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Juri

I anxiously gnawed on my thumbnail, fixating on the vibrating phone resting on the table in front of me.

I recognized the number and knew this call held the power to determine my future.

Out of nowhere, the waiter materialized, placing an empty coffee cup on his tray and nudging my water glass aside.

With a damp cloth, he swiftly wiped away the crumbs.

Perplexed by his sudden need to clean my table, I turned my head to regard him.

“Are you … uh … Aren’t you going to answer?” he asked.

“No.” I had a bad feeling about the call, and apparently, it was written all over my face because the young man smiled with amusement.

“Are you expecting your death sentence? It can’t be that bad.”

I noticed the mole on his chin, and as he raised his brows, my gaze got lost in his storm-gray eyes, which had the same color as the sky outside. My prolonged and unabashed stare seemed to unsettle him because he threw the cloth on the tray and cleared his throat.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.” He quickly retreated behind the bar.

My phone continued vibrating.

Just get it over with.

I answered the call, pressing the phone to my ear. “Hello?” My heart rate raced as I held my breath.

“Juri? Hey. It’s me. Peter Keller.”

“Hello.” My voice dropped an octave, and I didn’t sound as confident as I had intended.

“So, I’ve discussed the situation with the management, and we’ve concluded that we can’t continue the contract with you.”

The news hit me like a hammer blow. My legs felt weak as the room spun around me. “But …”

“It’s not possible, Juri. I’m sorry. Our company stands for traditional values, and your side job …”

“What I do in my free time shouldn’t matter at all. Besides, it hasn’t affected my work in any way so far.”

“I’m sorry. We’re terminating the employment immediately. Since you’re still in the probation period, we’re releasing you for the last seven days.”

“What?”

“Please come by on Tuesday to collect your personal belongings and hand over the key. We’ll provide you with a reference letter by then. It will help you find a new training position.”

“Who’s going to hire me after this?!”

“You’re good, Juri. We’re confident you’ll find something. And my personal advice to you: Use this time to reconsider your lifestyle. With your history, you’ll have a hard time in the job market. We’ll see you on Tuesday. Come by around noon.” And with that, he hung up.

For a fleeting moment, it felt like I was free falling.

Then, the force of gravity slammed back, enclosing me from all directions.

Once again, I was back at square one. I had invested so much hope in this cooking apprenticeship, only to have my past once again thwart me.

Damn it! And I hadn't even done anything illegal.

It was just a casual drink with a client.

If I had known I'd run into my boss there, with a male escort by his side, I would have chosen a different bar. But fate had other plans. My client happened to be an acquaintance of his, and passing off as his son wasn’t an option.

Two bosses and me, a male escort. It was foolish of me to hope for anything better.

I still held the phone to my ear, paralyzed. After a moment, I slowly moved the phone away and stared at the display. I can’t believe he just hung up. Anger surged within me until the pressure became unbearable, and I exploded.

“Fuck you!” I shouted into the phone, drawing the attention of the entire café.

People looked at me in horror from all directions, except for the blond waiter who stood behind the counter, smiling.

“What?” I shouted in a challenging tone, hoping everyone would go back to minding their own business.

“Damn shit!” I slammed the phone down and rubbed my face with both hands.

The apprenticeship was my ticket out, and I was confident I would become a good chef. I had stumbled upon this apprenticeship almost by chance. Who would have thought they would be so rigid, and company policy would ruin everything for me?

That’s illegal, isn’t it?

But it didn’t matter anymore. Even with an excellent reference, it would be difficult to find a new apprenticeship, especially if you were let go during the probation period.

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed.

It started raining outside, and the day was as gloomy as it hadn’t been in a long time.

I had spent half the afternoon here because my nutrition class at school was canceled.

Everyone had been looking forward to the weekend, but I knew I still had a phone call with the head chef ahead of me.

I had sensed it somehow, but I hadn’t expected them to take such drastic measures. Did I not deserve a chance just because I worked as a male escort on the side?

