Violet Crazy

Chapter II: The Muse of the Id

Xavier yawned as he pulled over to Talion Cafe, the meeting place that Daniel had texted him earlier in the morning. He took a look at himself—his messy hair covering his barely open amber eyes, and the loose beige sweater paired with jeans that fit a little too well. Unfortunately for him, Eli kept his promise and kept him up until two in the morning. He forced a wry smile, the events of last night coupled with his sleep deprivation making his head spin.

"You look amazing," Eli sarcastically commented from the backseat. Despite not being visible to anyone else, Eli decided to put on something nice for the occasion, donning a white fitted button-down and a black chino.

"I'm lucky we didn't crash," Xavier said flatly, lazily combing his hair with his fingers. He was too fatigued to deal with Eli's taunting. "Thanks, Eli."

"Don't switch up on me like that. You enjoyed the images of Daniel I put in your head, didn't you? Enjoyed it so much that you started—"

Xavier quickly opened the car door and stepped out before Eli could say anything more. A waitress greeted him in the cafe and led him to a reserved seat. To Xavier's dismay, he was the first to arrive. He flopped onto the cushioned seat and stared outside the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Daniel as he arrived.

Seven minutes pass and Xavier still hasn't caught a glimpse of the man. He kept his eyes glued outside for another minute, but all he saw were strangers. He sighed, disheartened, and pulled out his phone to text Daniel, when the sound of a throat being cleared caught his attention.

"You okay?"

Xavier straightened up in his seat and felt his pulse skyrocket at the sound of Daniel's voice. He turned to his left and, to his surprise, Daniel was already sitting at their table.

"How long have you been here?" Xavier asked, his voice slightly trembling as he recovered from his initial shock. He tried not to stare too long at the denim jacket overtop a compression shirt that Daniel was wearing.

"Three minutes," Daniel replied, resting his chin on his hands. "I thought you were thinking about something, so I didn't wanna bother you."

Xavier felt his stomach shift when he met Daniel's slightly concerned gaze. There was something in the way the man's dark brown eyes looked up at him so softly.

"I was waiting for you," he said, looking down at his hands.

As Daniel had said in his note, he started stuttering as his cheeks were painted with a bright pink. "Oh, well, I'm here now!"

"Want a glass of wine?" Xavier teased.

Daniel quickly shook his head. "No thanks, I'm good. Should we order now, though?"

Xavier patted his stomach thoughtfully. "I'm honestly not that hungry. I don't usually eat until two in the afternoon..."

Daniel's head dropped in a way that Xavier could visualize floppy dog ears drooping on top of it. "You should've told me."

Xavier frowned and bent down to match Daniel's defeated posture. "Hey, I didn't say I wouldn't eat at all. If you want to order something for me, go ahead. I won't waste your money."

Daniel looked up and smiled so brightly that Xavier could picture a tail wagging behind him as well. "Well, what do you want then?"

Xavier's stomach felt queasy as if protesting its broken routine, but he knew he couldn't bear to disappoint Daniel. "An iced americano would be nice. That's all I want."

"Okay, I'll be back!" Daniel said, his chair screeching loudly as he stood up. Xavier noticed how he wasn't stuttering anymore, and he was glad that he was able to make Daniel comfortable.