“Such an ace that you were caught,” I murmur.
He grimaces. “I was only caught because I bragged. I’m smarter than that now.”
I’ve been watching videos on how to make designs in the coffee, but application of learning is a struggle when you don’t have any coffee to waste practicing on…so now’s my first shot at applying all that learning to make something.
I gently swirl the cup twice and then begin to pour the steamed milk. I make the first hump of the heart and comedown for the point, but my hand wiggles a bit. Second hump and then pour straight through to the bottom—aaaand…
It’s a penis with a huge pee hole.
Perfect.
“What did you do?” Lacey asks.
“Hacked some stuff,” he says with a shrug.
The “stuff” he hacked were the school records, his lunch account, and the principal’s social media accounts where he committed several acts of defamation, but I’m not going to drag him through it. I turn my attention back to the horrible latte I have to finish. I drizzle the caramel sauce on top and…
Now the penis is coming everywhere.
I blow my hair out of my eyes and hand the coffee to Ace with a smile.
He looks into the cup and muffles a snort, but his smile can’t be contained. “Nice one.”
“Yeah, it’s a dick, for a dick,” I say, putting my hands on my hips.
He rolls his eyes and takes a drink.
I’m gripping the edge of the counter so hard I think my nails might split.
Finally, his brow rises and he nods a few times. “Not bad at all. I’d pay for this.”
“Oh, could I have a chocolate latte?” Lacey asks with a bright grin.
“Yes, ma’am.” I wink and shoot her a finger gun.
“How much?” she asks.
“Free, remember? You helped me paint and decorate,” I say as I smack the old grinds out of the portafilter into our compost bucket.
Nai Nai is convinced the espresso grinds will give the rubber plant the energy it needs. I hope it gets some positive energy radiating toward me, knowing I’m the one feeding it. Crotchety old plant.
“Please, I want to pay,” Lacey says with a whine.
“No way, not until you’ve had at least thirty coffees,” I say.
I turn on the grinder to drown out her next pleading request.
“What?” I say, pointing to my ears. “Can’t hear you.”
She mimes shoving a five somewhere unpleasant and I laugh.
Nai Nai comes down the stairs carrying an old kimchi jar that’s been painted red and gold with a big, black “TIPS” on the front. She sets it down on the counter and Lacey beams, shoving her money inside.
I make the second coffee with a little more confidence and try for a leaf design this time. It resembles a penis even more than the heart had, thick veins running along it, and my mind goes somewhere else.
It’s been five days since I’ve seen or heard from Rhazan, and part of me—some small part—is very unhappy about that. The rest of me knows this is for the best. This isn’t a permanent situation, and we’re literally different species. He’s a hundred million years old and I’m twenty-two. He’s trapped in his bar, and I have to take care of my family.
I hand her the coffee and she smirks. “It’s a…feather?”
