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Coffee was simple enough. Right? A small date? They had overthought how awkward every conversation could be. Just before traipsing off back into their imagination about what could happen before he arrived, a petite waitress strode to the corner of the table, leaving a large pot of coffee to sit at the edge.
Steam wafted out of the glass pot’s lid, creating swirls that contrasted with the crisp cafe air. Around (mc) sat a few dozen tables strewn with table cloths and flowers. People sat with their company, mingling, talking, bantering; waiters and waitresses pacing around the store offering refills to the nearest person. The sunlight outside reflected through the tips of the old stained glass, patterns dancing on the floor similarly to how a kaleidoscope would.
A few moments later, with the sound of a light airy bell hitting the edge of a door, he was here. The man (mc) was expecting looked around curiously. At least (mc) friends had set them up with someone with a little taste; he wore a tight turquoise top that snuggly fit his core, little gold accented buttons lining his sleeves and collar. All of that paired with plain black slacks, the only thing that really stood out about his pants was the minimal silver-outlined lily petal patterns surrounding his pockets.
A few moments of him looking around for (mc), and soon enough he found them. (mc) rose their hand to wave him over to their booth near a large window.
“Over here!!”
“I see you, darling!” The man smiled gently and briskly made his way towards their table.
Before sitting down, he extended out a gloved hand to (mc). They slowly accepted his offer and gently shook his hand. (mc) eyes flicked towards the underside of his hand where gold plated rings he had been wearing glinted in the natural light,
“Those are some nice rings you have, where’d you get them?” they asked curiously.
Last time (mc) had ever seen rings like those was during a derby race in Illinois. It was normally worn by and a signal of men who spent too much time risking the future for money. Gamblers.
“I heard only high end gamblers–“
“Oh, these? I, uh- got them from my gran.”
He shifted for a second in the booth, straightening his posture and re-adjusting his shirt collar.
“Could I take a closer look?”
(mc) tried to hide their intentions as to why they asked and did quite well. The man nodded.
(mc) looked a little closer at the rings, gently elevating his hand towards their eyes. As they looked a little closer, the fine details of what looked like poker chips etched in shone well under the worn and tarnished gold. They really were real.
(mc) shook their head and looked up from the daze they had been in. Their eyes met for a second, it felt like he had been watching their every movement causing them to blush from embarrassment.
“Hi, sorry for no introduction, I’m (mc), nice to meet you”
“You’re fine! I’m Aventurine, and my pleasure, I always enjoy finding new people to add to my little corner of this world.”
Just before they continued their conversation, the waitress that had visited the table before sauntered back to ask them what both of them had wanted. The woman’s exhaustion was so extreme that it could be felt in the ambiance she brought with her.
“What can I get started for you two today?”
“Uhm, I think I’ll go with a medium hot chocolate and a warm lemon poppyseed muffin.”
(mc) picked something from the menu that wasn’t too expensive while still enjoyable, in case one of them decided to pay.
“And for you?” The waitress nodded her head towards Aventurine. He grinned at her request.
“I’ll have a hot lemon tea with cream and sugar, thank you.”
It had been snowing earlier that day, so a hot drink always helped create that pleasant atmosphere. The waitress walked away back to the kitchen, leaving the two alone in an awkward silence, just as (mc) had expected.
Immediately after noticing their anxious gaze, Aventurine made a remark on the heavy snow that was falling outside of the window. (mc) took that as a sign to join in some small talk.
A few moments later led to their drinks being laid out across the table in front of them. Aventurine picked up the small teacup that sat daintily on the edge, added a cube of sugar, and stirred in some frothed milk. They continued their conversations about the weather and books they both had been reading, to (mc) interest, similar book tastes and genres were found between the outgoing couple. Who knew that a blind date could go so well? Once the both of them had finished nibbling on the snacks and drinks they ordered, (mc) sat back in the booth, letting out a sigh of relief.
Glad that they had eaten such good food, the conversations they had been having ranged from things as simple as new music to what both their opinions were on familial issues and relationships. All of this felt… right, somehow. His presence was calming at the very least. During this hour their eyes had met a numerous number of times, each and every time leading to apologies and nonstop blushing.
“You know you’re not very good at hiding your emotions from me, right?” His voice softly spoke amongst the other mutterings of the people around him. (mc) snaked their fingers through their short hair, trying to find a lock to twirl.
“Yeahhh, I get that quite often,” they shifted around in their seat.
Seconds later, their hands searched for the warm mug on the table. As they picked it up, a feeling of relief washed through them. It was almost like a grounding technique, the liquid within the cup swirling gently with their stirring, whipped cream fading into the chocolate.
“Most times, it makes me extremely self-conscious when people start to point out traits like that.”
"Sorry, love, I didn’t mean to imply it in that way. What I meant is, I find it endearing and quite cute,” he grinned while looking down at his mug of tea.
Endearing? Huh. They felt warmth run through their cheeks when hearing such a thing. (mc) brought their mug up to their face as they attempted to hide again.
The more that (mc) had learned about him, the more they began to appreciate his efforts in taking time and being patient to ensure that they were having a good experience. (mc) wished to spend more time with Aventurine, he was just so, so… Well, they couldn’t put their finger on it. But it was something, alright.
“Hey, would you be interested in possibly going for a walk to our nearest park?” Aventurine asked. Had the date been going that well? What should they say? Where was this relationship going? Was it going to end even though it had just started?
(mc) sat for a few seconds, ruminating in their thoughts. When will this chance come around again? A quite attractive man asking them to continue their invitation for the date was an obvious ‘yes’ in their mind. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go out with him? *
“Sure!” (mc) shook their head back and forth as they rid themself of negative overthinking.
It had seemed like a long while since they were finally able to enjoy a date, let alone stop the constant flood of anxiety, as if they finally had something to be excited over.
It felt reliving.
It had felt like they were finally being seen.
*note from the author— obviously some people, its just used for emphasis—*