2084

Chapter 03 - January 15th, 2084 - The Café Part II

South Quay Café

The last note of the night had faded more than half an hour ago.

The café once overflowing with warmth and noise, had finally begun to breathe differently.

Most of the crowd had drifted out into the South Quay night. Leaving behind only the lingering scent of coffee, warm lights reflecting off empty glasses, and the soft murmur of late-night conversations.

Salonika sat at the rear of the stage carefully wiped down her harp strings.

On top of the stage behind her Roen packed up his drum pads while Carl sorted the sheet music meticulously next to him.

A habit of his.

Clink-

The bell above the café door chimed.

New customers this late?

That's unusual.

My head lifted before I even realized I'd stopped packing.

Two young men stepped inside.

The first one in a black hoodie, hood down, red hair catching the warm café lights.

Tall.

Strong.

He carried a presence that bent a room without effort.

That.

Or maybe it was just because he was huge.

Pretty sure breakfast for him involved lifting something that shouldn't be liftable.

The second guy drifted in behind him.

Still tall enough to make most doorframes look decorative, but carrying himself differently.

Dark hair.

Relaxed.

Easier to smile at.

A soft gray hoodie hung on him, hand-painted mural stretching across the back.

I had seen that mural style before...

Somewhere...

It tugged at me, familiar but just out of reach.

I filed it away.

Okay... the dark-haired one made sense. He looked like the sort who'd wander into a café just to see what the live music was like.

Then his eyes lingered on the pastry display.

He took a quiet breath, savoring the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, before a broad grin spread across his face.

Right... so he looked like he's also the type who appreciated a good gastronomical experience, too.

While The redhead?

Absolutely not.

He looked like the kind of guy who intimidated coffee into brewing faster.

The redhead swept the room in a single glance.

Efficient.

Not curious.

Habit.

I'd seen security people do that.

Soldiers too.

His gaze landed on Salonika and he softened at once.

"Sal," he called.

Salonika's head snapped up at the sound of his voice. A bright smile bloomed on her face almost instantly.

"Yousef!"

He crossed the room towards her.

I blinked.

She knows these giants?

I leaned closer to Salonika.

"You know them, Sal?"

"My older brother Yousef."

Salonika laughed softly.

Okay, it's normal to be skeptical now, right?

The second guy finally looked away from the display, his attention settling on Sal.

A warm, familiar grin crossed his face.

"Hi, Songbird."

"D!" Salonika beamed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it," Yousef said.

He leaned forward, his voice low and steady.

"It's been... insanely busy lately."

Salonika shook her head. "It's okay."

"Oh! I haven't introduced you yet."

Salonika turned quickly.

"Yousef, Diego, this is Mara, Roen, and Carl. My bandmates."

She slipped her arm around Yousef's.

"This is my older brother, Yousef."

Then her hand reached toward the other young man, gently patting his shoulder.

"And this is my cousin, Diego. We're the same age."

Diego lifted a hand in greeting, smiling easily.

So that was Diego.

The cousin she'd mentioned before. The one who fixed old instrument parts and sent her new music plugins.

I offered a small wave back.

Roen nodded politely.

Carl gave a soft "Nice to meet you."

"Thank you for taking care of my sister,"

Yousef said, formal in that older-brother way.

A grin spread across my face.

So he's the protective one.

I liked him already.

Both giants took the empty table closest to the stage.

Sitting with the quiet ease of people who had known the space and Salonika their whole lives.

Barely settled into the booth, Diego leaned forward.

"You'll be performing here every Saturday?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We sign the contract today."

Diego whistled softly. "So cool."

He pointed at her. "Ah... And your songs on Muse? They're getting popular among the cadets. Like... really popular."

"Really?"

Salonika flushed pink, brushing a curl behind her ear.

Well...

Didn't see that coming.

Didn't know our song was trending with military types.

"You guys really related?" I frowned.

Yousef only smirked at that.

Diego shrugged.

"As far as I remember, we've been her brothers since she still had a runny nose."

"I did not have a runny nose!"

"We all did!"

Salonika threw a crumpled ball of tissue at him.

Diego dodged it, laughing.

She take one annoyed breath before returned to packing her harp.

Still pouting. Clearly annoyed yet handled everything with the same tenderness she used with her music, every clasp, every strap carefully secured before standing up.

Yousef stood and picked up the coat draped on a chair.

He stepped behind her without a word and eased it over her shoulders with a gentleness that surprised me.

Just... brotherly, patient and soft.

I hadn't expected that softness from someone built like a fighter.

Diego lifted Salonika's harp case without being asked.

Nice.

No awkward "let me help."

They just... did.

They both knew how to be proper and Salonika accepted the gesture so naturally.

"Done?"

Yousef asked as Salonika zipped her bag shut.

She nodded, her curls bouncing lightly.

"Let's go home."

She turned toward us.

"Bye, guys. See you on Monday."

"Bye, Sal," I said, giving her a wave. "Don't forget to bring your new lyrics on Monday."

"I will." She chimed.

Roen lifted his drumstick case in salute.

"Get home safe," Carl added, his warm smile lingering as she stepped outside.

The three of them walked through the café door.

There went our Songbird.

Right between two people who looked perfectly capable of folding a truck in half.

Yeah.

She'd get home safely.

As soon as the door shut behind them Roen exhaled a quiet whistle.

"Salonika rarely talks about her family... But then you see them and... wow."

Carl snorted. "Yeah."

I crossed my arms, brow still raising.

"Today has been weird. First we get that blond thundercloud staring her down from the corner at the start..."

"Blond thundercloud?" Carl echoed, amused.

"You saw him," I said. "Guy looked like the storm part of a weather report."

Carl chuckled at that.

Roen just raised an eyebrow in astonishment. "And now... her brother and cousin show up looking like they just walked off the poster of Bastovar action franchise."

Carl laughed even harder under his breath. "Entirely different world than we thought."

Roen snorted. "Figured."

I rested my elbow on my bass case.

"Yeah," I murmured.

Thinking of her bright smile and the shadows that trailed those boys in hoodies.

"Different world entirely."

I glanced at the door again.

"We're at front-row seat."

"Of what?"

Carl zipped his folder case.

I shrugged.

"Not sure, but it has to be something."