The front door of the apartment closed as quickly as it had opened. Rushing footsteps made their way to Aria’s room, and when the door swung open she jumped.

  “I found the perfect place for our cafe!” Tommy declared.

  Seconds after Aria had her shoes on, the two were out the door; Tommy leading the way.

  Down three blocks and four buildings over was a corner building. It sat at the end of a strip mall. The walls were white with three large windows to give the perfect view inside. One of the windows was the corner of the building.

  From the outside looking in, Aria guessed it was a pub at some point. Behind the bar was a take-out window for the kitchen and a spacious corner booth were her clues.

  “How did you find this place?” Aria asked.

  “Technically Aster did. Her realtor called her about a place that’s up for sale. When she saw how close it was to us, she called me,” Tommy explained, “It’s perfect! It’s small but is a great starting point, and it’s around a high foot traffic area.”

  “You’ve already decorated the place haven’t you?” Aria chuckled.

  “Of course!” Tommy declared, “That’s not even the best part. We don’t have to get a loan from the bank thanks to the check Aster gave us. The check covers a down payment, cosmetic work, and business fees for months until we get a steady clientele!” Tommy was buzzing with excitement, it brought a smile to Aria’s lips.

  “Asters’ given you great advice,” Aria teased, her eyes roaming the building.

  “Why not? She’s a successful businesswoman and wants to help us!” Tommy said, “I know you grew up working hard for what you own. But that works in small-town life Aria! This is a big city! We should take the help we can get!”

  “You do know I haven’t said no, right?” Aria smiled at her roommate.

  “Yes, but you’re also headstrong about these things. Which is one of the things I love about you, but come on Aria!” Tommy wasn’t holding anything back now, “Look how many people are here. Look how big the bar is! We got here in ten minutes!”

  “We were running-“

  “And if we were walking it would be fifteen!” Tommy argued, “We already have an investor in Aster. Someone we trust. She won’t let us struggle in the beginning.”

  Taking in a deep breath, Aria let it out slowly. A smile taking over her lips, she looked over to Tommy.

  “Let’s do it!” Aria agreed.

  Screaming with joy, Tommy hugged Aria tight. The two ignored the stares they received. They didn’t care.

  Closer and closer they were getting to their dream.

  A dream that started as a joke in DigiSpace.

  Then they moved in together, and Aria tried Tommy’s coffee for the first time. It was better than she imagined. In return, Aria made Tommy a vegan peach cobbler from peaches she grew. They loved it so much Aria makes it once a month for them.

  Talks of their cafe came back up, this time serious.

  Experiments of what drinks paired with what baked goods. Their possible menu started being made.

  Now, here they are.

  “I’ll call Aster! She’ll get everything in order for us!” Tommy squealed, pulling out their phone.

  Looking back at the building, Aria smiled at the plain white walls. The white could stay, maybe they’ll fade to blue at the bottom. Give the windows a nice green trimming. If the bar is a nice wood color, it would be left alone. That corner booth would need to go through some changes. Maybe change the crimson red cushions to a dark teal.

  So many possibilities.

  “Does Aster know a good contractor?” Aria asked Tommy, the two making their way home.

  “Yeah, Steve, he has his own business,” Tommy answered, “That’s how they met. Aster hired him to build her gate and do cosmetic work on the house.”

  “That’s so cute!” Aria gushed, “How long have they been together?”

  “Five years, I think,” Tommy answered, “They were together when I joined the group.”

  “How did you guys become friends anyway?” Aria asked.

  “Steve, Kouya, Kousuke, and I were all friends with Jason first,” Tommy smiled, “Jason and I grew up with each other. We were next-door neighbors as kids. Steve and Jason met kind of like Steve and Aster. Steve built Jason’s venue hall,” Tommy explained.

  “What about Kousuke and Kouya?” Aria asked.

  “Jason and Kousuke got in a fistfight,” Tommy snickered, “Jason had a little too much to drink and was being too flirty with Kouya. Kousue didn’t like that and broke his nose so Jason gave him a black eye,” taking out their phone, Tommy scrolled through their pictures, “That sobered Jason right up. He apologized and felt so bad he bought them their next round of drinks and appetizers.”

