Work Text:
Will was working the cash register at the coffee shop when his phone vibrated in his pocket. At first he tried to ignore it, but it kept buzzing every few seconds. That meant either there was an emergency… or Lou Ellen was texting him. She tended to hit send every three words.
He waited until there were no customers at the counter and his manager was out of sight. Then he subtly checked his phone.
Lou: Will
Lou: you remember our talk
Lou: like a week ago
Lou: when you complained about being single
Lou: I have the cure
Will sighed. He was so not ready for another cure from Lou that would “magically” fix all problems in his life. Just last month, she had worked out an entire study schedule for both him and Cecil to stick to that would definitely make them ace their exams. And the month before that she had tried to give Will’s music taste an entire makeover. As if she had any say in the kind of music he liked. But once Lou Ellen had something on her mind, there usually was no stopping her anyway, so he continued reading.
Lou: I have another friend who’s desperately single
Lou: and you two’d be such a good match
Lou: like
Lou: italian genes need I say more
He should never have shown Lou Ellen that poster of the Italian movie star he had in his dorm.
Lou: and you’re both into movies and stuff
Lou: and have a ridiculous sense of humour
Lou: can I set you up on a date please please please please
Will hesitated. On the one hand, he didn’t want to give in to Lou Ellen’s antics and whatever she’d gotten into her head this time. On the other hand, Lou Ellen did know him pretty well. She knew his type, his interests, what he was looking for in a boyfriend or girlfriend. He spent so much time on his studies and in the coffee shop these days that he didn’t have time left to get to know new people. So if Lou Ellen did that work for him…
The next customer walked in, which meant Will had only seconds left to make up his mind. He took a breath. It couldn’t hurt to try. It was only one date after all.
Will: Fine, I’ll give it a chance
Lou: REALLY??
Lou: omg perfect
Lou: her name is Bianca :)
—
Lou Ellen texted him throughout the day to find a spot where both their agendas were free. This proved harder than expected, with Will’s classes, his shifts at the coffee shop and whatever Bianca’s week planning looked like. It took a couple of hours of texting back and forth though Lou, but they eventually agreed to see a movie on Saturday evening, which gave Will almost a week to mentally prepare.
Not that he had much to go by. Lou had pretty much set him up on a blind date and stubbornly refused to give away any information about the girl he’d be meeting. They would be seeing a superhero movie, not the romantic comedy that was also currently in theaters. That at least gave him some indication that she was not the most girly type, and some hope that they would get along indeed.
He tried to focus on the line of customers and keep his thoughts off the mystery girl. Connor Stoll was at the front of the line, so he needed to pay extra attention to check that the guy actually paid this time. Connor moved to the side to wait for his coffee, the next customer came into view and wow…
Huge brown eyes, long eyelashes, pale skin and dark hair just slightly wavy at the ends. A face that could honestly come straight out of a painting. If Will was anything more of an artist he would have dedicated songs to this customer. Will stared as the guy stepped up to the cash register. He seemed to be studying Will as much as Will was studying him.
After a few long seconds, Will remembered he was on the job. “Hi, what can I get you?” he asked the pretty guy in his usual cheeriness. It sounded fake on his tongue, because he was hyper aware of a waver in his voice. At least he didn’t trip over any words. He tried to calm his heartbeat, it was just an attractive customer, that’s all.
“One large black coffee and one large mocaccino to go, please.” Dam it, universe, why did the attractive guy need to have an attractive voice as well? Soft but melodic with just the hint of an accent that Will couldn’t place.
Will entered the order in the register. It was a touchscreen with a thousand options that he had only figured out after a few weeks on the job, and entering any drink took a ridiculous amount of taps. But right now he was not complaining, because it meant the pretty customer would remain at the register a little bit longer. “What name should I write on the cups?”
“Nico.”
Nico. Will wrote the guy’s name in his prettiest handwriting. He briefly considered dotting the i with a heart, but what if the other coffee was for his girlfriend? Or a boyfriend, or a date? Better not risk it.
Will marked the checkbox for large black coffee on the cup, so his coworker would know which drink to prepare. Then he picked up the next cup and positioned the marker. “And the other one?”
