Almost Cinderella

Chapter 3

Tine loved working in the cafe. True, he part-timed here because he needed money first and foremost, but he really, truly loved his job. He loved making coffee for people and he loved seeing their smiles as they lit up when they tasted his brew. He took his job pretty seriously and it was probably why Type thought it best that he show their guest around.

Thyme, Tine observed, couldn't really care any less. First of all, he arrived late. He told them that he would be arriving around 8AM for the orientation. He arrived a quarter to ten. It wouldn't really matter that much, except that Tine's real shift started at 9 and he had to go extra early to accommodate Thyme Chivaaree. And now, the said man refused to pay attention.

Tine thought he had been very considerate in explaining, breaking down everything into small, bite-sized pieces and trying to be as animated as his sleep-deprived self could allow. But still, Thyme refused to pay any attention as the said boy was currently glued to his phone and alternated between typing furiously and taking quick calls. Tine knew that the Chivaarees owned the whole cafe franchise where he's working at, alongside with a couple other big business ventures. They're probably the typical big-shot entrepreneurs you see in television dramas, all goal-centric and imposing. The son, on the other hand, seemed to be the typical big-shot entrepreneur's son: the Chief Operating Officer in name but a spoiled, disinterested brat within and is just probably here to complete some immersion type activity to please his parents. On hindsight, Tine should probably be grateful that the man refused to look him in the face for more than 3 seconds. He had been nervous over being recognized this morning, but it seems that he's in the clear for that. On the other hand, he took pride in his job and it was annoying to have to teach someone who obviously had no interest in what he's trying to say.

Tine's fond feelings over having sucked this man's dick is quickly fading into oblivion and is now being replaced by annoyance. But as all corporate slaves know, the boss is always right so Tine simply heaved a huge sigh and moved on.

"So this is the coffee machine." Tine continued, gesturing to the contraption beside him. He side-eyed Thyme and found the latter frowning over something on his phone. Tine fought the urge to roll his eyes and continued. " We make our drinks upon order, so we have to wait for the counter to give out the order slip in this display area here. Food comes in prepackaged portions and are heated via toaster for breads and via microwave for our other dishes. That ends our tour, Mr. Chivaaree, do you have any questions?" Tine finished his spiel with a forced smile. Thyme, who was seemingly shaken back to reality by the mention of his name, focused his attention on Tine.

"Huh? What?"

Tine put on his best 'customer-service' look. "I said, do you have any questions, Mr. Chivaaree?"

"Oh, um, no. No. None at all." It was the most words Thyme Chivaaree had spoken to him today, and that spoke volumes about how disengaged he was throughout their little session.

"That's great. Since I've already taught you everything you need to know, why don't you take a seat over there by the window and you can observe operations from there? I'll bring you a drink."

As expected, Thyme quickly agreed. It seems that he was as eager as Tine to end this orientation. Tine sighed as he watched Thyme Chivaaree settle down his chair and focus on his phone once more. It seemed that the man really couldn't care any less about cafe operations.