Work Text:
Unpacked my clothes? Check.
Stocked the fridge? Kinda.
Built my bed, bookshelf, and all the other furniture pieces? Ehh…nope. I’ll do it later. Tonight. no, tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow sounds good.
Moving into your new city apartment was definitely an experience. One that involved climbing four flights of stairs, because of course the elevator was broken the day you moved in. And having to give your best smile to the movers so they can arrange and rearrange the heavy furniture that you brought with you from your old house.
You missed it all. Your old home. Quaint, quiet, in a small town. The smell of the fresh greenery of the forest that surrounded you for miles and miles. Your family.
Your heart aches at the thought of your old life. The routine, the familiarity of it all. And now moving to the city, for your big girl job. A hotshot city girl, your dad used to joke around. They were all so happy for you. So proud. Graduating college and getting a job five hours away, to work amongst the tall skyscrapers and bustling town.
God, why do I feel like an imposter? This all seemed too good to be true.
You were lucky enough to have some good friends from college who lived in the city. Lucky to find an apartment close to your work. Lucky, lucky, lucky.
Maybe it was just the nerves of it all. The change of scenery. The unfamiliar terrain of city life. Yeah, you visited the city while in college, where you spent time with friends, exploring the city. But that was it. Exploring. Visiting. You were used to small-town life. Where the shopkeepers knew your dad, his dad, your second cousin, and your cousin's cousin. Where you could count on your fingers, the number of grocery stores, restaurants, and mom-and-pop shops.
A small-town girl living in a big city. That was the goal. Throughout college, you wanted to work with a big team. Walk around, anonymous. Be able to go to the pharmacy and not have the pharmacist eye you down knowingly when you stack chocolates and pads on the counter.
This was definitely luck, but something you were so fortunate to have gained. A new experience to write home about. New things to learn. New people to meet.
Sighing, you look around your new apartment, with boxes stacked upon the next, calling your name to be unpacked. It was 2 p.m., and you were tired. Having driven through the night yesterday to get here, and unpacking all morning, it was a lot. But you had plans today, to meet up with one of your college friends who lived in the city, Omera.
You and Omera clicked the first day you met her in your statistics class during your freshman year of college. Both of you groaning to each other about how much you both sucked at math. And look at her now. An accountant. Oh, the irony. Laughing to yourself, you reply to her text that says she’s waiting for you downstairs in the lobby.
You quickly change into the first pair of jeans and sweater you find in one of the gazillion boxes in your room, grab your purse, and head out the door, greeting her as you reach the bottom of the stairs five minutes later. Huffing and puffing, you grin widely at your friend, cheeks red from dashing down the four flights. “Omera! I missed you!” Omera smiles and gives you a big hug. Both of you laughing at your disheveled state.
“You look like you’ve just run a marathon, and then a 5k all in one” she grins, teasing you. You push her playfully. “Hey! Those stairs are out to get me. I swear they broke the elevator just because they wanted to see me suffer”, you say, turning around and narrowing your eyes at the evil staircase.
Omera rolls her eyes and laughs. “Well, my love, we’re gonna have to do some more walking” Omera looks at you, smiling. You groan in fake annoyance, “Great…I’m being tortured again. So, what's the plan for today?”, you say as both of you head out the revolving door, waving bye to the doorman.
“City tour. All my favorite places. Which will obviously become your favorite too”, she grins at you. Then raises a brow. “But looking at your expression, I can see that you’re in desperate need of caffeine”, she looks at you knowingly, nudging you. You laugh and nod, “You know me so well”. She laughs at that. “Of course I do. So, first stop. Coffee! At the best café in the city. And I know the owners. He and his partner have been running the coffee shop for about five years now. Their coffee and pastries are amazing”.
“Hey, no need to convince me. I’m already down” You look at her as she pulls your hand, guiding you towards the café. Ten minutes into your torturous walk, you finally reach the café.
Café Brown Eyes. Huh. Cute name.
The doorbell chimes above you, as you guys walk in, Omera tugging on your hands, clearly excited. Smiling at her excitement, you take in the café.
