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After weeks of searching and applying for summer jobs, Armin finally got hired at one of his local tea shops. Aunt Maria’s Tea Shop was a small chain that sold specialized tea drinks. Two weeks ago, Armin saw the ‘Now Hiring’ sign on their front window, and he decided to apply since he needed a source of income. He wasn’t a regular and only bought their signature drink twice in his life, so Armin didn’t believe he had a great shot. Despite his doubts, he got a call from the manager, who informed him of the great news.
Now, one week later, he received his first day of training. But it was almost ten in the morning, and Armin’s mind was already spinning from an influx of information. He severely underestimated the work that baristas went through behind the counter. There was a ton of preparation for the opening shift: cleaning, working the machines, lights, toppings, and tea. On top of that, everyone had to understand and eventually memorize how to make all twenty specialized drinks on the menu. At the back of Armin’s mind, he knew that the first day would be the hardest and work would become smooth sailing as summer moved along. But, on the first training day, his mind was only locked on what his manager was saying.
“So, everything should be done and ready to go by ten — when we open,” Armin’s manager, Rico, stated.
She walked out of the back and into the public area of the shop. The shop was small, containing only two tables and eight chairs made of wood. However, there was a family feel to it despite the shop being part of a chain. The walls were light blue, and paintings of landscapes decorated the interior. The sun shone through the window, filling the shop with warm lighting. During the two times that Armin went as a customer, it was in and out. Look at the large menus on the wall, order at the self-kiosk, wait five minutes, receive your drink, grab a straw, and leave.
Armin watched Rico unlock the front door and change the window sign from ‘Closed’ to ‘Open.’ That was when Armin realized he was actually about to start working. He was in charge of making the tea for every one of their customers. If there was a mistake with the tea, it would most likely be Armin’s fault. But he had to remain confident. Everyone started from somewhere.
Rico walked back to the area behind the counter. “Since it’s a Monday, we probably won’t get any customers for at least thirty minutes,” she said. “Oh, I still need to get you a name tag. Come with me and-“
A bell rang out loud and echoed against the walls of the quiet shop. Armin turned his attention away from Rico and towards the new noise. A person with short brown hair entered the shop. His attention was fixated on his phone, so Armin couldn’t see much of his characteristics.
“Ah, hello! Welcome!” Rico shouted at the newcomer.
Oh, a customer!
Armin watched as the customer walked up to the front counter. He diverted his attention from his mobile device toward the self-serving kiosk. That was when Armin noticed the dark-green eyes. The color reminded him of emeralds and the beautiful landscape that surrounded the shop’s walls. The customer also seemed to be around Armin’s age: eighteen or nineteen. The customer matched many characteristics that Armin looked for in a partner: slightly unkempt hair, beautiful eyes, a physique-
“Armin,” a voice called out, cutting right through his (slightly unprofessional) thoughts. “I’ll make the drink to show you the exact steps. It’s usually the same steps for each drink. Although, some drinks need more work than others.”
Armin whipped his head away from the customer and to his manager. He nodded and thanked her for her consideration. However, a sad feeling randomly emerged, surrounding his heart. He felt like a kid who wanted a sense of accomplishment by demanding to complete the entire video game by themselves, despite desperately needing help. Of course, Armin would never complain, but a nagging thought at the back of his head wanted to make the drink for the stranger.
A loud whirring sound came from behind Armin. Rico walked over to the shop’s leftmost counter and waited by a small machine. Armin stood behind her to see what she was doing.
“This machine gets orders from the self-serving kiosk. It’ll print out the information about the desired drinks, sugar, and ice levels, any notes, and the customer’s name. They will also appear on a tablet on the counter where people get their drinks,” Rico informed, pointing down the shop. “This place is organized so you have tea makers at the beginning, people preparing the toppings in the middle, and people at the blender at the end.”
Armin nodded, taking in the information like a sponge in water. Although, his focus broke ever-so-slightly when Rico said, ‘Customer’s name.’ Now all he wanted to do was to steal a peek at the tablet.
Rico looked at the small piece of paper that popped out of the machine. She walked to another section of the shop and grabbed a drink cup.
“This is a simple order: regular roasted oolong,” she explained, sticking the paper to the cup. “No toppings or anything.”
The manager went to the tea machines. “Different drinks have different base teas. All of the canisters have the specific drink written on them, so don’t stress out.”
Rico took the top off the canister labeled with ‘Oolong’ and grabbed a tea bag with tongs. She stuffed the tea bag into the tea handle, placed a small metal cup underneath, and pressed a button.
“That’s it,” she said. “You can do that, right?”
“Yes, I can.”
I won’t be a burden to this shop.