  Holding the phone out to Aria, she snorted back a laugh.

  In the picture was a younger Jason and Kousuke. Swollen nose with dry blood underneath, and his around around Kousuke’s shoulders, Jason was grinning like a fool. Arms crossed and very much annoyed, Kousuke’s left eye was black and shut.

  “Of course, that’s how they became friends,” Aria said with a roll of her eyes.

  Entering their apartment building, Tommy’s phone rang with a text message.

  It was Aster, wanting to know where they were, she was at their door. With a contract for them to sign about her being an investor in their cafe. Mentioning Steve was with her; ready to go over what they wanted to do to the building.

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  How did they get there so quickly?

  That question was answered when they saw Aster and Steve. Two shopping bags in each of Aster's arms and Steve holding another four.

  “Why did you bring your bags with you?” Tommy asked. “Oh, these aren’t for me, they’re for you guys so you could decide on uniforms,” Aster smiled.

  “Please let us in, these are heavy,” Steve strained to speak.

  “Ammature,” Aster sighed at her boyfriend.

  “We weren’t planning on having uniforms Aster,” Aria said, Tommy unlocking the door.

  “Yeah, but I saw these and couldn’t pass them up,” Aster gushed, “You have to try them all on! Tell me everything, my realtor won’t be here for another three hours.”

  “I’ll order us pizza,” Steve sighed.

  In for a long haul before he could even talk about what he needed to. If he has to sit through a fashion montage, he at least should have some good pizza.

  “Ok, honey! Can you order Tommy a pear and vegan goat cheese pizza please?” Aster asked, a beaming smile in his direction as she helped Aria and Tommy sort the clothes.

  How could he say no to that face?

  “Sure babe,” Steve agreed.

  For three hours, the four ate pizza and looked over the clothes.

  Any input Steve had on the clothes was minimal to: “Yes”, “No”, and “Why do you have to wear it like that?”

  Thanks to Aster, the clothes fit Tommy and Aria’s style perfectly.

  Soft shades of blue were complimented with greens, black, or white. A good handful of pink, yellow, and purple were mixed in as well.

  No skirts or dresses were in the bunch, but there were a few rompers that looked like dresses. Instead of jeans, some slacks would be complimented with either button-ups or body suits. There were even a few pairs of shoes to complement the outfits.

  When the realtor did finally show up, the fun was put on hold.

  It was time for business, meaning a lot of paperwork needed to be signed. Even if it was with stamps, it was exhausting and painfully slow.

  Every detail had to be gone over, and then a clause had to be discussed about what would happen if terms were broken.

  Their hands felt like they were stuck in place thanks to how long they held their stamp.

  That was another thing they needed to get. Business stamps.

  All that mental work was worth it when the realtor said, “Alright, it’s all yours.”

  The front door closed, and Aria, Tommy, and Aster jumped up and screamed. Arms tangled together as the three hugged. Doing their best not to fall when they started jumping up and down.

  Not noticing Steve took a picture of them, they were so happy.

  Quickly he sent the picture to the group chat with the caption: “Closed on a retail space. New cafe coming to Ligera.”

  Responses came in fast.

  “Awesome dudes! We get discounts right?” Jason responded with five different emojis.

  “I can’t wait! I’ll help in what I can!” Kouya’s response was full of heart emojis.

  “When it opens, I’ll let my clients know” No emojis from Kousuke.

  “Babe! More pizza!” Aster demanded of her boyfriend.

  “Already ordered my love, I also ordered cheesy bread,” Steve smiled at her.

  “Thanks, Steve!” Tommy and Aria said, still hugging each other tight.

  What a wonderful night!

  So much pizza, so much cheesy bread, and so many drinks. Well, Aster had so many drinks.

  It took a bit of work to get Aster to leave; she wouldn’t stop praising Aria and Tommy. Giving them hugs and kisses. Saying how happy she was that their cafe was becoming real. How she couldn’t wait to tell her fan base how awesome her friends are.

  When the couple did finally leave, the roommates settled on their patio. Simple iced coffees in their hands tonight.

  Who knows if they were going to sleep tonight? How could they? They were too happy to sleep, wanting to start work already.

