Welcome to Café Luxe

It was 4pm in the afternoon, Sunday. Everyone, from Freshman to Seniors; from Excellent to Superiors, just came home from their bonding experience.

"We're home!!"
Sam cheerfully exclaimed as she opened main door of the Guardians' Dorm. Luke followed her,carrying the luggages,including Sam's. He huffed as he released the heavy bags on the floor as soon as he took a step into the dorm and collapsed, his face hitting the marbled floor.

"Home....at last...," he managed to say under his sweating bangs, "I will have to buy a bicycle or something."
Sam ignored him and took off her roller blades, "unusually quiet," she said. She opened the dinning room door, "Ian...?" she called.
"I don't think he's in...," Luke suggested as he stared at the girl who opened almost all the doors in the first floor while calling the same name over and over again.

Luke stood up, "anyway, I still have to go to school to meet Mrs Davies."
"Eh? Why's that?" Sam asked, picking up her own luggage.
"Some things for Tuesday," Luke picked up his sports bag and head up the stairs, "since I'll be working in Café Luxe, I'll be helping her decorate the shop."

"Oh," Sam could only say.
"So, you'll be alone here since Ian's not around yet."
Sam's eyes turned to pleading, "no way! I'll be alone?"
Luke reached the second floor and looked down to her, who remained still on the 3rd step of the stairs, "yes," he said without hesitation.

Sam continued to head up, "then, when will you be back?"
"Late, probably. So you can have dinner first." Luke looked back at Sam who seemed to be disappointed. He blushed and looked away, "but I will try to come back as soon as I can. Ian's probably just out visiting his mom's grave."

Sam stopped, "really?" her eyes widened.
"Sure. He was probably bored so he went to visit his mom. He'll be back, I'm sure," Luke yawned and continued to his room, "but you should cook dinner for yourself since he'll be late, I think," he says without looking back at her.
"I see," Sam looked down to her feet and soon enough, she heard Luke's door shut.

--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--
"Mrs Davies...?" Luke called as he entered the Café Luxe. The walls were painted in rusty-gold style. As expected from the school theme.

"Back here, dear," an old lady called from the kitchen.
Luke entered casually and looked around the kitchen. He was wearing a white shirt, on with a unbuttoned blue polo and his usual khaki pants. As soon as he spotted the lady in her 40s, he thought of one thing, "I think I dressed up a little bit too flashy."

Mrs Davies was wearing her lunch-lady uniform with a stain on her apron. Not really sure if the stain was part of the apron's design, Luke shifted his blue eyes to the ultra-clean kitchen in amazement.

"Too clean for you,dear?" Mrs Davies laughed at his amazed expression as she wiped her wet hands on her apron.
Luke chuckled, "definitely."
"I'm glad you can help me on my new business."
Luke could only smile as the old Mrs Davies walked across the kitchen.
"You see," Mrs Davies smiled at him as she took out a plain pastry out of the oven, "I needed extra wage from Ms Dean.So, instead of giving me plainly the money, she took my old advice of making a business in school that is a café."

Luke interestedly stared at what she was doing with the plain pastry. She was putting some pink icing on it.
"So, here I am," Mrs Davies continued, "and I am terribly sorry to hear what happened to your family,dear. Truthfully, I was really surprised. But I can assure you. You will pay off every cent you owe to the school. And maybe I can give you extra money you earn off for the day." Mrs Davies placed a newly baked strawberry cake on the table, "here, you can have a taste one of my famous cakes that I am to sell on Tuesday."

She smiled as she placed it in a box that had "Café Luxe" designed on it. She tied it in a ribbon, "share it with Sammie," she looked at him.
"You know about me living with Sam?" Luke asked.
"Of course. She is the only daughter of Ms Dean and the Guardians' Dorm is where you were decided to live in, according to Ms Dean."

Luke smiled, "so, Mrs Davies, need any of my help today?" he asked.
"No, nothing, dear." Mrs Davies took off hr apron, "I just called you here to give you the cake."
"Thank you," Luke beamed at her.
Mrs Davies gave him a pat on the back, "really, dear. You are really as handsome as what other female students had described."
Luke blushed, "fe-female students?"
"Yes," she nodded, "I asked some Excellent and Superior students from different levels and they said you really are very attractive," Mrs Davies laughed, "I hope you can attract a lot of customers."

"Right...,"Luke smiled uncertainly. He wasn't too sure if he could even handle the mobs of girls that will be waiting on Tuesday.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=
Sam's eyes followed as she brushed her index finger from word to word. She had been reading her General Science book for an hour now. She glanced up in front of her where the clock was.

"5pm."

She looked down back to her book. She was sitting comfortably on the couch in the dorm's library. Obviously, she was surrounded by books. She faced the fire place which she haven't used ever since she transferred here and the large clock that hung above it. There was two full-body length window at the either side of the fire place which was were the only source of light came.

Behind her were 5 big book shelves which she had to use a ladder to climb up to the highest point of every shelf. Right in front where she sat was a chess table and two chairs at either side. To her left was a billiard table and to her right was the door leading out of the library.

"Boring," she mumbled as she flipped a page. It was silent. Too silent. When suddenly, a knock came from the door. She glanced up to the door to see Luke leaning casually on the door frame. He already opened the door in the first place! Why bother to knock?

"This is a pretty big library," he said in a boring voice as he took a seat on the two-person couch intersecting the two-person couch where Sam sat.

