Kallisto's POV 

I watch my barista pull the last espresso shot as I stand behind the counter waiting for the time to close the shop. I'm having dinner with Grandpa Eclipse in a few minutes since he said he wants to discuss something with me.

The bell chimes as the door opens, and I frown. We are closing in five minutes. 

I turn to see none other than Apex staring at me. My stomach drops to the floor, replaced with a fluttering butterfly sensation. I chew on my bottom lip, embarrassed by my instant attraction to him.

I glance to his right, seeing a woman with kind eyes and a grayish-brown-hair standing beside him. She warmly smiles at me. The only thing I see is her gold wedding band on her finger. Is she...are they married?

"Welcome to Whiffs," I stammer.

The woman approaches the counter slowly and widens her smile at me. "Can we have two medium-sized coffees, please?"

Slowly, I nod, but for some reason I can't move. Apex's eyes are hooded as he looks at me with an intoxicated gaze.

Breath, breath, breath, I tell myself.

My barista grabs two paper coffee cups, slamming them on the table. I shake my head, snapping out of my trance. Hitting the cash register buttons, a wave of embarrassment washes over me. The cash register suddenly makes a weird noise, making the screen go gray.

I press my lips together, wishing to hide under the counter. Quickly, I wave my hand, looking at the woman. "No worries. it's on the house."

The woman smiles. "My husband told me that you're Harry Farkas' daughter. I remember your father."

How does she know Dad? I frown, ready to ask her the question.

“I hope Harry is well?”

“How–” 

A patron approaches, placing his empty coffee up on the counter and thanking me, which momentarily distracts me. 

Freya touches Apex’s arm and says something close to his ear, and I look away, ignoring a vomiting feeling running through me. Suddenly, I can’t speak.

"Name?" my barista asks, with a pen posed to write on the cup.

"Freya," the woman answers. "And the other one is for my boss, Apex."

Ah, so Apex is her boss... Not her husband. Relief consumes me and I try to shake it off.

"We meet again, Kallisto." Apex grins at me.

I press my lips together, trying to hide a smile.

Apex winks at me.  

Suddenly, I lose the battle to hide my smile. "Mr. Capo."

Apex opens his wallet, nodding at the cash register. "Is it working yet?"

"Nothing is wrong with it," I say in a rush. "I just wanted to give you...a...discount..."

My voice trails off as I swallow hard, embarrassed.

Apex walks around the counter, standing beside me and studying the screen. Standing close to him, I take pleasure in smelling his scent. He smells so good, it's annoying. And distracting.

He leans over the cash register and presses a button to reboot the system. The cash register makes a beeping sound and I watch the password screen pop up.

"Password?" Apex stares at the screen. When I don't reply, he immediately looks at me.

I frown. Okay, dude, thanks for doing something I could've done if I didn't want to admit I pushed too many buttons to freeze the register. 

Apex squints, his alluring eyes darting from left to right. He looks surprised. "Dude, huh? It's Apex. Now, password."

I gasp. How does Apex know I called him dude? Can he read my mind?

"You don't work for me, so I'm not sharing my password with you.. Do you have any IT experience or something?" I smirk at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

Freya chuckles. Apex stands erect, flashing Freya a warning look. He grabs his wallet, and faces me with an impatient expression.

We stay like that, staring at each other for what feels like an eternity.

"Two medium coffees for Freya and Apex," my barista says, placing their cups on the counter.

Apex pulls a few bills from his wallet, placing them in the tip jar. "Well, good evening, Kallisto."

I watch him join Freya, taking his coffee. There's so much I want to say, but I remain mute as I watch them leave.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I become lost in thought, dreaming about Apex. I want to kiss him and feel him against me so badly.

"Hell yeah," my barista muses, scooping the money from the tip jar. She recounts five bills, her smile widening. "See, I told you that I make great coffee. Five hundred freaking dollar tip, cash."

I stare out the window, my stare lingering on Apex while he climbs inside his car.

Then, my phone suddenly rings.

"Hi, Mom."

"I dropped by your apartment to surprise you with dinner. However, the landlord said you'd moved." My mother’s voice sounds hesitant and concerned. "Is everything fine, Kallisto?"

I lean against the counter, debating whether to tell the truth or not.  

"Are you living in your shop?" she adds.

"No, Mom." I chew on my bottom lip. 

Forget it. She will eventually find out anyway. That doesn't mean I can't use my best exaggerated, spoiled voice that used to get me out of trouble with Mom when I was younger. "Mom, I have something to tell you. It's something you'll think is horrible, but I have a good reason."

"Kallisto, I told you not to take out a loan to fund your coffee shop," she sternly warns.

"I didn't, I swear. Something else happened, Mom," I say in a rush. "Grandpa Eclipse contacted me a few years ago. He wanted to get to know me since he seems to be sick and dying, and I'm his only grandchild. I thought that maybe he's changed."

"Listen, Kallisto, you don't understand that man," she angrily says. With a sigh, she continues, "Dinner is in an hour. Stop by, and I'll tell you everything."

"Okay, I'll be right there," I add, sounding hopeful. "After you hear how Grandpa has helped me, maybe you'll change your mind."

"He's an evil man. Nothing will change that," she tells me, resolute.

I frown, leaning against the counter. Resentment hits me. I love my parents. They have given me the world. However, they're hiding something from me. "Does Grandpa know my birth parents? Is that why you don't like him?"

"Stop calling him grandpa, Kallisto. Please, come by in the hour."

"Yes, Mom." I end the call, looking out the window, feeling even more confused than before.

My phone rings again. "Grandpa Eclipse" pops on the screen.

I grip the phone, tilting forward. Suddenly, electric shock races through my body. Closing my eyes, I wait for the sensation to go away. I stumble to the wall, resting against it.

Not looking in my direction, my barista rushes by with her belongings and exits the coffee shop, completely unaware of my discomfort.

The electric shock continues flowing through my body. I lean forward, waiting for it to pass. I can still remember the last time I felt this way. This foreboding sensation wasn't as frequent when I was a kid, but now that I'm older, I feel like it happens more often than I'd like. 

Usually, it means that something is about to happen that will either hurt me or someone around me. 

Sometimes there is a vision that makes things clearer, but it's not that common.

Slowly, I wait as my body returns to normal. The vision of something terrible doesn't happen though. My phone rings again. It's a text message from Grandpa Eclipse. The text reads: "Kallisto, come to the house asap. It's an emergency."