“Erm, Nico too.”
Will smirked. “Two large coffees, that’s a lot of caffeine for you,” he joked, while he scribbled something on the cup, checked the mocaccino box and passed both cups to his coworker.
“Only one of them is for me,” Nico replied while he paid. “It’s just easier if they have the same name.” He swiftly swiped an entirely black card past the register. Will couldn’t help but notice how elegant his hands looked, like a pianist.
The cash register started spitting out the receipt and Will really didn’t want this encounter to be over. Only a few seconds left to tease him a bit more. “Let me guess, is the black coffee for you?” He swept a meaningful glance over Nico’s dark grey hoodie and black jeans.
“Perhaps,” Nico said with a smirk. He accepted his receipt and moved to the pickup counter, much to Will’s regret. If only today the cash register had malfunctioned like it did so often, so he could keep Nico here a bit longer.
The next customer stepped up to the counter and Will rang up his order, but every few seconds his gaze kept flickering over to Nico. He was now checking his phone, but a few times Will could swear he was looking back at him from the corner of his eyes.
“Coffee for Nico and Nico Too,” his coworker called out after a few minutes. She placed two cups on the takeaway counter.
Nico gave him an exasperated look when he realised what Will had written on his second cup, which Will answered with his brightest grin. Suppressing a smile himself, Nico rolled his eyes, took his cups off the counter and started making his way to the door.
Right before he left, he locked eyes with Will one more time. He finally smiled, a tiny smile but with the sunlight from outside on him his entire face seemed to light up. Will couldn’t help but stare. Then he pushed open the door with his shoulder, since both his hands were occupied with coffee cups, and disappeared from Will’s day.
Will wondered if he’d ever see him again.
—
The next day, apparently.
It was slightly after eleven when Nico entered the coffee shop again. Which was perfect, because the lunchtime rush hadn’t started yet, so there were less customers to serve and more time to chat at the counter.
Nico had a small smile on his lips when he approached the cash register. Will tried to figure out what he was smiling about, while his brain kept shouting cute, cute, cute!
“Hi, what can I get you?” he asked again when Nico reached him.
Nico looked him in the eye. “One large black coffee and one large mocaccino to go, please.” He said it almost like a challenge.
“Both for Nico?”
“Do you remember all your customers’ names?”
Only the attractive ones. “Only the ones who order two large coffees for themselves and then deny it.”
“I’m not– the other one is not for me.”
“So you say,” Will couldn’t fight back his smile anymore. “What name should I put on the other cup then?”
“Erm…” Nico was struggling to hold back a smile of his own now. “Jason,” he said after way too much time.
“Suuuuure.” Will wrote something on the cup. Nico tried to lean over the counter to see, so Will turned sideways and passed the cup immediately to his coworker. Then he took the next cup, checked the ‘black coffee’ checkbox and wrote Nico’s name so the other could see it clearly.
“I never said that one was for me,” Nico objected.
“Wild guess.” Will rang up the order and Nico paid.
“Do you always make assumptions about your customers?”
“How else is a barista with ADHD not to die from boredom?”
“Okay, I can relate to that,” Nico agreed. He had ADHD too? Wow, Will really couldn’t tell, he seemed so calm.
He was about to ask about it when his coworker placed two cups on the counter. “Coffee for Nico and Random Name Nico Totally Made Up On The Spot,” she called out.
Nico sighed but was full on smiling now. He picked up his coffees, gave Will a “see ya” and left the shop.
It took Will hours to wipe the stupid smile off his face.
—
“Hi, what can I get you?”
“One large black coffee for Nico and one large mocaccino for Nico. To go, please.”
“Coming right up.” He angled the cups so Nico couldn’t see what he wrote and passed them on to his coworker.
“Why do you always think the black coffee is for me?”
Will shrugged. “You just seem like the brooding type, wearing all black and everything. So I match that with the black bitter drink, not the sugary syrupy one. Like the dogs matching their owners in 101 Dalmatians!” Right after he said it, he could hit himself in the face. How to insult someone and out yourself as a total nerd in three sentences, way to go Will.
