You don’t exactly know what to say to her. And the more you keep silent, the more she seems to become angry.
Then, someone pries her hand from your arm. You look up and you see Jordan with an unreadable expression on his face as he looks at Silvie.
“Silvie, she’s an old friend of mine,” The columnist says with an uneven edge in his tone. He briefly glances at you.
You quickly realize what he’s trying to say with his eyes.
“Y-yeah! We haven’t seen each other for the longest time, sorry if it looked that way to you. It really wasn’t, that’s just kind of how we are since we’ve been friends since we were little kids. Right, Dan?” You hoped you were convincing enough to Silvie. You didn’t want to get into any trouble, after all.
“Uh, yup!” Jordan exclaims in mild surprise. “I was just really happy for L-Lena here, she was finally able to pursue her dreams of opening a cafe. Don’t you think it’s lovely?” The columnist quickly snaps back to his celebrity persona despite his slip up as he smiles charmingly at Silvie.
That seems to snap Silvie out of her anger. “Oh yeah, it really is! Congrats!” She says, though it was obvious to you that she was saying it just because of Jordan. “I’m sorry for assuming things,” Silvie adds, as if it was an afterthought before she moves closer to Jordan.
You take that as your cue to leave, but before you do, you see the columnist mouth a silent “Thank you!” in your direction. You smile back at him in response as you turn to leave.
“Well Jordan, let’s get back to my question… What kind of girl do you like?” Silvie asks flirtatiously as she leans closer towards Jordan who seems slightly uncomfortable with her advances.
When you finally arrive back by the counter, Marvin looks at you inquisitively.
“What happened over there?” He asks with a small frown on his face.
“Jordan’s fans are a bit… possessive. Silvie thought I was trying to steal Jordan,” Marvin shrugs at your words.
“Some fans are just like that,” He says his two cents before continuing, “But if they bother you again, just call me. It’s harder for Jordan to defend you because of his fans” Marvin mutters grumpily, his gaze going over the crowd of people enthusiastically waiting for Jordan’s answer. Seeing his eyes drift away, you end up looking at Jordan as well, not forgetting to continue your work.
“Well,” Jordan starts, you notice everyone in the room starts to quiet themselves to hear his long awaited answer. “I don’t have a particular type, per se, but I would like a girl that’s sensitive and understanding. That’s all I really ask for, it’s hard to find someone who truly listens and cares these days, don’t you think?” He says with all honesty. The audience swoons, with many girls pressing on with follow up questions.
“Jordan, do you like girls with long hair or short hair?”
“How about height? Do you prefer shorter girls or taller?”
“Jordan, I can listen to you all day!”
The crowd erupts with thousands of questions as you wipe the damp glasses dry. You’re too focused to notice that Jordan’s gaze shifts to you as he tries to calm his fans.
“Calm down, please!” Jordan’s manager bellows. Jordan echoes his manager, but the crowd doesn’t seem to relent.
You sigh. This is gonna be a long day.
[[Next->Post-Prologue-1]]
A week passes from Jordan’s book signing event, and things are looking up at the cafe. A regular stream of customers come to hang by, some you already know by name. It’s nice, you think, as you watch the regular patrons enjoy their drinks, pastries, and books. Sometimes, they stay by the counter just to chat with you. You never thought you’d get this far, but here you are.
Things just come unexpectedly.
Much like this.
“Good morning!” You greet before you manage to turn around.
“Good morning, Elena,” A low voice greets. Even though he’s covered from head to toe in what he probably thinks to be inconspicuous clothing, you can still tell it’s him. In fact, his thick black clothes in the middle of the summer heat is getting him unwanted attention.
“Hey Jordan, what’ll it be?” You ask in a softer tone, ready to input his order.
“Cappuccino, please,” He replies amusedly, “I want my coffee sweet and frothy.”
You shake your head in amusement as you place his order into the system.
“Will there be anything else?” You look back to him and ask.
“I want two of those confusing cupcakes too,” He says, and you’re sure he’s smiling under his facemask with how the creases of the cloth move.
“All right then, I’ll have them ready soon. Just sit tight,” You say. Before you can leave, a warm sensation envelops your arm, and you’re pulled backwards.
When you turn your head to the side, you cast a glimpse at Jordan, now with his facemask down.
“Thank you,” He says and smiles charmingly. You’re a bit flushed, shocked at the sudden move, but you manage to squeak a ‘No problem!’ out before you continue with your work.
It doesn’t take too long to prepare his order. Once you finish making the cappucino, Marvin had just finished baking a batch of cheese and corn cupcakes.
When you hand Jordan his order over the counter, his whole face seems to light up, despite it being barely visible through his mask.
“Thank you so much,” He says, thankful. For a brief moment Jordan remains still, seemingly hesitant before he speaks up once more.
He clears his throat.
“This is for you,” He says in a soft tone, gingerly handing over one of the cupcakes he bought.
“...For me?” You mumble out, the heat in your cheeks rising as you hold the warm cupcake in your hands.
“Yeah. I think you deserve it after working so hard here… I know you can get more of these for yourself, but it’s the thought that counts, right?” Jordan says, appearing nonchalant as he looks to the side, but you could feel the sincerity in his words.
