Seth #2
“And Gabby—my ex’s mom—she’s…” I hesitated, then shrugged like it didn’t matter as much as it did. “She’s really nice. She used to take care of me. She still does, I guess.”
My gaze dropped to the counter, suddenly very interested in nothing in particular.
I added, “And she’s getting older and I haven’t seen her in a while, so…”
Janine’s expression softened, but she didn’t push on that part. She just looked at me for a moment like she was deciding on something.
“Is it really just about that?” she asked quietly.
"Yeah. I guess. Maybe." I let out a short, humorless breath.
“Sure,” she said, like she didn’t buy it, but didn’t feel like arguing either.
“New plan,” she said after a beat. “You tell them you’re going to my wedding instead.”
“What wedding?”
“The one I’m apparently having,” she said, completely serious. “Same day. Very exclusive. You’re required to be there. ‘Sorry, I need to leave early. I have another wedding to get to.’”
I let out a real laugh this time.
“That’s… actually not terrible,” I said. “Except for the part where it makes zero sense.”
“Details,” Janine waved it off.
I shook my head, still smiling faintly.
“No, it’s fine. I dug this hole myself.” And apparently, I was fully committed to crawling deeper into it.
I bumped my hip lightly against hers in thanks. She bumped me right back.
I turned back to the counter, focusing on the pending orders. Anything to avoid thinking about what I’d just signed myself up for.
Going to my ex’s wedding was one thing. But showing up with a fake boyfriend? That was a whole different level of bad decision.
So I did what I always did when I didn’t want to think too hard about something. I worked.
We fell into an easy rhythm. Cups lined up, drinks called out, hands moving without needing much thought.
The noise of the café blessedly filled the space around us, like it could drown out everything else if I let it. For a little while, it helped.
“Hey,” Janine said after a bit, nudging my arm. “Maybe that’ll cheer you up.”
She tilted her head toward the street. I followed her gaze and immediately spotted a familiar truck pulling into a parking spot across the café.
The driver’s door opened, and Dane stepped out. He almost shut the door, then paused, like he’d forgotten something.
I watched as he patted down his jacket, then his jeans, frowning slightly before leaning back into the truck to grab whatever it was he’d left behind.
I caught myself biting back a smile. It was such a small thing. But it was also so him. And just like that, something in my chest eased a little.
Dane always made my day whenever he dropped by the cafe.
He laughed at my dumb jokes, actually laughed, and not just the polite kind people usually gave. He never got annoyed if I took a bit longer with his order.
Not that I really needed to. I had memorised it somewhere along the way without meaning to.
And he tipped very well. That definitely didn’t hurt. Also, he was nice to look at. Especially today. He was wearing my favorite pair of his jeans.
They weren’t tight or anything, just a normal straight cut. But they fit him in a way that made it hard not to notice.
They sat just right on his hips, pulling a little across his thighs and ass when he moved, the fabric worn soft in all the right places.
I dragged my attention back up, clearing my throat under my breath. Focus.
From the unhurried way he crossed the street, I could already tell he wasn’t in a rush. Staying in, then.
I reached for a ceramic mug instead of a takeaway cup, setting it on the counter before he even made it through the door.
He almost collided with someone on their way out, stopping short at the last second.
“Sorry,” he muttered, stepping aside.
His hand came up, dragging briefly through his hair as he moved past them.
That was when I caught the expression on his face. I knew that look. And I knew exactly what to do with it.
I swapped the mug for a tall glass and stepped up to the counter, smile already pulling into place.
“Iced green tea with passionfruit?” I asked. “Less sugar?”
Dane paused mid-step, his expression softening. Like I’d said the first right thing he’d heard all day.
I was already ringing it up, warmth settling low in my chest at getting his order right.
“Yeah,” he said, a hint of surprise in his voice. ““And, um…”
He glanced toward the display case.
“Sorry, we’re out of the frosted carrot cake muffins. Someone grabbed the last one earlier.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. Maybe that was too much.
Normal people didn’t keep track of other people’s snack habits like that. I braced for him to look at me weird. Instead, Dane just smiled.
“Just the iced tea, then,” he said.
“Got it.”
He reached into his wallet, pulled out his card and handed it to me. The machine beeped softly as the payment went through.
I handed it back, fingers brushing his for the briefest second.
It shouldn’t have been anything. It wasn’t anything. Yet…
“Thanks.”
“Yeah,” I replied, a little too quickly. “No problem.”
I stepped away from the register before I could overthink it, busying myself by preparing his drink right away. Still, my attention kept drifting.
Dane was standing on the other side of the counter, but he wasn’t really there.
His gaze was fixed somewhere past me, unfocused, like his mind had wandered off and forgotten to come back.
I wanted to ask what was wrong, which was new. I didn't usually do that with customers, especially not ones I barely knew.
But something about Dane made it harder to look away. The urge to ask lingered anyway, even though it felt like stepping over a line I wasn't sure I was allowed to cross.
My mouth moved anyway. “Rough day?”
He blinked, like he hadn’t expected to be pulled back into the moment, his gaze shifting to me.
Up close, I could see the tension around his eyes and the slight tightness in his jaw more clearly. Something in my chest pulled at the sight of it.
“It’s just…” Dane trailed off, chewing on the inside of his cheek like he was deciding whether this was worth saying out loud.
Then he gave a short, almost self-conscious laugh, like he’d decided not to care.
“My family’s been on my case lately,” he said. “About my dating life.”
I stilled, fingers tightening slightly around the spoon in my hand. “Oh?”
“They think I should stop messing around,” he went on, tone turning wry. “Settle down. You know. The usual, and—”
Liquid splashed against the rim, a few drops spilling onto my hand, but I barely registered it.
I just kept moving, finishing the drink on autopilot while the rest of his words blurred into background noise. For some reason, I didn't want to hear more.
Not about his dating life, or the people he went home with. Before the thought could settle, I shoved it aside and focused on the drink instead.
I grabbed a small tray, set the glass on it, then added a couple of napkins and a paper straw before sliding everything neatly across the counter toward him.
“Iced green tea with passionfruit,” I said, flashing him a smile that felt just a little tighter than usual.
Dane reached for the tray. “Thanks.”
Then he hesitated, just for a second. I frowned, wondering if I’d messed up his drink.
“And… thanks for listening,” he added.
“Oh. Yeah.” I shrugged lightly. “Anytime.”
He nodded, like that settled something, then turned and headed toward the back of the café. I watched him pick a table near a corner, a little more tucked away than the others.
After a moment, he reached into his jacket and pulled out an e-reader, settling back into his seat like he planned to stay a while.
My gaze lingered a second too long before I caught myself and turned away. There were still orders to fill, and a mess of my own making to deal with.
Guilt settled low in my chest. I hadn’t really listened, not properly at least.