'We'

Chapter Three

"So, do you give your phone number to all of the customers?"

The zip of Erik's hoodie was pulled as high as it would go.  Not that he was meaningfully defensive, he was just slightly guarded around this man. The brown uniform still adorned his body, and a smile was stretched across his face. Felix laughed before he replied.

"Just the good-looking ones," he replied, flashing Erik a flirtatious grin. For a moment, the other man's eyes widened in shock, but he decided to ignore the comment.

The cafe was still busy. A few days ago Erik had returned home to several missed calls and found it hard to believe that the stranger had bothered to call him back. Yet, here there were sitting in the cafe after Felix finished his shift. Erik shuffled uncomfortably. Before them, both sat a warm cup of apple tea.

Erik raised the drink to his lips, taking a sip carefully. He refused to take his eyes off of Felix, still slightly wary of his motives. The brown-haired man blinked at him in a friendly manner, and Erik slunk further behind the cup.

"I'm not going to eat you. You don't need to look so scared," he comforted sympathetically. Something burning in Felix's eye caught Erik's attention, but he couldn't pin down exactly what the emotion was. Maybe this man was laughing at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm not a very sociable person."

"You're an introvert - I get it. Don't make yourself uncomfortable. Would you prefer if I just talked?"

"No! I-" Erik shut his mouth, stumbling over his words. He examined Felix's face carefully, taking in every beautiful detail, before shaking his head. Why had he called this stranger beautiful?

Felix waited patiently, mouth closed in a smile. His eyes sparkled as he looks at the man opposite him gently, giving him time to compose his next sentence. A few moments of silence stretched between them.

"So, you work in a coffee shop?" Erik finally managed to ask, realising too late how stupid the question was. His cheeks flushed red, and Felix could not help letting slip a small laugh.

"Yes. I've worked here for a few years now."

"Years? So it's not just a temporary job?"

"I enjoy it here. And anyway, I mainly applied to make my dad mad."

"Why would you…?" Erik started but trailed off. Felix humoured him.

"He wanted me to be a surgeon. I wanted anything but."

"I see," Erik replied, trying to imagine the happy-go-lucky man sitting before him in a surgeon's robes. The picture would not quite for in his mind.

"Why did he want you to be a surgeon?"

Felix thought forgot a moment, pursing his lips in thought. Erik realised he may have stepped over the line; why would he want to retell his life's story to some stranger? He raised a hand to brush a black strand of hair from his eyes, distracting himself.

"Because my grades were good enough to become one, and because he was helped by a surgeon in the past."

"Oh," the man exclaimed. "Is he… alright?" Felix let out a small laugh.

"He's fine. Just confused if he thinks I want to cut people apart for a living." Erik allowed himself a small laugh, and Felix smiled brightly. "You relaxed a bit," he commented. "I'm glad."

Erik smiled again, raising his cup to take another sip. Felix mirrored him, and they settled back into comfortable silence for a moment. Erik was the first to break it, much to his own surprise.