With his side profile now facing you, you can see that the tips of his ears are red. Perhaps he wasn’t confident as you initially thought.
“Yeah… Thank you,” You say simply, unconsciously biting your lip.
“No problem,” He replies airily. You suddenly hear a loud grunt behind yourself and that seems to snap Jordan’s attention back, “Well anyway, I have to get going. I’ll see you soon, Elena,” Jordan says, moving to adjust his cap lower before leaving. You watch his retreating form leave the cafe, almost forgetting you’re still at work.
“Took you long enough,” A voice suddenly cuts through your reverie. Jumping just a tiny bit out of surprise, you quickly turn around to face the familiar voice.
“What was that all about?” Marvin asks rather grumpily as he crosses his arms.
“He gave me a cupcake,” You say vaguely, staring down at the pastry. You miss Marvin’s eye roll at that.
“I can give you--” Before Marvin could even finish, the doorbell chimes, signalling the entrance of a new customer.
Not long after that, the two of you are pulled back into the daily grind completely forgetting about your earlier conversation with Marvin. Villa, Armand, and Brian seem to make it a point to visit during their breaks.
You can definitely say that working at the cafe is tiring, having to deal with too many orders and some unruly customers, but being able to do your dream job, something you’ve always wanted to do all your life makes everything easier.
[[Next->Choice-1]]“Good morning!” Jordan greets loudly, as he enters the empty cafe. You’re sure he must feel refreshed, not having to put on his usual disguise just to get his now regular morning fix at the cafe.
After their first encounter after meeting him at the book signing event, Jordan continues to return every morning to grab his cappuccino and cupcake before he’d head over to work. Even though you’re happy that Jordan enjoys the cafe’s offerings, you can’t help but wonder why he still pushes to come every morning, seeing that he has to wear some sort strange clothing just so he wouldn’t be recognized by others.
He could have easily gone to another area where he wasn’t so known, but he insists that the cappuccino and cupcakes are to die for. Villa, who overheard your conversation that day, quickly agrees with the writer. They quickly become friends and fellow ‘fans’ of Marvin’s expertise.
You realize a bit late that you’ve left Jordan hanging.
“G-good morning!” You chirp back happily as you prepare his order, trying your best to snap out of your own thoughts. He watches you prepare a cappuccino and grab two warm cheese and corn cupcakes. Once you’re done, you hand over his order. Before you can even retreat behind the counter, Jordan manages to catch your hand.
“There’s no one around yet. Join me for a bit?” He asks, smile unwavering. You stay silent for a moment, contemplating on whether it’s a good idea or not. Jordan has a point; no one’s around yet, but you didn’t want to leave Marvin alone to prepare everything.
There’s a loud grunt from behind you, and when you cock your head to the side you see Marvin.
‘Leave it to me.’ He doesn't say it out loud, but his actions certainly do. You’ve known him long enough to be able to read his movements. You turn your attention back to Jordan.
“Alright,” You say with a smile as he pats on the seat beside him. When you take your seat, he offers his second cupcake to you, as he usually does. It’s become a routine by now, and you can’t help but feel your stomach do a little flip at the sweet gesture.
The both of you end up chatting about your interests and from there it had expanded to the topic of dreams. You soon discover that the columnist wanted to be a journalist all along, and that seems to explain how he was at the book signing event.
“It’s not that I completely dislike my job right now,” Jordan says, briefly drinking his coffee before continuing, “I love seeing how I’ve managed to help people with my love advice, and I’m happy to see that a lot of people support me but…” The writer pauses, staring into his drink.
“I’ve always wanted to be a journalist,” He says in a small voice, as if ashamed. You wonder why, and your mouth gets ahead of your mind when you ask.
“Why do you sound ashamed of wanting to become a journalist? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it,” Jordan turns to face you with an unreadable expression.
He looks away again.
“That’s because… I don’t think my fans would really, you know, support me if I tried to tell them that I want to do something else,” The columnist says and sighs tiredly.
“Well, I better get going. I’m pretty sure more customers are gonna arrive soon and I’d rather not bump into anyone who knows me,” He says as he gets up.
“But… really, thank you for listening to me,” He holds your gaze for a brief moment, and you somehow manage to reach for his hand. You could hear some strange noise from behind you, but you completely ignore it as you’re lost in his gaze and his warmth.
All too quickly he pulls his hand back and turns to leave.
[[Let Jordan leave. -> Good-Ending-Branch-Start]]
[[Stop Jordan from leaving. -> Better-Ending-Branch-Start]]You want to say something more, but you hesitate for a while too long and Jordan’s already out of reach.
[[Next -> Good-Ending-1]]“Jordan, wait!” You say a bit too loudly as he whips back to look at you in mild shock.
“Jordan,” You say in a lower volume after a pause, making the writer look at you.
“Can you really call them your fans if they’re so obsessive over you? I think that if they truly cared about you, they would want whatever makes you happy.”
“I… I see,” Jordan mumbles, staring at you with an unreadable expression. He closes the distance between the both of you, and envelops you into a hug.
“I’d say thank you again, but I don’t think you know just how thankful I am for you… and your words,” He says in a strangely lower tone, as if he’s on the brink of tears, and you decide to bury yourself deeper into his comfortable embrace.
