“I apologized for that already.”
Urien held up his ruined shirt. “I need another one. Should we feel bad because we’ve been watching his cottage from the bushes?”
“We’re not mentioning that part.” Mabon pulled out his phone and checked the time again. They had two hours until Sam’s shift ended. “We meet him at the Daily Bean. We order coffee like normal people. We sit. We talk. We don’t order six drinks, we don’t tip forty-seven dollars, and we definitely don’t attempt to purchase anything except the coffee.”
Rux nodded. “Right. That will be us being normal.”
“We’ve never been normal,” Urien muttered.
“Then we’ll fake it.”
/~/~/~/~/
They arrived at the Daily Bean at exactly four-thirty, which meant they’d been parked down the street for twenty minutes debating who should open the door to the café first. Mabon won – he was their unofficialgroup leader, and that meant going first into risky situations.
The bell chimed as they entered, and Mabon’s heart stone blazed immediately because Sam stood near the counter, already off shift, wearing that same blue jumper, looking nervous and slightly overwhelmed. When their eyes met, Sam’s face went pink.
Behind the counter, a young woman with bright purple hair - Maya, Mabon’s dragon supplied helpfully, the friend who believed in soulmates - gave Sam the most exaggerated double thumbs up Mabon had ever witnessed.
Sam’s blush deepened to crimson.
“Hi,” Sam said.
Mabon’s brain stopped working.
Rux saved them. “Hi, we’re here for coffee, with you. Not separately, but together.”
“Very smooth,” Urien murmured.
Sam’s nervous expression cracked into a smile. “I’m glad you came.”
“Of course we came.” Mabon finally remembered how words worked. “We’ve been looking forward to this.”
“Since yesterday,” Rux added.
“Since before yesterday,” Urien corrected. “Since we first saw you.”
Sam ducked his head, adjusting his glasses. “That’s...really sweet, actually.”
Maya made a noise behind the counter that sounded suspiciously like a squeal. Mabon shot her a look, but she just grinned back, completely unrepentant, making elaborate kissy faces at Sam when he wasn’t looking. Dragons didn’t typically feel embarrassed, which meant Mabon had discovered a brand new emotion.
“Should we sit?” Sam gestured toward a corner table. “I already ordered. Thought it might be easier than...” He trailed off, glancing at Rux. “You know, the six coffee situation.”
Rux had the decency to look sheepish. “I told you, I panicked.”
“I noticed.”
They migrated toward the table in an awkward cluster, Mabon acutely aware of how all three of them probably looked like they were escorting Sam through enemy territory instead of across a coffee shop.
Sam slid into a chair. Mabon took the seat across from him. Rux and Urien flanked them, completing what probably looked like the world’s most intense coffee intervention.
“So,” Sam said.
“So,” Mabon echoed.
Silence stretched.
Maya appeared with a tray of drinks, setting them down with unnecessary flourish. “Four lattes. Extra foam on two. Enjoy your totally normal, not-at-all-unusual date.” She winked and disappeared before Mabon could respond.
