Just two days before the new year, Coffee Secrets was reopened with the new manager being Tracy herself. It was hustling and bustling once again inside the café.
"Ah, it feels nice to be busy again," Winter mumbled.
"I would have said the same thing if I weren't dating you," Zane said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She narrowed her eyes at him, which made him say, "Because I would spend some alone time with you, rather than work."
"But if you don't work, how will you get money for our dates?" she retorted.
"Right. That's my cruel reality." He rolled his eyes and handed over two cups of cappuccino to her. She took it and went away.
When Zane changed shifts with Leon for handling the bill counter, a beautiful red-haired girl approached. "Hey, Zane. When does your break start?" she asked him.
"It's in an hour, Mel. Why?" he inquired.
"I would like to say something to you," she let out.
"Oh, okay."
Winter watched the whole scene from afar and recognized that girl to be Melody Flores, Zane's close friend, whose party she attended last time. That girl obviously liked her boyfriend, so she needed to be cautious.
On the other hand, Melody went back to her friend's table and sat down on her seat.
"What did he say?" asked her friend.
"He said okay," Melody replied.
"You totally need to ask him out today, otherwise, I'll never talk to you again."
"But what if I get rejected, Sora?" Melody questioned.
"Then you can get over him. If you have had feelings for Zane for years, you need to confess, bro," Sora answered.
"I don't want to lose him as a friend," Melody mumbled.
"You won't. You know how he is. He won't do that to you," Sora tried to encourage her.
Melody sighed. "I don't know anything anymore. I just don't wanna be hurt."
"You get hurt every time he smiles at a girl, and I don't even wanna remember the two times he got a girlfriend. You spend the whole time crying in your room," Sora let out.
"Please, those girls weren't good enough for him. He broke up with his first girlfriend in two weeks and the second one didn't even last a week," Melody retorted.
"Here's your order, ma'am." Winter came and placed two cups of latte in front of the two girls.
"That means, he doesn't keep a girlfriend for more than two weeks." Sora chuckled. "You better be ready, Mel."
Winter's eyes widened when she listened to what those two girls were saying. She hurried to the staff room and started counting. "It's been a week since we started dating. Is Zane going to break up with me after a week from now?" she fretted. "Is he going to accept that girl's proposal?"
Winter couldn't help but panic until the time finally came. Zane and Melody were sitting opposite each other at the corner table of the café.
Melody took a deep breath and started, "Zane, you know—"
"What would you like to order?" Winter interrupted.
"You know what I like," Zane said to Winter.
"I'll take the same as him," Melody answered.
As Winter was walking away, Zane was staring at her and smiling. Melody noticed the way he looked at Winter and how his eyes were filled with love.
"Why don't you say something, Zane? It's been a while since we last met," Melody offered.
A grin stretched across his face as he excitedly leaned forward in his seat to tell her, "I told you about this girl I liked, right? I asked her out a few days ago, and she said yes."
"And you guys are dating now, huh?" Melody tried to keep a smile on her face as she said, "Congratulations. It's that girl, right?" Melody pointed at Winter, who was pestering Leon to get the order fast. As Zane nodded, Melody asked, "Does she like you back?"
The bright smile on his face disappeared. "Not yet. But I'm sure she would—"
"Are you sure she didn't just pity you and accept your proposal?" Melody let out, hiding her venomous intentions with her sweet voice.
"What are you saying? Winter would never do that," Zane responded firmly.
"You never know what a girl is thinking. She might just be using you," she asserted.
"I don't come from a wealthy family like you, Mel. She won't gain anything by using me." He chortled.
Melody bit her lips and thought of another way. "The last time I saw that girl she seemed kinda out of it. You know, like depressed? Maybe she's clinging onto you for support because you make her happy."
"That's what I want. Her happiness. In return, she makes me ten times happier just by being by my side."
"You will be ten times more heartbroken if she leaves you," she argued.
"She's worth the risk," Zane spoke up with determination. "And if her happiness doesn't lie within me, I'm sure I will be willing to let her go."
Melody huffed in annoyance. She always managed to poison his mind about his previous girlfriends' but this time was different. He didn't care about anything. He was willing to accept all of her flaws, even if it meant just giving, not receiving. As she opened her mouth to speak, there was a clashing sound of glasses breaking which interrupted her.
"I'm sorry, Mel. I need to go." Zane stood up from his seat and rushed to Winter. A customer had just bumped into Winter and was scolding her. "She said she was sorry," Zane told the customer and turned towards Winter. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Winter said absentmindedly and bent down to pick up the broken shards.
"Wear gloves before—"
"Ouch!" As she wasn't distracted, she managed to cut herself.
"Lucy, can you clean this up?" Zane asked Lucy, who gave him a thumbs-up and took Winter to the staff room. He grabbed the first aid kit and started checking her bleeding finger. "What's wrong with you? You have been distracted for a while now."
Winter pursed her lips and finally breathed out, "Will you break up with me, Zane?"
Zane paused his movement and let out, "Huh?"
"Are you going to break up with me?" she repeated.
"No, why would I do that?" He looked at her in disbelief.
"I heard you broke up with your previous girlfriends within two weeks."
Zane finished wrapping the band-aid around her finger and said, "I'm not going to ask how you know that, but it's true. I had my reasons for doing so."
"Will you also do that with me?"
"For your information, you're the first girl I have feelings for. Those girls, I didn't feel anything for them. I didn't feel the sparks I feel with you. I was immature, and I wanted to try out what dating someone felt like. Then I found out that they weren't worth it. Now, they are just my past." He took her hands in his and caressed them before looking into her eyes. "And you are my present, and I really want you to be my future."
Winter's heart melted after listening to him. "You mean that?"
"Yes." He nodded and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Now be careful and don't get hurt like this."
"Get a room, guys," spoke up Cedric.
Zane turned his head to glare at Cedric. "Where did you come from?"
"Backdoor," Cedric stated.
"That's for staff, you know?" Zane said.
"I'm one of the staff's boyfriend, so I get a free pass," Cedric countered, making Zane roll his eyes. "Anyways, I came here to invite you guys for the new year party I'm throwing. Y'all must come. If you don't, I'll chase you with my gun for the whole year."
"Will there be gangsters like you?" Winter inquired.
"Just the ones who are close to me," Cedric replied.
"Babe, what a surprise!" Lucy came into the staff room and ran into Cedric's arms, kissing his lips out of her excitement.
Zane scoffed in disbelief. "You guys are the ones who should get a room," he commented and left with Winter, who was giggling. "I really don't want to attend any parties," he grumbled.
"Why not? It will be fun. Also, I want you to be with me when the new year starts," Winter said.
"Only for you then." He kissed her cheek and went back to his work as his break time was over.
Winter was really excited for the new year. However, she was getting a bad feeling. Her year wouldn't start in a good way. Something was going to happen that she didn't want to. Something that would awaken all the ugly feelings deep inside her heart.
