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It took another two days for the lunch with Odessa to be fulfilled. On the afternoon of his first day at work, Laurence had found himself being dragged by the CEO's pregnant assistant to the office pantry. Marian had told the younger man that her husband had packed her plenty of food for lunch, and that she might not be able to finish it on her own, so it was Rence's duty to help her with that.

Thankfully, Laurence had gotten the chance to explain to Odessa when they met her in the hallway. The woman had been very understanding about it, and they decided to reschedule their initial plan for the next day.

Yet, even yesterday was not possible because Odessa had to rush a spreadsheet report that her department supervisor had suddenly dumped on her. In the end, Laurence had brought her takeaway pasta with fried chicken and mashed potato from the fast-food restaurant he had gone to, which the woman had been grateful for.

Fifth of January 2024. Friday. The pair of office workers had made sure they could eat out for lunch this time since it was their last chance for the week.

The toast-like, nutty aroma welcomed Laurence as he walked into the Renascence Café with Odessa. Different indoor plants decorated the place, from the small trees in between tables, to the shrubs on the wall-mounted shelves, to the orchids hanging on the wooden vertical panels, and to the flowers in the counter area. Piano music played, adding to the quaint atmosphere of the shop.

A hint of a smile pulled at the corner of Laurence's lips as nostalgia visited him. He understood why this was a go-to café for people who wanted to have a relaxing break. Nonetheless, as he toured his eyes in the entirety of the room and noted there were not so many customers in the area, Laurence got the point that the sentimental vibe might not be something that appealed to every kind of people.

He and Odessa approached the counter, where a younger male attendant greeted them with a friendly grin.

"It's been a long while, Mr. Florence. It's good to see you being well now," the shop assistant said. Jino, the small name tag on the attendant's left chest displayed.

With a nod, Laurence uttered a brief thank you to avoid the awkwardness that might ensue if he told the younger man he didn't remember him. He looked up at the board menu and could not help but frown, seeing the available dishes.

Soups. Sandwiches. Salads. Sides.

But these are just snacks and appetizers? He surveyed the whole menu, searching for something else. Where are the real foods?

Laurence studied the other customers in the café again, as he now figured out another reason this place was not most people's first choice for lunch.

Jino's and Odessa's gazes awaited him when he turned his head back to the counter. Unable to bring himself to voice out his thoughts lest he would offend either his colleague or the café assistant, Laurence could only sigh inwardly.

"Then, can I have the cream of wild mushroom, a chicken clubhouse sandwich. Also, the grilled-cheese one... Ah, can you make it a triple-decker?"

An odd expression crossed Jino's face. The young attendant furrowed his brows while Laurence enumerated his order.

"Egg salad, and can I also have the red-eye coffee?"

"Red-eye coffee?" Jino was now staring at Laurence as if the latter had grown another head.

Glancing to his side, Laurence took note that Odessa had the same confused frown while her eyes focused on him. He returned his attention to the attendant. "Oh, is it not available at the moment?"

"No, I mean, yes, I can prepare it..." The young male attendant trailed off and glimpsed at Odessa before addressing Laurence back. "Would you like me to add anything to your coffee? Milk, sugar or cream?"

This time, Laurence knitted his forehead as he wondered why a coffeehouse employee who was supposed to be more versed about java would suggest something that contradicted what he had specifically ordered.

"Then, you could no longer call it red-eye coffee, right?" he said, his words more of a statement than a question.

"No, it's not," Jino agreed, despite the lingering perplexity in his tone. "But are you sure that's what you want? And the food you ordered too?"

The attendant's search for confirmation shed some light on Laurence, making him comprehend the bafflements of the two people near him.

As a former construction worker, he had been accustomed to eating more during breakfast and lunch because a sandwich slice or two would not be enough to get him through the whole day of physical work. It had slipped his mind that he was no longer doing heavy manual labors. That, and the fact that he was currently living in the body of another person, someone who might be a bit conscious of his diet and had a completely different preference for drink. He had failed to consider it since Florence's mother had been feeding him a lot these days.

"I just thought I'd try something new," he said, hoping it would be enough to cover up his slip.