“You’re welcome,” You whisper. All too quickly, he lets go of the hug and says his goodbye.
You briefly wonder why your heart seems to want to bounce out of your chest. It’s just a hug… After all, you’ve done it a ton of times with other people.
But it never felt like this before.
In the midst of you staring at Jordan's retreating form, you can hear those strange noise you've been hearing a while ago come back.
[[Investigate the noise. -> Best-Ending-Branch-Start]]
[[Ignore the noise. -> Better-Ending-1]]
The days continue after that, and it becomes a routine. Jordan arrives even earlier, just before the cafe opens. He grabs his usual order, chats with you for a bit if you aren’t too busy, and offers you his second cupcake before leaving. Sometimes he’d order different cupcakes for the both of you to try. Not that you haven’t tried every cupcake already, since Marvin’s made you his official taste tester, but you find the gesture sweet nonetheless.
It’s nice, more than nice, you think, having Jordan added onto your daily routine. He’s definitely a rather quirky man under all of his charisma, but that doesn’t deter your growing feelings for him at all.
Feelings…? When’d that happen? You briefly wonder.
But you don’t find yourself appalled at the thought of being with him. At all.
[[Next -> Good-Ending-2]]Everything seems to be fine until Jordan suddenly stops visiting the cafe. It was definitely odd the first time it happens, and you brush it off as him just being busy with work, but you hadn’t seen the writer for the whole week. You didn’t admit it out loud, but you’re worried about him. He didn’t even respond to any of your texts. You’re sure even Marvin and Armand could tell, with how they seem to be pampering you lately.
Not that you didn’t appreciate their efforts into getting you to a better mood, but you aren’t a helpless child. When you finally snap at them for their behavior, they finally get the message.
“Sorry,” Armand says first. “I’m-- We’re just not used to you like this… We just want you to feel better,” He says as he takes a seat in the now empty cafe.
Marvin continues to wipe the glasses clean as he looks at you.
“If you want me to beat him up--” Marvin starts.
“Marvin, it’s not like that,” You stop him from finishing his sentence. He grunts grumpily, but continues his work.
You sigh for the nth time that day, wondering if Jordan’s doing fine.
[[Next-> Good-Ending-3]]The answer towards Jordan’s disappearance comes in the form of Brian and Villa storming into the cafe early into the morning.
“Elena, my goddess, you’re famous!” Villa exclaims, galloping towards you. Before he can close the distance, however, Brian elbows him harshly.
“Ouch! Why do you always hurt me?!” Villa says all too loudly. Brian smacks a hand onto his forehead.
“Shut up! It’s too early for this!” Marvin says grumpily as he shoves a croissant into Villa’s loud mouth.
“So… what happened?” You decide to speak up, watching Villa light up in excitement as he finishes the bread that was forcibly offered to him.
“You’re on the news! Look!” He says as he practically shoves his phone in your face. Moving your head back and squinting at the bright screen, you see pictures of you and Jordan flash on the screen.
They’re a bit blurry, but you can tell that it’s Jordan because his facemask is off in some pictures, and you never really needed to hide your face, so you’re easily recognizable. The pictures seem to have been taken from a distance, with how candid the both of you look.
“What..?” You mumble, not understanding what was going on.
“Well, the paparazzi has been crazy about you and Jordan recently. They think you’re just some girl trying to steal Jordan away from his fans... Haven’t you noticed?” Brian explains, and the news doesn’t sink well with you at all.
“Oh…” Is all that you manage to say out of shock, remembering how Silvie, one of Jordan’s fans, almost fought you if it weren’t for Jordan covering for you at the time.
“W-what do I do now?” You ask them, a bit scared at the prospect of meeting Jordan’s more… possessive fans now that they know where you work.
“I could cover for you for a while, if you’d like,” A familiar voice says. Looking up, you see Armand walking in with a glum look on his face.
“But you’re busy with work too, Armand,” You say, turning your head to look out the window.
“I know, but I don’t think anyone would want you to get hurt… Maybe just until the fans calm down a bit. Jordan hasn’t said anything to the media yet, but I’m sure he’s thinking of some way to get them to calm down…” He says.
“That would be the best, Elena,” Marvin, despite his grumpiness earlier, agrees easily to Armand’s proposal.
“If you need any help, we’re here for you,” Brian adds while Villa nods vigorously in agreement.
“Thanks you guys,” You say, with utmost sincerity.
[[Next-> Good-Ending-4]]After that, You agree to stay home for the meantime, but not before teaching Armand the basics of what he needs to do in your steed. The days are quite uneventful now that you don’t have much to do, but the guys are adamant that you stay indoors for now. In the midst of cleaning your apartment, you receive a text.
''MARVIN /15:30/ :'' Turn on the TV, check the news.
He says nothing after that, so you decide to follow his advice. In the news is Jordan, explaining the situation while being bombarded with questions by various reporters.
“Are you dating the girl at the cafe?”
“No, I’m not. She also has a name, it’s Elena,” He says, grunting in response. You could tell that he isn’t in the best of moods right now.
“Does she give you free drinks?”
“No. I just go there to get my morning coffee, like a normal person would,” Jordan unsubtly rolls his eyes. You’re a bit worried now, he looks to be in a terrible state, and it doesn’t seem to register to him that he has an image to maintain.