But Nico snorted. “Have you actually tried it? Coffee with chocolate?”
“I haven’t, actually.”
“You work at a coffee shop and have not tried every drink on the menu?”
“Have you seen how many there are? I just stick to the good old cappuccino.”
“After 11, no doubt,” Nico grumbled with a smile. Then, to Will’s surprise he said “I do love that scene in 101 Dalmatians though.”
“Coffee for Nico and Nico To Go Please!”
Will grinned. Nico rolled his eyes.
—
On Thursday he didn’t show up.
Will wondered if he had insulted him the day before. If he had broken this little game they were playing. His entire shift he looked up hopefully at every customer who entered the coffee shop, only to feel a tug in his stomach when it wasn’t Nico.
“Didn’t see the guy you’re flirting with,” his coworker said towards the end of his shift.
“I’m not flirting with him.”
“Sure you’re not. Next time just write your number on the cup like in the movies.”
Will wasn’t flirting, was he? Sure, Nico was cute. But he was just teasing the guy a bit. Making his shift a bit more entertaining, nothing more than that. He couldn’t help it that Nico always seemed to take the bait.
He shouldn’t be flirting with anyone, really. He was going on a date in two days. But the fact that he knew next to nothing about Bianca made the date feel unreal.
He would go on the date. He’d promised, after all. And he’d just see how it went.
And afterwards, if it didn’t turn out to be anything… Maybe he’d actually consider flirting with Nico.
If he hadn’t scared him off, of course.
—
He did show up again on Friday.
Will instantly forgot his professionalism and greeted him with “Nico! Hi!” and a huge smile.
Nico smiled back. “Hey. Sorry I couldn’t make it yesterday. My classes don’t align with my sister’s on Thursdays.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Will replied casually. Meanwhile his mind was screaming because Nico’s other coffee was for his sister, not a date or partner or significant other. Just his sister. That information shouldn’t make Will as happy, but it did. “Same as usual?”
“Yes, please.”
“What are you studying?” he asked offhandedly while writing on the cups.
“Computer science,” Nico replied.
“Oh, cool. I don’t know anything about computers.”
“That’s what everyone replies when I say that,” Nico chuckled.
“It does explain the amount of coffee though.”
Nico snorted. “What about you?” he asked while he paid.
“Pre-med,” Will shrugged.
“And you have time to work in a coffee shop?”
“Just barely, but I need the money.”
“Oh.”
They were silent for a moment, until Nico suddenly spoke up. “I’m not coming tomorrow either. I don’t have classes on Saturdays.” He sounded like he had to justify his absence.
“No worries. I don’t have shifts on Saturdays,” Will replied.
“Good,” Nico said.
It would be the perfect time to ask Nico if he wanted to spend the Saturday with him. It even felt like Nico was on the verge of asking him the same. But Will had a date planned, so he couldn’t, even if Nico did ask. The question hung between them, unspoken.
“Coffee for Nico and Nico’s Sister!”
With one last apologetic smile and a soft “see ya”, Nico took his coffees and left.
—
Saturday came and Lou Ellen sent him about a hundred texts, wishing him luck, telling him what to wear, etc. Somewhere in between the stream of information he also received the address where he’d be picking up Bianca. It was not one of the student homes. When he googled it, it was a pretty large house on the outskirts of town.
Will: How old is she again?
Lou: don’t be ridiculous
Lou: she’s our age
Will: You say that as if you’ve told me everything about her. I know barely anything. You’re sending me in blind, Lou!
Lou: that’s why it’s a blind date silly
Lou: you’ll like her I’m sure
Maybe, but an uneasy feeling sat in his stomach.
The entire day, he had tried to put Nico out of his mind but it was truly a challenge. He pictured the date, pictured Bianca, but before he knew it his mind supplied Nico’s face and he had to actively tell himself to stop fantasizing.
He had a quick light dinner, planning to go all in on popcorn during the movie. Then he changed into his green flannel and grey jeans (after they got approved by Lou Ellen), brushed his hair and drove towards the fancy neighbourhood where Bianca lived.
It’s just a date, he reminded himself. Be your usual cheery self and let’s just see where it goes.
