Dane
Iwas still a little surprised when Seth came out from behind the counter.
It wasn’t like he’d never left his post before. People took breaks, and people sat down. That was normal, reasonable, and very human behavior.
Still, something about seeing him step out from that familiar space, with no espresso machine between us, no stack of cups, no practiced rhythm of taking orders, honestly felt odd.
Like spotting a deer wandering into the middle of a parking lot.
He pulled out the chair across from me and sat, a little careful, like he wasn’t entirely sure he belonged there. Up close, without the counter as a buffer, I got a better look at him.
Seth had dark brown curls that refused to stay where they were told.
What struck me though were his warm, chocolate-brown eyes that always seemed focused, even when the café got chaotic.
There was something softer about him like this, though. Less composed, and more real. And yeah, okay. It didn’t hurt he was nice to look at.
That thought settled in my head a little too comfortably. I leaned back in my chair, one arm draped over the backrest, giving him space to talk. I knew the look.
The slight tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers tapped once against the table before going still. Someone gearing up to say something.
My wolf stirred, alert and interested. That alone should’ve been a warning.
While we sat there in that brief, stretched silence, something else caught my attention. His scent. I’d never really noticed it before, not like this.
Behind the counter, everything smelled like coffee, sugar, pastries.
A blur of overlapping scents that didn’t belong to any one person. But here, with him just a couple feet away, it separated.
Seth smelled of vanilla, coffee obviously, and something clean and warm underneath. Subtle enough that I couldn’t name it, only register it.
I found myself breathing a little deeper without meaning to. Focus, Dane.
Seth cleared his throat, dragging my attention back up to his face.
“So,” he said, like he was easing into cold water. “I’ve got this… thing.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds ominous,” I commented.
“It’s not,” he said quickly. “Well. Not really. It’s just, there’s a wedding.”
“A wedding,” I repeated, unsure where this was going.
He nodded, then immediately looked like he regretted starting there.
“It’s my ex’s wedding,” he added.
Ah, there it was. Maybe Seth really just needed someone to talk to.
I winced in sympathy before I could stop myself.
“That’s awkward,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said, letting out a small laugh that didn’t quite land. “A little.”
He leaned back, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
The movement lifted his sleeve just enough to show the line of his wrist, the tendons shifting under his skin. I noticed that too, which was new.
“Thing is,” he went on, “we didn’t end badly. We were friends before, and we kind of stayed in the same friend group after. So not going feels weird.”
“Ah, got it,” I said.
“Exactly,” he said, pointing at me like I’d just solved something important. “And I’m not trying to make a statement. I uh, accidentally mentioned that I have a boyfriend.”
I nodded, taking a sip of my drink, buying myself a second to think. It wasn’t a hard situation to imagine.
I’d been to enough pack events where I felt like the odd one out, standing there with a drink in hand while everyone else leaned into their other halves like it was second nature.
“Yeah,” I said. “I get that.”
His shoulders loosened a fraction, like that alone helped.
For a second, we just sat there again, the conversation hovering in that space where it could either drift off or sharpen into something else.
My wolf leaned forward. Here it comes.
Seth tapped his fingers against the table again, then stopped, like he caught himself.
“So random question,” he said.
There it was. I set my drink down and gave him my full attention.
“Shoot,” I told him, hoping I came off as encouraging.
Seth hesitated for a beat, but I definitely noticed it.
He was working up to something, circling it. Trying to make it sound casual before it left his mouth. Curiosity flickered through me, steady and bright.
Seth inhaled, then finally went for it.
“Would you maybe want to come with me?” he blurted. “As a favor. Like, just so I don’t have to deal with it alone.”
The words tumbled out fast, tripping over each other. His face heated up almost immediately after, a flush creeping up from his collar to his cheeks.
I stared at him, and not because of the question. It’s just I’d never seen him like this.
Behind the counter, Seth was composed and efficient. Seth was always calm in a way that made the whole place feel steadier.
But right now? He looked flustered, and honestly a little undone around the edges. And it was dangerously cute.
“You don’t have to stay long,” he added quickly, eyes darting away from mine. “Just, like, show up. Leave early. Totally fine.”
I realized, a second too late, that I hadn’t said anything yet. Because I’d been too busy noticing how his curls fell into his eyes when he looked down.
How the flush on his cheeks made his eyes seem darker. How his voice dipped just slightly when he got nervous. Huh.