“Then who is she to you?”
“She’s a friend!” He shouts and gets up from his seat. “Am I not allowed to have friends?! Am I not allowed to live my life?! I’m not even a celebrity! I’m a writer, for goodness’ sake! Get off my case!” Jordan huffs, ruffling his already messy hair.
“Get over it!” He roars in finality, harshly pushing his chair out of the way before leaving the press conference. His manager tries to calm him down, but he only gets a scathing glare before the writer quickly exits.
Worry bubbles at the pit of your stomach. He did not handle that well, and you wish that you could’ve been there, more present to help him while he was probably going through the most stressful week trying to stop those pictures from going public.
[[Next -> Good-Ending-5]]
It takes a week until the guys decide that it’s safe for you to go back to work again. You appreciate your friends, you really do, but you didn’t think it was necessary for you to stay out of work for so long. It feels like they aren’t telling you something that you should know, but you ignore the thought. It might just be you and how paranoid you can get sometimes.
Before you can even leave your house, however, the doorbell rings. You open the door and you’re shocked to find Jordan, covered from head to toe in the middle of the summer heat, by your doorstep.
“....Hey,” Jordan says uneasily.
“Hi,” You tried to reply enthusiastically, but fail. The awkwardness is palpable and you can’t bare it. The both of you went from the best of friends (or even something more) to downright awkward in such a short span of time, you briefly wonder how that happened. You usher him into your home and double check if anyone managed to follow him here.
“So--”
“So--”
The both of you start at the same time, he signals for you to go first.
“Are you okay?” You ask out of genuine concern. “You were on the news the other day, and you looked so tired… I’m sorry,” You say with your head down.
“Why are you sorry?” Jordan asks, “If anything, I should be sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
“But I--”
“You were just doing your job, and I’m the one that insists that you hang around and chat. Then I got too careless and forgot that most of my fans wouldn’t be happy if it looked like I picked favorites,” He says and sighs tiredly.
“I’m sorry too.”
“Jordan,” You say after a pause, making the writer look at you. “Can you really call them your fans if they’re so obsessive over you? I think that if they truly cared about you, they would want whatever makes you happy.”
“Elena, I--” He pauses for a moment, as if contemplating his next words.
“You make me happy.”
Your heart stops and stutters at the sudden confession. He looks at you with a hopeful gaze.
“Ever since the beginning, you’ve captivated me like no one ever has. You didn’t want anything, you didn’t expect anything from me… It was so refreshing that I knew I had to see you again. Every day, I kept discovering more things about you, your aspirations, your life, and your dreams… Every day, I’d like you a bit more than the last..”
“You make me want to be better, and not just for myself, but I want to be better for you too.” Jordan pauses briefly as he gently holds the both of your small hands with his much larger ones.
“I-I know this is sudden, but will you go out with me?” He asks earnestly, looking into your eyes.
“Yes!” You say without hesitation, and with shaky legs and a pounding heart you tackle him into an embrace that he happily returns.
//Congratulations, you've obtained the Good Ending!//
[[Restart ->Post-Prologue]] After Jordan leaves, you turn towards the direction of the sounds you heard earlier and investigate. Narrowing your eyes, you see what looks to be a camera lens hidden by various things. The person behind it can’t be seen through the amount of things they have scattered all over the table. Acting mostly on impulse, you go back to the counter and grab a cheese and corn cupcake, and approach the person behind the lens.
“Hello,” You say, startling the person by the table. The said person is dressed a bit similarly to Jordan. You shake your head in amusement, wondering why on earth people think dressing up in thick black clothes from head to toe counts as inconspicuous.
“Would you like a cheese and corn cupcake?” You ask, trying to take a peek into the face of person that you can now identify as a girl.
“No,” She says, her tone angry.
“They’re confusing cupcakes, but… ” You begin patiently. “I hear Jordan really enjoys them too... So why not have a taste?” The girl seems to take the bait and grabs the cupcake out of your hands. Quickly, she munches on the cupcakes as if her life depended on it.
“So… what do you think?” You ask out of curiosity.
“...They’re good,” She says and grunts. “What do you want?” Her attitude comes back in full force.
“Well, I’d just like to know why you were taking pictures earlier. It’s kind of rude, you know,” You decide to be straightforward with her.
“I wouldn’t have taken pictures if you just stopped clinging onto him like that. He isn’t yours, you know. People need to know what you’re doing to him,” She states confidently.
Realization dawns on you as you finally recognize the girl.
“I’m just his friend, Silvie,” You say, shocking the girl. “Besides wouldn’t you hate it if you had people you don’t know follow you all day, restraining you from doing anything they don’t like?” You ask.
“Honestly, it’s really none of your business to tell him what to do. If you want to get to know Jordan, then talk to him like you would to anyone. If you want, I can even reintroduce you to him if you’re shy about it,” You offer. Silvie huffs indignantly.
“And what’ll you do if I talk to him?” She sneers.
“I could offer you guys to taste test our new pastries, if you’d like?” You say a bit confusedly.
“Do you think this is some kind of joke?” Silvie gets up from her seat, sizing you up.