He pulled into her driveway, took one last breath and walked towards the front door.
Just be nice to her. You’re not so far gone for Nico that you can’t consider other options. Besides, you have no idea if Nico is even gay. So just put him from your head and focus on the here and now.
He rang the bell.
The door opened, to reveal…
“Nico?” Will asked incredulously.
For a few heartbeats they just stood, staring at each other. Then, Nico looked over his shoulder and yelled into the house. “Bianca, he’s here!”
“Coming!” a female voice yelled back.
“She’s almost ready,” Nico said apologetically, suddenly looking anywhere but at Will directly.
Meanwhile, Will’s entire world shifted. Nico knew Bianca. Nico lived in the same house as Bianca. That made them siblings, most likely. Nico had ordered coffee for his sister before. The same sister that Will would now be taking on a date, apparently. He had even avoided giving a name for the second cup, because Will would have recognized it. That made it very likely that every time he ordered coffee, he knew he was talking to his sister’s date.
It suddenly felt like everything was falling into place, but also like everything was wrong somehow. Like this wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
The silence stretched between them until Bianca came down the stairs.
She was wearing a pretty green dress (but an olive green that clashed horribly with the grassy green of his flannel). Her hair was the same colour and texture as Nico’s, but she wore it long past her shoulders and half up with a green ribbon at the top. Her eyes were equally huge and brown but her face was rounder where Nico’s was more angular.
“Hi, you must be Will. I’m Bianca,” she introduced herself.
Will swallowed. He was a nice guy, he would not let Bianca down. “Nice to meet you, Bianca,” he told her, trying to put some warmth into his voice.
She smiled kindly at him. Then she turned to Nico and immediately went into sister-modus. “Will you behave while I’m gone?”
“Bee, I’m not ten,” Nico scowled. “I can stay home alone for a few hours just fine. I’ll just watch a movie too or something,” he mumbled. He snuck a glance at Will, but immediately averted his gaze when he found Will looking at him.
Bianca smiled at him. “Okay, have fun. Text me if there’s anything, I’ll keep my phone on.” If Will still had any doubt that Bianca was the older sibling, it was gone now. He also felt a pang in his stomach that Bianca could text Nico just like that. But no, he didn’t wish he had Nico’s number. He couldn’t. He was going on a date with his sister.
This was all so confusing.
They left and Will was slightly relieved when the door closed behind them. It was easier to put a guy from your thoughts when he was not standing right in front of you. The movie theater was a few blocks away, so they took Will’s car. As he was backing out of the driveway, Will searched for ways to start the conversation.
Luckily, Bianca was doing the same thing. “So how do you know Lou Ellen?” she asked.
“We went to high school together. What about you?”
“We’re both in Psychology, in the same year, so we have most classes together. Wait, if you went to high school with her, then you know Cecil too?”
“Yep,” Will confirmed.
“Okay, tell me, why aren’t they together yet?”
“I know, right!”
And just like that, they were off. They spent almost the entire drive to the movie theater coming up with ways to get Lou Ellen and Cecil together. Because they were both gone for each other, but somehow refused to acknowledge it or act upon it.
Will paid for two tickets for the superhero movie at the entrance. He noticed Bianca standing close to him, not couple-close but definitely closer than friendly. Almost subconsciously, he shifted to his other leg to increase the distance. Then he chastised himself for doing so, because he was on a date with this girl, so he shouldn’t avoid closeness. But… the closeness should feel natural, not simply be there out of expectation because this was a date.
He was distracted enough that Bianca accepted the tickets from the clerk and led them inside, gently taking Will by the elbow. She offered to pay for the popcorn, since Will paid for the tickets, and they found their way to their seats.
They had fallen back into silence, probably due to Will’s distractedness. He was not really making the best impression here.
“So, what’s this movie about?” he asked to start the conversation again. Bianca had picked this movie over the romantic one, which he was grateful for. But other than the name and genre, he had no idea what they were about to see.
“There’s a guy who discovers he has water powers. And he needs to learn how to use them to defeat the bad guy. I read the book when I was younger, so I’m curious to see what they did with it.”
