AT ONE LATE EVENING
XAVIER
Rain followed me all the way across the street like it had a personal grudge. I didn't care, because today I officially became the owner of a building. A whole building, technically it was an abandoned library and cafe with questionable plumbing and emotional damage, but still. Ownership is ownership. The old man who sold it to me stood under a crooked umbrella while I stared at the place as if I had just discovered treasure. The sign above the door hung sideways, and half the letters had fallen off.
It used to say "Riverside Library Café." Now it mostly said "…erside Li… Café." Perfect.
"You sure you want it?" The old man asked, peering at me like I might suddenly regain common sense.
"It's cheap." I said immediately.
He sighed the sigh of a man who had seen too many idiots make life decisions.
"That it is."He sighed.
I held the keys like they were sacred relics. I had done it. After years of terrible jobs, instant noodles, and dreaming about owning a cozy place where people could drink coffee and read books, I had finally bought one. Sure, the windows were dusty, sure, the roof looked like it had lost several arguments with gravity. Sure, the place had been abandoned for years, but that was just character.
"Remember." The old man said slowly. "The building comes as-is."
"I like it as-is."I said.
"And don't blame me if strange things happen."He sighed.
I laughed.
"Sir, the strangest thing that could happen is customers actually showing up."I sighed.
The old man didn't laugh, he just handed me the keys.
"...Good luck, kid."He said.
Then he walked away through the rain like someone escaping a curse. I ignored that extremely suspicious behavior, because I was busy opening the door to my future.
The lock clicked, the door creaked, and I pushed it open and stepped inside. Dust floated in the air like tiny ghosts. Rows of old bookshelves stretched across the room, some leaning slightly like tired soldiers, and tables sat near the windows. A long wooden cafe counter ran along the wall, complete with an espresso machine that looked older than the internet, and it was beautiful. I stood there, soaked from the rain, smiling like an idiot.
"My cafe." I said out loud.
My voice echoed through the empty building. A cafe and a library, coffee and books. Peace, no annoying boss, no co-workers microwaving fish in the breakroom. Just me, caffeine, and literature.
"This is going to be amazing."I smiled.
Sure, the floor creaked. Sure, a ceiling tile immediately fell off somewhere in the distance, sure, the espresso machine looked like it might explode if I made eye contact with it. But those were small details. I walked deeper inside, running my hand along the dusty counter.
"Okay." I said, rolling up my sleeves. "First step: cleaning."
The building groaned, a chair leg collapsed. Somewhere in the back hallway a door slammed. I paused for a moment.
"Probably wind."I sighed.
Definitely wind, old buildings made weird noises all the time. Totally normal. Still smiling, I grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and started sweeping. Outside, the rain kept falling, inside, I had no idea that somewhere in the back of the building very old door waited quietly, and behind it a world that would soon ruin my peaceful cafe dreams forever.
Three days later, and I was officially exhausted, wet, and slightly traumatized by dust allergies. The building still creaked, the roof still threatened to drip at the exact spot I didn't want it to and somehow, despite my best efforts, the old espresso machine now emitted a low growl whenever I approached it.
But progress had been made. Slowly and painfully. I had cleaned most of the floors, rearranged bookshelves so they didn't resemble a game of Jenga, and even installed a small counter near the window. I had also come to a very important realization: the cafe needed a name. After pacing, arguing with myself, and scribbling terrible ideas on scrap paper, I finally settled on something that seemed memorable. 'Dangerous in Lust'.
It was dramatic, mysterious, slightly ominous, and most importantly, it would make people curious. Maybe confused, exactly the kind of reaction I wanted.
The next step: making it actually a café. Day one of supplies was rough. I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out how a coffee machine worked without electrocuting myself. I bought: coffee beans with was probably twice as many as I actually needed, cups, mugs, and saucers, a grinder, filters, a small cash register and a single sign that boldly read: 'Welcome to Dangerous in Lust. We serve coffee, not heartbreak… usually.'
By day two, I had a working espresso machine, a counter that didn't wobble too dangerously, and a small stack of menus I had handwritten myself. Nothing fancy, but functional.
On day three, I finally stood behind the counter, hands trembling slightly as I brewed my very first cup of coffee for a random visitor, a stray cat that had wandered in. It purred approvingly. I decided to take that as a sign of success. Walking through the café, I looked at the bookshelves. I looked at the tables. I looked at the counter.
"Okay." I said to myself, voice a little shaky but excited.
"This is actually happening. I have a cafe, a library cafe, Dangerous in Lust. My cafe, my rules, my espresso machine, probably plotting against me, but I will take it."
For now, though, I could smile. I could breathe. I could finally call this place mine and maybe, just maybe, it was enough to ignore the faint, eerie hum coming from the back door. Little did I knew, it wouldn't be ignored for long.