Zane hummed, moving out of the way when the bell went off, signaling another customer had walked in.Bailey watched him go to the usual booth and finish his muffin and coffee.The café was unusually busy, but for whatever reason, Zane didn’t leave.He leaned into the booth with his headphones on as he looked out the window.Though his eyes were tired, Bailey couldn’t help but notice that they were unusually active.His gaze bounced back and forth between what was outside.It was a bit unsettling, especially when Zane’s naturally bored expression grew strained.
When Bailey finally got a break, he stepped out from behind the counter.With a deep breath, he approached Zane.Zane was so out of it, he didn’t notice Bailey until he sat across from him in the booth.
“If you’re waiting for another free coffee, I’m not giving you one,” Bailey said, smiling at the eye roll he received.
“Even after I was so nice to catch you today?”
The blush returned full force, causing Bailey to have to lean back to put a distance between them as he cleared his throat.“Thanks for that.”
“I had a sign up, but apparently, you can’t read.”
Bailey kicked Zane beneath the booth and was a bit surprised when he kicked back.
“I can read.I was in a rush!And you should help someone if you see them in trouble, anyway.”
Zane grimaced, which wasn’t all that surprising.He was the least heroic person Bailey probably ever met.Being around him probably made people lazy; he just had that vibe.
“Sounds like a lot of work,” Zane responded, resting his elbow against the table as he sat his chin in the palm of his hand.Silver strands of hair cascaded over his cheeks, brushing against his chin while being almost blinding thanks to the sun coming in through the window.Bailey cursed himself for finding Zane attractive.
Before he could break himself out of the trance, or respond, Zane sat up, turning his head to look outside.The relaxed posture he was in a moment ago disappeared; replaced with tension that had his knuckles growing white.Curious, Bailey peered out the window too.He saw nothing out of the ordinary, college students walking past, certainly nothing to make Zane’s face grow pale.
“Is everything ok?”he inquired.
“Fine,” Zane replied, getting up afterwards without warning.He didn’t bother Bailey with a response, simply left as quickly as he could.
His actions only worried Bailey more.
CHAPTER 8
Iftherewasonething Bailey was exceedingly bad at, regardless of his cursed luck, it was his curiosity.Curiosity killed the cat, and Bailey certainly had an issue with his own inquisitiveness.One day, it would get him into a shit ton of trouble.He suspected that day to be soon, since he was bugging Zane.
The glare Zane sent Bailey over the counter was made of pure hate.Clearly exhausted, Bailey didn’t help that agitation by denying Zane his glorious caffeine, but he was simply concerned.Ok, and curious, but they went hand in hand.
“Maybe you should try taking a day off?”Bailey suggested.
Zane’s lethargic posture had grown worse, shoulders slumped, eyes drooping, and color drained.This appearance had lasted over a week.With winter vacation on the horizon, Bailey hoped to help Zane out of whatever slump had befallen him.
“Are you going to give me my coffee?”Zane sighed.
“You’ve been like this for over a week.Are you sleeping?You need rest, especially you.I’m surprised you aren’t dead yet.”
Zane clicked his tongue, then rubbed his forehead.Rather than say anything, he spun on his heels to leave.Bailey panicked, dropping Zane’s coffee.The beverage splattered across the floor.Zane didn’t smirk like usual.He blinked those tired eyes like he was having a hard time processing what he saw, then left.Bailey’s chest tightened.He actually preferred the sarcastic and somewhat rude Zane.
“You spilled another drink, didn’t you?”Martin shouted from the back.
“No!”
Martin snorted.
Muttering to himself, Bailey cleaned the mess while pondering what troubled Zane.Then he reminded himself that it was none of his business.They weren’t friends, although they had dinner together on a questionable holiday.Zane had grown a tad nicer, so maybe they were friends.
Whatever, they weren’t close enough to talk about what was bothering them.When Bailey considered things, he wasn’t certain he’d speak to Zane either.Everyone had secrets, even from people they deemed close.It was hard to talk.Even those who thrived off being around others had certain topics that were difficult to discuss.Even if he and Zane were close, Zane wasn’t much of a talker.Then again, not much probably bothered him, so he told himself to forget about it.If Zane didn’t want to talk, then that was his choice.
Later, Amery visited the cafe.Bailey had an hour left of work, so she sat at the counter.They had homework for their Mutant Studies class.Amery assured Bailey that he could copy the work he missed while on his shift.Leaning over the counter, Bailey watched Amery read over their assigned chapter.If she thought he was reading, then she was shit out of luck.He was not capable of reading upside down.His talents lived in making coffee and apparently dropping it.
“Isn’t it interesting?”Amery asked.“Says here that higher leveled mutants can eventually come to have a multitude of abilities stemming off from their original mutation.”
Bailey hummed.
