Yes, Brian had promised Nick that he would find someone who would help him with the cafeteria. But when he did, he didn’t think or phantom how hard that search would turn out to be. And mostly because he had to admit that he was really really demanding and hard to please. Truth was that the cafeteria wasn’t only his job – place, it was sort of a home and he didn’t want to hire a stranger or someone who just needed the money without any regard to what he had to do to obtain them. If there had been one thing he had learned from working along with his mother was that the bar wasn’t only a place where people came because the coffee was amazing: she had managed to create a place where someone could relax and let outside every worry or trouble, chatting with their friends or laughing or meeting new faces. No customers, especially the ones who kept coming through the years and still had memories of him when he was little, wanted to be served by a pouter or someone who considered himself bigger than that work. Unfortunately, that meant that he had to reject half of the people who came for the job. 

The bell of the door ringed as a new customer entered. A look at the clock and Brian knew who that new client must be so he started making the coffee without even waiting for the order. 

“You are my saving hero!” The boy exclaimed as he sat down on one of the stools. 

“Wow and only for a coffee.” Brian smiled as he passed him the cup of coffee. Since the day Nick had drawn him and his boyfriend, the boy had been coming in the cafeteria everyday and most of the time all alone. One day, thanks to the fact that it had been a slow one and there hadn’t been much work to do, chatter had led to another and Brian had found that they went not only to the same university but even attending at the same course, although Blaine – that was his name – was a year behind him. Soon their chatting had become a daily thing and a new friendship was born. They weren’t close enough to share secrets or else but they did find each other’s company fine and pleasant, especially since Blaine seemed not to mind staying there in those nights when the weather made difficult to go out for a coffee. 

“You know that is the true. – Blaine replied. – This is my corner of heaven. If I stayed a minute longer in that flat, I swear I was going to murder someone!” 

“Trouble with Kurt?” 

“No, thank God no. My brother. My annoying brother. You know how expensive flats here are in New York so Kurt and I are living with him until we have enough money to afford something on our own.” Blaine started to rant about his brother while, inside Brian’s mind, an idea started to take shape without finding objections to stop it. Why not? Sure, Blaine maybe didn’t want to work here or such but it wasn’t a bad idea. Being students, they could work around the shifts and, in the end, he didn’t mind having someone else to talk with during the dead hours. Aj always complained that he should have more friends. It wasn’t a bad idea. 

“Listen... I don’t know if it can interest you but... well, I need one more person here at the cafeteria. You need money for your house. We’ll be helping each other, actually. What do you think?” 

“The only thing I know about coffee is how to drink it.” 

Laughter rose up and replied at first. “Don’t worry. It’s not that difficult. But only if you’re interested. I don’t want to force you or something.” 

“No, of course I’m interested. I love this place! – Blaine replied with a huge smile. – Thank you.”

Hands were shaken, sealing a pact that didn’t seem only about work. It seemed like a new friendship were born.