The Bucket List

t w e n t y

The next couple of weeks had gone by like a blur. Nothing interesting and mostly just studying. I was falling behind so much I had a mini panic attack and practically locked myself in the room until I finished all my assignments and was satisfied I was prepared for my exam tomorrow.

I sucked in a deep breath as I handed a cappuccino to a customer. My foam art has been improving a lot, but it was still sloppy. I'd been spending most of my free time at the café practising. But this time, I think I may have out one myself.

The customer smiled at me before returning his attention to his book. I head back to the coffee machine where Lucy was organising the cakes and pastries that were out on display. Lucy stood up straight when I stopped beside her.

"I swear that boy never leaves you alone," Lucy mumbled.

I followed her gaze to Daniel who sat at his usual corner doing his homework. "Yeah, I'm starting to think he has a thing for you, Lucy," I winked before placing a carrot cake slice on a plate for a customer.

"Me?" Lucy replied surprised. "Very funny Elizabeth, but I'm certain he likes you," she says with a sly smile. Why did she have to remind me that?

"And I think you're a meddler," I stuck my tongue out.

Lucy's smirk widened. "Okay, you caught me red handed," she laughed softly. "But perhaps take a break. I bet Daniel is dying to talk to you."

More like he had chemistry questions. It was like Daniel suddenly realised that he was friends with the chemistry nerd, and that he could ask me questions assignment without charge. He'd been asking me more questions as of late, where at times, I would randomly hear a knock at our door and find Daniel standing there with a textbook in hand.

But the way Lucy talked about him made him sound more boring than me. Spending his spare time in a coffee shop to do homework. Because he likes you, said the voice at the back of my head. I shook my head and continued serving the customer.

No. No. I made him come here. He hadn't finished his homework recently, forcing me to attend another meeting with him and Mr Halliday about his laziness. I was more surprised with myself on how much I started yelling at Daniel after that meeting. Now, I checked on him each day if he does his homework like a helicopter parent.

I approached him and peered at his exercise book casually as I placed the carrot cake onto the table. His book was so messy that it was practically covered in pencil. I could barely see what he even wrote.

"You got question three wrong," I advised.

He glared at me. "I wasn't finished with it," he replied defensively.

I rolled my eyes and headed back to the counter where I served another customer. Later, as I was cleaning a table, I saw Daniel from the corner of my eye looking at me. I looked at him and he was waving me to come over to him.

"What?" I asked him.

"Okay, how do I do question three?" he asked.

I snickered. I sat beside him and showed him through the maths as he sat there, listening patiently and nodding every once in a while. When I finished, he was glaring at the book as if it offended him somehow.

"I hate chemistry," he mumbled.

I laughed. "Then why are you doing it if you hate it?"

"It's better than legal studies."

I frowned. Had no one told him? "You know, there's other classes other than legal studies. Your options were limited," I pointed out.

Daniel snorted. "Have you met my dad? To him, there wasn't any. He has dreams for me," he said in a dramatic way. "To study law and become a lawyer just like him where we'd work together like some weird dynamic duo."