Wow.
Back home, your coffee shops weren't really coffee shops. They were mainly small coffee stations located in the back of the gas stations. Cheap, yeah, but it tasted fine, you guessed. You never understood the obsession with fancy lattes and coffees. To you, coffee was just…well, coffee. Probably because you never tried nice, fancy lattes, but it did intrigue you. You wanted to see what all the excitement was all about.
Your eyes take note of every detail in the cafe. It was absolutely beautiful. Big, giant windows, surrounded by fresh potted plants. Small vases filled with bright-colored flowers adorned every single table. It was quiet, but there were a few people working on their computers and reading while soft, calming music played in the background. The white walls were filled with pictures. Varying pictures of pastries, coffee, and, family pictures? You move closer to the one right next to you, looking at it.
In the picture, there was a cute little boy, wearing a green hat with big brown eyes, smiling up into the camera. A man, and a handsome one at that, with the same brown eyes, and scruffy brown hair holding him up, next to another big bald guy, smiling wide at the camera. Cute. A family-owned joint. Oh! Probably the owners. Didn’t Omera say that the owner and his partner ran the café together? A cute couple, you thought. Too bad the handsome one was taken.
“Okay, so I usually order the pistachio cream latte. It is to DIE for. But, they have a bunch of other fun options to try too!” Omera gestured at the large menu board behind the counter, where a woman was fulfilling the coffee orders. You squint your eyes, reading over all the choices. It all sounded so good. So different from what you normally always had: An iced coffee with milk and sugar. Biting your lip in concentration, or really, because you’re so overwhelmed by the choices, you try to figure out your order.
“Fennec! Hey! How are you doing?”, you look down from the menu at the sound of your friend's voice and see the woman who was fixing up the coffee orders, smiling at Omera in greeting. “Omera! Lovely to see you again. Want the usual?”, Fennec asks Omera, who grins and nods at her. “You know it. Oh! And this is my friend! She’s new to town”, Omera gestures over to you, and you smile awkwardly, and wave. “Hi. Nice to meet you. This place looks really lovely, and the drinks look really good!”, you smile politely at her, to which she greets you back, thanking you and smiling. You look back up at the menu, trying to decide what to order.
Omera goes ahead and orders her drink and nudges you, to ask you what you want.
Shit. I have no idea what to get. It all looks so good.
Damn, you and your indecisive brain.
Your eyes frantically search the menu to choose something, when you hear someone shout from behind Fennec.
“Well if it isn’t the pistachio lover herself!” A large, bald man walks through the double doors and grins widely at Omera. Oh, the man from the family picture! One-half of the couple. Omera smiles and waves at him, and he comes up to the register, his eyes widening when he sees you.
“Well who is this pretty lady you got next to you, ‘mera?” he smiles kindly at you and your cheeks blush from the attention. Pretty lady? Isn’t he…married? You brush off your thoughts and smile at him.
Omera introduces you as her longtime college friend. To which he introduces himself as Boba Fett. The baker of the café. Makes sense, since his apron is covered in flour.
“So, she’s having some trouble figuring out what to get. How about you give her the coffee spiel to help her out?” Omera suggests as Boba laughs. “Ah, you know coffee isn’t my specialty. But if you’re looking for some baked good recommendations, you’ve come to the right person. Try the almond cake. It’s my new recipe. The kid loves it, and so does Din and Fennec” He nudges Fennec who agrees and nods. Din? Is that the name of his partner? The handsome one in the picture?
You nod and smile. “That sounds delicious. I’ll try that”, Boba grins widely and nods, looking at you with curious eyes before speaking. “And…let me go get Din to come out and give you a coffee suggestion. I think he’d be able to help you out”, he winks at you and you nod, confused. Um…ok. What was that all about?
A man comes out of the double doors, shrugging off Boba, who whispers something in his ears, gesturing to you. The man looks up at you, his brown eyes catching yours in shock. Din. You think.
His brown hair is scruffy, like in the pictures, and he has a strong nose, a mustache, and those eyes.
