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During his college years, Loki had found that his assignments were best completed at the quaint café across from his dorm building. It was small, quiet, and offered a completely different atmosphere from the library. There weren’t any strict rules about how you have to be 100% silent. The café always smelled of freshly baked pastries and coffee. Loki loved this little place, but the only thing that distracted him was the rather peculiar barista, who always seemed amused whenever he returned.
That guy has messy hair with a stunning dark red shade.
His eyes are quite unusual; pitch black, which sent chills down Loki’s spine whenever their gaze “accidentally” met. And his eyelashes, according to Loki, are ridiculously long and sharp. But as time went by, Loki thinks it’s rather cute and somehow makes the barista look more attractive than ever. And his clothes, mostly black and white but with touches of red that Loki thought suited him well.
Occasionally, Loki felt as if the barista's gaze was fixed on him.
The cafe didn’t seem to have many customers, so Loki always thought the barista had nothing better to do than pay attention to the customers who came in (Loki was one of them). What was strange was that the barista didn’t seem to mind being caught staring at him so intensely.
Normally, Loki wouldn't pay attention to what others were doing. But sometimes, he would feel the barista's gaze burning into him. Loki would look up, hoping those eyes would turn away, hoping the barista would pretend to work instead of staring at him.
But the boy didn't turn away; instead, he looked at Loki for a moment longer and then gave a small smirk.
Many people would find this behavior of the barista annoying or irritating, but for some reason, Loki found it quite amusing. He couldn't help but smile at the eccentricity of the man behind the counter. Honestly, the barista 's gaze wasn't unsettling or frightening; it wasn't the kind that wanted to strip someone naked. Instead, it was like the look of someone who finds something interesting, observation in its purest form.
Of course, the barista had his reasons for always staring at his beloved customer.
Hugo had been working at this café for quite some time. He didn't really care much about the customers. Generally speaking, it was just a way for him to make money. That's what he thought, until a college student, whose name he only now learned, named Loki, started visiting more frequently. The man gave Hugo a very special feeling, or perhaps it was his appearance that created a rather strange atmosphere around him.
The young college student had a mid-fade buzzcut, a hairstyle Hugo thought suited him perfectly. He had never met anyone who looked as striking with that cut as Loki did. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of yellow, a color that completely captivated Hugo. The customer was dressed quite simply, black pants and a white shirt concealing his frame.
Loki seemed uninterested in socializing or maybe he’s an introvert. He always chose the furthest, most secluded corner of the cafe, even though there were plenty of empty seats that no one else wanted to sit in. But it wasn't until much later that Hugo realized Loki possessed excellent social skills and showed no fear of interaction whatsoever. He chose that particular seat for practical reasons: it offered a clear view of the window, the entrance, and the flow of people coming and going. From there, he could also keep an eye on the bar.
Our barista, Vivien Hugo, always thought he had an exceptional ability to strike up conversations with strangers. In fact, he knew exactly what to do and say to win a conversation. But Loki was a difficult exception. Loki, who has no interest in small talks, was completely unmoved by Hugo's weak attempts to ask about his day. He sat far from where Hugo worked, occasionally glancing at him from behind his computer with a sharp, scrutinizing gaze, as if he could read Hugo's mind.
Perhaps he really could read Hugo’s thoughts; that might also explain why Loki had never once spared a glance at the coffee saucer. It was the same saucer on which Hugo always scribbled his phone number, often accompanied by little upside-down doodles. Today, he had drawn a cheesy cat with the ultra-thin pink highlighter he had bought at the bookstore, hoping to catch the other man’s attention.
Every day, when Loki came to the cafe, he would take coffee from Hugo, sit in the corner, and stare menacingly at the laptop. He always only drank half a cup of coffee, seemingly engrossed in what he was writing. Hugo had once asked Loki what he was writing about. But all he received in return was a bitter look from the other boy.
In fact, all that time, the only thing Loki ever said to him was:
"Give me a small black coffee, thank you."
That's it.
Ultimately, their cycle revolved around Loki walking into the cafe, ordering a small iced black coffee, and Hugo trying to strike up a conversation hoping the other would respond.
The other never responded.
But that didn't matter, Hugo didn't really care. Then, Loki would take his coffee and walk to his usual corner, far from the counter, occasionally glancing at him with a heart-stopping look. Then, Hugo would wait, hoping the writer would notice the colorful writing he'd made on the saucer. The writer didn't seem to notice either.
As time went on, the indifference began to quietly irritate Hugo . So, he devised a new plan. Honestly, Hugo had to congratulate himself on being a genius for coming up with this trick. The next time Loki came to the cafe, Hugo would deliberately make the wrong drink for Loki. Then, when Loki drank it, he'd notice something was wrong and look at the cup.
However, Hugo's plan went awry. Loki said nothing; he just stared at Hugo, as if Hugo were the first person he'd seen in years of self-isolation.
Loki took a sip from his coffee, which was far too sweet for his usual order. He winced, instead of looking down at the cup, however, his eyes shifted from the computer screen to the barista. Hugo was too far away to clearly see Loki's expression, but what he was certain of was a dismissive smirk from the man before he looked back at the screen. One thing Hugo wasn't sure of, whether it was the light reflecting from the ceiling or from the computer screen.
But Hugo swore there was a small pink flush on the college student's cheek. Or maybe he was just seeing things.
Loki didn't bother looking at the saucer below, though he picked it up for another sip, trying not to grimace at the sweetness that could give him diabetes.
Hugo was truly bewildered. The man who always ignored him had, today, drunk an entire cup of (terrible) coffee.
Then, Loki stood up, gave Hugo a polite smile, and left without saying a word.
After the other person's figure disappeared from view, Hugo finally relaxed, letting out a long sigh. He leaned against the wall, slumping to the floor.
"Was he doing this on purpose or was he just stupid?"
However, despite the disappointment that his plan hadn't gone as intended, Hugo couldn't bring himself to smile foolishly at the thought of Loki; even his face flushed.
Hugo wondered if Loki would bother to find out his name. Honestly, receiving a smile from the other person could be considered a success.
Weeks passed, and both of them returned to their usual routines. Hugo had even changed the other person's drink. Although seeing the other person's expression change was fun but at the same time, Hugo felt disillusioned with their relationship. He wanted Loki to look at the saucer he prepared every day. At this point, he no longer cared whether the other person was deliberately ignoring him or not; he just wanted Loki’s attention.
After a series of failed plans, Hugo reached his limit. Although Hugo’s a brain person, this time, he chose to follow his heart. He chose to do something bolder and undeniably foolish.
Hugo walked to the corner of the room where Loki was sitting. He taped a small note to Loki's laptop. Before the other man could say anything, he spoke:
"I wrote my number on every saucer you used for your coffee cups. And you never looked down at it, not even a glance." Hugo said angrily, his rage overwhelming him, revealing his ill-tempered side.
Loki looked at the man before him, then looked down at the saucer.
A series of numbers was meticulously written, accompanied by a small drawing of a cheetah. Then, he looked at the note Hugo had just stuck on his laptop screen.
On the paper were the words "Please go out with me." written in large, angry letters.
Loki remained silent, saying nothing. He simply closed the laptop screen and pushed it against the wall. Then he stood up and sat down in a chair further away from where Hugo was standing. For a moment, Hugo thought this was Loki's way of subtly rejecting his offer. But on closer inspection, it seemed more like Loki was asking for something.
Loki looked at Hugo, then tilted his head and said,
"Aren't you going to sit?"
He glanced at Hugo, gesturing for him to sit in the chair opposite. Once again, Hugo swore that, in the dim light of the chandelier, he had seen Loki's face flush slightly.