part 7

Returning to the present, Carden daydreamed as she stared at the cup of coffee on her tray at the kitchen counter. Her mind hardly registered the savoring flavor of Violet's foot.

~How could she remember that name so clearly?~

"Carden… Carden! Carden!!!”

Carden snapped out of her daze, startled.

"What are you doing? Stop staring at your stuff. The customer from your table is probably watching you act weird! Ha ha," her coworker chuckled. Carden turned and saw her coworker, Lynn.

"Hey Carden, you forgot to put the creams on the side of the coffee. Something as easy as that should be easy for you to remember. Are you getting old, granny?” Lynn chuckled with a cheerful smile.

"Lynn! How about you serve your tables?" Carden retorted with an annoyed tone, carrying her tray as she walked away.

"If you say so, my senior. But come back once you finish your table. It's close to our break time." Lynn shouted.

As Carden swift which her apron flowed, she thought about the word "senior." The same word Violet's feet mentioned during that... you know what, forget it, Carden thought as she walked to her table to serve her customer the cup of coffee.

Her customer seemed elegant, dressed in a light brown outfit, most likely made of wool polyester. A fitted top and a work case beside him. A businessman in a rural area. She wondered what kind of business he was into, but only for a moment.

"Here's your coffee, sir. Sorry if it took a bit longer. You see, I'm kinda new here." That was a lie. (Oh Carden)

"Oh my, how so? Serving multiple tables for a beginner is not bad. You must have a natural talent," he said with a gentle, low voice and a cheerful smile.

"Ah well, I'm usually approachable," she replied, giving a hesitant smile. She tapped the tray she was holding, as nothing unsuspected of her words. (Oh Carden, Carden)

"Well, keep at it. I'm sure you'll do great in this field," he complimented. "By the way, this place is beautiful. I just came here to visit my wife's hometown, and I haven't seen her for some time because of work. But as a good reunion, it would be nice if you could bring two slices of cake. The ones most customers order. It would be a little surprise." As he further worded, “With this kind of rain and only coffee, I don’t want to introduce a gloomy reunion,” soothing his words.

"Oh, Of… of course," she stuttered at first but fluently spoke, "Leave it all to me. I'll make sure your wife has a welcoming table. I'll bring both Cinnamon Cake Rolls, since most people love that dish."

"Thank you, dear," he nodded slowly.

Carden nodded back as she returned to the counter where her coworker Lynn was waiting for her, giving her a slight smirk.

"Two Cinnamon Rolls, please," Carden requested from the chefs, waving at them.

"So, what took you a while to be with your customer? Hmm??? Was he giving you any signs, Carii...?" Lynn teased.

"No, no, it's not like that," Carden interrupted.

"Oh, so you took an interest in him!" Lynn exclaimed. "Tell me his name. He looks very handsome. Is he your type?"

"Oh, Lynn, always thinking I'll fall for my customers," Carden sighed happily.

"Hey, I can sense that happy-aggression. You could have just said 'not my interest' by the boldness of your tone," Lynn continued.

"You've been acting weird since yesterday. No text responses. You're dressed up perfectly, except for your footwear. You're going to get wet in an instant. And that man-"

Carden interrupted, "Weird? Weird about what... I just slept uh early, that's all. And my outfit looks great. I just found this new style, so I wanted to give it a try. This rain can't hurt." As she timidly posed to show off her outfit.

"Do that to your crush at the table, lmao," Lynn chuckled.

"I will if you stop dressing weirdly," Carden added jokingly.

"You dress like a glassy nerdy," Lynn replied.

"Yeah, yeah," Carden smiled, as the chef handed her the two plates, placing it on her tray.

Both Lynn and Carden had been friends since Carden joined the cafe. Lynn is a year younger as she also graduated but disliked working in a traditional office job from the beginning, which Lynn referred to as "professional four-eyes."

She has that youthful charisma, were knowing her for a little, can tell she’s energetic and humorous. For her style she wears a grey sleeved-printed collared shirt and high-waisted black streetwear cargo shorts. With a bit of taste by wearing her black tie and silver necklaces. At the end wearing her white ankle socks with black patent Mary Janes. (She could be a good candidate for cosplaying)

Her curly hair, a vibrant mixture of titian, was often styled in pigtails, as her original hairstyle. ~With is curls bouncing every time she move~

(Why the same color clothes? It's the cafe's dress code. Duh.)

Carden walked towards the table, offering a warm smile to the man as she carefully placed the desserts.

"Much appreciated," the man responded.

"No problem," Carden nodded faintly.

As she walked back to the counter, firmly holding her tray, the cafe's door opened, ringing the bells hanging from the door.

Carden, being the closest, welcomed the new arrival.

"Hi, welcome in..."

[An instant drop. Silence]

_It’s her... V... Vi... Violet. Carden's mind raced with nervousness. _What she’s doing here? Had she been looking for me? Does she know? Does she know what happened? Is that why she's here? Is it a coincidence?

Carden's face turned pale as Violet gently replied, "Thank you for the welcoming," closing her umbrella, and placed it in the holder.

Violet stood firm, her gaze focused on Carden, who, in surprise, mentioned, "Oh, it's you. From the train station."