Chapter 11: The Hi-Tea Welcome

The lounge buzzed with the soft clinking of china, warm chatter, and the sweet scent of pastries laid out across the long wooden table. Afternoon light poured through the wide windows, brushing the edges of the room in a gentle gold.

Kaia stepped in quietly, meeting her new team’s bright faces. Her smile had a way of settling the room - soft yet steady.

Amelia was the first to greet her.
“Kaia! We were just talking about you. You were incredible in the meeting today.”

Charlotte nodded, eyes gleaming behind her glasses.
“You gave direction without overwhelming anyone. That’s rare.”

Kaia tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m glad it helped. First days are usually…chaotic.”

Blake scoffed playfully.
“You made us look bad, honestly.”

Kaia laughed.
“I promise that wasn’t my intention.”

James handed her a plate with pastries.
“You’ll fit right in. We’re loud…. but we’re good people.”

Before she could respond, he added,
“Amelia told us you own a cafe?”

Kaia brightened instantly.
“Yes! It’s small but full of things I love. Books flowers and a little bakery corner I probably take way too seriously.”

“Books and flowers?” Charlotte whsipered dramatically.
“Are you an angel?”

Kaia giggled .
“I wish. But yes…. I love mixing things that feel like comfort.”

“What’s it called?” Blake asked.

“Chapter & Brew. It has a little flower stall too. Mrs. Alder - my florist runs that corner. And Elena helps me manage the cafe when I’m away. They’re like family.”

There was a collective “awww” from the group.

Kaia shrugged, smiling into her cup.
“They’ve been with me since the start. I couldn’t do it without them.”

Just then, the lounge door opened.

Adrian walked in.

He looked at ease yet quietly alert, a folder in hand. He scanned the room, eyes automatically landing on Kaia.

And that’s when he saw it.

She was holding her coffee in a way he hadn’t noticed before - mug nestled gently between both palms, the gesture unconscious and intimate. As she shifted, a tiny mole just below her middle fingernail caught the light.
A detail so delicate, so inignificant -

Yet it felt like a small truth about her.

A human softness she didn’t know he could see.

He felt something in his chest tighten, unfamiliar and unwelcome.

Kaia looked up.
“Adrian. Would you like some coffee?”

He shook his head, smile faint.
“I don’t drink coffee. But thank you.”

The room erupted.

Blake groaned loudly.
“Here we go again.”

Amelia pointed an accusing finger.
“He lives on herbal teas and despair.”

Adrian chuckled.
“It’s not despair. It’s preferance.”

Kaia raised her brows, amused.
“That’s rare. Most people I know are coffee loyalists.”

He let his gaze drop to the mug between her hands.
“It suits you. The way you hold it…. like you’re warming your thoughts.”

She blinked - caught off guard by the intimacy of the observation.
He blinked too surprised he’d said aloud.

To cover the moment, he cleared his throat.
“You handled the meeting really well today.”

Her expression softened.
“Thank you. That means a lot.”

“You have a natural steadiness,” he continued, voice low.
“The team listens to you. “That’s not common, especially on day one.”

Kaia’s smile grew shy.
“They’re kind. They made it easy.”

James chimed in, “You should see her cafe pictures, Adrian. It’s beautiful.”

Kaia shook her head.
“They’re just pictures.”

“Pictures that look like they belong in a magazine,” Charlotte corrected.

Adrian turned to Kaia again, this time fully.
“How’s your day been so far? Aside from changing everyone’s opinion about structure and clarity.”

Kaia laughed, shoulders loosening.
“It’s been… surprisingly good. New place, new people, new energy.
And i got to use my favourite pen, which always makes the day better.”

Amelia gasped dramatically.
“You have a favourite pen too? We’re soulmates.”

Kaia grinned.
“Possibly.”

Adrian watched the way she interacted - with warmth, with humour, with sincerity - like she wasn’t trying to impress anyone.. yet somehow still did.

Then he glanced again at her hand wrapped around her mug.

The tiny mole.

That gentle gesture.

Spmething about it tugged at him, but he didn’t know why.

Or maybe he did.

But he wasn’t ready to name it.

The hi-tea continued with laughter, pastries being passed around, stories shared. And yet, in all the noise, there was a soft thread connecting two people -

One unknowingly,
One unwillingly,
But both already caught in the same quiet pull.