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Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd.
Three words compromised his name. Three rapid heartbeats would skip in Byleth’s chest whenever his presence invaded the room.
“Kiddo, do you have order 23 ready?” The voice of her father makes her heart stop almost, and also for her gaze to concentrate at the task on hand.
“Breve, 1/3 steamed milk and caramel spread over the milk foam.” She answers concise, her tone dull as Byleth’s attention fully concentrated on a corner of the small café. “Already took it to the table.” Her hands aimlessly drying a few cups that had no leftover water since ages ago.
Jeralt raises an eyebrow as he stares at his daughter, his hands working on cleaning one of the blender stations since closing time was near. “Are you done cleaning the dessert displays?” He prompts next.
“I cleaned the racks, and the glass was polished.” Another precise answer.
Jeralt shot her more questions, which ultimately always ended in ‘done’, ‘finished’, and ‘complete’.
Today was not particularly slow since the slight drizzle that blessed the city this evening attracted people like ants to sugar. Byleth is known to slack off whenever days were like this; and yet here she was, all goals completed and still with energy to do more.
The older man finally finishes with his task, giving his full attention to his daughter but also where her focus was implemented at the moment. A gruff chuckle escaped, finally understanding from where Byleth’s zealousness to do a proper job came from today.
A handsome blond was tuning the strings from his guitar carefully, his body resting over a tall stool that enhanced the length of his legs and the shape of his waist. The tenue light of his designed spot gave an air of mystery to his features, yet the warmth and mellow darkness that dwelled in his blue eyes made him appear approachable and understanding.
“You didn’t take your 20-minute break today,” Jeralt states. His eyes shunning with a warmth that matched his sly smile. “Take it now, I don’t want you nagging at me later that I’m exploiting you or something.”
“It’s fine. I want to stay here.” A quiet reply, her eyes meeting with his. “Please?” A soft plead.
Jeralt doesn’t fight her, letting his daughter hide in the counter a little more.
With her father no longer warmly pestering, she dwells in her thoughts once again.
On Tuesday, exactly one hour before closing, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd would enter the premises and break through walls she never had a clue were up. His smile would be warm and his tone always proper whenever he asked for a Red-Eye; his hands felt pleasantly cold against her warmer ones whenever he offered payment for his drink. The pleasant cologne that invaded his clothes always made her inhale longer than the ones she would usually take in his absence.
She would usually exhale a lot whenever he was present, or ‘sigh’ like her father calls it.
However, what kept Byleth enticed was his voice. It was calm and earnest when he spoke her name, yet it turned into blissful sultry tones and grave pitches when he sang romantic lyrics and sometimes verses; the romantic strings of his guitar only keeping her bewitched further.
She wasn’t the only one that reacted like this. The small crowd that the solitary guitarist attracted to the café at this time of night believed the same. Byleth’s stomach churned at the thought, her cheeks feeling warmer because of shyness and faint jealousy.
Today, Dimitri seemed a little more handsome than the previous time she saw him; though she thinks that every single week. She enjoyed the way his jeans held his frame, how his white turtleneck shirt and black jacket made his golden hair and pale features stand out.
“Won’t you come a little closer and let me whisper to you?”
His voice made her stop daydreaming, again. Dimitri’s gaze meets with hers, and that alone makes her legs wobble.
“Just let me sing to you.”
She nearly chokes on nothing as he kept singing, staring at her. He was looking at her, right? The tables in front of the little stage were so close to him, and absolutely no one except her father was in this area.
“To break me up night and day, and you can do what you like.”
Byleth is thankful that half her body hid behind the counter, or else he could probably see her feet twitching and her fingers fiddling with the ends of her apron. Sudden confidence burns in her chest, and a smile soon graces her features while her eyes go soft.
She catches how the blond seems to flinch and almost stutter. Byleth bites her bottom lip not to laugh since Dimitri hid his fault well to the peeving audience in front of him; not to her, however, she has seen him perform so many times now that she considers herself an expert in his mannerisms.
The sudden quirk in his lips makes her blush. His smile was always so charming and genuine, proper but so ever expressive. Byleth loved to see him like this.
Loved to see him in general.
It must be the lights near him, it must be the amount of coffee and sugar she inhales daily. There is no way his attention is fully for her. This must be a mirage.
However, it wasn’t.
Across the room and performing in a corner, Dimitri stared at Byleth intently even when she looked away; her attention now centered towards a couple that recently entered the shop and was planning to order something.
Byleth Eisner, two words compromised her name. A muse with soft mint hair and gorgeous emerald eyes that kept his chest warm and always made him return to this spot faithfully. Cajoled by her voice and mannerisms, he would never arrive late to perform; enjoying the small instances where they could chat away of diverse things when she wouldn’t be caught in her obligations.
Tuesdays always seemed to be the day of the week that brought her less work; however, the goddess was cruel to him today. Nothing but a simple greeting and a quick phrase of good wishes before he had to ready himself to perform; him being caught by the waiting crowd while she was beseeched to keep attending the awaiting line.