“Cool,” Will replied. He searched for anything else to say, but it seemed like every single word from the English language had disappeared from his head. Instead he studied Bianca in the semi-darkness of the movie theater. She was pretty, her eyes were huge and almond shaped (just like Nico’s). She looked as if there were a million thoughts racing through her head, like he only got a glimpse of her mind from looking at her.
He was saved from the awkward silence when the lights dimmed and the movie started.
Will really tried to focus on the movie. The hero’s water powers were pretty cool actually. The lead actor looked pretty cute. But not as cute as… Bianca. Not as cute as Bianca. If he was going for this, he had to commit to it. No dwelling on Nico tonight.
He barely even knew Nico. The guy had come into the coffee shop four times. Sure, they had joked around a bit, made each other laugh. He did that with his friends as well. And… well… not with Bianca. Yet! Maybe once they got to know each other better. But with Nico, the click had been there right from the start. With Bianca, he was still getting there.
The heroes were now fighting a hydra. Will ate his popcorn and tried to silence his head. Just watch the movie. Focus. Breath. Don’t think of Nico. Just don’t think at all. Maybe that works. Breathe in. Breathe out. Eat popcorn.
Suddenly the lights in the theater lit up again and the screen went dark, announcing the break. Bianca looked over at him expectantly, while Will quickly swallowed his popcorn.
“How do you like it so far?” she asked, and Will wondered if she meant the movie or the date. Probably both. But since the date was too early to comment on and he was only half invested in it, he pretended she asked about the movie.
“The water powers are really cool! And the action scenes look great!”
Bianca seemed to deflate a tiny bit. “I think it’s okay. But the book was better. They’re twisting some plot lines and it’s all becoming very confusing.”
“Confusing, yeah,” Will agreed. If this date was anything, it was confusing.
Bianca gave him a small, unconvincing smile. He really was saying all the wrong things. “I’m going for a toilet break,” she announced, then stood up and left.
As soon as she was out of hearing distance, Will sighed deeply. Why was this so hard? He was a nice guy. He could keep a conversation going with a rock and could almost always make other people smile. Truly smile, not the painful one he’d just received. He had agreed to go on this date, with this girl Lou Ellen thought he would get along with. And so far everything he’d found out about her indicated they would indeed get along. He would not let her down without any effort, and would not let Lou Ellen down either. He would snap out of this weird state his mind was in and focus. He had a moment to prepare now, and he would use it.
A few minutes later, Bianca returned and settled back into the seat next to him.
“So,” Will started. “Lou Ellen told me you’re also into movies.”
“Yes, my brother and I come here all the time,” she replied immediately and Will thought, there he is again, hanging over our date like a ghost. “Our father often works late, and on those nights we order takeout and bike to the movies. We used to do it more often back in high school, now that we’re both in uni we have less time for it actually.”
“Are you twins?” Will suddenly asked.
“No, he’s one and a half years younger than me, so only one year below me in school.”
“That must be fun. My sister is three years younger than me and sometimes the gap feels like a lot.”
They talked about siblings a bit more, but soon the break was over and the lights dimmed again. Will was both relieved and a bit disappointed because the conversation was finally going somewhere (and definitely not because it included regular mentions of Nico).
He tried to follow the second half of the movie, but he soon discovered that he had not paid enough attention in the first half to know what was going on. So he just let it happen and watched the special effects and tried to enjoy the movie without questioning the plot too much.
His popcorn finished and he bent forward slightly to put the empty container on the floor. As he moved, Bianca instantly leaned in a bit. When she noticed what he was doing, she sighed softly and sat back.
Then, a few seconds later, she placed her arm on the armrest between them meaningfully. Oh. She thought he was going to make a move and hold her. She wanted him to make a move, apparently. Despite how badly he’d messed up already, she was still interested?
A thousand thoughts shot through his head, but the loudest one was Nico. He had tried to put him from his mind the entire evening, but now for the first time he allowed himself to think of him. Of what it would mean.
