Love Flavored Latte

Chapter 13 - Aflame

Matt had never found it so hard to focus on his barista work, because right at this moment, doubts were consuming his heart and soul. He looked at the door of the shop with longing eyes, as if waiting for a miracle that would never come.

Ever since that incident three weeks ago, Professor Angevine had been avoiding him. Yes, avoid, something he couldn't imagine his professor would do to him. He was starting to think this was Beatrix's secret revenge, or simply karma getting to him, for rejecting her with such cold words. Usually, when they saw each other on campus, they would happily chat even if just for a brief moment. And if they couldn't find a chance to meet up, they would at least exchange a smile in class as a mean to greet one another. But right now, it was as if they had never met each other in the first place, like the other man had never walked into the shop that day, like they were never student and professor.

Professor Angevine hadn't frequented this place in a very long while, but Matt could let it slide because everyone could get occupied with work sometimes. However, it started to become a bit too much when his professor tried not to look at him as if his TA wasn't staring at him all the time to catch his attention. Matt was fighting against his shy self just to be noticed, and what did he get in return? His professor continuing to ignore him.

What the heck did I do wrong?

His thought was indeed a little too aggressive, but he couldn't really stay calm and see this situation as nothing. If it had been with other professors, he would have considered their distance normal. But it was Professor Ray Angevine he was thinking about. They had together created a close and deep bond between them, and never had he shared such a bond with a teacher before.

Throughout his life as a student, he only saw teachers as people he should respect, even if they weren't really someone with good lectures to begin with. But this professor, he was special, he was more than that. He was someone Matt loved more than a student should, someone he craved romantic affection from. When he was with that collected man, his heart beat fast and his face reddened madly. If it hadn't been for his instincts holding him back, he would have thrown away his discipline and yelled the love word right there and then. So now, being ignored by that very same man pained him to every inch of his being.

The sound of the door pulled him out of his thoughts, a smile immdiately working its way up to his face even though it was more difficult than usual. He thanked that customer greatly for keeping him occupied with an order of two cups of latte.

Nostalgia flooded to him at the mention of latte. Oh how he wished he could have gone back to that day and see a certain young brunet walk in, not caring what other role the said man had in his life. He wished he could have had the power to reset time and not agree to meet up with his professor that day, the day which was the cause of these past lonely weeks. After giving his customer his drinks and receiving the payment, Matt went back to checking on the ingredients and looking around the shop, trying to steer his attention away from the negative thoughts. Well, at least that was what he had intended to do until he heard that customer talking to someone else.

"Professor Angevine, why are you standing so far away?"

Like a cat's fast reflexes sensing danger, his head whipped to that boy's direction and found himself frozen on the spot. Outside the shop, there that professor was, standing somewhere that an employee could barely see him from their point of view. But Matt's sharp eyes had quickly spotted him, and he watched the way the customer walk over to his beloved professor, giving him one of the cups he had just bought.