Chapter 88 – First Impressions

I look up from my phone, watching my sisters navigate their way through the cafeteria. A few people at the popular table look confused, clearly wondering where the Holloway twins are going. Then I spot Theo and Phoebe among the group.

Theo catches my eye and waves cheerfully, this big grin on his face. Phoebe, sitting next to him, gives me a friendly smile. I wave back, and he turns to chat with his friends.

Huh.

It hits me that I'm actually starting to make connections here. People know who I am now. They wave at me in the cafeteria. This is... weird. Weird but kind of nice? I'm trying to process how I feel about not being invisible anymore.

My existential crisis about my social life gets cut short as my sisters reach our table.

"Hi!" Selene says, giving a little wave that somehow contains more positive energy than should be physically possible. She takes the seat next to Luna, but leaves a respectful gap between them. "I'm Selene! It's so nice to finally meet you!"

Bianca takes the seat next to Selene with significantly less fanfare. "Bianca," she says with a casual nod and wave.

Luna freezes like a deer in headlights. "Um... I... uh..." She's staring down at her lunch, and I can practically see the social anxiety radiating off her in waves.

I see her hands trembling slightly, so I reach over and take one of them, giving it a quick squeeze. She looks up at me, and I try to convey through eye contact that everything's fine, that my sisters are cool, that she's got this.

She looks up at me and gives me a small smile, her big violet eyes full of gratitude. She takes a deep breath, visibly steadying herself.

“I'm… Luna…" She ducks her head in a quick bow.

Oh my god, she's adorable.

"Oh my god, you're so cute!" Selene gushes, then immediately catches herself. "Ahem. I mean, it's really great to meet you!" Then her tone shifts to something more sincere. "I'm really glad Adam has you. Bianca and I used to get worried seeing him eat lunch alone every day."

Wait, what?

I blink at Selene. That's news to me. I mean, I knew they cared, but I didn't realize they were actively worried about my friendlessness.

Luna peeks up at them, and there's this warmth in her violet eyes. "Adam's… really kind… I'm lucky… to have him… as a friend…" She turns to look at me, giving me a genuine smile.

Okay, I'm about to tear up.

I smile back at her. "Same, Luna. You're literally the best friend I could've asked for."

Selene beams at that. "See? He really is the sweetest!"

Bianca jumps in, nodding. "He's probably the nicest guy I know."

Aww, okay, this is great. My ego is thriving right now. Keep the compliments coming, I could get used to—

"But oh my god, he's such a pain when you play games with him," Selene continues cheerfully. "Adam gets crazy competitive. He'll straight-up cheat if he thinks he can get away with it."

…Huh?

"He’s the biggest cheater," Bianca confirms, completely deadpan.

"What—no! That's slander!" I protest. "When have I ever—"

"Mario Kart," Luna says quietly, and I can hear the smile in her voice. "You… covered my eyes… and tried to steal my controller…"

Selene gasps dramatically. "Luna, he didn't!"

"That was strategy!" I defend myself.

"You also stole half my properties in Monopoly when I went to the bathroom," Bianca says flatly.

"That was one time—"

"You moved your piece extra spaces when you thought we weren't looking."

"Okay but—"

"You hid cards up your sleeve during Go Fish."

"I was eight… And I thought you guys came over here to meet Luna!" I exclaim. "Why am I getting roasted right now?!"

All three of them burst into giggles, and I watch Luna's shoulders finally relax, the nervous tension melting away.

You know what? Fine. I'll accept character assassination if it means Luna's comfortable.

"Wait, you watch anime?" Bianca says, spotting the stickers on Luna's lunch bag.

Luna squeaks and her face turns pink as she nods.

"Oh my god, we love anime!" Selene leans forward excitedly. "What are you watching right now?"

And just like that, the floodgates open. They dive into a conversation about the latest episode of Devil Killer, with Luna's entire face lighting up as she describes the animation in one of the fight scenes. Bianca mentions she's been rewatching Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, which gets Luna nodding so enthusiastically I'm worried she might hurt her neck. Selene starts gushing about some adventure anime with a really long title that I immediately forget.

I'm basically just sitting here watching three of my favorite people bond over anime, and honestly? I'm completely fine being a spectator.

"God, remember when we'd stay up until like three in the morning playing Legend's League?" Bianca says, a hint of nostalgia creeping into her voice.

"Oh… Adam and I… we played together once…" Luna says softly. "It was… really fun…"

"Wait, we should totally all play something together!" Selene bounces in her seat. "If we get one more person we’d have a full team!"

I'm watching this unfold with something close to awe. Luna's actually engaging. She's smiling, talking, even making eye contact.

Then Luna does something that makes me freeze mid-bite of my sandwich.

"Adam and I… we were planning… to play Minecraft today…" She fidgets with her sleeve but pushes through. "Maybe… you could join us?"

Holy shit. Luna just invited people to hang out. Luna, who normally treats social interaction like it’ll give her hives, just took the initiative to extend an invitation to people who aren’t me.

Is this real life?

"Oh my god, yes! That sounds so fun!" Selene claps her hands together.

Bianca looks at me with a glare that could melt steel.

"After you help me with that shitty English essay," she says, and it's very clearly not a suggestion.

"I didn't forget! I literally already said I'd help!" I throw my hands up.

"Good." She nods once, satisfied.

