Melting the Devil

A Glimpse

Update ;)

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Cantaloupe doesn't know what he was expecting to find at the address Tin left him.

Okay, no, that's not true—he actually knew what he was expecting: a coffee shop. Or a café or a restaurant of some sort, since Tin said they were going to have coffee.

He certainly was not expecting a deserted vacant commercial space in the middle of downtown Thailand.

Its whole front wall is made of glass, so Cantaloupe can just see inside as he approaches, but from his vantage point, the space looks completely bare; all he sees are stripped concrete walls and a few wires dangling from the ceiling. He's still standing on the opposite side of the road, idly wondering if Tin is really coming or if he's somehow been lured here by an axe murderer and he's about to face an untimely death, when Tin suddenly appears right outside of the space, holding two coffee cups with a smile that immediately brightens when he spots Cantaloupe. It's been a few weeks since they got together, but he still gets a full body thrill whenever Tin smiles at him like that.

"Are you going to kill me?" Cantaloupe demands once he's crossed the street and after accepting a quick kiss for his troubles. "Is there an axe murderer waiting inside for me?"

Tin laughs, raising both coffee cups in surrender. "Damn. Got me there." He holds one out to Cantaloupe. "Here."

Cantaloupe eyes him suspiciously as he takes the proffered coffee and sniffs at it. His eyes widen when he recognizes the smell. "How did you get a PSL in the middle of July?!" He takes a big gulp of it immediately, savoring the taste.

"I have my ways," Tin says with a cheeky wink. He holds his free hand out to Cantaloupe. "Let's go meet that axe murderer, eh?"

Cantaloupe huffs but takes Tin's hand anyway, following him inside.

The door is already open when Tin pushes it, and Cantaloupe realizes he was terribly wrong about being able to see inside through the glass because he hadn't spotted the single table and two chairs set up in the center. He looks around, equal parts suspicious and curious about what they're doing here, as he catalogues the high ceiling and the spacious counter. It's a nice open space with tons of natural lighting, giving it a touch of warmth even though everything around him is gray. He wonders if Tin's somehow going to rope him into some kind of construction project? But why would he even ask him for help with something like that?

Oblivious to Cantaloupe's internal monologue, Tin leads him to the table, pulling out a chair for him to sit on, all while Cantaloupe squints at him.

"What's going on?" Cantaloupe asks when Tin's finally seated. He puts down his coffee and takes in the spread of pastries in front of him—scones, croissants, muffins—before looking back up at Tin, who's still smiling at him.

"Figured I might give you a glimpse of what eating at your own bakery-slash-café would be like," Tin says, his eyes flicking around the room like it's supposed to mean something. "I mean, your food will obviously be better, I just picked these up at Nona's for props, but..." He shrugs. "Close enough, right?"

Cantaloupe squints at him. "I don't understand."

Tin sighs, running a hand through his hair. It's a nervous tic that Cantaloupe recognizes immediately. "It's yours, Cantaloupe. If you want it. This space is yours."

Cantaloupe's mouth falls open on its own accord. "Wait, what? What do you mean, it's mine? You didn't—" He's immediately horrified at the thought that pops in his head. "You didn't buy this space for me, did you? Oh my god!" No matter how much he loves Tin, he doesn't want to feel indebted to him about this forever. Not to mention how mortified he would be if people found out—like some sort of nepotism or something?! There was no way he would ever accept that!