“I just don’t think you should take him talking to others so seriously. What do you plan to do with those pictures anyway? Start rumors? I don’t think Jordan would be happy about that, nor will it do any good,” You answer calmly.
It’s a long back and forth between you and Silvie, but in the end you manage to convince her not to interfere so much with Jordan’s personal life. Silvie warns you that there could be even worse fans, but she promises to help you out in changing their possessive attitude towards Jordan.
[[Next -> Best-Ending-1]]
The days continue after that, and it becomes a routine. Jordan arrives even earlier, just before the cafe opens. He grabs his usual order, chats with you for a bit if you aren’t too busy, and offers you his second cupcake before leaving. Sometimes he’d order different cupcakes for the both of you to try. Not that you haven’t tried every cupcake already, since Marvin’s made you his official taste tester, but you find the gesture sweet nonetheless.
It’s nice, more than nice, you think, having Jordan added onto your daily routine. He’s definitely a rather quirky man under all of his charisma, but that doesn’t deter your growing feelings for him.
Ultimately, you don’t find yourself appalled at the thought of being with him at all.
[[Next -> Better-Ending-2]]Everything seems to be fine until Jordan suddenly stops visiting the cafe. It was definitely odd the first time it happens, and you brush it off as him just being busy with work, but you hadn’t seen the writer for the whole week. You didn’t admit it out loud, but you’re worried about him. He didn’t even respond to any of your texts. You’re sure even Marvin and Armand could tell, with how they seem to be pampering you lately.
Not that you didn’t appreciate their efforts into getting you to a better mood, but you aren’t a helpless child. When you finally snap at them for their behavior, they finally get the message.
“Sorry,” Armand says first. “I’m-- We’re just not used to you like this… We just want you to feel better,” He says as he takes a seat in the now empty cafe.
Marvin continues to wipe the glasses clean as he looks at you.
“If you want me to beat him up--” Marvin starts.
“Marvin, it’s not like that,” You stop him from finishing his sentence. He grunts grumpily, but continues his work.
You sigh for the nth time that day, wondering if Jordan’s doing fine.
[[Next -> Better-Ending-3]]The answer towards Jordan’s disappearance comes in the form of Brian and Villa storming into the cafe early into the morning.
“Elena, my goddess, you’re famous!” Villa exclaims, galloping towards you. Before he can close the distance, however, Brian elbows him harshly.
“Ouch! Why do you always hurt me?!” Villa says all too loudly. Brian smacks a hand onto his forehead.
“Shut up! It’s too early for this!” Marvin says grumpily as he shoves a croissant into Villa’s loud mouth.
“So… what happened?” You decide to speak up, watching Villa light up in excitement as he finishes the bread that was forcibly offered to him.
“You’re on the news! Look!” He says as he practically shoves his phone in your face. Moving your head back and squinting at the bright screen, you see pictures of you and Jordan flash on the screen.
They’re a bit blurry, but you can tell that it’s Jordan because his facemask is off in some pictures, and you never really needed to hide your face, so you’re easily recognizable. The pictures seem to have been taken from a distance, with how candid the both of you look.
“What..?” You mumble, not understanding what was going on.
“Well, the paparazzi has been crazy about you and Jordan recently. They think you’re just some girl trying to steal Jordan away from his fans... Haven’t you noticed?” Brian explains, and the news doesn’t sink well with you at all.
“Oh…” Is all that you manage to say out of shock, remembering how Silvie, one of Jordan’s fans, almost fought you if it weren’t for Jordan covering for you at the time.
“W-what do I do now?” You ask them, a bit scared at the prospect of meeting Jordan’s more… possessive fans now that they know where you work.
“I could cover for you for a while, if you’d like,” A familiar voice says. Looking up, you see Armand walking in with a glum look on his face.
“But you’re busy with work too, Armand,” You say, turning your head to look out the window.
“I know, but I don’t think anyone would want you to get hurt… Maybe just until the fans calm down a bit. Jordan hasn’t said anything to the media yet, but I’m sure he’s thinking of some way to get them to calm down…” He says.
“That would be the best, Elena,” Marvin, despite his grumpiness earlier, agrees easily to Armand’s proposal.
“If you need any help, we’re here for you,” Brian adds while Villa nods vigorously in agreement.
“Thanks you guys,” You say, with utmost sincerity.
[[Next -> Better-Ending-4]]After that, You agree to stay home for the meantime, but not before teaching Armand the basics of what he needs to do in your steed. The days are quite uneventful now that you don’t have much to do, but the guys are adamant that you stay indoors for now. In the midst of cleaning your apartment, you receive a text.
''MARVIN /15:30/ :'' Turn on the TV, check the news.
He says nothing after that, so you decide to follow his advice. In the news is Jordan, explaining the situation while being bombarded with questions by various reporters.
“Who is she to you?”
“Why is she so close to you?”
“Jordan, you’ve been publishing less on your website too, why is that?”
“Are you dating the girl at the cafe?”
“Is it because you’re dating that girl? Are you distracted to write because of her?”
The questions come mercilessly. You watch as Jordan looks ready to combust at any moment. Worry grows at the pit of your stomach.
“She’s a friend,” He begins in a low tone, anger evidently bubbling under the guise of his calm appearance. The whole venue succumbs to silence.