Armin continued watching Rico as she took the two cups to the final section. She skipped the toppings and went to a drink blender to add ice and sugar. Then, as fast as lightning, the drink was finished.
“Order for Eren!” Rico shouted to the one customer in the shop.
Eren.
The customer — Eren — stood up from the chair and walked over to the counter. Armin watched him, vaguely unaware of his increasing heart rate.
“Thanks,” Eren said, reaching for the drink and a straw to go with it.
Right before he took the drink, his green eyes connected with Armin’s ocean-blue ones. It was for a split second, nothing more, but it seemed like an eternity. Armin broke the gaze in a flurry of embarrassment and surprise, pinning his eyes to the floor. Armin didn’t even realize that Eren left until the bell chimed again. Dull pain entered his heart, but his mind stayed rational. It was his first day; it was not the time to fall for attractive men.
*****
The next shift on Armin’s schedule was three days from his first — a Thursday. He woke up early, ate breakfast, brushed his teeth, changed into the uniform, tied his blond hair back, and arrived at the shop to meet Rico again. Since it was his second shift, he had a better grip on the ropes. Rico didn’t have to stay by his side the entire time, so they were able to finish preparations five minutes before opening.
The two baristas stood silently, waiting for the minutes to tick down. Armin spent the time thinking about his first shift that Monday. He only worked from the morning to early afternoon, so it wasn’t horribly stressful. (Although they did get a party who ordered eight drinks. Armin thought he was going to die from the stress.) Two other baristas — Sasha and Connie — arrived right before Armin clocked out, and he was introduced to them. They seemed like a cheerful group, different from Rico’s stern and attentive personality. Overall, the first day had some flaws, but it was not a horrific experience.
At 9:59, Rico went to the front of the shop, unlocked the door, and changed the sign on the window. Her actions made Armin remember the first customer he saw on Monday. Eren. It wasn’t normal for Armin to keep a complete stranger on his mind, especially not during his first job. In fact, he saw many strangers on Monday. But something was different about Eren. What was different about him was the question. (Other than his good looks.) After all, Armin couldn’t remember any other customers that he briefly saw that first day.
Armin didn’t have a lot of time to think about his internal dilemma because the familiar bell rang and echoed in the shop. He turned his head to the front door, and shock spread throughout his body and mind.
Speak of the devil. He’s back!
“Hello! Welcome!” Rico greeted loudly as the customer entered the shop.
“Ah, hi. Welcome,” Armin spoke hastily, copying the usual greeting statement.
Same short brown hair and deep green eyes. Same unknown feeling in Armin’s heart.
It only took a minute for the baristas to receive the order. Roasted oolong tea.
Instantly, Armin went to the tea machine and placed an oolong tea bag into the handle. The machine started producing hot tea, and the pleasant scent began to fill the area. While waiting, Armin took a glance at the customer. He was sitting on one of the shop’s chairs, his attention was not glued to his phone this time. Instead, he was observing the paintings and the barista’s workplace. Armin had to peel his attention away from Eren to avoid being caught staring. It would’ve been quite awkward to explain that situation.
When the tea machine finished producing the right amount of tea, Armin brought the tea-filled cup over to Rico, who put the finishing touches on the drink.
“Order for Eren!” she shouted and moved the drink closer to the edge of the counter.
Eren perked up at the sound of his name and went to get his order. It was just like all of the other customers from the first day. But he was different. Was it the eyes? The hair? The looks? Armin knew it was unprofessional to be thinking of a customer that way. But if he desperately wanted the thoughts to disappear, he could’ve done so already. The fact that his feelings were still there must’ve meant something.
“Thanks,” Eren said, grabbing a straw, napkins, and the drink.
Rico nodded politely and walked towards the back of the shop. Armin followed her, but not before glancing back at Eren once more. What followed was excitement and regret. Excitement because Eren decided to send a small smile his way. Regret because that smile was the only thing on Armin’s mind for the rest of his shift. (And that may or may not have caused him to become distracted.)
*****
Armin’s seventh shift — a swing shift — was a slow one, to say the least. Hardly any customers came into the shop, leaving him, Connie, and Sasha plenty of downtime to chat, clean, and restock. Connie decided to wipe down the counters, Armin restocked the tea bags, and Sasha was in charge of tending to the only customer in the shop. During downtime, Armin was part of a three-way conversation with his coworkers.
“Oi, Armin,” Connie said while cleaning the counter next to the blond. “I know you’re kinda new, but you’ve had some morning shifts, right?”
Armin nodded, taking his attention away from restocking the teas. “My first few shifts were in the morning. But I haven’t had some in a while. Why do you ask?”
“So you know about the roasted oolong tea guy, right?”
