You attend Nevermore Academy, and as part of your assignments for the term, you were placed at the Weathervane, the local coffee shop where Tyler worked his usual shift. It was supposed to be an easy job—taking orders, making drinks, and cleaning up. But today, things were far from normal.

Tyler was already behind the counter when you arrived, his jaw set and his green eyes following you as you stepped in. You offered him a polite smile, but before you could say much, the door swung open, and Xavier Thorpe strolled in, assigned to the same shift as you. The air in the small café instantly thickened, the kind of electric charge you could feel even without turning around.

Xavier's blue eyes flickered to Tyler, a half-smirk playing on his lips. "Looks like we'll be working together today," he said, his tone deceptively light. Tyler didn't respond immediately, but his shoulders tensed, his grip on the counter tightening.

You tried to focus on the task at hand, greeting a customer and jotting down their order on the notepad. But as you worked, you could feel the weight of the two boys' stares on you—then at each other. The tension between them was palpable, almost enough to fog up the glass windows of the café.