“Am I not allowed to have friends anymore? Am I not allowed to live my life? I’m not even a celebrity. I’m just a writer, for goodness’ sake,” Jordan huffs, staring down at every camera he sees before he breathes deeply and continues.
“I don’t even want to do this anymore, this love advice thing. I’ve always wanted to be a journalist, but not nosey ones like you guys,” Jordan remarks, giving a stink eye to some of the more aggressive reporters.
“I mean, what do I even know about love when I can’t even confess my feelings to the one I care about the most?” He shakes his head out of frustration.
“Elena,” He suddenly says. You almost fall off your seat when you hear your name tumble out from his lips on live television.
“I… like you,” He breathes deeply. “I don’t know how you feel about that, but I hope you, and everyone else knows my feelings towards you. I’m yours and no one else’s… You make me a better person, you’ve made me realize so much things... a-and I just want to be better for you too,” He breathes deeply, trying to regain his composure before continuing.
“To the ‘fans’ that get mad at other people for getting close to me, or to those that’ll try to force me to write love advice again, you can get out of my life.”
Jordan stands up abruptly, pushing his chair out of the way before leaving the press conference. His manager tries to calm him down, but he only gets a scathing glare before the writer quickly exits.
You’re left speechless as you mindlessly watch the rest of the news segments. Jordan just confessed to you in front of thousands of viewers.
If you were there, you know that you’d accept his confession in a heartbeat.
[[Next -> Better-Ending-5]]
It takes a few days until the guys decide that it’s safe for you to go back to work again. You appreciate your friends, you really do, but you didn’t think it was necessary for you to stay out of work for so long. But finally you’re back in the cafe, and you’re more than eager to get back to work.
Before you can even do much, however, the cafe’s door chimes. The only person you know who’d enter the establishment this early in the morning would be...
“....Hey,” A familiar voice starts. You turn around to see Jordan.
To your surprise, he isn’t wearing his usual thick clothing that covered him from head to toe. He’s wearing something more casual and comfortable this time around. His hands seem to be clasped around his back for some reason.
“Hi,” You chirp out, blush already dusting your cheeks as you remember his sudden confession on TV the other day.
“So I got these for you,” Jordan says and reveals what he’s hiding behind his back. It appears to be a bouquet of something you can’t exactly identify.
“It’s a bouquet of cake pops. I wasn’t sure if you liked flowers, but I’m sure you’ll like these since you’re such a sweet tooth,” He says and smiles gently as he hands over the bouquet to you.
“Thank you,” You say sincerely, mustering up your courage to look into his eyes.
“But are you okay?” You ask suddenly, out of genuine concern. “You were on the news the other day, and you looked so tired… I’m sorry,” You say with your head down.
“Why are you sorry?” Jordan asks, “If anything, I should be sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
“But I--”
“You were just doing your job, and I’m the one that insists that you hang around and chat. Then I got too careless and forgot that most of my fans aren’t as nice as you, and then I give your name out to the public and all,” He says and sighs tiredly.
“I’m sorry too.” He says rather sullenly.
“It’s alright,” You find yourself replying easily. “It’s kind of nice, actually,” You say, and that surprises Jordan as he looks at you, dumbfounded.
“It’s nice because without all of that happening, we wouldn’t have met… And you wouldn’t have confessed to me either.”
Jordan’s face flares in a deep shade of red and you giggle at the uncommon sight. Jordan’s usually so confident and suave, you shake your head amusedly.
“Yeah… about that, I’m--”
“I like you too, by the way,” You cut him off and smile bashfully, looking down at the bouquet of cake pops in your hands.
“So uh,” Jordan starts gracefully. “I wasn’t really expecting to get this far, you know?” He says and chuckles, though you can tell that it’s more to hide his nerves more than anything.
You giggle and set down the bouquet onto the nearest surface.
“Maybe we can start with a date?” You propose playfully, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear.
“I suppose we can,” Jordan grins back at you, his confidence back in full swing.
Slowly, naturally, you both gravitate closer to each other.
It feels just right when his lips finally mould with yours.
//Congratulations, you've obtained the Better Ending!//
[[Restart ->Post-Prologue]] A few days later, you manage to introduce Silive to Jordan. Occasionally, Silive would come to the cafe not just to visit Jordan, but to talk to you and the other guys too. Once she was able to get to know Jordan more, she tells you that he isn’t what she was expecting at all.
“He’s not my type,” Silvie says bluntly once Jordan’s left for work. “But I bet he’s yours,” She wiggles her eyebrows mischievously as you try to fight a blush from appearing on your cheeks.
Sillvie thankfully decides that she’s had enough of teasing you and starts a new topic.
“I think Mr. Pastry Chef is more my type… He’s so silent and mysterious,” She says as she watches Marvin prepare a new batch of pastries from behind the counter, her eyes trailing along his lean and muscular arms.
You snort loudly and try to hold back your laughter.
“Mysterious? More like grumpy,” You chuckle, turning your gaze back to Silive, “But I can help you with that, if you’d like,” You offer kindly. The girl’s features brighten at that.
“Great!” She exclaims happily. “In return, I’ll help you out with Jordan.” Your eyes widen at that. You don’t like Jordan in that way… right?