Oh, Armin knew him alright. Those green eyes and smile never left his mind.
“I do,” Armin answered, trying to hide his true feelings. “Did something bad happen?” he added urgently.
“Nothing bad,” Sasha said while preparing a customer’s order. “Connie and I were wondering why someone needs so many roasted oolong teas.”
“And why does he come in exactly when we open,” Connie added. “Like the moment we unlock the door, he’s there. That is the unusual part.”
“Maybe he wants to be a regular? Wanting the free coupons or something,” Sasha suggested.
A confused expression appeared on Connie’s face. “We have coupons?”
“I don’t know. Do we?”
“I don’t know.”
They both looked curiously at Armin. He shook his head apologetically, indicating his inability to provide an answer. If the experienced baristas had no idea, Armin wouldn’t know either.
Sasha called out the name of the customer before joining the conversation again. “Maybe we can start making the drink before he comes in.”
“You can do that,” Connie said. “Meanwhile, I’ll be in the back, chilling.”
She gasped as if someone hurled a flurry of insults that could last a lifetime. “What?! No way! In fact, I’m going to the back right now!”
True to her words, Sasha quickened her pace and disappeared into the back storage room. Connie scoffed and went to join her, leaving Armin alone with his thoughts.
Why did Eren only order roasted oolong tea? Armin could understand if he ordered one of Aunt Maria’s specialized drinks, but it was just regular tea with no changes to the ice and sugar levels. It would've been a lot cheaper to boil water and add an oolong tea bag at his house. (Although, if Eren did that, Armin wouldn’t see him again.) And why did Eren arrive at ten o’clock on the dot? According to Connie, that was the unusual part of his order. For the past three weeks, the customer arrived at ten without fail. Armin knew he could stick to a schedule, but he wasn’t sure if he could be at a tea shop at the precise moment it opened. Maybe Eren had someplace to be right after ten, so he had to be at the shop when it opened.
It wasn’t like Armin was going to obtain any answers by speculating in his own head. If he wanted to know, he had to ask. Although, Armin didn’t know when the chance to ask would present itself because he was scheduled for a lot of swing and closing shifts, to his dismay. Before talking to Connie and Sasha, he held onto lingering hope that Eren could buy a drink later in the day. But after talking to them, that chance seemed to flee. Even so, he had to talk to Eren before he lost the chance.
“Yo, are you going to make a drink for yourself?” Sasha asked, taking Armin out of his thoughts. Apparently, she came out of the back. “It’ll probably be slow for the next hour, so you better get something to drink.”
“Oh, yeah, thanks,” Armin said with a smile.
He went to the tea canisters and pulled one closer to the machine. Oolong Tea Bags.
*****
As the summer season progressed, working at Aunt Maria’s Tea Shop became second nature to Armin. Compared to his first day of training, he’d become much more comfortable with making drinks. On top of that, Rico taught him how to work at the topping station and how to add the correct amount of ice and sugar to the teas. He wasn’t nearly as skilled as the other baristas, but his confidence definitely increased. Without everyone’s help and positivity, Armin was certain his work life would be much different. There was a sense of enjoyment at work from talking to his coworkers and preparing tea for the customers. If he was assigned to an opening shift, it was even better. Even though Armin got to help Eren for five minutes max, it was the greatest start to his day. They've only exchanged polite greetings, kind farewells, eye contact, and smiles, but Armin was thankful for their interactions. Although, he felt greedy and wanted answers and to learn more about Eren. Eventually, Armin realized that he had to take the chance. He needed to be the one to shoot the shot. And so he did during his next shift.
*****
Each opening shift always had two baristas clocked in. A few hours into the day, another person arrived. Then it was the swing shift and, finally, the closing shift. Along the way, people clocked out and went home after their hours ended. However, thirty minutes into one of Armin’s opening shifts, Connie unexpectedly received a call from his father, informing him about his mother. She tripped while walking down the stairs at her home and was rushed to the hospital.
“You have to go,” Armin urged. “I’m sure Rico will understand.”
Connie’s eyes kept darting between his phone, the floor, and Armin. “Yeah, I have some days to use, but I can’t just leave you.”
“It’s fine,” Armin stated firmly. “It won’t be that busy so early in the morning, Sasha will be here at eleven, and I know how to make all of the drinks. Also, she’s your mother; you have to visit her.”
A grim expression appeared on Connie’s face, but his mind was set. “Alright. Thanks, Armin.”
