Love, On Read (MxM)

Chapter 5: Bearer of Bad News

A/N: hope you enjoy <3 I love getting second hand embrassment from Ollie not catching hints, it's quite refreshing though. 

Ollie's POV

It was Friday afternoon, and I had let my guard down. My morning trip to the cafe had been uneventful, Haruto serving my cold brew before my one class I had. Haruto worked the full shift on Fridays, meaning I got to see him twice, once in the morning, and right after my photography class. Normally I'd stay till the end of his shift, or even until closing, depending who was working the closing shift. But of course, this was no normal Friday.

I should've seen it coming, given Haruto's cafe was one of four small mom-and-pop coffee shops in the vicinity of the college. But still I wondered how the fuck he knew I frequented this coffee shop was beyond me. I had just about reached the shop's door, when I heard his familiar voice call out.

"Oliver? Oliver Sullivan, it's you, right?"

Wishing someone would just wake me up from this nightmare, I slowly turned, to see the reason I dreaded this very Friday. Mason Collins, in the flesh.

I knew I should've stayed home, shouldn't have gone to Haruto's shop. But who could blame me, I got to stay at the shop the longest on Fridays, and have as many cold brew refills while Haruto was here.

Mason looked nearly the same as he did back then. His arms still as bulk as his football days, the same ridiculous hair. The only change really was his outfit. Most days, Mason had been wearing a jersey or his football merch for highschool, now he was wearing a crisp patterned buttoned shirt, one that seemed to fit his features for once.

"Oliver, please," Mason begged, as I set my bags down at my designated table. I ignored him, heading straight to the register line, spotting Haruto eyeing Mason curiously as he mixed a tea blend in the shaker. "I just want to talk."

"And?" I whirled around to glare at him. "I want my damn coffee, so leave me alone."

As Janice rang up my order without even having to ask what I was getting, Mason pulled his card from his pocket. "I'll pay for the damn coffee, just let me explain."

"I don't need your money, nor do I need your explanations for whatever it is you have to say to me, alright? You're a stranger to me, so leave me alone." I scoffed, walking toward the other counter. Haruto gave me a questioning look, but I shook my head. He got to work on my drink, as Mason followed me like a lost puppy, not even ordering anything.

"Ollie-"

"You don't get to call me that!" A few people turned our way, but I hadn't bothered. The baristas turned towards us, a couple patrons looking up from their laptops or phones. There was an awkward pause before I noticed Haruto holding my drink up.

"Ollie, I got your iced cold brew, with white mocha, and light ice," he called from behind the counter, staring straight at us. I ushered a thanks as Haruto's jaw tensed, sizing Mason up for his persistent harassing. "Let me know if you need anything else, or want a refill."

There was an edge in his tone of voice, one I only hoped Mason had caught on. Haruto was no stranger to chasing people like Mason out of the building. I just hoped Haruto didn't think of me as an ass for yelling like that, probably looking like a damn fool.

"Oliver, can you just give me like ten minutes?" He pleaded in a hushed tone as I walked back to my table. "Just ten minutes of your time. Then you can ignore me or whatever. Just hear me out?"

"Eight minutes," I told him, sliding into the booth. "Make it fast, Collins."

Mason looked away nervously, before pulling an envelope from his bag. He eased himself into the seat in front of me. "I know you probably won't like this, but I still wanted to give you this, from me. Not Benji."