Under The Cherry Blossoms – Chapter 8: Espresso Machine

"Yeah, I regret this" Ethan ponders internally, his expression one of deep regret.

During a meeting, Melissa, the HR representative, announces to all employees, "Our manager, Mr. Harris, has graciously arranged for an espresso machine to be installed here in the break room, just like the one we have in the cafeteria."

A round of applause sweeps the room at Melissa's statement. Ethan shifts uncomfortably under the attention, contemplating, "Jessica will have my head when she gets back."

The announcement clearly delights the employees, who had all been yearning for an easier coffee fix. Melissa leans in to whisper to Ethan, "Thanks for arranging this."

Ethan counters with a resigned sigh, "Not like I had a choice, you and the team had me cornered."

Melissa laughs softly, "It never made sense to have employees trek to the second floor for a cup of coffee."

Ethan retorts, "The whole idea was to avoid distractions and unnecessary time-wasting."

Melissa shoots back, "We already have a fridge, a table, and even a microwave in the break room. Might as well add the espresso machine to the mix."

"That's meant for those who bring their lunch and need to heat it up," Ethan defends.

Melissa, still chuckling, remarks, "Well, it's done now. We have an espresso machine."

"What am I going to tell Jessica?" Ethan frets.

"I have no idea. You'll figure something out," Melissa replies, her laughter unabated.

Ethan groans, "How did I let you and Frederick talk me into this?"

Melissa grins, "We are your longest-serving employees after all."

"If Jessica was here, this wouldn't have happened. You should know better, Melissa. As HR, and with your reputation for being strict, you should've stopped this," Ethan argues.

Melissa shrugs with a smile, "What can I say? Coffee is my weakness."

Ethan mumbles under his breath, "Jessica is going to kill me."

"All the best dealing with her," Melissa replies, still grinning as she walks away, leaving Ethan to his imminent crisis.

While all the employees were cheering, Lily and Layla found themselves standing together.

"You're pretty lucky, Lily," Layla whispers.

"Uh? Why is that?" Lily inquires, perplexed.

Layla smirks, "Not even a month since you've been here, and we've already scored an espresso machine."

"Huh? Me?" Lily retorts, confusion evident on her face. "I didn't do anything."

"Oh, come on. Mr. Harris seems a lot more relaxed since he started those training sessions with you," Layla nudges her playfully.

Lily, taken aback, doesn't know what to respond, so she remains silent. Seizing the silence, Layla continues, "And it's not just that. Grumpy has been trying to convince him for years, but she failed. You come along, and voila, we've got an espresso machine!"

Caught off guard, Lily merely replies, "Well…" She watches Ethan across the room, awkwardly accepting the applause with a modest smile. A subtle smile forms on her own lips.

Later, during lunch, Ethan wraps up his reports and steps out of his office to grab a bite. As he strolls towards the reception through the office hall, he spots the cubicles where Lily works. His eyes instinctively search for Lily. Spotting her engrossed in conversation with Liam, he feels a strange twinge of curiosity.

"So, Liam is her friend," Ethan muses to himself, coming to a halt. He watches Lily, her smile lighting up in response to something Liam says, intensifying the strange sensation in him. "I wonder what they're talking about."

Suddenly, Lily bursts out laughing at something Liam said, which baffles Ethan even further. "What did he say to make her laugh so much?"

"Mr. Harris? Mr. Harris?" Just as he's engrossed in his observation, an employee snaps him out of his trance.

"What?" Ethan snaps, his tone harsher than intended.

The surprised employee looks at Ethan as he quickly corrects himself, "Oh, sorry, Matthew. What's up?"

"I just need you to check this report," Matthew hands over the document, guiding Ethan through the content. Despite Matthew's presence, Ethan can't help but steal glances at Lily, who's still engrossed in her conversation with Liam.

Just then, he notices Layla rushing over to Lily, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Ah, the receptionist. Given that she was at the party, it makes sense they'd hang out," Ethan thinks to himself, watching Liam stand aside while Layla hugs Lily. Soon, he sees Melissa approaching them as well, "Oh, Melissa is friends with her too."

