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Sweet.
The cloying sweetness floods your mouth as you take a sip of your coffee. Well, okay, describing it as “coffee” probably isn’t entirely accurate. It’s a coffee in a way, but it’s been so filled with sugary syrups and extra whipped cream that it becomes almost thick with the taste of chocolate and caramel. It tastes like what you’d imagine a childhood memory would, if you could eat it: all sweetness, soft notes and a little bit of the bitterness of age.
Okay… you’ve been spending too much time around Rafayel, his method of describing things is rubbing off on you. Taking another sip of coffee, you turn away from the barista’s counter to the rest of the cafe. Destiny Cafe is bustling, absolutely packed with people moving around. It’s to be expected really, it’s the day after a holiday. Most people still have time off of work, and are taking advantage of it to meet up with loved ones in many of the charming little cafe’s of Linkon City. You’re here doing exactly the same after all, your schedule may be very different than the rest of the residents’ but you can still have some time to yourself to see those you love most.
Your eyes drift as you take another sip of your coffee. The heat warms you from the inside, soothing and gentle as it settles in your tummy. There’s a couple in the corner of the cafe, hiding as best they can away from the crowd. A few families stand around the main counter, placing orders on both the kiosks and with the poor, overwhelmed (and probably understaffed) workers. The rest of the cafe is filled with groups of friends occupying the remaining tables, save for one.
Towards the back of the cafe, next to one of the massive windows, sits Zayne. He’s by himself, for now, laptop open and looking out of place as he works. He’s wearing a black turtleneck sweater, one that clings to his muscles tightly, emphasizing the subtle strength of his frame. The broadness of his shoulders draws your attention quickly, bringing a blush to your cheeks. You shake your head, taking another sip of your coffee, and let your gaze switch to his face. Zayne is focused, as he usually is, on the screen in front of him. He has a subtle frown of concentration as he looks at the screen, hazel eyes squinting slightly under his glasses. Long fingers typing quickly on his laptop.
Another sip of coffee.
Sweet.
That’s what Zayne is, as sweet as the treats he eats. The man who shows up to your house with flowers because you’re having a bad day, despite the fact that he just ended a long shift. The man who calls you to talk about a plushie he saw that he thought you’d like. The man that makes your heart skip so many beats that it actually worries you sometimes. Sweet. He’s just… sweet.
Sometimes you’d swear that he’s a saint, treating everyone with everything he has and never asking for anything in return. To the point that he’s working up until the moment you’re supposed to sit down at the table with him, you note sardonically. Once you sit down, he’ll give you his full and undivided attention as he always does. He’s too sweet, too kind, too attentive. A man reserved and gentle no matter the occasion, a man that knows the impact of his words and weighs each one before he speaks.
Suddenly the sweetness on your tongue feels too intense, yet not enough. You look down at the coffee in your hand, a small frown forming.
Movement draws your attention, Hunter’s instincts immediately drawn to the shift in the scenery. There’s a little girl approaching Zayne, she can’t be more than four. She’s wearing a cute little winter themed dress, a pastel blue and white dress covered in snowflakes. The skirt of the dress is poofy, from where she’s been gently tugging at it nervously as she watched Zayne work. She’s clutching a teddy bear in her hand, holding it’s paw and dragging it along the cafe floor as she approaches the working doctor. With a small hand, she reaches up and tugs on the bottom hem of his turtleneck.
“Mister Doctor Zayne?” She mumbles, her words a little jumbled.
It’s a miracle you can hear her over the loud ambiance of the cafe. She’s swaying back and forth, rocking in a shy, self soothing motion as she works up her courage to talk to him. The teddy bear she’s holding moves with her.
You almost coo from the sight, but a noise would draw more attention to you and you wouldn’t want to interrupt this moment. Zayne stops his furious typing, long fingers stilling immediately as he registers the touch. He tilts his head softly, a subconscious gesture you recognize as Zayne’s confused face. He turns, looking down at the little girl who is still holding on to the edge of his shirt.
“Yes?” He keeps his voice soft, unassuming, an intentional attempt to help calm her shyness.
She smiles up at him, big brown eyes sparkling as she does. “Do you remember me?” she asks, chubby cheeks dusted with the cutest blush.
Zayne’s expression softens, confusion melting into recognition and something gentle that just screams “Zayne”. He nods, takes off his glasses and puts them down on the keyboard of his laptop. He turns his full body to face the little girl, careful not to bump her as he does. She moves a little bit to accommodate his long legs moving towards her, hopeful gleam in her eye never faltering.
“Of course I do, Gia.” he says gently, large hand reaching out and ruffling her dark brown hair. The palm of his hand almost covers her entire head.
She giggles and throws her arms around his legs, hugging them.
He stills for a moment, before letting out a chuckle. “How is your mom doing? Is her heart beating as it should?”
She grins up at him, still holding on to his legs, nodding furiously. “Yeah! She’s all better because you fixed her Mister Doctor Zayne!”
Zayne shakes his head, a fond smile on his face. “She’s all better because she has the best daughter taking care of her.”
Her dress bounces with the force of her excitement and happiness. “My Daddy says I’m the best nurse!”
“That you are, Gia. Your parents are very lucky.”
Your heart pounds in your chest, the sweetness of the moment you’re witnessing washing over you. Before you can stop yourself, you find yourself walking towards them, approaching Zayne’s table. He notices you before Gia does, hazel eyes moving from her smile to you, following your movements with his gaze. That fondness in his eyes doesn’t change though, no, if anything you swear it gets stronger. The weight of it sits heavy in your chest, making your beating heart feel as though it’s beating amongst syrup.
“Tell your parents that I hope they’re doing well, Gia.” Zayne says with a smile, returning his attention back to the little girl who hasn’t yet let go of his legs. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet, opening it and handing her some small bills.
The little girl looks up at him in confusion, chubby fist clutching the money. “What’s this Mister Doctor?”
Zayne ruffles her hair once more. “Get yourself and your dad a treat, doctor’s orders.” He looks up and does a small wave at a man who is also watching the entire scene, Gia’s dad you presume.
Gia giggles and looks from her dad to Zayne. “Really?”
Zayne nods. “Really.”
She lets go of his legs and runs over to her dad, sprinting past you with her little legs.
You take a seat across from Zayne, smiling at him over the open laptop. “Someone’s good with kids.”
Zayne clears his throat, tips of his ears tinged pink, and moves in his chair to face you. “No, not really. They make me nervous.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell.”
You laugh softly, taking a sip of your too sweet coffee. No, not too sweet, it’s not sweet enough. It’s not as sweet as Zayne, nothing could ever be.
He closes his laptop so that he can look at you properly, a smile forming on his face as the blush that started at his ears covers his cheeks. “Do you want to get something sweet?”
You nod, “yeah, I do. My coffee isn’t sweet enough.”
“Let’s fix that then, sweetheart.”