Brown eyes. Kind. Warm…and, Nervous?
He glances your way, before looking back at Boba, in annoyance. Boba grins and pushes him towards the counter, waving at you and Omera before shouting, “Hope you enjoy the cake, ladies! It’s on the house”, and walks into the back through the double doors.
Omera smiles at the man as he walks up to the counter. “Din! How are you? How’s Grogu doing?” Ah, so that is Din.
Din’s eyes brighten at the sound of Grogu’s name. “He is doing great. Still a little eating machine” He says to Omera, who laughs softly. Damn. His smile… You sigh internally. Why am I lusting over a TAKEN man? Not just any man. Boba’s husband!
You smile at him when he looks your way. Din’s eyes stutter then narrows at you, and your smile falters. Why is he looking at me like that?
You smile again, trying to look polite. “Hi! Nice to meet you. You’re Boba’s partner, right? You guys own the café together?” Din’s eyes continue to pierce yours, before silently nodding. His fingers tapping at the table, before going behind the counter.
Omera raises a brow at Din before speaking, “She doesn’t know what drink to get. Maybe you can suggest something? Since you’re the coffee expert and all”, Omera smiles at Din. His eyes not leaving yours before pulling out a menu and finally speaking to you.
“What’s your usual?”, he looks at you in question.
You shrug, smiling. “Iced coffee with milk and sugar. I…don’t really experiment much with flavors. But I’m open to trying anything. Your menu looks great!”, you suggest, trying to ease the odd tension in the air.
He gives you that odd stare again, then nods and punches an order in the tablet. “Alright. Then, I’ll start you off with our iced cinnamon crumble latte. It’s a well-balanced, sweet, light-roasted coffee. You like it sweet?”, He looks up at you, eyes blazing.
You nod, “Uh…Yeah, I like it sweet”. He nods and then walks off to start making the coffee. Telling Fennec to take her ten. “Oh! How much would that be?”, you take out your wallet and card, offering to pay for Omera’s order as well. He shakes his head and waves you off. “On the house. Just tell me what you think of it”. Your eyes widen.
“Oh, no, no. I couldn’t, please let me-”, he looks at you and that glare makes you put your card down. “It’s on the house”, he says gruffly before going back and making your orders. You nod, even though he can’t see it. “Thanks. I’m sure I’ll love it”, you say, as Omera drags you to a table, smiling widely at Din, “Thanks, Din! You’re the best!”, he chuckles softly. So the grump can smile. Noted.
Omera takes you to a table in the back, and you plop your ass down on the comfy seat. “Well, that was interesting. But, he was nice. Not really. And so was his husband, Boba. They didn’t have to give it to us on the house!”, you say, looking around the room, still taking in the beauty of the cafe.
You hear Omera take a sharp intake of breath before laughing out loud. “What did you just say!?”, her eyes squeeze shut and she laughs hard, clutching her stomach. Your eyes widen and you laugh with her, clearly confused. “Uh, haha, what? What’s so funny? I said that they didn’t have to give us free stuff?” you search her laughing form for some kind of hint to this joke.
What did I say that was so funny?
Omera wipes her eyes and then grins wide. “You said, HUSBAND. Do you think that…that..” she laughs harder. “That, what? Omera!” you say trying to get her to tell you what was so funny. “You think that Boba and Din are…are…a COUPLE?!”, she wipes her tears and laughs. You are so lost. Are they…not a couple? But the pictures?....fucking hell. As always, your intuition is shit.
She looks at your confused face and then calms down, smiling. “They’re not dating. They’re partners. As in…co-owners of the cafe. Business partners!” Oh. Business partners. Duh, idiot.
“But…the kid? Grogu? Is that not their…”, you trail off. Omera laughs softly. “It’s Din’s son. Grogu is just his. Boba and Din are close friends, and Fennec too”, she states. You sigh, slapping your forehead. “I feel like an idiot. I thought this whole time that they were…together”, you smile sheepishly. “Who is together?”, you hear a voice behind you. You turn around, blushing profusely.