"I'm glad she's made friends here," Ethan mutters absentmindedly, his focus still on the report.

"Friends?" Matthew enquires, caught off guard by Ethan's comment.

"Oh, yeah, friends. They're good for...lunch breaks, right?" Ethan stammers, trying to cover up his unusual interest.

"I guess they are," Matthew replies, albeit confused.

"Great. Anyway, leave this report with me. I'll check it out and get back to you after lunch," Ethan wraps up the conversation.

"Okay, sure sir," Matthew leaves, a baffled look on his face.

Left alone, Ethan continues to watch Lily as she walks away with her friends, a curious glint in his eyes.

As days passed, Ethan found himself increasingly aware of Lily's interactions with Liam. It was as if they were always in conversation - before the training sessions, Liam was always there chatting with her; after the sessions, he was there to greet her. They often had lunch together, in a group that also included Melissa and Layla. This camaraderie wasn't new, but Ethan had never paid it much attention before. However, with the recent installation of the espresso machine, their interactions had noticeably increased. Lily and Liam now visited the breakroom a few times a day for coffee, and Ethan found himself silently observing these increased encounters with a strange discomfort.

One silver lining, however, was the training sessions. These were the moments when Ethan got to spend time with Lily without Liam's presence. To make the most of this, Ethan had gradually extended the duration of the training sessions, allowing Lily to spend more time with him and less with Liam. However, despite these adjustments, Ethan couldn't deny that the coffee machine had become a troublesome factor.

Ethan couldn't quite pinpoint why this bothered him so much. Yet, there was an inexplicable discontent gnawing at him, a problem he didn't understand but knew existed nonetheless.

One day, Ethan sat alone in his office, deep in his work when his phone began to ring. Picking it up, a familiar female voice resonated from the other end.

"Why didn't you show up on Sunday?" she asked.

"I don't see any reason to meet you," Ethan replied curtly.

"I just wanted to see you, Ethan," she responded, her tone laced with a hint of longing.

"Well, I didn't," Ethan snapped back, his patience thinning.

"You know our arrangement, Ethan," she said, her voice maintaining a polite edge.

Ethan stayed silent, refusing to acknowledge her statement.

"If you want to break it, you should consider the consequences," she continued, her words hanging heavy in the air.

"Where?" Ethan finally asked, his voice filled with resignation.

"You know where, Ethan. 9 PM. Don't be late," she instructed before hanging up the phone.

Ethan sighed heavily, setting down the phone and leaning back in his chair. "I certainly can't deal with that," he mumbled to himself. After a moment of silence, a thought crossed his mind. "Might as well go out for a cigarette."

He moved from his office towards the break room. The balcony adjacent to the break room had unofficially become the office's smoking area. A potted plant sitting there served as a makeshift ashtray for the occasional smokers.

Upon reaching the break room, he overheard familiar voices. It was Liam and Lily. Not wanting to be seen, he quickly retreated behind the wall next to the balcony door. The door had a glass panel that allowed him to see inside.

"Wow, Ethan, why are you even hiding? This is your office," he chided himself internally.

As Lily and Liam entered, they continued their conversation.

"And that's usually what happens," Liam was saying.

"Oh, this is interesting," Lily replied.

Chuckling, Liam offered, "Hold on, let me make you some coffee. You just sit."

"No, no, I can make it myself," Lily protested.

"Don't worry about it. Just sit," Liam insisted.

Ethan, eavesdropping from the balcony, thought to himself, "She can make it herself. You don't need to do that." He strained to look through the door's glass panel, trying to catch glimpses of the conversation.

Liam, however, was privately thankful for the new machine. "Man, I am so grateful for this machine," he thought, a grin spreading across his face. "It's given me the perfect excuse to spend time with Lily, and best of all, Layla doesn't interrupt us here. She's none the wiser."

