“You’re on a first-name basis with the owner?”
Nate didn’t bother replying, giving him his back so he could start work on the coffee order. Back in high school, he’d worked part-time at a different Velvet Brew after school and over the summers. Though the machinery had improved and there were different specials on the menu, it’d come back to him fairly quickly during his brief training with Jones earlier that day.
Arlet laughed uncomfortably. “They’re just friends. Tell him, Nate.” She moved up to his side and bumped her shoulder against his, turning so she could speak to him from the corner of her mouth. “Seriously, you aren’t this obtuse, are you? He’s a Devil of Vitality. You want to get Jones in trouble because of your little lover's spat?”
Nate sucked in a breath, his hands stilling. Nothing had happened to any of his coworkers at Quartet Air—he’d heard as much from Annya—so it hadn’t even occurred to him to worry for Jones’ safety.
Which was practically unheard of for him.
All he ever did was overthink how he could become a burden to those around him, and yet here he was, spouting off Jones’ name like it was nothing. Since when was he that careless? That selfish?
He finished the coffee quickly and brought it back over, nervously smoothing his palms down the front of the apron. “Can we please not do this here?”
Kazimir took the drink and sipped, watching him over the plastic top. “You sound apprehensive, Pretty Boy.”
“I just don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.”
“Who’s been hurt? I haven’t touched a soul. Just you, Nate. I’ll be satisfied with just you, you’re the one making things difficult.”
“I don’t want to do this,” he reiterated, glancing at Arlet, who was pretending not to be paying them any mind and failing at it.
“Give me a good reason.”
“Because I don’t like you.”
Arlet gasped and then spun in a circle, catching sight of the door that led into the back where they baked the goods. “I’ll be back there. Doing work. Work stuff. Back there. Behind that thick door no one can hear through. Yeah.”
“You scared her,” Kazimir said the moment the door slammed shut behind Arlet. There were two customers still in the shop, but the space was large enough that they were spread out and paying neither of them any attention.
“Idid?” Nate asked incredulously. “She left because she was afraid you’re going to do something.”
“I am,” he countered. “But the only reason for it is because you’ve pushed me.”
“That’s bullshit.” Nate slammed his hands down on the counter between them, his irritation returning. It seemed his usual state of being, the one that bent over backward to dodamage control and protect those around him was also in hiding whenever Kazimir was around. “Can you just take responsibility for your own actions for once?”
“Can you?”
Nate let out a frustrated sound and then opened his mouth to argue further when his multi-slate dinged, stopping him from most likely making a mistake. He swore and then turned it to check the screen, pausing when he read the name flashing over it in yellow neon letters. “I have to take this.”
Kazimir was silent, and when Nate glanced back up it was to find he was also looking at the device. He only snapped out of it once Nate pulled it away, then he took his coffee and shrugged. “You do that, Narek.”
He hesitated.
“I’ll see you later.” Kaz left, just like that.
For a moment, Nate stared after him, completely baffled by his sudden shift in mood, but then the device stopped and started up again and he snapped out of it and answered the call. “Hey, Port, where have you been?”
His friend had been missing for a while now, though he’d apparently called in to quit his job. When Annya had gone by his place a couple of weeks ago, no one had been there. It’d looked a lot like their coworker had just vanished into the void.
“Nate,” he sounded out of breath on the other end of the line, “are you home?”
“No. What’s wrong?”
Port cursed. “It’s freezing out here.”
“Out…Are you at my place right now?”
“Yes. When are you coming?”