Because if he reacted now, if he held Bianca’s hand on the armrest, they could date. He was not immediately smitten, but he liked this girl and could see them going on more dates, getting to know each other better. Eventually becoming a couple, holding hands and even kissing. She could hang out in the coffee shop while he was on shift. They would meet each other’s families, parents and siblings.
And Nico would be there. He imagined a Christmas Eve with Bianca’s family, sitting around a dinner table with Bianca next to him and Nico opposite. He’d be joking around with Nico, trading remarks back and forth, trying to get an eyeroll or a laugh out of the other. He’d give Nico a Christmas present, but never write his actual name on the label, their running joke about the coffee cups still going strong after years.
Will sighed. It was not okay that in a possible future with Bianca, inside jokes with Nico were what excited him the most.
If he dated Bianca, he would see Nico all the time. But he could never date him. Even if he and Bianca ever broke up, you don’t date your ex’s best friends or siblings, that’s just asking for drama. If he made a move towards Bianca now, he was giving up Nico.
And he did not want that. He had no idea if Nico was gay or bi or even remotely interested in him. But… their interactions felt too good to give up.
He left Bianca’s hand alone on the armrest.
The hero defeated the villain. The movie ended, the lights came on again. Bianca looked over at him. “Did you like it?”
“Yeah, it was cool,” Will replied. It wasn’t a lie, but he could hear how disinterested his reply sounded.
She looked at him for a moment and then frowned. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked softly, uncertainty showing in her eyes.
Will raked a hand over his face. “No. Not at all.” He sighed. “This is entirely on me, and I’m sorry.” Bianca huffed and he realised how cliché that sounded. She deserved an actual explanation. “It’s just… I think I’m… into someone else,” he confessed.
“Then why would you go on a date with me?”
“Because I only realised it by sitting here.”
She huffed again. Then she sighed. “That’s just great,” she mumbled towards the screen.
“I’m really sorry. I thought I could make this work, but I would just be lying to myself. And it wouldn’t be fair to you.”
She nodded to herself for a second. Then she took a deep breath and looked over at him. “I’d like to go home now.”
“Of course,” he said and they left the movie theater.
The ride back happened almost entirely in silence. Will tried to apologize again, but she didn’t want to hear it and stubbornly looked out the passenger window.
He stopped on her driveway and she did look over to him then. She gave him a single clear “bye” and got out of the car. Will sighed as the door closed behind her. He knew he’d hurt her, but in the grand scheme of things he’d made the right choice. At least, so he thought.
He waited until she was inside before he drove home, wondering how he was going to explain this to Lou Ellen.
—
Will was having a shitty Monday. He’d already sat through his most boring classes in the morning. Then he spilled coffee on his shirt during lunch (luckily his apron hid that). And now he was trying to focus on his shift at the coffee shop, which was passing with a serious lack of Nico.
Lou Ellen had called him when he’d texted her that the date didn’t go so well. She had listened to his explanation and scolded him, but also said that given the situation she got it. That at least he hadn’t led her on. Will had left out Nico’s name and the fact that he was Bianca’s brother though, because he knew Lou Ellen was not good at keeping secrets. He didn’t want Bianca or even Nico finding out about his crush through her.
He wanted to talk with Nico. He wanted to explain everything to him, and also just talk and joke with him because that felt good. He missed him. But Nico had probably heard Bianca’s side of the story and was disappointed in him now. He probably thought Will was someone you couldn’t count on.
His shift crept by. Had time ever moved this slow before?
A few times, he checked his phone, as if Nico would suddenly magically have his number and would have texted him. Then he realised what he was doing, sighed and put it away again.
His shift ended. No sign of Nico.
—
The days passed like that. Nico never returned to the coffee shop. It was as if he’d simply stopped existing, as if Will had imagined the whole thing. Except he now carried a feeling of guilt with him. A doubt if he really was a good guy, like he’d always told himself.
Tuesday, no Nico. Will went to his classes and did his shift without much energy.
Wednesday. Sigh.
On Thursday, something happened. Still no Nico. But a blond guy came into the coffee shop and ordered a latte and a large mocaccino to go, which instantly reminded him of Nico.
“Name for the cups?” he asked disinterestedly.
“Jason.”