“What, no I--” You sputter. Silvie cuts you off.
“Don’t deny it, it’s so obvious,” She says and smirks, “Besides, I know a lot about him already since I’ve been his fan for quite a while now, it’ll be fun!”
“Alright, fine… I think I do like him,” You finally admit.
Silvie lets out a loud squeal, waking up the cafe’s sleepy patrons.
[[Next -> Best-Ending-2]]
The days go by, and it becomes a routine. Jordan arrives even earlier, just before the cafe opens. He grabs his usual order, chats with you for a bit if you aren’t too busy, and offers you his second cupcake before leaving. Sometimes he’d order different cupcakes for the both of you to try. Not that you haven’t tried every cupcake already, since Marvin’s made you his official taste tester, but you find the gesture sweet nonetheless.
It’s nice, more than nice, you think, having Jordan added onto your daily routine. He’s definitely a rather quirky man under all of his charisma, but that doesn’t deter your growing feelings for him.
Ultimately, you don’t find yourself appalled at the thought of being with him at all.
[[Next -> Best-Ending-3]]Everything seems to be fine until Jordan suddenly stops visiting the cafe. It was definitely odd the first time it happens, and you brush it off as him just being busy with work, but you hadn’t seen the writer for the whole week. You didn’t admit it out loud, but you’re worried about him. He didn’t even respond to any of your texts. You’re sure even Marvin and Armand could tell, with how they seem to be pampering you lately.
Not that you didn’t appreciate their efforts into getting you to a better mood, but you aren’t a helpless child. When you finally snap at them for their behavior, they finally get the message.
“Sorry,” Armand says first. “I’m-- We’re just not used to you like this… We just want you to feel better,” He says as he takes a seat in the now empty cafe.
Marvin continues to wipe the glasses clean as he looks at you.
“If you want me to beat him up--” Marvin starts.
“Marvin, it’s not like that,” You stop him from finishing his sentence. He grunts grumpily, but continues his work.
You sigh for the nth time that day, wondering if Jordan’s doing fine.
[[Next -> Best-Ending-4]]The answer towards Jordan’s disappearance comes in the form of Brian, Villa and… Silvie? storming into the cafe early into the morning.
“Elena, my goddess, you’re famous!” Villa exclaims, galloping towards you. Before he can close the distance, however, Brian elbows him harshly.
“Ouch! Why do you always hurt me?!” Villa says all too loudly. Brian smacks a hand onto his forehead.
“Shut up! It’s too early for this!” Marvin says grumpily as he shoves a croissant into Villa’s loud mouth.
“So… what happened?” You decide to speak up, watching Villa light up in excitement as he finishes the bread that was forcibly offered to him. Silive shakes her head in mild disgust.
“You’re on the news! Look!” He says as he practically shoves his phone in your face. Moving your head back and squinting at the bright screen, you see pictures of you and Jordan flash on the screen.
They’re a bit blurry, but you can tell that it’s Jordan because his facemask is off in some pictures, and you never really needed to hide your face, so you’re easily recognizable. The pictures seem to have been taken from a distance, with how candid the both of you look.
“What..?” You mumble, not understanding what was going on.
“Well, the paparazzi has been crazy about you and Jordan recently…” Brian explains, and the news doesn’t sink well with you at all.
“But the thing is, everyone’s shipping the both of you,” Silvie continues. Your eyes almost pop out of their sockets.
“Wait, what?!” You exclaim.
“I may have… talked to some of Jordan’s fanclubs?” Silvie says, her statement sounding more like a question.
“Please explain,” You almost plead.
“Well first,” Silvie says, moving to sit down, “Those leaked pictures aren’t mine. I deleted them after you asked me to. Also I’m a professional, and those pics look like absolute trash,” You roll your eyes and chuckle.
Marvin comes up to the group to offer his newly baked cupcakes. Silvie’s eyes twinkle as she gazes at the pastry chef until you clear your throat. She swiftly apologizes before continuing.
“Anyway, Jordan has been more obvious these days so I’m not surprised that the others have managed to track him too. The reason why they don’t want to murder you is because some other fans and I defended you over many twitter feuds before this all came out on the news,” Silvie explains as she takes a bite out of her cupcake.
“Though I’m not sure how the feud transformed to everyone shipping you with Jordan, but I think things worked out pretty well, don’t you think?” Silive finishes her explanation and you sigh in relief.
“It’s better than being hated by everyone, at the very least,” You comment, not really knowing how to feel about the whole situation.
“I think it’s splendid, Elena! You can search for fanfiction of yourself now!” Villa exclaims happily. Silvie seems to nod in agreement.
“How is that a good thing?!” You yell back. Brian just sinks into the seat, embarrassed at his friend’s loud tone.
“Can you stop yelling things like that around here?” Marvin says, holding up a baguette.
“I don’t see what’s bad about that. Jordan could certainly have some ideas as to how to go about--” At this point, Marvin decides to chase Villa out of the cafe with a baguette lest any of the customers find Villa’s words disturbing.
You hide your face in your arms, trying to hide yourself from the customers’ eyes out of sheer embarrassment.
For once, you wish that the day ends quickly.