"I thought you'll be late? I haven't cooked dinner yet," Sam said without looking up at him. She heard him flipping a few pages from a book he took from the shelf just now.
Luke put up his feet onto the arm-chair while he rested his head on the other arm-chair of the couch, "Mrs Davies sent me Strawberry cake."

"Really...?" Sam mumbled, uninterested.
Luke nodded, "and so she sent me back here."
"And..?" Sam suddenly said, "why're you here in the library?"
"Studying."
"Ah."

There was silence.

"You know I'll be getting a better score than you on the Science quiz on Tuesday." Sam grinned.
"Says you!" Luke's eyes twitched.
Sam flipped a page, "I bet." She stood up and returned the book she was reading on the second shelf. She scanned the whole shelf to see if there was any more Science books she could study. She reached up to get the blue book way up the shelf.

She reached up but couldn't even lay the tip of her finger on it.
Suddenly, a hand reached up from behind her and touched the book, "this one?" he asked.
Sam glanced back and blushed to see him behind her, his body too close. Since he was taller than her, he could easily reach up and get the book.

She shyly nodded, "yeah...," she mumbled.
"Geez, you could at least use the ladder to get it." He pulled out the blue book from the shelf. Suddenly, the other books beside it fell as he pulled it out.
--
"Ouch...," Sam mumbled, rubbing her head as a book fell on her. She could feel books on her back and on her leg. She pushed herself against the floor. Her eyes widened to see Luke knocked out just under her. She landed on top of him! Sam could star back at him; both her arms on his either side,supporting her up.

"Heavy....," he mumbled.
"Ah, sorry!" Sam stood up quickly, brushing off dirt from her skirt.
Luke sat up, rubbing the back of his head, "I feel a bump," he thought, pressing the bump behind his head.
"I'm so sorry," Sam offered a hand to him which he grabbed to help him up.
"It's okay," he said painfully, "here." He shove her the blue book entitled 'Biology'. He bent down and gathered the books that were scattered on the floor.

Sam ran out of the room, leaving the book on her seat.
"That girl is really, really rude. She ran out on me...," Luke complained as he put the books back to the shelf.
A few minutes later, when Luke properly sat on the couch where he originally sat, Sam walked into the room again. This time, she was carrying an ice pack and a kit.
She sat on the same couch as he, right beside him.

"Here," she handed the ice pack, "behind your head."
"Thanks...," Luke said uncertainly.
She opened the emergency kit and took out a pair of chopsticks and took a cotton-ball, clipping it using the chopsticks. She squirt some brown liquid on the cotton.

"What's that for?" Luke asked, putting the ice pack behind his head.
Sam pointed on her forehead, indicating that there was something on his forehead. She cracked a smile, "you forehead has a cut," she couldn't help but chuckle.

She damped the cotton on his forehead which stung.
"Ow,ow,ow,ow,ow," he whined.
Sam pulled back the cotton, "don't be a baby and let me fix it."
"Hey, you're the reason why I got hurt."
"I said sorry!" She put back the chopsticks in the kit and threw the cotton the the trash bin beside the couch. She took out a pink band-aid and handed it to him.

"What now?" he asked.
She pointed on her forehead again, "your cut on your forehead."
Luke accepted it as she stood up and put the kit of the coffee table that separated the two couches. She collapsed on her couch and opened the book and started reading as she normally would.

Luke was stunned how caring the devilish girl could be and this made him blush. He lifted up his book to cover his face, pretending to be reading, "I really don't get her!"

[][][][][][][][][][][]
"I'm home," Ian smiled as he entered the library, "sorry. did you had you dinner, Master, Mistress?" he looked from Luke to Sam.

"Yes. I cooked for us," Sam smiled, "and I saved some for you, Ian."
"Thank you, Mistress." Ian turned to Luke. Suddenly, he covered his mouth to stop his laughter. His shoulder started shaking uncontrollably as he looked at Luke's forehead, "Master, what happened?" he controlled his laughter.

"Got hit by books," Luke said with half-moon eyes, "are you....laughing?"
"Of course not," Ian chuckled and covered his mouth to avoid from laughing out loud, "it's just that...."
"...That?" Luke asked, demanding for an answer.
"Pink," Ian blurted.
Sam smiled, "sorry, that was the last band-aid in the kit. Last color, I mean," she giggled.

"Don't laugh, you idiot," Luke glared at Ian.
Ian laughed, "it's so....not you, Master."
"Stop, Ian!" Luke defended. But Ian ignored him and laughed naturally.
"Hey!!!" Luke whined, blushing at the same time, "don't laugh at me!"
"I can't help it!"
"Ian!"
"I'm sorry, Master." He kept on laughing.

Sam smiled, "the way brothers should act,right?"
"Eh?" both Ian and Luke stopped and turned to her.
"What do you mean, Mistress?" Ian asked almost nervously.
Sam grinned at the both of them, "you are brothers, right? Since Ian and Luke have the same biological father."

Ian's eyes widened, "h-how did y-you know?"
Luke could only stare at Sam in horror.
"Well," Sam smiled, "aren't you? Luke told me so."
Ian's eyes met Luke's.

Luke looked away sadly.
"You knew we were half-brothers?" Ian suddenly asked.
Sam's eyes widened, "y-you mean...." she looked at Luke, then she looked at Ian, "you never knew that Luke knew?!"