Chapter Text
Do you believe in love at first sight ? Some will tell you that it obviously doesn’t exist, while others will share you their story. He was from the first category. How can you fall in love with someone you don’t even know ? He didn’t believe in this bullshit. Until the day it happened to him.
He worked as a waiter in a tea shop since a couple of months. The owner was one of the acquaintances of his father. He was wondering how the hell these two people met. He never saw someone as scary as this man. Yes, he was an old man, with a smile on his face almost all the time, but he always had shivers when he looked at him. Moreover, this old man moved without making a single sound, which surprised him a lot. How many times did he flinch when the old man just appeared next to him ? He was trying his best not to stick close to him, but it didn’t work out so well.
This day was like the others. The reception of customers and the service. Nothing out of ordinary. At the end of the day, he noticed a man enter the shop. He didn’t particulary paid attention to him and just saw his back. This man headed to a table at the corner.
Because he didn’t had anything to do right now, Cale went to him. He didn’t saw his face immediatly. His head was down to his bag, visibly containing a laptop.
"Hello" said Cale. "What would you like to order ?"
The man lifted his eyes to him. Cale froze a instant before regaigning his composture. At these times, he was quite proud of his capacity to hide his emotions easily. Someone else would’ve probably reacted. Be it by blushing or frozing longer.
Before him was a man of rare beauty. A dark skin, beautiful brown eyes and hair, sharp features and long eyelashes. His face must stir up jealousy in the others. Cale wasn’t really part of them. He wasn’t the type to be interested by others, except his family or friends. But here, it was really hard for him to take his eyes off of the man.
Since the time he worked here, he was sure of never seeing him. He knew most of the customers, even if he saw them once, be it in the shop or in the street. His memory was quite exceptional. He didn’t forget what he saw of heard.
After composing himself, he stayed expressionless, as always. He kept on looking at the handsome man in front of him, who was searching something on the menu.
"I will take the citrus fruits tea, please." replied the man.
Damn. Even his voice was great. Did he even have a fault ? It was the first time Cale was feeling this way. Even if he didn’t really know how to describe it. Admiration ? No, not quite. What then ?
Seeing the lack of reaction of the waiter, the man tilted his head to the side. Cale noticed it and straighten up himself, like nothing happened.
"Very well."
He nodded and turned around. What just happened ? He clearly wasn’t the type to react like this. Even less to froze in front of another person. It was a new experience for him. He couldn’t erase the face of this customer, a man he just saw for the first time.
His voice, the movment of his silky hair when he moved his head, of his long eyelashes when he blinked, and his smile. However, this smile seemed forced. It wasn’t his true smile. Nothing came from it. How did Cale noticed ? Simply because he was the same. He often smiled while using his glib-tongue to appear polite and please the others, or sometimes to scam people. He was pretty good in this field by the way.
He had the feeling that this man and him were similar on some points. He couldn’t affirm it, but that’s what his guts told him. The emotion he was feeling right now was maybe curiosity, because he never saw someone like this man.
At the counter, Ron, the owner, was looking at Cale of the corner of his eye, with a slight smile. At the moment, he was pretty surprised and amused. It was the first time he saw Cale this confused. Very few people would’ve noticed this change. His emotions were very rarely visible. He was always wearing a nonchalant expression and wasn’t particulary sociable. This job wasn’t really fitting for him, but it didn’t prevent him to be popular with the customers.
He was very handsome. A fine figure, a pale skin and beautiful red dark hair, which went down of his shoulders. He didn’t see the point of cutting them. He was pretty lazy and didn’t want to bother to go to the hairdresser.
Ron watched him coming closer and smiled at him, which caused some shivers to Cale. Why was this old man staring at him like that ? He informed him of the orders before going clean up a table. The more he kept his distances, the better.
While he was moving, Cale found himself staring at the man at the corner, and looked away immediatly. It really wasn’t in his habits to be this much interested in someone else. Certainly because of his curiosity toward the personality of this man. Yes, that must be it. His beauty must also be one of the factors but he didn’t want to admit it for the moment.
He tried to not think too much about it and brought the tea to him. In the mean time, the man took of his laptop and seemed to work.
"Here’s your tea." said Cale, the cup in hand.
"Thank you."
Ah, he couldn’t take off his eyes easily. Forcing himslef, he left, confused by his actions. At each of his movments, he glanced at the corner of the shop, which didn’t escape to Ron. Oh, how he was going to enjoy this situation.
After some time, Cale went back to the table where the man, who looked like he was hypnotizing him, was. His cup was empty.
"Would you like something else ?"
"The same tea, please."
It looks like the owner’s tea pleased him. Cale could admit that the teas served in this shop were all very good. He hardly tasted this quality elsewhere. The owner didn’t really fit, Cale wouldn’t even be surprised if he learned that this old man was an assassin, but he was good at brewing tea.
At the end of his second cup, the man went to the counter. Ron smiled at him.
"It is the first time I see you here, young man."
Slightly surpised, the man didn’t expect this kind of greeting. Neither did Cale, who just let the dishes behind the counter. A frown appeared on his face and he looked at Ron. Why was this old man acting like this ? He never did.
"I just move in." replied the man with a smile.
"Oh, I see. How was your tea ?"
"Delicious. I will come back."
At these words, Cale’s eyes opened slightly and his heart did a little flip. He was feeling… happy. What the hell ?
Ron looked at him furtively to see his reaction. Satisfied, he smiled and went back to the man in front of him. Of course, neither of these two young men noticed it.
"I am really glad to hear that, young man."
Cale didn’t pay attention at first, but this man was a little taller than him. Now that he was standing up, Cale could confirm that his musculature was quite well developped. He really seemed perfect. Cale wasn’t the only one to follow him with his eyes when he leaved the store. A part of the customers did too. Cale watched him leave, until he wasn’t in his field of vision anymore.
He get a hold of himslef, thinking that this feeling was just temporary. This kind of beauty stirred up curiosity, even with Cale.
But what he didn’t expect, was to have the face and the voice of this man in his mind all the damn night. And, fuck, the next days too.