[[Next -> Best-Ending-5]]It’s in the midst of cleaning your apartment over the weekend when everything changes once again. You receive a text from Silvie. Not thinking too much about it, you wash your hands and unlock your phone to check on your messages.
''SILVIE /09:30/ :'' Get ready to go out, I’m on my way to your place.
''SILVIE /09:32/ :'' We’re going to Jordan’s press conference btw
She says nothing after that, so you decide to just get ready for what might happen.
[[Prepare to go to the press conference. -> Best-Ending-6]]“Who is she to you?”
“Why is she so close to you?”
“Are you dating the girl at the cafe?”
“You’ve been publishing less on your site, why is that?”
“How do you feel about being shipped with one of your fans?”
“People are supportive of your relationship. What do you think about that?”
The questions come mercilessly. You watch as Jordan looks ready to combust at any moment. Worry grows at the pit of your stomach as you watch him try to take in a deep breath. You’re sure he’s seen you in the crowd, but he hasn’t acknowledged your presence yet. You can’t really reveal yourself either, as Silvie advised you earlier to hide your identity just in case something happens.
“She’s a friend,” He begins in a low tone, impatience evidently bubbling under the guise of his calm appearance. The whole venue succumbs to silence. The writer stands up.
“Why’re you all asking so many questions? I’m not even a celebrity. I’m just a writer, for goodness’ sake,” Jordan breathes deeply and continues.
“I don’t even want to do this anymore, this love advice thing. I’ve always wanted to be a journalist, but not nosey ones like you guys,” Jordan remarks, giving a stink eye to some of the more aggressive reporters.
“I mean, what do I even know about love when I can’t even confess my feelings to the person I care about the most?” He shakes his head out of frustration.
“Elena,” He suddenly says. You almost fall off your seat when you hear your name tumble out from his lips. You almost forget that he’s saying all of this in live television.
“I… like you,” He breathes deeply. Your mouth hangs open as you try to process the words “I don’t know how you feel about that, but I hope you, and everyone else knows my feelings towards you. I’m yours and no one else’s… You make me a better person, you’ve made me realize so much things... a-and I just want to be better for you too,” He breathes deeply, and braves to take a glance at you. The press notices this and turns all of the cameras to you.
You’re left speechless as the cameras continue to take pictures of you, with some reporters trying to ask you questions. Silvie squeezes your hand, waking you from your thoughts.
Jordan just confessed to you in front of thousands of viewers.
You stand up abruptly, causing Silvie to panic.
“Elena, Elena! What are you doing?!” She screams in a hushed whisper. You ignore her and walk forward. The crowd recognizes you and opens up as you pass. You stop right in front of Jordan. The writer’s eyes are as wide as saucers, and his face is flushed red.
You can’t help but smile at him. The cameramen struggle to take photos of the both of you, having to reposition. You decide to take the opportunity.
“Jordan,” You begin, gathering your courage.
“I… I like you too,” You say without thinking. Jordan falls back into his seat, like he can’t believe your words.
The whole venue erupts in screams and cheers, with journalists and cameramen trying to capture everything. Impulsively, Jordan takes your hand in his and leans forward. The camera shutters grow louder
“I wasn’t really expecting to get this far, you know?” He says jokingly, “Why don’t we get out of here, and I’ll take you out on a date?” He asks boldly.
“Are you insane? They’ll follow us!” You say and push him back a little bit, feeling a bit conscious of the cameras.
“Then let’s run away,” Jordan pulls on your hand and breaks into a run. You can barely hear Jordan’s manager screaming and Silvie cheering in the midst of the crowd’s noise.
[[Next -> Best-Ending-7]]
The two of you start going out after that. Jordan plans on quitting his job in a few months so that he can finally pursue his dream of becoming a journalist, and you can’t be any more proud of him for his progress.
Most of his fans think so too, and you’re glad that Jordan has additional support from them, some have even have some job offers for him too. You’re also happy that they support the both of you as well. Everything that’s happened in the past few weeks feels like a dream you never want to wake up from.
“Someone’s happy,” A voice suddenly starts, breaking you out of your daydream.
“Jordan!” You chirp happily, and you go in for a hug, not caring about who sees the both of you. He grins as he holds you in his arms, twirls you around, and kisses your forehead.
“Hey there,” He says gently as he sets you down. You can hear Marvin pretending to vomit from a distance, but you ignore his antics.
“The usual?” You ask, despite knowing the answer.
“Yup. Cappuccino, please. I want my coffee sweet and frothy… And I want two of those confusing cupcakes too,” He says teasingly as you grab the order that you prepared earlier so that the two of you would have more time to yourselves in the morning.
“Here you go,” You hand over the cupcakes and cappuccino.
“And this, is for you,” Jordan says charmingly as he hands over both a cupcake and a cappuccino.
“I think you need the coffee more than I do, Jordan,” You say, amused as he munches on his cheese and corn cupcake.
“No, I think you need to taste how good your coffee actually is. You don’t acknowledge your abilities well enough. Luckily, I’m here to save the day!”
You roll your eyes playfully as the two of you banter before Jordan has to leave for work. You conclude that it’s definitely even more than nice, having Jordan in your life.
In fact, you wouldn’t have it any other way.
//Congratulations, you've obtained the Best Ending!//
[[Restart ->Post-Prologue]]