Definitely, Maybe (Hetalia Fanfic)

Chapter Eight

"Sometimes, whenever I was off, I would go to a little Cafe near my apartment. It was small and quaint; people usually brought paperwork or their laptops to work since it was relaxing and had free internet access. I was only there since the coffee that the cafe makes were much better than the other places."

-

"Ahh. This is the life." Lovino sighed in content as he sat up on his bed. This was his off day, one of not many. He stretched his arms and yawned, looking out the window. The sky was a nice bright baby blue, the clouds looked all soft and fluffy like how pillows seem when someone fixed them for you. "No work, no stupid bosses, no idiotic people, no shitty co-workers..." He swung his feet off the bed and stood up, walking over to his closet to get ready for the day. "Just glorious time pampering myself and not dealing with anybody's shit today!"

He quickly changed out of his pj's and into normal clothes. "Now! Onto breakfast!" Lovino spoke his thoughts, he was feeling a little happier since he had nothing to do but go to the cafe. The Italian made his way over to the kitchen grabbing a bowl, his favorite type of cereal, a spoon and milk. He put all the items onto the table and made himself a bowl of cereal; nothing too hard, he didn't wanna eat too much since he was heading over to the cafe near his house and getting his usual coffee and bagel. Lovino ate as quickly as possible while he scrolled through his phone, looking at nothing in particular. Once finished, he slipped on his jacket and shoes before leaving the house.

The walk to the little cafe wasn't that long unless you counted the two flights of stairs Lovino had encountered. The brunette opened the door and stepped into the cozy cafe, breathing in its scent of freshly brewed coffee, baked pastries and bread that came out of the oven just a moment ago. Everything in the cafe was beautiful as always. The walls were painted a bright color that seemed to help his sour mood turn a little brighter. The couches and tables were like a match made in heaven; everything, even the people who were working or simply just there to hang out with their friends clicked, just like a puzzle.

Lovino walked over to the front of the cafe, ordering his coffee and bagel before paying the barista, waiting on the side for his order. He looked around the cafe until his eyes met with another pair of green eyes. These ones looked much darker... It reminded Lovino of a forest for some reason. He suddenly felt something inside his tummy. Oh god, Lovino thought and looked away, not the stupid sickness again. Once his order was ready, Lovino took it and turned to leave the cafe, but his legs thought otherwise. Lovino, even though he didn't want to, walked over to the mysterious forest green-eyed blond that sat near the window. "Uh, is this seat taken?"

"No, it isn't. You're welcome to sit down if you'd like." The blond, who had an accent Lovino couldn't pinpoint, said. "Grazie." The Italian sat down and cleared his throat. "I'm Lovino." He introduced, acting slightly nicer than usual. "Artie, Artie Kirkland." The man across, who Lovino now registered as Artie, introduced himself as well with a slight smile. "You don't sound like you're from around here..." Which earned a chuckle from Artier as he nodded. "You're absolutely correct. I'm from England... I'm visiting a friend of mine who lives here."

"I see," Lovino smiled and took a sip from his coffee. "I'm, originally, from Italy. We live in the same continent." He tried to keep the conversation rolling. Damn social skills being horrible. "Well, of course." Artie took a sip of his tea, keeping his small smile. "Isn't it a wonderful day?"

"It... It is, yeah..." Lovino rubbed his index finger against the cup of his coffee, distracting himself a little. He was interested, yes, but he needed to keep his mind a little occupied so he wouldn't start stuttering and making a fool out of himself. "I love it when it's all sunny and warm like this. It usually rains in England." The Italian let out a small chuckle, still rubbing his finger against the coffee cup. "I know someone in England, they always tell me how much it rains."

"Do you like the rain, Lovino?"

"Eh, a little...." He replied and looked up at Artie, his tummy getting all funny again. "I like how it helps my tomato plants grow, I like how it aids flowers to get its required nutrients. I also like how when I was a kid, my friend Alfred and I would splash in the puddles and make mud pies together." He smiled at the memory. "I guess I like the rain, that is when I'm with my best friend."

"I see." Artie took one last sip of his tea before placing it on its little saucer. "Well, I best be going now." He stood up and bowed his head a little to Lovino. "Goodbye, Lovino."

"Wait.." Lovino coughed and looked away. "When can I see you again?" Artie smiled and chuckled. "Tomorrow, here, at this cafe."

"Tomorrow. Alright, okay. Tomorrow then."

"I'll see you then." The Englishmen walked out of the cafe. Lovino let out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding in. "Well then... that could have gone better."

-- Definitely, Maybe --

"Lovinito!" Tonio poked Lovino, hoping to wake him up. "I know you're off and all, but you have to get up!"

"Fuck you. I don't have to!" Lovino grumbled, pulling his pillow over his head to drown out Tonio's annoying voice. It only made the Spaniard speak louder, making Lovino's head start to hurt. "But Lovinito! You told me you had to meet a friend over at your, and I quote, 'cafe that you, tomato bastard, can't ever go to'!" This made the Italian shoot out of bed and change quicker than ever. "Shit, fuck... Bye Espana!" He yelled before sprinting out the door.

Sprinting never was Lovino's thing When he made it to the cafe, he doubled over and gasped for air. "I should... have taken... PhysEd classes... more seriously." He said in between breaths. Lovino slowly walked into the cafe, tipsily making his way over to Artie's booth. "H-Hi..." The Italian greeted, still out of breath. Artie turned his head to face Lovino, holding in a laugh once he got a good look at him. "I'm guessing you slept in?"

"Something like that.." Lovino replied and sat down, holding a fist over his heart as he took deep breaths. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Late?" The Englishman shook his head and put down his tea cup. "No, I'm just early."

"I see.." Lovino nodded, his breathing now becoming normal. "So, anything new with you?" Artie thought for a moment. "I don't know, go sightseeing with my friend and then... well, I don't know..." The brunette nodded. "There's a lot of places to go sightseeing. I heard, from my childhood friend that if you look hard enough, you'll find adventure anywhere!"

"You sure talk about your childhood friend a lot," Artie commented with a smile. He played with the handle of his cup. "Oh, I'm sorry." Lovino apologized, his cheeks heating up a bit due to embarrassment. "I don't mean to, it's just... I miss him a lot." He heard the blond in front of him mumble something while smirking. What the hell is he thinking? Wondered Lovino as he watched Artie with a curious face. "Is something the matter."

"Ah, no, I was just thinking... Would you like to accompany me on a little... acquaintance get-together?"

"A what?"

"A get-together," Artie said a little clearer. "Let's do something together." Lovino felt as if there was going to be something other than just a simple 'get together'. "Uh, sure?" He accepted, still a little unsure. "Good." Artie took out a pen from his jacket pocket and handed it to Lovino. "Write down your number." Which the Italian quickly obeyed and wrote down his number on a napkin before he gave it to Artie. "I'll text you about it tonight."