“She bites her bottom lip and draws you in…” He sang, his blues growing sharp as he observed the way her hands worked with a coffee presser. “Can the touch of her skin put your mind at ease?” He followed, his chest feeling warm and tight at the sight of her smile being offered to others.
He loved the way she cleaned her forehead with her sleeve, how she pushed back a mint lock behind her ear when she felt content or nervous. There were so many things he wished to observe and ask of her, but nervousness would always keep him quiet and closing hours would crawl among them; a sense of defeat always sitting upon his tongue since it meant another week where he couldn’t muster a question to Byleth.
Are you free? He thought. Would you give me the honor of sharing a cup of coffee with me?
“What if she wants you? What if she needs you?” He voices again. “When her walls fall down you know your mind is free...” His song ends, and also the given time he has to perform in the café. Applauses and praise fly around to congratulate for another wonderful night, though what makes his nerves spark is the sight of Byleth staring intently at him.
Dimitri’s mind seems to be full of clouds and thunderstorms when he can no longer hide in his small stage. With a quick flick, he turns off the corner’s lighting, putting away his guitar before he nervously stumbles towards Byleth.
Before he could voice another word, she offers a cup of chamomile tea with a few droplets of lemon and honey to him. He usually asks this before leaving the shop, for the tea to be given to him with no prompt like this made his ears flare pink.
“Your throat sounded a little strained today.” She explains as he sits on one of the tall stools near the counter. “You better not be overworking yourself again.” She sweetly chides. “We wouldn’t want you to stop visiting us if you were to fall ill.”
Dimitri finds his voice completely gone at the moment. Somehow, he always forgot how open and straight forward Byleth could be whenever there weren’t too many clients around.
However, that meant that he was a special case, and that made him feel thrilled. “I must have seemed a little pathetic on stage then.” He smiles, bringing the warm drink to his lips to give some relief to his throat but also steel himself with courage.
“A little, yeah.” She teases.
Dimitri thanked the heavens he didn’t spit out the tea.
He still choked on it, however.
Byleth’s eyebrows soon furrow at hearing him cough, quickly offering some napkins to him while clear worry reflected in her eyes. “Are you all right? Do you want me to bring you some water?” Her tone almost apologetic, though Dimitri waving her off brought relief. “I’m sorry, did I place too much lemon?”
“N—No, the tea is perfect. Like always.” He praises and reassures when he isn’t heaving anymore.
“I’m sorry, I had forgotten my place. You’re my dear customer, I didn’t mean to tease you.” She apologizes, in her mind, all gears were working rapidly while sparks flew all around.
“Please refrain from calling me that. There’s a reason we exchanged names.” He almost begged, disliking hearing that disappointed tone in her voice.
That makes her smile, and almost laugh if she still didn’t feel a little guilty. “I believed we exchanged names because you rented a spot here and because I wear a tag on my chest.” Her tone was even and neutral.
“Excuse me!”
A girl calling her over made both of them face that way. Soon enough, Byleth was once again engulfed by her duties; picking up empty cups and giving farewells to the last clients of the day. Almost immediately, she turned the sign over the door from OPEN to CLOSED; trying to keep her feet from skipping when she could return to the counter.
There, one last empty cup waited for her; but also, what seemed to be a very determined Dimitri.
“I…should probably leave as well. I don’t wish for people to assume that the shop is still open with me being here.” He cleared his throat. His hands soon searched for his wallet, but Byleth caught his attention with a cute noise that seemed to disapprove of his actions.
“It’s on the house tonight.” She offered, soon following with praise. “Good job today.”
Dimitri’s cheeks felt warm again, unable to hold in a smile and a soft chuckle from escaping. “Now that’s a lark. I cannot accept your kindness.” He shook his head, his soft locks following the motion. “Please, allow me to pay.”
“I already made the total tonnage for today. Even if I wished to accept your cash, I can’t.”
Dimitri searched for the tipping cup next, but he noticed that it was missing. That only made his smile brighter. “I see…” He mumbles, staring intently at Byleth for a few moments while courage takes root at his feet.
“Pardon, but do you have any plans for tonight?” He asked, soft and shy.
She stares at him in awe for a moment, color quickly crawling to her face while warmth pools in her stomach again. Oh no, this sensation. It’s a little overwhelming.
“She’s free! Don’t let her tell you otherwise!” Jeralt’s shouts coming from the back room makes all tension and nervousness dissolve, however.
Byleth finally smiles, playing with the ends of her apron. She would hide her father’s beers later. “Do you…” A brief sigh “have something in mind?”
“I was….” He hesitates too, now that he thinks about it. Asking her out for some coffee was a moronic mistake. She works in a coffee shop; surely, the least she wishes to be surrounded by are expresso machines and dairy products.
Byleth’s short breathless laugh makes him flinch, his cheeks soon flaring with color when one of her hands meets his.
“Do you like pizza?” She asks, both of them sharing a smile.