"Hello, Eric!"

I'm doomed. I put the black cap on the table and thought.

I mean, Eric in action is the best Eric. She's wearing a pearl hairclip! This is the first time I see her wearing a clip to give her forehand a nice show. Pixie white hair and hairclip.

"Eh? you're fast, Mister Customer! So, what do you want today?"

Eric smiles at me.

"I arrived way later than you do though! Hmm, today I'll take Nikolaschka please, thanks!"

She nods and chuckles.

"Okay! I'll make you the best Nikolaschka 'cuz you're my first order! Please, wait a second!"

I don't particularly like coffee, just today, I want to stay up without staying drunk at the bar a tinny longer. What if I'm also Eric's last order of the night? The thought makes me smile.

Anyway, for a nice Nikolaschka, you need a good alcohol base. Normally, the cocktail includes one type of brandy, a slice of lemon, coffee, and salt. And I probably don't consider it a cocktail because there's just no juice in it, just brandy and a slice of lemon with coffee and salt on top.

"Here you go, enjoy!"

She places a cup of brandy with a small lemon slice atop.

Aside from wanting to tell her how pretty she is, I'm worried about her ankle. But I'm afraid bringing it up at this moment isn't wise. I don't know what is there for me to be shy about it.

I thank her, and my urge to talking to her never stops. However, when I look at her going to the other side and serve other customers, I stop daydreaming. It's already night, so I hafta make it happen by doing it, not just dreaming!

Although saying that to myself, deep inside, I'm a quarter tinny insecure. I'm not from rural poor parts of Dehli nor my family's gone bankrupt last month. I'm an ordinary guy, with no other than ordinary personalities. My hobby is reading manga, and the only thing that wakes me up every day for work is money. Well, those colleagues are never dependable. They said meeting up at 11 and now they're still nowhere to be seen, even after I purposefully came 20 minutes late.

Sitting at the counter alone, couldn't express my feelings to the opposite side of the table, colleagues ditching me here, don't even love my job, manga just seems so useless and unenjoyable, I think I'm doomed, as in depressed. I feel like I'm a failure.

I take the lemon slice away from the cup and drink all the way to the end. Then I chew the lemon with salt and coffee on it.

The intense taste makes my eyes teary. The salt is salty, the coffee is too caffeine, lemon is citreous and brandy's too strong. I ain't like it as I thought. Was it because I failed to enjoy drinking 'cuz all I see so far is the messy emotions swirling inside?

"Hey! What's up?"

Oh, some familiar voice?

That's some gay guy probably. The guy sitting next to me on the counter looks at me with a strange look on his face.

I don't really want to talk to anyone. Like even if someone's gay, I don't wanna talk to them either. Just give me a break, everyone. I'm a tinny depressed, everyone would be depressed talking to me!