Chapter 20
CAROLINE doesn’t have to worry about her emotional disorder because Benjamin wasn’t her boyfriend. They don’t have a relationship… yet. Caroline shook her head. She shouldn’t be thinking about it. Benjamin wasn’t the guy that should be taken for granted.
“Aren’t you caught in tBenjaminfic?” Benjamin asked with a creased forehead. “I was thinking of calling you earlier when I saw in the news that it will rain today. The roads are wet, and it’s dangerous to drive while raining.”
Caroline smiled. “Are you saying that I can’t drive carefully?”
“No, it’s not that, Caroline.” His face turned red. “I’m just concern about you,” he murmured, scratching the back of his head.
Caroline finds that gesture cute. “I’m just kidding, Benjamin,” she giggled. “So, where are the kids?”
He ushered her towards the kitchen. “They’re making their favorite cinnamon pie for breakfast. Do you want me to make your coffee?”
That question slowed the ticking of the clock in Caroline’s dream. “Yes, I want you.”
Benjamin knotted his forehead. “Do you mean you want a coffee?”
Caroline blinked twice. “Yeah! I-I want you to make me coffee, a strong coffee,” she stuttered. “When will the rain stop? It affects my senses.”
Benjamin chuckled. “The last year’s rainy season brought a lot of customers to Café Demitasse. Everybody’s dropping by to grab a steamy cup of hot coffee. Some students and employees stayed here because the aroma of roasting coffee beans soothed and awaken their asleep system due to the cold weather.”
“Should I take back what I’ve said?” Caroline joked.
Benjamin shrugged his shoulders. “If it’s fine with you,” he answered, and they laughed together.
“Tita Caroline!” Anastacia’s face brightened up when she looked up from her plate and saw her approaching. “I thought you wouldn’t make it here because of the heavy rain.”
Caroline hugged Anastacia. “No one can stop me from coming here.”
Antonette snorted. “It’s obvious,” she said and brought her plate outside the kitchen.
Benjamin called his daughter, but Caroline said that it’s nothing to her. “I’ll get used to it, Benjamin,” she said with a smile.
“Will you come with us to our new house?” Anastacia asked her.
Caroline nodded. “I’ll help you transfer your things and give you a quick tour of the house.”
“Dad told us that it was your house, is it true? Does it mean that you’ll live with us?”
Caroline doesn’t know what to say. She looked at Benjamin for rescue, but he was busy making her coffee that he couldn’t hear his daughter’s queries.
“I live at my friend’s house. Remember, Tita Hyacinth? I live with her.”
Anastacia looked at her with lips pressed together. Caroline sensed that she wanted to ask her something.
Caroline caressed Anastacia’s long plait braided hair. “You can ask me anything, honey.”
Her cheeks turned pink. She looked down and focused her gaze on her pasta plate. Moments later, she looked up to her with a sparkling curious pair of eyes. “You were talking with your friend yesterday. Is he your boyfriend?”
Caroline didn’t expect that question from a twelve-year-old daughter of Benjamin—of the man that she wanted to be her boyfriend. “Are you talking about Lucas?”
“Caroline, you don’t have to answer Anastacia’s question,” Benjamin said and gave her the cup of coffee. “As soon as the rain stopped, we can start putting some of our things in the car.”
Caroline looked at the window. She doubted the rain would stop sooner.
“Tita Caroline, should we start filming for dad’s vlog? I think the rain won’t stop until noon,” Anastacia said, she was also looking out the window.
“You know what? That’s a brilliant idea.”
*
“FOR Dad’s Kitchen first vlog content, we’re going to show you the step-by-step roasting of Café Demitasse best-selling coffee beans,” Anastacia began. Her voice was surprisingly modulated for a twelve-year-old girl.
Anastacia sauntered to her dad’s side and beamed at the camera while holding a cup of green beans. Caroline followed her with the camera phone on her hand. “You’re doing great, Anastacia.”
“Show dad’s hotness at the camera.” Anastacia giggled. “Dad will show us now how to make a strong roasted coffee.”
Caroline went to the other side of the table so that the camera was in front of Benjamin. He currently measured the number of green coffee beans he poured on a stainless bowl. He was slightly frowning while his gaze was focused on the seeds. Caroline couldn’t help but stare at Benjamin’s handsome face.
“Do you know that coffee bean actually came from a berry fruit?” Benjamin asked, not looking at the camera but to his daughter. “And, every bean goes through many different stages before it reaches your cup each morning.”
A line appeared between Anastacia’s brows. “I don’t drink coffee,” she said innocently that made Caroline chuckled.
Benjamin pinched his daughter’s nose. “Coffe is for adults only.” He picked up one coffee bean and showed to her daughter. “This is the result of the long process. It is called the green coffee bean. It can be dried via a natural process or the sun-dried style, but that technique took more time than the advanced options.”
Caroline smiled, she felt like watching a movie of a father and daughter bonding moments. She stepped to the side when Benjamin started to roast the small number of beans he placed on a bowl, her eyes were focused on the screen. By doing so, Caroline didn’t see the approaching kitchen staff. She bumped with her making the cup of café latte poured to her blouse.
Caroline squealed as the hot liquid drizzled her skin. Benjamin grabbed a clean towel under the table, put ice cubes and water on a basin, and soaked the cloth in it. After a few seconds, he took it out and pressed gently on her chest, where the hot coffee splashed.
Benjamin’s breathing was heavy while his hand was pressed on her chest. Meanwhile, Caroline’s heart was hammering inside her ribcage. She was afraid that her heart might jump out at any moment.
“You have to remove your blouse,” Benjamin said in a low, almost seductive tone of voice.
Caroline swallowed hard. Benjamin was looking at her intently that she couldn’t distinguish now what’s more scorching hot in her skin, his intense gaze, or the hot coffee?
“Wh-what? Here?” Caroline asked, surprised. She roamed her eyes to the kitchen and found the employees were looking at her and to their boss.
“To my office,” he said, brows furrowed. “Does it still hurt?”
Caroline shook her head and forced an awkward smile on her face. “The cold towel lessen the heat.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Caroline. I didn’t see you,” the male diner apologized. “Let me help you clean your clothes—”
“I’ll do it. I have spare t-shirts upstairs that she can use,” Benjamin said in a stern voice that made his employee winced and took a step back. “Next time, be careful, Marlon.”
“It was my fault, Benjamin.” Caroline touched his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Can you show me the way to your office? The coffee started to stick on my skin.”
“I’ll come with her, Dad. You stay here,” Anastacia told his father and winked. “Unless you wanted to—”
“My t-shirts were packed in a blue luggage bag, Anastacia,” Benjamin cut off and turned on his back.
But, before he could turn around, Caroline caught a glimpse of his reddening cheeks and ears.
***
