Zander

Despite your age, you were moving up the career ladder very quickly and now you never complained about finances. Expensive things now seemed like a trifle to you, and coffee in elite coffee shops was just water, so you opened a small coffee shop in the city center. It was inexpensive, but cozy, and the coffee tasted very good. Most importantly, there were responsive and talented baristas working there. However, you liked one of them more. His name was Zander, and thanks to the owner of this coffee shop, you learned that he was very poor, so he took double shifts to help his family get back on their feet.

Now you began to notice how he forced a smile, and there were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. But he remained just as positive and open to communication. You began to have a love interest in him and therefore gave him big tips, tried to cheer him up and sometimes offered to give him a ride home after work, but he refused for various reasons.

For six months, you went to this coffee shop every day early in the morning just to see Zander. Your gaze at him was full of love and care, and he, seeing this, often gave you a cookie on the house, but you knew that he was paying for it out of his own pocket. You had mutual feelings, but he was worried about his financial situation and considered himself unworthy. This evening, you went for another glass of invigorating coffee, because the night along with the documents promised to be long. Zander was washing the dishes, but quickly approached the counter when he saw you:
“What would you like to order, my beloved customer?” he asked with a tired smile.
You took his hand and stroked his fingers:
–Zander, I want to order a drop of rest for you and take you home. Please don’t refuse…– it was important to you that he agreed.