ceiling, the spread of green and pale yellow leaves being a nice addition to the overall aesthetic of the café.