As Kyle left Logan's house behind, he continued alone. The warmth of someone holding him tight was now a distant memory, replaced only by the cold air hitting his face and the road, tinged red and orange from the setting sun, stretching out before him.

Upon arriving home, he parked his motorbike in the garage and made his way inside. Walking through the living room, he found his father passed out drunk on the couch. The room was covered in a faint fog from his father's chain-smoking, which had spread to the rest of the house. Kyle decided to open a few windows to air out the room, but as he took a step forward, he stumbled over a pile of beer bottles and cans near the sofa.

He shook his head, wondering how much one person could drink in a day, before opening the window and covering his father with a blanket to keep him warm. Kyle then went to the kitchen, made himself a sandwich for dinner, and prepared another for his father, who he knew wouldn’t wake up until noon the next day. He wrapped it in plastic film and left it on the counter for his father to have as lunch when he woke up. Then he opened the windows in the rest of the house to let the cigarette smell and fog dissipate.

In his bedroom, Kyle stripped naked, leaving only his underwear on, and threw himself onto the bed. He saw a pack of cigarettes resting on his bedside table and briefly considered smoking one, but quickly pushed the thought away. "I shouldn't smoke," he thought and rolled over to the other side of the bed, away from the cigarettes. Eventually, he fell asleep.

***

As the first beams of light sneaked into Kyle’s bedroom through the open window, he was already up and exiting the bathroom with a towel tied around his waist. He checked the time on his phone and saw that he still had half an hour before he needed to be at the coffee shop. After getting dressed, he went to the kitchen to grab something for breakfast and picked up a piece of toast that he had made before taking a shower. Then he left the house.

Kyle parked his motorbike in the parking lot beside the coffee shop when he arrived. With five minutes to spare, he lit a cigarette and started smoking. He only remembered what Logan had told him about smoking before coming in when he was halfway through the cigarette, but he didn't care and continued smoking anyway. Before going inside, he threw the cigarette butt on the floor and stepped on it.

When he approached the counter, Logan looked up and sniffed the air. "I thought I told you to watch your smoking before coming in," he said in a tone that was half serious and half joking while reaching under the counter. Remembering what happened the day before, Kyle gave Logan an annoyed look and stepped back. Logan decided to spray air freshener around the shop instead of directly on Kyle.

Logan handed Kyle an apron and a name tag with his name. "This is for you," Logan said.

Kyle looked at the dark blue apron that Logan handed him and then looked at Logan. "Why is mine a different color?" he asked while putting it on.

"Because you're in training," Logan replied, signaling Kyle to follow him behind the counter. 

"First and foremost," Logan started to say seriously.

"He looks so different while working," Kyle thought to himself as he remembered the few moments he shared with Logan where he seemed more carefree and less stern.

"Do you study or do something that would prevent you from working full time?" Logan finished saying with a clipboard and a pen in his hand.

"No," Kyle answered cautiously. Logan looked at him for a few seconds before smiling and writing something down.

"Okay, now with that out of the way," Logan started to say, this time more lighthearted. "We open at 8:30 am, so before that, you have to know how to make at least a simple coffee," Logan said.

"I'll do it in no time," Kyle answered confidently.

"We'll see," Logan said back with a grin.

***

Logan patiently instructed Kyle for the fifth time, "That's not how you do it," he said gently, as Kyle struggled to make a simple coffee. Finally, after almost an hour of guidance, Kyle succeeded in making a coffee correctly. "I told you I'd do it in no time," he said triumphantly. Logan smiled, holding back the thought of how long it had taken.

As Kyle put down the cup of coffee, he accidentally knocked over a recipient of hot milk, which spilled onto Logan's hand. "Shit, are you okay?" Kyle exclaimed, realizing what he had done.

Logan reassured him with a gentle smile, "Yes, I'm okay," he said, while putting his hand under cold water. "It was an accident, it happens."

Kyle looked at Logan with a little worry in his eyes, apologizing with a low tone of voice. Logan tried to make him feel better, "I'll go put a bandage over it. You go put the open sign on the door," he said, pointing towards the door.

After Kyle hung the sign on the door, he returned to the counter where Logan was sitting with a bandaged hand. "Mornings are slow, so I usually wait," Logan said to Kyle. "You're not supposed to be sitting down, so don't do it," he added, despite the fact that he was already seated. "Quite hypocritical, don't you think?" Kyle remarked with a cocky smile. Logan just shrugged and began giving Kyle instructions on where things were located, as they waited for the first customers to arrive.

Before long, the bell above the door chimed, signaling the arrival of the first customer. Logan looked up to see that it was the man who always ordered black coffee. "This guy always asks for a black coffee, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?" Logan whispered in Kyle's ear before the customer reached the counter, as he sat down on his chair.