Will’s hand shook as he wrote on the first cup. Jason was the fake name Nico had given him for the second cup, one of those days. He really had it bad.
“And the other one?”
The guy paused, as if considering his options. “Jason too,” he said after a moment.
Jason too. Nico too. He’d written that on the very first cup, the day he’d met Nico. One large mocaccino. Was Will going crazy or was this too much of a coincidence? Was Nico trying to send him a message? Or was he just seeing ghosts?
Instead of writing on the cup, he looked up and studied Jason. He looked slightly uncomfortable and gave him an apologetic smile. As if he knew what he was doing to Will.
What did he have to lose? If he was wrong, this was just one weird customer interaction. “Do you know Nico?” he asked softly.
“No, nope, don’t know him,” the guy answered immediately. He didn’t break eye contact with Will though. It felt like he was trying to convey a different message through his eyes.
They had a tiny staring contest. Until Will sighed and looked down. “Can you just tell him I want to talk with him?” he asked, while he wrote Jason Too on the cup.
“Don’t know who you’re talking about,” Jason said, but he didn’t sound convinced. He sounded as if he knew exactly who Will was talking about. Or Will was just going insane.
Jason paid. He waited for his coffee. He shot one more glance at Will and he left.
Thursday became boring again.
—
Friday was the same. Classes in the morning, shift in the afternoon. Lou Ellen asked to hang out in the evening, together with Cecil. He agreed, but he didn’t really want to. She’d probably question him again.
He took orders, wrote names on cups, all feeling like a robot.
The end of his shift came close. Only ten more minutes. Ten more minutes and an entire week had passed without Nico. He’d only known him for one week. Could it take longer to get over a guy than you’d known him?
The door opened, a customer walked in and…
Nico.
Finally! Will would have run up to him if he was not making his way over to the register. He stopped in front of Will and they looked at each other for a second. No smiles, no teasing. Will wondered what the right thing was to say to him. He was just about to apologize when Nico started talking.
“One large mocaccino and a cappuccino to go, please.”
Okay, no niceties, just straight to business apparently.
“What name should I write on the cups?”
“Nico.”
Will considered doing something cliché like writing I’m sorry on one of the cups, or writing his number. But it felt out of place. The lack of smile and the formality told him Nico was annoyed with him, maybe even angry. He might have a chance to fix this, now that he was finally here, but jokes were not the way to go. So for the first time, he wrote Nico on both cups.
While Nico paid, he worked up the nerve to ask. “My shift ends in a few minutes,” he said. “If you have some time… can we talk?”
Nico accepted his receipt, gave him a long look and walked over to the pickup counter, neither confirming or denying. Will started to think that his way of showing annoyance was to close himself off. He had ordered his coffee to go, and the other person he’d ordered for was probably waiting for their mocaccino. But Will hoped he could fit in one apology before he left.
“Two coffees for Nico,” his coworker called out.
Nico accepted his drinks and without looking at Will walked towards the exit, and Will felt his heart plummet. Except he didn’t leave. He placed his coffee on a table near the door, sat down and started sipping one of the two drinks.
The last five minutes of Will’s shift had never taken so long.
As soon as the next person was there to take over the cash register, he took off his apron. He picked up his bag in the back room and hurried out again, hoping Nico hadn’t disappeared while he was out of his sight.
Nico was still sitting at his table. When Will approached, he pushed the second coffee cup towards him. Wait, the second cup was for him? It was the cappuccino. He had only mentioned once to Nico that that was his usual order. Which meant…
“The mocaccino was for you? Every time?” he couldn’t help but ask.
A small smile lit up Nico’s face, almost as if he couldn’t stop it. “Bianca likes her coffee black, I don’t.”
Will pulled out the other chair to sit, but Nico stood up quickly. “I ordered cups to go so we can walk. Unless you want to do this in front of your colleagues.” Will shook his head and they left the coffee shop, both holding a cup that Will had carefully written Nico on.
They walked a short while in silence. It didn’t feel awkward, more like they both didn’t really know where to start.
“How is Bianca?” Will asked eventually, while they entered the city park.