Since when had I been paying attention to any of that?
“It’s totally fine if not,” Seth said suddenly, the words coming faster now, sharper. “I mean, I can just go by myself.”
Wait, why the sudden shift? Did I miss something? His shoulders pulled in, just a little.
It wasn’t obvious if you weren’t looking for it. His posture tightened, like he was bracing for something.
“I probably shouldn’t have asked,” he added, almost under his breath.
The disappointment was there. Subtle, but unmistakable.
And there was also something else. Seth had his defences up, as if he was already trying to protect himself from an answer I hadn’t even given yet.
I blinked. Why was he backpedaling so hard?
Seth pushed his chair back abruptly and stood, grabbing a rag from his apron. He wiped at the table in front of me, even though it was already clean.
“I don’t know why I—” he started, then cut himself off with a small shrug, eyes fixed anywhere but on me. “Forget it.”
He made a move to turn away.
“Seth, wait.” The words came out before I could think them through.
I reached out and caught his hand. For a second, everything narrowed down to that point of contact. His skin was warm. Softer than I expected, but not delicate.
There was a faint roughness along his fingers, probably from work. His pulse jumped under my thumb. Mine answered, just as fast. My wolf went still.
“Oh,” it said, in a tone I didn’t trust at all.
Seth froze. I realized I was still holding his hand. Right. Let go. For some reason, I didn’t though.
“I’ll go,” I said.
The words came out easy.
“I mean, yeah. Sure. If you want,” I blurted. I wanted to grimace.
Seth went completely still, eyes snapping back to mine. Those big, warm brown eyes widened slightly, like he was trying to figure out if he’d heard me right.
Like maybe I’d said something else and his brain had filled in the wrong answer. I felt heat crawl up the back of my neck.
Yeah. That had sounded over eager. Maybe a little desperate. Great.
“You don’t have to, seriously,” Seth said, recovering just enough to shake his head. “It’s really not a big deal. It’ll probably be boring.”
He was giving me an out. I tightened my grip on his hand just slightly before finally letting go.
“I don’t mind,” I said, faster this time, before he could talk himself out of it. “Got nothing else going on.”
That part wasn’t entirely a lie.
“Besides,” I added, leaning back like I hadn’t just volunteered myself at record speed, “it sounds fun. I’ve never played someone’s pretend date before.”
His mouth twitched, like he wasn’t sure whether to smile or question that.
“Right,” Seth said slowly. “Pretend date.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll try not to ruin your reputation.”
“I don’t think you could,” he said automatically, then blinked like he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
We both paused. Then, almost in unison, looked away.
“So,” Seth said, clearing his throat. “We should probably exchange numbers.”
“Probably,” I agreed.
I pulled my phone out and handed it to him.
Our fingers brushed again as he took it, lighter this time but no less noticeable. He turned slightly away as he typed, curls falling forward again.
I found myself watching his hands. He had long steady fingers. There was small ink smudge near the side of his index finger. A tattoo? A mark from a pen?
I wondered, briefly and completely out of nowhere, what it would feel like to hold that hand again. Not by accident or to prevent him from leaving.
Maybe we could hold hands at this wedding. It would sell the ‘pretend boyfriends’ thing better. My brain caught up to that thought about three seconds later. Wait. What was I thinking?
My wolf, traitor that it was, was very amused. I dragged a hand down my face.
Seth handed the phone back. “There.”
I glanced at the new contact, then back up at him.
“Text me the details.”
“I will,” he said quickly. “Yeah. I will. Thank you. Seriously.”
“You’ve said that,” I pointed out.
“I know, I just…” Seth cut himself off, huffing out a small laugh. “Thanks.”
Before I could respond, a voice called out from behind the counter. “Seth! I need you back here!”
He glanced over his shoulder, then back at me.
“I should get back to work,” he said.
“Yeah,” I said. “No problem.”
“Alright then,” Seth said.
He lingered for half a second, like he might say something else, then turned and headed back behind the counter. I watched him go.
He slipped right back into that familiar role, movements smooth, focused.
But there was a subtle difference now. It was as if I’d seen something I wasn’t supposed to see, and now I couldn’t unsee it.
I picked up my drink and took a slow sip. My wolf was still very pleased with itself, and I ignored him. Eventually, I stood, tossing the empty cup into the bin on my way out.