Boba.
You sigh. Burying your head in your hands in embarrassment. Omera grins widely up at Boba, “Oh…you know…you and Din. The cutest couple ever”. Boba laughs loudly and shakes his head. “Din and I, huh?”, he says. You groan into your hands as he pats you on the back. “Trust me, pretty girl, I am definitely not his type.” He grins at you when you lift your head, face red with embarrassment. He places the cakes and coffee’s on your table, before speaking. “Oh. And I’m sure someone would love to know what you think. Of the coffee of course”, He winks at you. “I already know you’ll love my almond cake”, he nudges you and grins even wider than Omera before leaving the table.
“That was so embarrassing. I think I need to pull a Gone Girl disappearing act after that”, you say, groaning and cupping your red cheeks, eyes wide, looking at a smiling Omera. “Oh, hush. Don’t be embarrassed. They’ll find it hilarious. Especially Boba” she explains, waving off your concerns. “I just feel bad assuming is all…” sighing, you smile sheepishly at her.
“It happens. Trust me, it’s not a big deal. Just a funny misunderstanding”, she giggles. “If you feel so bad, then you should do as Boba says, and pay Din a visit in the back. He’ll be more than willing to forgive you when he sees your gorgeous face again”, she waggles her eyebrows at you.
Yeah, sure. “Uh…I’m not too sure about that. Did you see the way he looked at me? Like I poisoned the coffee beans or something”. Omera raises a brow, before smirking. “Babe. He looked like he wanted to eat you up on the spot. No wait, like you were the hottest mug of coffee in the cafe. That man is into you. Like he wants to go into you…”, she smirks, winking at you. This girl, I swear.
“Don’t even. No. Trust me. That was not…whatever you think that was. And it doesn’t matter anyways. He probably thinks I’m an absolute idiot for thinking that he and Boba were together. Which I’m sure Boba is telling him right now”, you sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose. “Whatever. I don’t care. Let’s just eat”.
Omera raises a brow, “O-kay then”, she shakes her head, smiling, and then starts eating the cake. You follow suit, taking a bite of the almond cake. You almost moan out loud. What is in this cake and why is it so damn tasty. The soft, pillowy, texture of the cake melts in your mouth and mixes with the sweet, fluffy, almond mascarpone icing. Bits of almond surrounding the cake crunch in your mouth, and you sigh. Yeah. Boba was right. I do love this cake.
Omera looks at you, and she has the same expression on her face as you know you do. The face of literal heaven. “This is the best cake he has made so far. Honestly”, she says, and you nod in agreement. You put the fork down, and then pull the coffee cup closer to you. Glancing down at the plate, you see a heart drawn on a napkin under the cup. Your breath hitches. What?
Lifting the cup, you take the napkin out and see a message.
Please tell me what you think. I’m open to any suggestions, ♡ Din.
Din. Oh my god.
You take a sip of the iced coffee, and you decide right then and there, you are definitely a changed woman. Where was this coffee hiding all this time when you were back home drinking gas station, watered down coffees? Hiding in the hands of a handsome café owner, that’s where.
A café owner who wrote you a note.
With a heart.
You glance over at Omera’s cup and don’t see a napkin with a message. So it was just for you. Maybe Omera was right about Din’s…feelings towards you.
Omera looks over at you. “So, what do you think? Did he make a good choice? Do you like it?”, you smile and then look over at the coffee bar, where your eyes meet brown ones.
Oh, I liked it alright.
Those brown eyes look at you in question, as if waiting for a response. You look back at Omera before nodding. “I love it”.
Glancing over at him, you smile softly and stand. Walking over to him, with the cup in your hand, you stop in front of the counter, facing him. “So, you wanted to know what I think, right?”, you smile when he looks at you. He glances down to your mouth and back up to your eyes.
“I do.” He looks at you, waiting for your response.
You look at the cup, sipping it, and then licking your lips, you grin. “I think you just won me over with this coffee, brown eyes”.
Din smiles at that. Yeah, he thinks he did too.