Quickly, Connie took off his nametag and apron and sped into the backroom. Not even a minute passed before he exited the shop with all his belongings, leaving Armin alone. Instantly, Armin went straight back to work. With one less person, time was a definite constraint. There were still counters to clean, cups and straws to restock, and machines to test. The last thirty minutes before opening the shop went by in a flash. Miraculously, Armin managed to finish all of his tasks. It must have been the adrenaline rush and stress. Or it could have been the fact that Armin didn’t want to keep someone waiting. At exactly ten o’clock, Armin rushed to the front door with a small key and unlocked it. He flipped the sign and was about to walk back behind the counter when the bell stopped him. Sure enough, he was back.
“Hello, welcome!” Armin greeted reflexively, smiling politely at the new arrival. “The usual?”
Eren's mouth parted slightly as if he wasn’t expecting that question. (Armin found the action to be cute.)
“That'll be great, thanks,” Eren said, making his way to the self-kiosk.
Armin walked to the barista’s area. He needed a way to hide his growing smile, and going to the tea machines seemed like a great excuse. “Coming right up.”
He started the brewing process before the piece of paper was printed out. Like all of the other times before, it was just regular roasted oolong tea. He stuck the paper on the plastic cup before adding the ice, sugar, and hot tea. During the whole process, he couldn’t take his mind off of the conversation. Yes, they only exchanged eleven words, but Armin would take eleven words over ten any day.
Armin took the completed drink to the counter where Eren was patiently waiting. This was his first time standing by the counter instead of sitting at a table and chair.
“Order for Eren,” Armin said, passing the drink to him.
Eren thanked him with a nod and dug into his jeans pocket. A few seconds later, he produced paper money and slid it across the counter.
“For you,” Eren said.
A grateful smile grew on Armin's face. “Thank you!”
Come on. It’s now or never.
Armin cleared his throat and rehearsed a sentence that was on his mind for days: “Before you go, I just wanted to say that you have nice taste.”
Eren furrowed his brows in confusion. “Sorry?”
Wow, great start, Armin. Great start.
Armin quickly composed himself. “The roasted oolong tea,” he clarified. “I made myself a cup a few days ago, and it was pretty good.”
A look of realization appeared on Eren’s face. “Oh, the tea isn’t for me. It’s for my sister.”
Armin blinked, not expecting Eren to say that. He always assumed that Eren was the roasted oolong tea lover. The possibility of it being for another person never crossed his mind.
“So…” Armin spoke carefully; he didn’t have a script for this scenario. “Every day for the past month, you’ve been getting tea for your sister?”
Eren chuckled softly. “Yeah. She really likes Aunt Maria’s roasted oolong. She twisted her ankle a while back, so I’ve been getting them for her.”
“Aww, that’s really thoughtful of you. But you never ordered a drink for yourself?”
“This might sound weird, but I never thought about getting one for myself.”
“Do you want a drink?” Armin asked. “I can place the order for you.”
“Sure, that’ll be great,” Eren said and took a minute to look at the extensive menu on the wall. “I want two things. The first will be the signature drink. Figured it would be the best one to order for my first time. Just regular ice and sugar or whatever.”
Armin nodded, tapping the correct icons on the tablet to place the first drink order. “What do you want next?”
“I want to know if we can exchange numbers.”
It was an understatement to say that Armin was stunned. His finger hovered over the screen as his mind caught up to him. “I- really?”
Blush began to tint his cheeks. “Only if you’re comfortable with it,” he added with a mutter. “I don't know your work policy, so if it’s not allowed, I apologize.”
A small smile formed on Armin’s face. Not only was it actually happening, but Eren was being thoughtful about work ethics. It made Armin feel warm inside, knowing that Eren had good looks and consideration for others.
“I would love to exchange numbers. And, it’s just me right now, so I don’t think I’ll get in trouble,” Armin explained, trying to bring his rising heart rate back down. “Just those two for today?”
Eren let out a sigh of relief and nodded, taking out his wallet to pay for the added drink. He inserted his card and, when it was accepted, the familiar whirring sound echoed in the quiet shop. Armin got to work, and a sense of excitement filled his heart. If this was the first time Eren ordered a drink for himself, then Armin would be the first person to make one for him.
It took a while longer for the drink to be completed due to the added toppings (and extra attention dedicated to the process), but it was finally finished. Like before, Armin took the drink to the counter and announced to the shop that Eren’s order was ready. After dropping off the signature drink, Armin quickly walked to a counter that held writing utensils and returned with a pen. As he wrote his number on a napkin, a sudden realization went through his head.
“I know we already know each other’s names,” Armin said, referring to his nametag and all of the times when he shouted ‘Order for Eren.’ “But I want to officially introduce myself. I’m Armin.”
A small chuckle came from the other. “And I’m Eren.”
Two minutes later, when the shop was empty, Armin vowed he would protect that single piece of napkin with his life. Based on Eren’s farewell smile, it also seemed like he bore the same promise.