The coffee shop is warm and smells amazing when I walk in. Tyler and Nasir are laughing at something and Austin is on the coffee side. His boyfriend, Remington, is standing on the outside of the counter. They look like they're in the middle of a serious conversation. I hang my jacket on one of the hooks outside of the storage closet and grab an apron. They're a light brown and hide any coffee stains, which is a bonus. I do my best to not get messy, but when we get busy, things splash.
"Hey, Orion!" Austin turns to me and offers a smile. I return it easily. We have about five minutes before we unlock the doors.
"Hey, Boss Man. Hey, Boss Man's boyfriend." I move to the register and clock myself in.
"As much as I hate you calling me Boss Man, I love hearing the word boyfriend." I glance over and see Austin making heart eyes at Remington. He's here most mornings, dropping Austin off for work. He hangs around for a cup of coffee before heading to his job. "We have the group coming in today, so I'll jump over and help you with their drinks in a bit. Until then, I need to shove this one out the door and get some paperwork done. Let me know if you need anything."
I'm getting the hang of the drinks for regulars. The group that comes in on Thursdays was overwhelming at first, but after the third week I started getting used to it. Once I learned enough to make two drinks at a time, their waiting cut down drastically. I start running a check to make sure everything is stocked.
"Hey, Remington." A deep voice cuts through my mental checklist. I glance up to see who else has come in before we're open. My hands freeze and I know my mouth is open, all but gawking at Garrett. I take in his appearance. His brown eyes, high cheek bones, full lips. His beard is thick and no longer than the two inches it was last time I saw him. He must keep it like that intentionally. Broad shoulders and muscles are hidden under a suit jacket and tie. When I look back up at him, there's recognition in his eyes. "Orion, right?"
"Uh, yeah. Hi." I don't know what to do or say.
"You two know each other?" Austin asks. His eyes are wide and I can see an almost childlike excitement in them.
"We've met," Garrett says simply. "Couple weeks ago, actually."
I'm grateful that he doesn't give more information. The last thing I need is for my boss to know that I was at a kink club, much less a room for age regression. I might have been looking up things online about it; purely out of curiosity. There's quite a community for it.
"That's awesome," Austin says. I see Remington give Garrett a look. One that says 'We're talking about this'. I'm sure Garrett has told him all about the guy that he took home but fell asleep.
"I'll see you after work, okay?" Remington reaches across the counter and takes Austin's hand, squeezing it. "Be good today. I love you."
"I love you, too." Austin's cheeks are tinged pink and I finally go back to working. I actively avoid Garrett's look, his body, as all three walk to the main doors and Austin unlocks them. What kind of small world in a big city is this that Austin and Remington know Garrett, the one person I made a fool of myself in front of?
There are customers coming in right away, which keeps Austin from asking any follow up questions. I greet the customers with a smile and take their money one-by-one. As promised, right at nine, Austin comes up and helps me with the group of twelve nurses that come in together. I make small talk with each of them as I punch in their orders. One, Brandt Tetherly, has a ham and cheese croissant in his hand. I have a sneaking suspicion that he likes either Tyler or Nasir. He's the only one out of their group that heads straight for the food before getting coffee. He's also always raving on how good the sandwich is.
It isn't until nearly noon that we start to slow down today. When I clock out for my break, Austin is the one to ring me up for my food.
"Do you mind if I join you for your lunch?" Austin asks. I'm taken aback for a second but agree, not sure why. It can't be work related if he wants to talk while I'm not clocked in. As we take our food to the furthest table in the corner of the seating area, I have a sinking feeling he's going to ask about Garrett. My suspicion is proven right before I can even take the first bite of my own meal.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Austin starts. Which is never a good start to a conversation. It's leeway into an uncomfortable question. "But can I ask how you know Garrett?"
"I don't really know him," I say lowly. "We met a couple of weeks ago… At a place."
"Was it at a club?" The question throws me for a loop. How does Austin, of all people, know about the club? He's so… My boss. He's a manager. If Austin knows about the club and is familiar with Garrett, then he probably knows what Garrett does there. My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I want to lie. But I've also been wanting to talk to someone. Maybe not about all the questions I have, but… some things.
"I had a couple of drinks there back before Thanksgiving. Before getting this job, actually. I met him, we talked a bit, and then I went home with him. Nothing happened, though. I just slept and then went home the next day."
"Please don't take what I'm about to ask the wrong way," Austin says. Again, not a good sign, but I wait him out. I take a bite of my food while his mouth does the fish motion of trying to find the right words. "Remington told me that Garrett was talking to someone in the Dreamland room at the club a while ago. Was that you?"
If Dreamland is the name of the room I stumbled upon, then yeah, it was. I chew far more thoroughly than I normally would have. I don't say anything, but just nod. The excitement I see cross Austin's face is not what I was expecting. I don't know what I was expecting, honestly, but happiness wasn't it.
"Are you… I mean, do you… Regress?" Austin stumbles over his words. If I hadn't done all the searching on my phone— which was definitely a small luxury I upgraded with my paycheck– I wouldn’t know what he meant by regress. But I do and the way he’s looking, waiting for me to respond, gives me another puzzle piece to why he’s asking this.
"No," I say simply. "I just stumbled upon that room that night. Has he talked about me? How do you know this?"
"Oh, I'm sorry." I know my tone was more judgey than I intended. I've lived on my own long enough. I'm independent, always have been. Always will be. I don't need someone to take care of me. Not like that. I've been on my own since seventeen; I'm doing fine. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. I'll… Let you finish your lunch. Sorry. Again."
I drop my sandwich and hold out a hand to stop him. He turns his face away but doesn't move another step. "I'm sorry, Austin. It's just not something I'm into."
A thought crosses my mind. The excitement he had earlier when he realized Garrett knew me. Him coming over to talk. Was he one that regressed? I just shoved my foot so far in my mouth I can feel the weight of it in my stomach. "I didn't mean—"
"It's fine," Austin says. I can hear the emotion in his voice even though I can't see his face. "Just please don't repeat any of this."
"I won't," I promise.
I look down at my food as he walks away, having no appetite after practically shaming Austin— my boss— for something he does. I don't know how to make it right, though. Do I just apologize or talk to him more? Ask him about it? I mean, it isn't that I'm not, not into it. I did just spend my money on a Ninja Turtles blanket, but that's because I loved the Ninja Turtles growing up…
