cake oneshots || book two

So Take A Breath Now, You Don't Have To Go (E)

Credit: phanjessmagoria

^^?????

Bro this girl used so many big words throughout this I lowkey struggled lol

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"Luke!" Calum shouted over the din of the coffee shop, raising his arms above his head in triumph as he saw the blonde enter the establishment and take his place on the end of a long line. "Cutting it close buddy, what're you doing, man?"

Luke just waved at him, wanting him to shut up to avoid further embarrassment, and shrugged, laughing a little as nearly everyone in line in front of him turned to look. The woman standing off to Calum's right side, waiting for her drink, crossed her arms.

"Calum." The voice of his assistant manager, Ashton, cut through the noise; Calum quickly lowered his arms and finished preparing the latte for the woman, picking it up by the rim gingerly and placing it on the counter.

"Cinnamon dolce for...Maritza?" he read off the cup, carefully pushing the drink a little closer to her. Maritza gave him a weak smile and took her drink, turning her back to walk to the station where the lids and cardboard sleeves were kept.

By the time Luke reached the cash register, most of the rush was over, so Calum took it upon himself to make his drink before he'd even ordered and paid; the cashier, a young girl named Jillian, had punched it in as Luke was approaching.

"You're late, man," Calum called out from where he was standing, his Starbucks hat turned backward on his head, some of his curls peeking out from beneath it, though they looked frizzy from the temperature back behind the counter.

"Tell me about it," Luke said, acknowledging Calum instead of Jillian, who repeated his amount due a second time. "Oh, god damn it, I'm so sorry. Sorry—sorry for my language, damn," Luke said, fumbling for his wallet and pulling out his gold card, offering it to Jillian.

"What, did your alarm not go off?" Calum said, pouring the coffee into a cup, then drizzling a ridiculous amount of caramel over the top.

"Calum," Ashton's voice came again, and Calum stopped with the caramel, putting the container back in its place.

"Kind of," Luke said, and Calum looked up at him over the counter, wanting to know the rest of that story, before another cup was lined up for him to prepare and fill.

"Here you go," Calum said, giving Luke a smile and handing him the cup directly. "Plenty of caramel in there for you, sugar." He winked, and Luke laughed it off, as he always did. Calum didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"See you tomorrow," Luke said, adjusting the collar of his shirt, accidentally undoing the first button with his fidgeting.

"Can't wait," Calum said, grinning, already working on the next order.

–

"You seriously act like a bartender with him. You know you don't have to flirt," Jillian said, once the rush had died down a little. She kept her eye on a woman with her young son, who was pressing his nose against the front of the display case where the pastries were housed. She'd have to clean that once they were gone.

"Can you blame me?" Calum said, shaking the blender a little to make sure her frap was thoroughly mixed. "I want him to like me."

"You give him more caramel than coffee," Jillian quipped, walking away for a minute to pull a cookie out of the case and put it in a paper bag for the young boy; she handed it to the mom and swiped her card, tearing off the receipt and handing it to her, walking back toward Calum as the woman walked toward him as well, ready to get her drink.