“Not a date, date,” I corrected quickly.
“I mean, this wasn’t supposed to be anything. I was attempting to get coffee on my own when you intruded.”
He leaned back in his chair, entirely unbothered by the accusation, one arm resting along the back as though he had all the time in the world, which being immortal, I guess he did. As for me, every second I spent with him made me feel as if my own time was running out.
“Then I believe your memory to be flawed, as my understanding of events was that you were in the process of leaving this fine establishment… one that provided the morning sustenance you so urgently required,” he countered, pausing long enough to lean closer when reminding me of the excuse I had given him in the car. But instead of admitting the truth, I instead narrowed my eyes at him and asked,
“How do you know I wasn’t on my way to a different café?”
“A preferred one?” he prompted, amusement flickering faintly in his gaze, like he had already won this round.
“Yes,” I said with more confidence than I felt.
“And what is this establishment called?” he tested and damn it, my mind went completely blank!
“The… erm… Coffee House,” I offered lamely, resisting the urge to smack my forehead against the table. He paused, studying me as though I had just proposed a particularly bold marketing strategy.
“The Coffee House?” he repeated, and I swallowed hard before offering a high-pitched,
“Yes.”An answer that caused hislips to twitch in amusement.
“That is impressively vague,” he disputed, calling me out on my bullshit.
I huffed out a breath before admitting,
“Fine. You caught me.” I shrugged, and his amusement deepened rather than faded, the warmth in his eyes softening into something quieter, something that made the space between us feel less like a game and more like an understanding.
“But can you blame me? Intimidating, remember?” I added, quieter now, reminding him of our earlier conversation in the car. He regarded me carefully, the playful glint in his eyes fading into something far more perceptive.
“And now?” he asked, voice low and steady.
“Now…?” I repeated, not knowing how to answer him.
I glanced around the café again, this time taking in the soft pink and sage tones of the walls, the mismatched ceramic cups stacked behind the counter, and the fairy lights draped lazily across wooden beams overhead.
It was warm here. Gentle even. But more than anything else, it was entirely human. The kind of place where people caught up with friends and justified an expensive caffeine habit as being self-care.
And yet there he was, this masterful figure and powerful immortal who sat across from me now, like something carved from a different reality. This was the most human I had ever seen him. The laughter. The teasing. That almost-blush I swore I had glimpsed earlier.
“Well?” he prompted, clearly eager to know.
“Perhaps… perhaps not,” I said, allowing myself a faint smile. Yet I wondered if I had said the right thing when a thoughtful look crossed his face. But then I realized, after a moment, that it wasn’t wounded pride, nor was it arrogance, but more like quiet reflection.
“Then perhaps I’ll have to tone it down,” he said after a moment of silence.
“Tone it down?” I questioned with a frown.
“If it’s not getting me the desired result, I’m not above changing tactics,” he added calmly, and I shook my head faintly, half in disbelief and half in amusement.
Before I could think better of it, another question slipped from me without permission.
“Did you really pick me because you liked the campaign?” I asked, hating how vulnerable it sounded and instantly wishing I could have taken it back.
He seemed surprised by my question at first before leaning back slightly as the teasing edge quickly faded from his expression.
“You realize that I had that meeting arranged before you ever entered my club,” he stated calmly before continuing on.
“Before I knew who you were. When you were nothing more than a name attached to a proposal I intended to attend. Circumstances altered what came next, but had they not, you would have still delivered your presentation directly to me, and I would have selected your campaign all the same.” The way he spoke was so calm and certain that it made my cheeks warm. It didn’t sound like flattery, just fact, and that eased something in me I hadn’t known was tense.