"Why are you smiling so much, Liam?" Lily asked, catching him off guard.

Flustered, Liam quickly covered up, "Oh, because this machine is amazing. It can make any type of coffee." Satisfied with his save, he continued, "Anyway, what type of coffee would you like?"

As Lily began to reply, Ethan's eavesdropping was interrupted by Matthew. "Mr. Harris? Mr. Harris?"

Startled, Ethan responded irritably, "What?" Then noticing Matthew, he quickly corrected his tone, "Oh, hey again, Matthew."

"Sir, are you okay?" Matthew asked, the look of surprise evident on his face.

Another employee, Johnson, who was smoking, chimed in, "Hi, sir. Not smoking?"

"Just in a minute," Ethan said, still straining to listen to Lily and Liam's conversation while also responding to Matthew and Johnson.

"I have an important email to compose. I'll join you guys in a bit," Ethan said, feigning a phone gesture to Matthew.

"Of course, sir," Matthew replied as he moved away with Johnson.

Ethan, partially hidden behind the glass pane of the balcony door, continued eavesdropping on the conversation between Liam and Lily.

"Is that Matthew walking?" Lily asked, squinting to see the figure in the distance.

"I think it is," Liam replied, following her gaze.

"Who is he even talking to?" Lily wondered, noticing Matthew's animated gestures.

Liam chuckled, shrugging. "Probably himself, he's always been a bit odd."

Their conversation took a turn to more personal matters. "Anyway, how old are you again, Liam? You never told me," Lily inquired, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

"I'm 24, Lily, will be turning 25 this year," Liam replied.

"Oh, so you're the same age as Layla," Lily noted, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

"I think she's a year younger than me," Liam corrected, gently.

"Oh, yes, yes, my bad," Lily quickly apologized.

Unseen to them, Ethan listened in on their conversation. He found himself comparing his age to theirs. "Three years gap, well not bad," he thought, acknowledging the eleven-year gap between him and Lily.

Liam then steered the conversation towards their workspace. "So, Lily, what do you like most about this office?" he asked.

Caught off guard, Lily paused for a moment. "Well, that's a good question. I think I like everything so far. The building, the environment, the workspace, the culture, the people," she rattled off, enumerating on her fingers. "And the work, of course. The café too," she laughed.

Liam joined her laughter. "Haha, yes. I love the café too."

"I know you do," Lily playfully replied.

Liam, seizing the moment, ventured to ask further. "So, among the people, who do you like?" His question was filled with subtle anticipation. Ethan, from his hidden position, was also particularly interested in Lily's answer.

The moment the question left Liam's mouth, Ethan sprung into Lily's mind.

"Hmm, let's see. There's Layla, of course," Lily started, looking into the distance. Liam internally grimaced at Layla's mention.

"Then Melissa, and," she paused for a moment, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "there's Ethan."

Ethan's heart skipped a beat at his name. He found himself smiling, an involuntary reaction.

"Mr. Harris?" Liam echoed, a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Yes, haha, he is amazing," Lily gushed, her tone revealing her admiration for Ethan.

"And what about me? Am I not there?" Liam asked, feigning a hurt expression.

Lily laughed, "Oh, of course, you're there, Liam."

Liam responded with an exaggerated cheer, "Yay!" causing Ethan to grimace from his corner.

"So, I am fourth, eh? I got to do something to come first," Liam pondered to himself, observing Matthew and Johnson smoking in the distance. A sly grin stretched across his face as he thought of a plan.

Finishing their coffees, Lily suggested they head back to their desks.

"Sure," Liam agreed, a content smile on his face. As they left, he thought to himself, "God, I love this espresso machine." It was the perfect pretext to spend more time with Lily.

On the other hand, Ethan was having second thoughts about his decision to install the espresso machine. As he watched Lily and Liam leave, he couldn't help but regret the increased interactions it fostered between them.

Lighting up his cigarette, he muttered under his breath, "Yeah, I regret this."

To Be Continued