My sisters glance at Luna, who's gotten so caught up in talking that she's barely touched her food.

"We should probably let you finish eating," Selene says warmly. "But give me your Instagram! We can keep talking later!"

"Oh… okay…" Luna pulls out her phone with this shy little smile.

I watch as the three of them huddle over their phones, exchanging handles. Selene's already scrolling through Luna's profile, making excited noises at what I assume are gaming screenshots and anime fan art. Bianca gives an approving nod at something on Luna's feed.

"It was so nice meeting you!" Selene says as they stand up, giving Luna the warmest smile I've ever seen.

"Yeah, see you around." Bianca shoots me a look. "Later, dork."

As they walk away, Luna picks up her chopsticks, and I can see a wide smile on her face.

"You were right…" she says quietly.

"About what?"

"Your sisters…" She looks up at me. "They're really nice…"

I grin. "Yeah. They really are."

The rest of my classes blur together, and before I know it, I'm at the Midnight Café.

It's a slow day. There are just a handful of customers scattered around, mostly people grabbing coffee and a quick snack.

The door chimes, and I glance up to see who's coming in.

Well, what do you know? It’s him. The guy who yelled at me on my first day. The guy who gave me a hundred-dollar bill for a five-dollar espresso the second time he came.

I straighten up and head over. "Good afternoon, sir. Your usual table by the window?"

He studies me for a moment, then he nods. "...Yes. Thank you."

"Right this way." I grab a menu out of habit and lead him over to the window seat.

"Would you like to see a menu today, sir?" I ask, though I'm pretty sure I know the answer.

He glances out the window, quiet for a beat. "No, that's alright."

Called it.

"The usual espresso, then?" I ask with a small smile.

The corner of his mouth twitches, not quite a smile, but close. "Please."

I head back to the espresso machine, catching Mr. Vale's attention with a nod. He glides over with that elegant posture of his, hands clasped behind his back.

"I believe you're ready to prepare an espresso by yourself," Mr. Vale says, his tone measured and encouraging. "What do you think?"

Oh boy. Moment of truth.

"Yes Mr. Vale. I'd like to try."

I take out the Arabica beans, measuring out twenty grams before putting them into the grinder. The machine whirs to life, and I watch the beans get pulverized into fine grounds. When they're done, I take the portafilter out and tap the side to loosen any stuck grounds.

Then comes the hard part: getting them level.

It takes me an embarrassingly long time. Like, I'm pretty sure I could have written an essay on the existential nature of coffee grounds in the time it takes me to get them somewhat even. Mr. Vale is watching over my shoulder, his face perfectly neutral, and yet I somehow feel like my terrible technique is killing him inside.

He catches me looking and pauses for a long moment.

"...Acceptable," he finally says.

Oof. The way he says "acceptable" makes it sound like he's watching someone key his car. I need more practice. Like, a lot more practice.

I continue, grabbing the tamper and pressing down on the grounds. I'm trying to apply even pressure, but—

"A touch too firm," Mr. Vale notes.

Shit.

I nod. "I'll do better next time."

He gives me a warm smile. "That's the right attitude."

I attach the portafilter to the machine and pull a shot. The coffee starts flowing out, dark and aromatic, but I can tell it's taking slightly longer than when Mr. Vale does it.

From start to finish, the whole process takes me about five minutes.

I carefully pick up the espresso cup, trying not to spill it as I make my way back to the window seat.

"Your espresso, sir."

The customer glances at the cup, then at me. "...It took longer this time."

Busted. I give a slightly embarrassed laugh. "My apologies. I made this one myself, so it took a bit more time."

"Hmm." He takes a sip, and his face stays completely neutral. "Bit bitter."

Oof. Yep. Over-extracted because I tamped too hard.

"I'm very sorry, sir. I can have it remade for you—"

He waves me off. "No need. These things take practice." He takes another sip, unbothered. "You'll get better with time."

"Thank you for being so understanding, sir." I smile, grateful he's not irritated. He seems... different today. Less haunted. More willing to engage. "Please let me know if you need anything else."

"Wait," he says before I can turn away.

I look back at him. "Yes sir?"

He's quiet for a moment, staring down at the espresso. "I wanted to apologize. For that first day." He pauses. "When you tried to clean my table. I was... having a rough time. And I took it out on you. That wasn't fair."

Oh.

I wasn't expecting that.

"Honestly, sir?" I laugh softly. "That was my first day on the job. Pretty sure everything that could go wrong did go wrong. But I never held it against you. I figured you were just having a bad day."

For the first time since I've known him, he smiles. It's small and tired, but genuine.

"A bad day," he repeats quietly to himself. He looks back out the window. "You know... sometimes you do everything right. Make all the right choices, put in all the effort..." He trails off, his voice getting distant. "And things still fall apart. Nothing you can do about it. You just have to... keep going."

That last part sounds less like advice and more like something he's trying to convince himself of.

I wonder what happened to this guy. What kind of pain makes someone look that lost?

"Sir—"

"Don't worry about it." He waves me off again, the momentary vulnerability shuttering closed. "Thank you for the espresso."

I give a small bow and head back to work.

As I wipe down the counter, I keep thinking about what he said.

Sometimes you do everything right and things still fall apart…

It's depressing. But I guess that's just how life works sometimes.

You just have to keep going.

I suppose that's all any of us can do.