Nico’s shoulders dropped and he sighed. “She’s fine,” he almost grumbled. Will wondered if he was still angry on her behalf, or if he didn’t want to talk about Bianca. “She’ll get over it.”
“I am really sorry for letting her down like that,” Will said. Maybe Nico didn’t want to hear it, but he did want to apologize. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, but I didn’t want to lead her on either.”
“Did you at least ask out the other girl?” Nico asked.
“Other girl?”
“Well, Bianca said you couldn’t date her because you were gone for some other girl. So did you at least ask her out?”
“I never said it was a girl.”
Nico looked up at him, eyes unreadable. But he looked less angry than before, maybe even hopeful. Did Will being bi make him hopeful? Or was that wishful thinking?
“Did you ask out the guy then?” Nico asked after a moment. He averted his eyes again, as if he didn’t want to hear the response.
And Will wondered if he should go for it. He had a suspicion that Nico liked him too, but he was not sure. But what was the worst that could happen? That Nico would be angry and ignore him? He was already doing that. He liked Nico, he had come to that conclusion already. He liked him as more than just friends. If he didn’t try now, nothing would come of it.
“I would have, but he’s been avoiding me all week.”
Nico looked him in the eyes again. “That’s stupid, why would he do that?”
“Because I hurt his sister.”
They had stopped walking and Nico was now studying his face. Then one corner of his mouth turned up. “Maybe he was just using that as an excuse because he was jealous.”
“Why would you be jealous?” Will asked incredulously. “You’ve got literally no one to be jealous of.”
Nico huffed. He looked around, spotted an empty bench and let them over there. Once they were seated next to each other, he took a deep breath and looked in the distance.
“Bianca already knew you worked in the coffee shop. Her friend had already told her that once before, and she had remembered it. So when the friend didn’t want to tell Bianca anything else because it was supposed to be a blind date, we came up with a plan. I would go into the coffee shop, order coffee and find out who was called Will. Then I would decide if you looked pretty and if you seemed nice, and report back to her. Bianca and I usually have the same type anyway, so I could judge for her.” He was quiet for a moment and took a deep breath and continued. “There was one flaw in our plan though. Bianca and I have the same type, so if she would like you, well, so would I.
“Towards the end of the week, I think I was more looking forward to going to the coffee shop than she was. And then Saturday came and I had to help Bianca get ready for her date, and I hated that. I made sure to open the door so I could… I don’t know, pretend? That you were there for me somehow.” Nico trailed off, still looking in the distance.
“I spent the entire week trying to stop thinking of you, because I already had a date planned,” Will confessed. “And I failed completely. Because when you opened that door, I suddenly realised, well that you two were siblings, first of all. But also that that sight was what I was actually hoping for. I didn’t see much of the movie, if I’m honest, because I was too busy having a crisis over realising that I liked you.”
Nico smiled a tiny smile and looked over at him. “I didn’t see much of my movie either, because I was too busy wondering if you two had kissed already.”
Will smiled back at him. He wanted to kiss Nico right now, but that was probably too forward. Instead he turned a little sideways on the bench and took Nico’s hand. “Nico,” he started, a little unsure. Although there was no need to be unsure, they had both already said they liked each other. “Do you want to go on a date with me? We could go watch a movie, since we both had a failed movie night last week.”
Smiling Nico was definitely becoming Will’s favourite sight. “I’d like that,” he said, a little blush creeping up his cheeks. “But if you don’t mind, can I first check with Bianca if she’s okay with that?”
“Oh. Of course. That is probably a good idea,” Will admitted sheepishly.
Nico nodded. “If you give me your number, I’ll text you when I know.” And Will more than happily obliged and entered his number into Nico’s phone.
Their coffees were long finished, and Nico had a class starting soon so they reluctantly said goodbye for now.
And on his way home, Will realised that Lou Ellen’s “magical cure” against being single had actually worked this time, if not in the way she expected.
—
Unknown number: Hey Will, Nico here! Bianca doesn’t mind, so when did you want to watch that movie?
Will grinned at his phone and long pressed the unknown number. Save as contact. Contact name: “Nico here!”. Then he replied.