Chapter Two

- Two years ago -

It's been two weeks since Hana handed out her first batch of resumes and not one place had called her back for an interview. From grocery stores to gas stations to retail positions; none of them had gotten back to her. Had she smelled weird or had something on her face when she handed resumes out to people in charge? No, no, she had made sure she looked nice and squeaky clean before she left.

"Sorry, we're not hiring." That was the third place today. So much for third times the charm.

"Thank you for your time."

Hana sighed as she trudged down the sidewalk. She had left her place with a bright smile on her face and high hopes, but she was drained now. She was in a pinch. She came to the big city of San Fransokyo with big dreams, but it was impossible to land a job. You would think that a city like this would have some full-time positions at some stores, but it didn't look as if it did. Or else she would've had a job already.

Thank the gods she was lucky enough to be staying at a family friend's condo while they were traveling the world for who knows how long. But her luck was depleting along with the money she had separated for living expenses and pocket money. She didn't really want to dip her hands into the funds that she was saving for university.

Maybe her parents had been right. Maybe she should've gone to university right away instead of stubbornly wanting to take a break for a year. She wanted to make some money, explore places, experience things. That's what had led her from her small city to this gigantic city. It had been a beacon in the fog.

"This gap year is beginning to seem more and more like a mistake…" She mumbled to herself as she turned a corner.

Suddenly, a body barrelled into her from behind and the resumes in the folder she was holding spilled out onto the ground. Hana yelped and dropped to one knee, wincing when it made contact with the concrete.

"Sorry! 'Scuse me!" A voice, probably belonging to the person that crashed into her, chirped hurriedly. Hana dropped to her other, not sore knee and looked up to see a young boy with messy black hair and big brown eyes.

Hana grabbed one of the many papers and looked up again to see that the kid was already edging away.

"Uh hey-"

"I'm really sorry!" The boy exclaimed and darted away.

"Hey, kid!" Hana called out after him. Wait, why was she even calling out to the kid anyway? She already had things to do. She scrambled around and picked up all the papers that had fallen.

While she was neatly stuffing the papers back into her pink folder, her eyes went back to the direction of where the young boy had run. That's when it caught her attention.

Lucky Cat Café.

That was cute. And she could definitely use a coffee right about now.

The little bell on the door chimed and Hana stepped inside. Instantly, the sweet aroma of baked goods and coffee wafted up her nose and it took a lot of self-control not to drool. All her worries and troubles melted away as she walked further into the homey yet adorable café. All the customers had smiles on their faces as they ate and sipped away, and in turn it made her smile too.

"Hi there!" A woman with short brown hair greeted her cheerfully from behind the counter. Hana returned the bright smile and stood in front.

"Hi. May I please get a, um–" Hana paused briefly to look up at the chalkboard menu to choose a drink. " – a chai latte? Oh! And a lemon poppyseed donut too, please."

"Absolutely."

After paying for her treats, she stood by the end of the second counter to wait for her drink. She took that moment to really soak in the atmosphere of the café and look at everything around her. The soothing music reached her ears finally and she felt herself relax more. There were a few cat themed items in the store, and her immediate favourite was the cat clock hanging on the wall. Everything about this café was wonderful.

"Here's your chai latte." The woman broke her out of her thoughts and Hana reached out to grasp the cup.

"Thank you very much." Hana took a sip and there was a delicious explosion of flavours. Sweet yet the spice known in chai tea shone through and the balance with the milk was perfect. She'd never tasted a chai latte this delicious before.

The next thought came right after the second tasty sip and she blurted it out before she could stop herself, "Are you hiring, by any chance?" Because she'd love to work here.

The woman looked surprised at first and nodded slowly, trying to process the sudden outburst. Hana took that as a good sign and handed her a resume. It wasn't an impressive resume, nothing super extraordinary, but she was still proud of her volunteer work, accomplishments, and other work experience.

It took a moment for the woman to look at the information. This was nerve-wrecking. Hana should've gone to sit at a table or something after handing her the piece of paper. However, before the young girl could, the woman finally spoke up.

"Why do you want to work here?"

Her pulse hiked up and she could feel cold sweat break out on the back of her neck. "I-it's very nice here. I love the atmosphere and I love how all the customers are smiling and having a good time." She flushed at how incredibly cheesy that sounded, but it was the truth.

"What do you do right now?"

Oh god, Hana was so nervous. She forced herself to calm down so that the cup would stop shaking. "I moved to San Fransokyo a few weeks ago. I'm taking a year off before I go to university. My goal is to go to the San Fransokyo Institute of Music." Stop babbling, Hana!

"Have you had any experience with barista work before?"

Oh.

Oh. Was this an interview? Already? Oh man, as if she couldn't get any more nervous. Do not mess this up, Hana. "Just a little bit. But I'm willing to learn everything I can."

The short haired woman, her potential boss, stared calculatingly at her. The silence had only been going on for a few seconds, but it felt like years to Hana. But a smile spread across the woman's lips and she stuck her hand out towards Hana.

"I'm Cass, the owner of the café. I want to hire you."

Huh?

"I-I got the job?" Hana squeaked out. Really? Really, really?! Excitement swelled inside her when Cass nodded enthusiastically and laughed good-naturedly. She got a job! "I'll work really hard. I won't let you down, I promise."

Cass seemed like a really great lady and the two of them discussed when Hana should come in for her first day of training. The whole time they spoke, Hana couldn't wipe the smile of her face because she somehow got lucky. Whoever said thirds time was the charm?

After she finished speaking with Cass and deciding on the day, Hana started for the entrance and nearly stopped in her steps when she saw a guy walk through the entrance. Not just any guy, but a super adorable, tall guy. Did she mention adorable?

Their eyes met and her heart did a jump and she noticed how nice his brown eyes looked. As they walked past each other, he offered her a smile that caused her to blush.

Oh god, she already hoped this cute guy was a regular.

So, I decieded I wanted to keep going with this series. The ideas kept flowing and I didn't want to stop just yet. I imagine Cass is hiring since she can't be manning the shop all by herself and bake at the same time. Plus, Hiro is still a kid at this point too so I definitely think Cass would actually be looking to hire someone.

Big thanks to everyone who read, followed, and favourited! Big thank you to frostystuffs and Awalkert for the reviews! :) Have a good weekend!

Also, the cover image isn't mine and if anyone knows who the artist is, please let me know! I want to give credit to the artist :)

~Mari