Austin Chant

Books: Romance | Queer

Coffee Boy (2016)

Kiernan doesn't like his food service job, but at least it pays the bills.

(M)anagers have never exactly declared him their favorite employee, but they do praise his attitude, which is funny because no one else ever has. And it's all because Kieran has never burst into tears over a customer screaming at him, never complained about kids spilling their soda all over the counter and all over his shoes, never had much of a reaction at all to customers getting up in his face and sneering sweetie, girl, bitch.

But he can't turn down an internship (even an unpaid one) when he was recommended for the job by one of his teachers.

Kieran's duties as "administrative intern" aren't extremely specific. They're more general, like, "Do everything that Marcus sucks at."

But Kiernan's biggest problem is that the most respectful person in the office is his uptight supervisor.

"He is great," Kieran mumbles. "That's the problem."

"Ohhh," Jillian says. "Kieran. Are you mad because he's cute?"

"Check, please"

Can we not?" That's all Kieran can muster, for a moment.

Seth pauses, staring at him, startled and expectant.

Kieran swallows and fumbles for politer words. "You know—like—if you get a splinter or something, it doesn't hurt until you fucking press on it?"

"Ah," Seth says.

It's not a bad story, but for some reasons I'd got it into my head this was an ace story, which it isn't. And I wasn't in the mood for boinking.

Rating: 6/10