Excuse me. Can I h… elp?" Aine asked.
"There is no coffee machine here so making it will be difficult. And you are our guest," Esmee said.
"D… on't w… orry. I m… ake coffee at h… ome the n… ormal way," Aine replied.
"We are sorry to bombard you," Esmee said.
"C… an I h… ave th… eir pref… erence sheet?"
Chloe pulled out the papers and placed them in her hands.
"I will stay and help," Esmee said.
Aine went to work. Her hands moved with calculated speed, efficient and careful, measuring every ingredient with precision, as though the knowledge lived somewhere deeper than memory.
Esmee watched her pour and stir. "Are you squeezing lemon into them?"
"Y… es. Have you n… ever s… een that?" Aine asked.
"No. Even the coffee man does not do that," Esmee said.
"It el… ev… ates the t… aste and qual… ity," Aine said.
Across the set Tesni watched her sister's hands move over the cups, steady and sure, and something in her chest tightened.
"You look like a pro. Have you been doing this your entire life?" Esmee asked.
Aine's hands stopped mid pour.
Her eyes drifted somewhere far away, as though she were searching a room in her head for something she had set down long ago.
Across the set Tesni saw it. The stillness. The distant look. She rose at once and crossed to them.
"Miss Aine." Her voice came out sharp. "Why do you not know the steps of the recipe?"
"N… o. I j… ust f… orgot s… omething. That is all," Aine replied.
"If you cannot remember the steps correctly, why not just be honest? If you ruin the coffee you ruin the drama. Everyone will have a bitter mouth and they will grimace through the entire play," Tesni said coldly.
Esmee stepped between them. "Excuse her, Tesni. She is trying her best. Even if the coffee goes wrong the actors know how to control their faces. That is what they are paid for." Her eyes did not leave Tesni's. "I will not allow you to be rude to our guest."
Tesni held her ground for a moment. Then she looked at Aine.
Aine stood with the spoon still in her hand, quiet and a little lost.
Tesni's jaw tightened. She had not been cruel because of the coffee. She had been cruel because Aine was close to remembering, and it was the only way she knew to pull her back from the edge of it.
Aine looked at both of them with tears in her eyes.
"Wh… at I f… orgot was n… ot r… elated to the c… offee," she said quietly.
Tesni held her gaze for a moment. Then she turned and walked back to her seat.
"I am sorry, sister," she whispered to herself. "I had to do this."
Esmee let out a breath and turned back to the cups. "Boss Lucien is very particular about his coffee. He likes it burnt, but not bitter. No milk either. The coffee man has suffered for it. Some days Lucien complains it is too burnt, other days not burnt enough. I honestly do not understand the taste buds on that man's tongue."
Aine wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and picked up the spoon again.
"I w… ill try to m… ake it to his pref… erence. N… ot sweet. N… ot too b… itter," she said.
She went back to work, her hands steady, the tears still drying on her cheeks.
"Are you sure you want the same one as Lucien?" Chloe asked.
"I love my coffee au lait, but I will take his today. I want him to know we can share something in common," Elodie said.
Chloe turned to the table. "Could you change Elodie's coffee? She likes it burnt too."
"But she has always taken coffee au lait," Esmee said.
"What is wrong with trying new things?" Chloe said and walked away.
Esmee and the other assistants began serving the cups. One by one the cast and crew lifted them and took slow sips. Their eyes widened, then softened.
"Today's coffee tastes different. It is very good. Quality. Like what a five star hotel serves," someone said.
Murmurs of agreement rippled across the set.
In the corner Aine watched the cups travel from hand to hand, her fingers twisting together, waiting.
"Do you think it will be the same for me? Everyone is praising it," Lucien said.
"You have to try it today. Aine prepared it. The coffee man did not report in," Esmee said.
"Then I will. It smells rich," he said.
He lifted the cup and took the first sip.
He paused. Then he smiled.
"This is actually my taste. Just perfect," Lucien said.
"I am glad you like it. I will tell her you love it," Esmee said.
"No need. Just call her over. We would all like to thank her," he said.
Aine stepped forward, hands clasped tightly, her eyes uncertain.
"We would like to thank you. Today's coffee was on point," he said.
"Better than the coffee man," Esmee added.
Every head turned toward Esmee.
"What? It is true," Lucien said, shrugging. "I cannot even take two sips of his."
Laughter broke across the set. Aine lowered her eyes, a small shy smile pulling at her lips.
"Th… ank y… ou," she said softly.
Across the room Tesni watched her sister standing in the light, being thanked by a stranger for something her hands had never forgotten.
It is pretty average for everyone. I usually dump mine and order an Americano. Others do the same. Nobody has had the courage to tell him his coffee is not good except Lucien. He exploded and threatened to quit," Theodora said.
"I remember that. It was my first day. The commotion and drama were intense. He forced everyone to finish the coffee and show the empty cup, or he would quit," Aurélie said.
"I wish we could fire him. He is so mean to us, just because he came as part of the contract."
"I do not understand," Chloe said.