Chapter 2
Evan woke up feeling fuzzy with a pounding headache. Getting drunk was definitely not the right thing to do. Last night’s events came rushing to him and he flushed. Flopping back onto his bed, he groaned into the pillow. Pandora was going to murder him.
Right on cue, the door burst open, and it was Pandora, much too energetic. “Ev! Wake up! The café is opening at noon today and it’s already 11am. You need to go get ready Ev!” And Pandora proceeded to throw open the curtains and drag the blanket off him. Evan turned to glare at her, but just sighed when he saw her disappear and appear again with a glass of water and medicine.
Wincing as he swallowed the pill, Evan drained the glass and dangled his feet off the bed. Pandora was already digging through his closet to drag out his work uniform. “Come on Ev! Let’s go!” She called, slamming the door as she left. Dutifully, Evan changed into the uniform, wondering why Pandora was so excited. Walking out of his room, he grabbed his phone and car keys. Pandora was already waiting by the car.
“Excited, aren’t you?” He asked curiously. Pandora just shrugged and slipped into the passenger seat. She scrolled through her phone on the short drive there, and jumped out of the car the moment Evan stopped. He stared after her, rather surprised. Following her in, he nodded in greeting to Remus and Dorcas. Remus and Lily were planning on expanding the café into a bookshop as well, and Pandora had wanted to add a floral shop.
Swiping a muffin from the tray, Evan ate it quickly. He made a latte for himself and a mocha for Pandora after throwing on his apron and striding over to the counter.
Ding! The little bell chimed as the door swung open. Regulus walked in, and hot on his heels was Sirius, James and Peter. Regulus looked downright annoyed as he rushed quickly off to the storage room. Sirius instantly started fussing over Remus as Peter came up to Evan to order. Glancing behind his shoulder, Evan wondered what happened to Regulus. “Um…yeah.” Evan muttered, keying in Peter’s orders. “Uh, can you repeat that?”
Sliding the drinks across the countertop, Evan looked around, seeing Pandora leaning against a table, talking (flirting) with Lily. Catching Pandora’s eye, he glanced between Lily and Pandora.
“Tais-toi (Shut up),” Pandora called. Sirius looked up, seeming confused.
“Jamais. Tu sais que je ne le ferai pas, Dor (Never. You know I won't, Dor),” Evan called back, looking down as he wiped his hands on the front of his apron while walking back to the counter.
“Didn’t know you could speak French, pretty boy,” a new voice said. Evan froze, already knowing who it was. Taking a deep breath, he glanced up. Sure enough, Barty Crouch Jr was standing in front of the counter, leaning against it, arms folded on the counter.
“Surprise, Crouch,” Evan replied, willing away the blush that threatened to rise. “How can I help you today?”
Barty raised his eyebrows, and Evan could see the challenge in his eyes. Evan was determined not to get sidetracked by him. “Let’s see…” Barty trailed off, staring at the menu behind Evan. Evan studied him closely. The outline of his jaw and nose, the soft flutters of his eyelashes. And the rich green of his eyes. Then Barty sighed, startling Evan. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe recommend to me your favourite? I’m sure it’ll be as sweet as you.”
Evan sucked in a breath sharply. “Are you sure? It may not be for everyone,” Evan asked through gritted teeth. Did Barty really flirt like that with everyone? Barty leaned even closer. Evan ground his teeth, refusing to back away. His heart was probably working overtime right now.
“Of course I’m sure, sweetheart,” was his reply. Evan stared daggers at him, before moving off to angrily make his drink. He made a latte, the same one as he had been drinking just now. As he poured the drink out into the cup, a thought crossed his mind. Smiling slightly, he picked up a marker. Evan was naturally competitive, and Barty seemed to know that, hitting that nerve on target. There was no way in hell now was Evan going to let Barty know his true feelings. Wait. No. He didn’t have any feelings.
He slid the drink across the countertop with more force than necessary. Remus raised his eyebrows at Evan’s behavior. Barty caught it just before the drink could fall off. “Now, is that any way to treat a customer?” He taunted, an infuriating grin on his face. Evan glared at him, refusing to reply. Turning away, he stalked back to the counter. Leaning against it, he watched carefully out of the corner of his eye as Barty took a sip of the latte. A strange expression crossed his features.
He looked at the cup, seemingly trying to find the name of the beverage. Evan clocked the moment he saw the message. His mouth fell open slightly, eyes reading the message, then reading it again, before putting the cup down. Evan caught Barty’s eye, took a sip out of his own latte, smirking at Barty’s flustered state. Throwing a wink at him, Evan disappeared into the storage room.