"Good morning, what can I do for you?" Kyle asked, trying to sound friendly but failing. Logan tried to stifle a laugh, thinking to himself, "We have to work on that."

"Just a black coffee, to go," the customer said, and Kyle quickly prepared it. "Do you want anything, Max?" the customer asked, causing Logan to stand up from his chair and approach the counter.

"Good morning, do you need anything else?" Logan said with a smile, appearing more approachable than Kyle. "No, thanks," Max replied, hiding behind the customer he was with.

"Here's your coffee," Kyle said, placing it on the counter and taking the money the customer left. "Have a good day," Logan added as Max and the other customer left, but received no response from either.

"Why did you do that?" Kyle asked, annoyed and curious.

"That guy always comes in and orders black coffee, and he's always alone. This is the first time he's brought someone with him," Logan explained, recalling the customer from the day before.

"You're weird," Kyle teased, and Logan playfully punched him on the shoulder before settling back into his chair to wait for more customers to arrive.

***

As Ian was walking to his usual coffee shop, he accidentally bumped into someone. "I'm sorry," he apologized to the person.

"It's okay," the person responded. Ian recognized the voice and was surprised to see that it was Max.

"Max?" Ian asked incredulously.

"It seems like we keep meeting in the same way," Max said with a slight smile.

"We've only met once before, and it was an accident," Ian pointed out before heading into the coffee shop. Inside, he noticed a different barista and saw that the one who had served him yesterday was sitting nearby with a bandage on his hand.

"Good morning, what can I get for you?" the new barista asked, trying to sound friendly.

"Just a black coffee to go," Ian replied in a flat tone. As the barista made his coffee, Ian asked Max if he wanted anything out of politeness.

"Good morning, do you need anything else?" the barista who had served him yesterday asked Max.

"No, thanks," Max answered quietly, hiding behind Ian a bit.

"Here's your coffee," the new barista said, and Ian paid and picked it up.

"Have a good day," yesterday's barista said as Ian and Max left the shop.

"Why did you follow me?" Ian asked, his tone somewhat aloof but interested.

"I thought we could go to college together," Max began to say. When Ian looked at him expressionlessly, Max grew worried. "Did I overstep? I'm so sorry," he apologized. "If you want, I can leave you alone," he finished, his head down in embarrassment.

Seeing how apologetic Max was, Ian attempted to put on a smile to reassure him, but failed. "It's okay," he said tersely.

After a few minutes of complete but not uncomfortable silence, Ian broke it by asking, "What do you study?"

"I don't study, I work in the administration office," Max replied. Ian looked at him quizzically; he had assumed that with Max's father as the dean, he would have no problem getting into college. "But I don't work there because of my father. I applied and got the job," Max quickly explained, worried that Ian would make the wrong assumptions about him.

"Okay," Ian responded briefly before taking another sip of his coffee and continuing to walk in silence.

When they arrived on campus, Max said goodbye to Ian and headed to the administration building where he worked, while Ian continued unfazed to his classroom. Upon arrival, he noticed a few open spots in the first row and took a seat next to a window. He then realized that the classmates who had been absent the previous day were all present, but looked defeated and tired. “They shouldn't have bothered coming,” Ian thought to himself. During the lecture, Ian couldn't help but glance out the window at the administration building where Max worked. “Why would he want to spend time with me?” he wondered, recalling their walk earlier. For the first time in a while, Ian felt a warmth that wasn't from his coffee.

After a long day of classes, Ian headed straight to the library without considering going home. It wouldn't make a difference. Before entering, he bought a black coffee from the machine as usual and savored the bitter taste. Stepping into the library, he allowed himself to be enveloped by its warmth against the cold outside.

As time passed, he decided to stay longer than he did yesterday. When it was time to leave, he packed his things and headed home. While dragging his heavy feet through the moonlit streets, he noticed the contrast between the empty streets and yesterday's bustling activity. "What a difference a few more hours make," he thought to himself. Upon arriving home, he opened the door, turned on the lights, and began preparing dinner. After a while, his parents returned home, and he offered to make dinner for them again, but they responded with silence.

When he finished, he went to his room upstairs, undressed, and changed into his pajamas. Just before he laid down on his bed, he noticed an envelope on his table. He reached for it and examined it, finding it completely blank on the outside. Initially, he thought it could be a joke, but decided to open it in case it was important. Inside, he found a white piece of paper with the word "church" and the time "00:00 am" on one side, and Psalm 150:1-2 quoted on the other. He looked at the paper quizzically and left it back on the table. Glancing at the time, he realized it was 10:36 pm. What he didn't know was that three other people had also received the same envelope with the same note, and all of them were wondering the same thing: "Should I go?"

***

"Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness."

Psalm 150:1-2