Maybe I was just doomed to lead this life.

Not that it weighed heavily on me; I knew my way around it too well.

But I was far from living my dream. The working hours as a chef suited me, and they matched my side job—as Keller had so stiffly put it.

Being a chef wasn’t my dream job. I had no idea what my dream job would be.

The only dream I had was to make a timely exit from the gay escort business.

“Here,” the waiter said, placing a cup of hot chocolate in front of me. “It’s on the house. You look like you could use it.”

“Am I a child, or what?” I didn’t even know if my words sounded snappy or utterly desperate.

“You seem stressed. The black cloud around you is spreading through the café and scaring off the guests.”

I shook my head in irritation and looked past him. An older couple was just leaving through the door. “They’re definitely not leaving because of me.” I laughed at his assertion.

The guy tried to keep a straight face but failed as a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. “Nothing can be as bad as you’re making it seem to everyone here.”

“I’m not saying anything,” I protested.

“That doesn’t make things any better.”

I rolled my eyes. Despite my annoyance, I couldn’t help but laugh at his comment. “Okay, give it to me. Can I have an extra packet?” I asked, tearing open the packet of chocolate powder and pouring it into the hot milk.

“You seem to like it sweet.”

I squinted my eyes and examined the guy more closely.

Tall. Slim. He wore his bleached hair short on the sides and longer on top.

Resembled a model. “You are sweet,” I replied, winking at him.

I didn’t know what I hoped to achieve with that, but certainly not that he would stare at me with a petrified expression and gulp hard.

He turned around and headed to the bar, reaching over the counter for another packet of hot chocolate.

“Here,” he said curtly, handing it to me before disappearing behind the bar again.

“Thanks,” I muttered, wondering what I had done wrong as I emptied the second packet into my cup.

For a while, I gazed at the hot chocolate, but couldn’t resist looking around for the waiter again.

A few tables away, I spotted him serving coffee to a couple, while absent-mindedly stroking his face.

He seemed distant, exhausted, and introspective. Not as relaxed as before.

When he glanced over at me and our eyes met, I put on a charming smile.

He appeared like he would flinch in shock and shrink.

Amused, I turned my attention back to my hot chocolate.

It had been years since I last drank one.

I must have still been a child back then.

There was something loving about the fact that the guy wanted to cheer me up with it.

And he somehow succeeded, because just the pleasant smell of chocolate brought back memories of my mother, who used to make me hot chocolate in the morning before school.

“Careful, Honey. It’s hot. Don’t burn your tongue.”

Before the beautiful memory turned gloomy, I shifted my attention out onto the street. At least I still had the side job. And with that, I could determine how much I wanted to earn.

I had earned an apprentice’s wage of 900 francs in the kitchen, and that was only because I was already twenty-three.

But that was by no means enough to make ends meet.

I had no choice but to earn something on the side.

Besides, I earned much better as a callboy anyway, which probably made it even harder for me to quit.

Alright, let’s get to work then.

I reached for my phone and scrolled through the nearly fifty messages that had accumulated in the past few days.

Today was Friday, and although I already had plans for the weekend, tonight was still free.

The issue with the apprenticeship had completely consumed me over the past few days.

I had tried to talk to the restaurant owner and would even have been willing to find a solution, but he had shut me out.

And with the termination, I had no choice but to return to what I was good at.

Gay escort.

Among all the messages, I found one from Noé. He had written to me three days ago, and although something like this never happened to me, it had completely slipped my mind.

“Hey, Rock! There’s a rock night at Exil on Saturday after my birthday. I’m playing there with my new band. Maybe it’ll work out this time. I’d be happy if you came.”

It still hurt my heart that I had missed the album release of his new band. I would have loved to hear Noé sing.

“Hey, Stoney! Thanks! I’ll be there.”

“Everything alright?” The guy had a seventh sense for certain things.

“Just got fired.”

“Shit, no! Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” I typed, not knowing who I was lying to. “It’ll be okay.”

“Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”