Roke Alva

"Sunrise at 8:13," read the Weather app notification. The clock read 1:02. Roque sighed and put his phone away. Watching the sunrise is romantic. Watching it at work, surrounded by stacks of reports—perhaps aesthetically pleasing, but not at all romantic. A second bottle of wine that evening didn't improve the situation. Alva finished the rest of his glass and swirled it, examining the reflections of the lamp through the glass. It was definitely time to get a secretary; lugging around this volume of paperwork was becoming more and more difficult with each new branch he opened. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Who was there at this hour? The coffee shop was locked, and only he and the barista had the keys. Unless... Richard's sleepy but excited face appeared in the doorway. Of course, who else... – I noticed you still haven’t left, sir. Are you alright? Roke pushed the empty bottles under the table with his foot almost silently. "Everything's fine, young man. What are you doing here at this hour? You have a shift tomorrow morning." Richard walked into the office and closed the door, looking like a mischievous puppy. "I couldn't sleep, so I looked out the window, and my windows look right out onto the coffee shop. And I saw the light on in your office. So I thought... maybe something had happened." What a miracle. I should drag him by the ears so he doesn't poke his nose into other people's business. "Here, look." Roque spread his arms, gesturing at the piles of papers. "Have you satisfied your curiosity?" Richard frowned and then took a step forward. "I can help. Mother used to handle paperwork too. I know the basics. Can you teach me the details?" The young man's confident gaze made it clear that his decision was firm and unwavering, and he had no intention of backing down. Roque rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. Help really wouldn't hurt... "...Okay, young man. Take a seat, I'll show you what to do. And if you try to fill out anything incorrectly, you'll get an extra shift. Initiative is punishable by law." But from Richard's happy face it was clear: even if it were five shifts, he wouldn't regret his decision.