Do you believe in love at first sight?

Chapter 5: A Strange Feeling

The next morning, with some free time before the exhibition opened, Ethan decided to go upstairs to prepare breakfast and coffee for Maxwell. The night before was a long night. After getting off work at the café, it was already late. Maxwell finished Ethan's dinner and went back to his study, sifting through the papers and questions Liam had left behind. Ethan didn't know how far Maxwell had worked, only that Maxwell was still working when he went to bed at ten o'clock.

In the kitchen, Ethan heats up the oil in the pan and then quickly frying some eggs. The toast popped up just in time, and while he drained the excess oil from the eggs with a paper towel, he put the freshly sliced bacon in the pan and let it heat up slightly. Then, he layered the eggs on the toast, added a handful of spinach, two slices of tomatoes, a slice of cheese, and finally sprinkled with pepper, then placed the second slice of toast on top to complete the sandwich.

He remembered that the caviar Liam had left over from his last visit was still in the froger, so he took it out, spread a little on the bacon, and took 2 cherry tomatoes and set them aside. By then, the coffee had already been brewed, so he poured it into a glass and placed it on the table next to the bacon and sandwich.

It only took 15 minutes. Ethan wrote a note to Maxwell and went downstairs. The part-time staff of the café are already busy serving customers.

After a busy morning rush hour, with the work-study workers continuing to receive and clean up the coffee shop, Ethan set out on a mission: to find the perfect coffee beans. It's not just a business decision, it's a passionate personal pursuit. He travels to a coffee fair, which is a professional gathering where café owners like him can explore different coffee beans from different suppliers. Many cafes, including Ethan, often have partnerships with specific vendors who offer a variety of coffee beans and some beans tailored to the café's needs. While Ethan typically relies on coffee beans from these vendors, today is different.

The coffee fair allows him to explore coffee beans from all over the world, with each selection evaluated not only on taste and aroma, but also on sustainability and overall quality. Ethan has been eagerly awaiting it for days. He cycled to the showroom, carefully selected batch after batch of coffee beans, and arranged for a truck to transport them back to the café, where he couldn't wait to try his hand at brewing them.

Meanwhile, Maxwell, still in the depths of sleep, was gently stirred awake by the aroma of breakfast. By the time he had showered and stepped out, Ethan was already gone, but the breakfast on the table remained warm.

The sight of the delicious meal lifted Maxwell's spirits. For someone who had always preferred solitude, this sense of homeliness was something he hadn’t experienced since leaving his family.

Or rather, he had never experienced it at all.

Sitting down, Maxwell noticed the note Ethan had left. It reminded him to eat the breakfast and to reheat it in the microwave if it had cooled. Ethan mentioned he’d be at the coffee exhibition and would return around noon.

"Well, how long has it been since no one treated me like a child?" Maxwell smiled wryly and muttered to himself, taking a big bite of the hot sandwich. It tastes too good to be true. It's just a simple sandwich, but somehow, when that little guy makes it, it doesn't taste the same.

Maxwell finished his breakfast, still felt that it was not enough, it tasted good, but unfortunately Ethan went out to work. He can only start working on the file again. By the time he heard the commotion of the delivery downstairs, some time had passed.

It's already 11:20 and the café downstairs is still bustling. Luckily, there are part-time staff members on duty, and Ethan is back. Maxwell went downstairs and saw that the café was still busy, with a middle-aged man and several teenage girls among the customers.

"Why are they still here at lunchtime?" Maxwell thought to himself.

As he approached, he overheard someone asking Ethan when he was free to have lunch with them.

Ethan clumsily brewed coffee and shook his head in refusal. Maxwell's face blushes even more when he sees Maxwell standing in the doorway, and Maxwell gives him a playful smile.

"Do you need me to save you?" Maxwell gestured, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

Ethan quickly shook his head. Given Maxwell's face, build, and temperament, the café would have been in even more chaos if the girls had seen him.

"Is it really not needed?" Maxwell asked, his expression looking a little smug now.

Ethan shook his head faster and rolled his eyes at him, silently hoping that the girls wouldn't turn around.

"Alright! Since you insisted, I went out to work. Don't forget to leave me some lunch later! The food Ethan cooks is so delicious that Maxwell finds himself craving it all day.

Ethan responded with a smile and said goodbye silently.

"Ethan, who are you talking to?" Several people noticed his gesture and followed his gaze towards the door, catching only a glimpse of Maxwell's tall figure.

"Who's that? Ethan?

"Is he your friend? He's really tall!

"Why didn't you introduce us?" The flower shop suddenly turned into a bustling market.

Ethan pretended not to hear their questions and concentrated on the new beans, knowing full well that his cafe had become quite noisy.

Ethan thought Maxwell had just come out of the house to work, but he said he should be back soon to prepare lunch, and there were still a lot of people in the coffee shop, so today’s lunch may be simpler, fried fish, steak, and salad with salmon and avocados bought at the supermarket.