"Why has my neck been so sore since this morning?"
He Ao set down his cup of coffee and looked at the two young people chatting beside him.
The slender girl held her neck and went on, "Did I sleep on it wrong?"
"You've been playing on your phone too much," the boy said with a glance at her, smiling.
"You're the one who's been playing on your phone too much." The girl rolled her eyes at him, made a fist, and tapped her neck.
"Let me massage it for you." The boy came over, placed his hands on her shoulders, and applied a little pressure.
"Ah—hiss—" The girl sucked in a cold breath. "Why are you pressing so hard? Have you been unhappy with me for ages?"
"Heh, if I don't use enough strength, it won't work." The boy chuckled as he pressed his fingers down, eased up a little, and began kneading. As he did, he sighed and said, "Why does my neck kind of hurt too?"
"I think you're just feeling itchy because you saw someone else scratching," the girl said, rolling her eyes.
"062, your iced Americano and cappuccino are ready," the counter called.
"All right, all right." The girl grabbed the boy's hand. "I'm going to get the coffee. I'll massage yours when I come back, okay?"
"Then I'll be waiting." The boy grinned and sat back down in his chair, raising a hand to rub his neck.
The girl got up and walked toward the counter.
"How long has your neck been hurting?" He Ao carried his coffee over, sat down across from the boy, and asked.
The boy looked up at He Ao and froze slightly. He answered naturally, "I don't know. It started hurting a little after I got off the night