Laurence lowered his head to study his own appearance. The peach, baggy dress shirt was obviously a fashion choice on Florence Villena's end, if the wardrobe he had back at home was anything to go by. And while he could tell this build was not underweight, Laurence still considered it too dainty.

He supposed this might have been the figure Florence had wanted, but he called the shots now that he possessed the guy's body.

"Also, don't you think I need to get more flesh?"

"That's what I'd been telling you before," Odessa chimed in, a beam of approval taking over her expression.

"Alright, I'll let Miss Violet know about the food and I'll be preparing your drink in a jiffy." Jino's tone reverted to being genial, as if he had not been suspicious of Laurence a while ago. "How 'bout yours, Miss Odessa?"

After the woman gave her orders, the two office workers found an empty spot on the corner where they got a view of the greenhouse in the café's backyard.

In less than fifteen minutes, their food and drinks arrived.

The robust aroma of coffee pervaded his nose as Laurence brought the cup near his mouth. He sipped, picking out the bitter notes of espresso before the smooth flavor gradually spread through his tongue, awakening his senses.

Laurence put down the drink with satisfaction, relieved that his tastes were not affected by his odd circumstance. For a moment, he had been afraid he could no longer enjoy the strong coffee simply because the original owner of his current body had not been a fan.

Briefly neglecting to act in character, Laurence took a large bite of his grilled cheese sandwich. He caught himself once he noticed the way Odessa was gaping at him.

Laurence gingerly put the almost half-eaten slice back on his plate and wiped the corner of his lips with a table napkin. Clearing his throat, he said, "This is such a nice place."

The amazement in Odessa's eyes slipped away and was replaced by kindness.

"Right?" she muttered, nudging a piece of pinwheel sandwich with a fork. "This used to be a sole proprietorship business called Florescence Coffee Shop that was on the verge of bankruptcy until Mr. Ruiz offered a partnership to Violet. It had rebranded to Renascence Café since then."

"Violet? The one who prepared the food? Is she the cook here?"

"Kind of. And the owner of this place. Or one of the owners now, together with Mr. Ruiz."

Before Laurence could ask more of the story, his female colleague directed her twinkling eyes at him.

"Anyway, you really surprised me, Rence. No, actually, I'm still surprised by your orders, especially the drink. You used to not be able to take something like that without putting more sugar and cream than necessary, and Violet would often call you out, saying you were ruining a perfectly good coffee."

Well, she ain't wrong about it. Can't call it a coffee if you can't taste the coffee anymore.

"But that's just not it. I'm amazed at how you sounded like you knew a lot about the drink. I'm starting to think that maybe you were actually interested in coffees more than you used to let on, and now your mind is somehow pulling out all the knowledge you learned out of your subconscious. Our brain works in a lot of mysterious ways indeed." Odessa nodded to herself, looking pleased with her hypothesis, before stabbing a half-sliced cherry tomato from the bowl of vegetable salad and putting it in her mouth.

Laurence gave out a nervous chuckle and took another sip of his coffee, thankful that the woman was jumping to the wrong conclusion on her own. "That may be the case."

"Right? I—" The excited demeanor disappeared. Odessa clammed up, a blush streaking across her cheeks, as she stared behind her companion.

Curious about what had stopped her gushing, Laurence glanced over his shoulder.

A tall man stood near one of the indoor trees, his intense sea-green eyes studying the pair of ND Corporation employees at the table, while he put on a mask of indifference.

"Isa—Mr. Ruiz. What are—" Laurence bit his question back, remembering what Odessa had told him about the partnership in this business.

His interest diverted as he took in the man's appearance. He had not gotten the chance to observe it the last time he saw him the other day, but Isaac Ruiz was no doubt killing the smart casual look with his unbuttoned dark gray blazer over a fitted plain white t-shirt. One hand was in the pocket of his cropped pants like usual. With his build and confident posture, Laurence thought the CEO could give those models for men's fashion magazines a run for their money.

Laurence moved his gaze back to the man's face, focusing on the twin moles that contributed to his physical charm.

The pair of green eyes flicked to his and Odessa's table, narrowing ever so slightly. After a minute, Isaac gave his employees a small nod of acknowledgment, and then he proceeded to the café's counter.