  That day came quickly.

  Because of the impromptu party, discussions of remodeling were put on hold. When the new owners told Steve their vision, he thankfully understood. After he was able to get the necessary paperwork, he was quick to get the building to their liking.

  Speaking of paperwork, it came back in other ways, but worse.

  Certification to sell food.

  Certification to use one’s produce.

  Certification to operate a kitchen.

  Certification to operate a business.

  The code enforcement came back five different times.

  Then it was waiting for approval of the business stamp. That took the longest because their stamp couldn’t match others. It took two weeks of designing, then redesigning, and redesigning, and redesigning.

  On top of all of that, Aria and Tommy were still working their regular jobs.

  Exhausted didn’t even begin to describe how the two felt.

  Thanks to the check Aster gave them, they weren’t tight on money.

  With one final swipe of the spray paint from Tommy, Aria ripped the stencil off. The two admired the outline of a sunflower on their glass doors. “Just one more day,” Tommy breathed a sigh of relief.

  It was truly happening, their cafe was finally here.

  “Tommy! Aria!” The two looked behind them and smiled seeing Jason, “The place is looking nice!”

  “Thanks, you’ll be here tomorrow right?” Tommy asked.

  “Totally! I just wanted to take a look at the place after I saw Asters’ post,” Jason said, his eyes roaming the building.

  How many likes are on it now?” Aria asked nervously.

  “Fifty thousand last I saw,” Jason answered.

  “Another downside of being friends with a Social Media Star,” Aria sighed making Tommy giggle.

  “Do you guys need help before I head home?” Jason asked.

  “No, we’ll be fine, we’re heading home now too,” Tommy assured, putting the last can of spray paint in their bag.

  “Alright, see you guys tomorrow!” Jason said before taking off.

  “Goofball,” Tommy chuckled.

  Folding up the stencils, Aria put them in her bag and the two made their way home. Going over the list of things that had been done and if anything else may need to be completed.

  Blueberry Lemon Muffins? Yes.

  Apple Fritters? Enough to feed five armies.

  Orange Vanilla Pudding? Per Asters’ request, so of course.

  Cucumber Lime Smoothies? A Hueco Aldea inspiration.

  Kiwi Mango Smoothies? If Aria’s hometown is a part of the cafe, so is Tommy’s town of Ozeanliebe.

  Flopping down on her bed, Aria took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Lips turned upward in a tired smile.

  Tomorrow is the big day!

  In less than twelve hours “Botanical” will open its doors to the public! It’s only going to be a soft opening, but still!

  The six months it took to get where they are now was well worth it.

  Phone ringing to life, Aria saw it was a video call from her Ma.

  “Hey Ma! How’s Momma feeling?” Aria asked.

  “Hey, sweetie! She’s feeling better, but still won’t stop pouting we won’t be there for your big day,” Val chuckled, “She’s asleep now, your Tio Rey made sure to give her really good medicine.”

  “Because if he didn’t, she would be halfway here by now,” Aria teased, making her Ma laugh.

  Only Benny would get sick with a cold just a few days before something important. Then try to pass it off as allergies. That failed when she fell asleep during dinner.

  “We really are sorry we can’t make it baby,” Val apologized.

  “It’s ok Ma, I’m gonna be too busy anyway, you guys will just have to come after things calm down,” Aria assured.

  “It’s going to be that busy?” Val asked, eyebrows raised in wonder.

  “No, but Aster’s post is halfway at a million likes, and half of those people said they would come and it’s giving me anxiety,” Aria said nervous, covering it up with a giggle.

  “Oh, I should let you go, baby, you need your rest. Love you!” Val said with an enthusiastic wave.

  Giggling again, Arai said, “I love you too Ma. Give Momma kisses for me.”

  Hanging up, Aria groaned and dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. There won’t be much time in the morning.

  All ingredients for smoothies were cut and ready for blending. Baked goods in the fridges are ready to be popped in the oven so they’ll be nice and fresh. Homegrown coffee beans to be blended first things.

  The only thing the new owners will have to worry about is getting there early enough to get everything ready.

  Tomorrow is going to be a crazy, wonderful, day.