Confirmation and Isabelle’s first day.

Just a bit late that day I talked to Thomas again and asked him if he had noticed anything weird about me earlier. It was just the two of us in the hallway, so we could talk comfortably.

“Hm? What do you mean? Are you feeling unwell?” he asked me back.

“No, just… weird, let’s say,” I answered. “Was I acting strange? Did I say or do something… unlike myself?”

“You used the word ‘oxymoron’ and I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use fancy words like that before.”

“Hey, I know SOME big words…”

Wow. If that was really the strangest thing Thomas noticed, then the runes did their job spectacularly well. There was a small chance he could’ve been pretending not to notice that I grabbed Sarah’s ass back there, but if he didn’t bring it up when we were alone, then he really didn’t notice a thing.

Crazy.

It was hard to shake off the feeling of excitement from before throughout the rest of the day. And though it didn’t stop being a conflicting sensation for me, now it was for a different reason.

Yes, I know these were supposed to be tests, so trying things out in front of our friends was pretty much the point, but… You know how it’s really rude to be scrolling down your phone when someone is talking to you? This felt kind of like that, only five times more rude and with weird arousal mixed in.

Still, that just meant fondling a girl’s ass while talking to friends wasn’t something I wanted to do.

…

Often.

But this was an amazing thing to have. It was a crazy option to play around with that would let us fool around in all sorts of ways! There were more things I wanted to try out, and I knew who I wanted to have the next test with.

Regardless of that, however, life went on. We still had classes to go to, tests to take and work to do. So that day I went to my job after school as usual. However, this would be a very special day for two reasons. One I was prepared for, the other came as a total surprise.

I finished up at the gym, got changed into my work clothes and left for the coffee shop. There, at the doors, I met my sister. She was standing outside, restlessly staring at her phone. At a quick glance, I noticed she was only looking at her lockscreen, looking at the time. I smiled and walked up to her.

“Okay, sis, this is it. Ready for your first day?” I asked her.

She swallowed hard and straightened herself. “This is just a trial, remember?”

“And you’ll still get paid, so put some effort into it.”

Isabelle sighed. She put her hands behind her back to hide them, but I still saw them shaking.

“I will, but you better go easy on me.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I’m here to help.”

Yep. Isabelle had officially applied to work at Maria’s Coffee Shop. She would be under probation for a couple days to see how she managed, and it would be on the same days I had my shifts. Not an efficient way to spread your employees, but the point was to have me help Isabelle in her first few days.

When we went in, there were already a couple of tables occupied. At one, the regular elderly couple was already having their coffee. The other one, a group of two guys and two girls, all young adults, seemed to be either waiting to be waited on or waiting to get their order.

“Ah, Oliver,” Maria called to me immediately. “Prepare table 3’s order, please. Two espressos, one cappuccino, one orange juice, a batch of cookies and a brownie.”

“Okay, got it,” I answered, quickly grabbing my apron from the hanger on the wall behind the counter and immediately started getting the pastries and the juice, leaving the coffee for last so it wouldn’t get cold.

“U-Um…” Isabelle stood by the door, not knowing what to do, so Maria called her over.

“Isabelle, here. Come with me for a bit.”

The two went to the room in the back to talk, leaving me all alone for the moment. Not the first time I had to hold the fort on my own, but it was still a bit stressful. Already a new customer had come in.

Wait.

That was… Fernanda, Mr. Carlos’ daughter. My heart skipped a beat the moment I recognized her. My eyes followed her for a brief moment as she went to sit at a table before I realized I still had an order to get ready.

I got the cookies, got the brownie, poured the fresh orange juice on a tall glass and prepared the cups of coffee like I had done hundreds of times by then. A part of me felt like I was gonna miss this job when I had to quit, mainly because I felt like I was finally getting really good at it.

I took the order to the table, greeting our four customers with a simple smile and a nod. They were in the middle of a conversation, so I stepped away as soon as everyone had what they ordered. Then I went to Fernanda.

“Hello, welcome,” I greeted her. She stiffened, glanced up at me and nodded once. She didn’t say a word. I didn’t let it get to me. She was always like this, and I wasn’t going to push her to talk more. “Cappuccino and cookies, like usual?”

“W-What…” she started, “W-What’s your favorite pastry?”

Oh. The question was too sudden so it came off as a bit awkward, but I brushed that aside and answered with a smile. “Hm… Yep, I’d say cheesecake. The one we serve here is fantastic, actually.”

She didn’t look at me. She had her arms on the table, both hands holding her phone, shaking. “I… I want to t-try something new. I’ve never h-had cheesecake.” She took a deep, trembling breath. “Is it… salty?”

“Oh, not at all. It’s sweet. It’s made with cream cheese, which has a very neutral taste so the sweetness comes from plain old sugar.”

“A-Ah, I see…” She looked down, cheeks reddening. She was ashamed of what she likely believed to be a dumb question.

I chuckled. “I used to think they made cheesecake with cheddar or gouda or other kinds of cheese like that.”

That seemed to help her relax. She smiled, but still couldn’t meet my eyes. “M-Me too. I’ll have one, t-then. Oh, and a cappuccino.”

“Coming right up.”

I turned around to go and prepare the girl’s order, then saw Maria and Isabelle coming back out from the back room. My sister had her apron on now, ready for work.

“Remember. Just relax, smile, and if you have trouble with anything, ask me or your brother.”

“Yes. Okay.” Isabelle took a deep breath. “I can do this,” she muttered to herself.

It might be a bit cruel of me, but I did enjoy seeing Isabelle nervous about doing something new. It was kind of vindicating. Still, I wasn’t about to let her handle everything on her own.

…

It was tempting, though.

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