What's that? So uncute. Laurence scoffed internally.

Once he faced his companion back, he recognized the woman's weak smile. For whatever reason, Odessa was now regarding him with what seemed like a sympathetic expression.

"So how's it coming back to work so far? Are you starting to get used to it again? Hope no one's giving you much trouble," she said in an obvious attempt to avoid talking about a certain CEO.

"It's alright," Laurence answered, deciding to play along. "It's only been my third day, so I'm still having trouble with a couple of things, but Ms. Marian has been very patient with guiding me. Haven't really had the chance to get reacquainted with others. Ah, but I had an encounter with Warren on my first day."

Odessa jerked her head and revealed her wide eyes. "Oh, Warren."

"Has that guy always hated me?"

One side of the woman's mouth lifted, strained.

The melody filling the shop changed from piano to nature music—the steady burbles of the river and the chirps of birds with a flute piece in the background.

Odessa gave the impression that she could not be bothered answering Laurence's question as she drank her milk tea and continued eating her pinwheel sandwiches. She paused, stared blankly at her food, and then heaved an audible sigh.

"He's always been proud and often belittling of his other colleagues, but..." Odessa began in a quiet voice. She shrugged and went back to poking her salad, the fork producing tinkles as it tapped against the glass bowl. "Yeah, I guess he had been especially very critical of you. Always saying you were only in your position because your father pulled some strings in HR, and that you guys would do anything to suck up to the boss."

From his peripheral vision, Laurence saw the said boss pass by their table and behind him again, but he chose to focus on the person in front of him.

The information that Odessa had divulged about how Warren had treated Florence did not come as a surprise. However, the last part of the woman's statement only made Laurence itch to further probe on the subject that she decidedly wished to keep away from him.

Without taking his eyes off his coworker, he asked, "And what do you suppose he thought we were doing to suck up to the boss? Is it connected to the rumor going on about me and Mr. Ruiz?"

The clinking of tableware stopped as the woman stiffened.

"And what exactly is that rumor all about, anyway? Do you know, Odessa?"

"Better not to listen to those useless things, Rence."

"But I want to know about it," Laurence said, without missing a beat. "No, I just feel like I need to know about it."

Odessa switched to a firmer tone. "I don't really think it's a good idea."

"I understand you're just concerned about me, Odessa. And you might be worried that me learning about the rumor will trigger some unpleasant memory." Laurence held his female colleague's hard stare, his voice even more resolute. He broke eye contact, only to pick up the table knife that had been resting, untouched, beside his plate. He flipped it over, glowered at its blade, tried it on the clubhouse sandwich before eventually giving up on the unnecessary ceremonies of eating a mere snack. Replacing the knife next to the cut meal, he cast his determined gaze back at Odessa. "I'll tell you what, the truth is I feel like it's already impossible for me to get my memories back."

The woman knitted her brows but kept her tongue tied.

"Even with my mother's kindness or Warren's provocation, I can't relate at all. It's like I've become a completely different person since I woke up in the hospital. That's why, you have to believe that none of those rumors is going to really affect me either."

Laurence and Odessa lapsed into silence. Despite the bright weather outside, the patter of rainfall and the distant peals of thunder infused the air in the shop. A wind bell chimed once in a while, signaling the entrance and exit of customers.

Odessa averted her eyes before finally speaking again. "I don't really know the whole story, so I can only tell you the gist of everything I've overheard in the past months. That's, you and the CEO had an affair. That you managed to seduce Mr. Ruiz, and that you'd been sleeping with each other."

To a degree, Laurence had had the idea that the rumor would be something like that, so there was no reason for him to be shocked. And yet, the sudden heaviness of his chest was far from a reception he had expected from himself.

The disinterest Isaac Ruiz always showed during the few times they saw each other conjured up in Laurence's mind. He forced a mirthless smirk out of his lips.

If that bullshit is somehow true, then what's with that guy's reactions? Why's he acting like he could not give a rat's ass about it? he wondered, unsure if he felt bad for Florence. Or for himself.

Absentmindedly, Laurence grabbed the spoon. "I see," he said and started stirring the mushroom soup.