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Juan barely stepped inside Nexe’s new dog cafe before he was getting swarmed by a bundle of furry chaos.
A fluffy golden retriever bumped against his legs first, followed immediately by two corgis circling around his shoes excitedly and another tiny dog jumped straight into his lap.
Juan laughed as he crouched down instinctively, scooping it into his arms. “Doggies, doggies, one at a time please.”
“Oh, you’re so adorable, little guy…” he murmured, stroking the little one’s head.
“They all like you.”
Juan looked up toward the familiar raspy voice.
Nexe stood nearby holding a tray of empty drinks, fluffy tail swaying lazily behind him. A puppy rested comfortably in the crook of his arm while he watched Juan get overwhelmed by dogs with visible amusement.
“Nexe, you sure this is your cafe and not a trap of yours?” Juan asked as another dog climbed directly into his lap. “I’m never leaving this place.”
“Both,” Nexe answered jokingly.
That answer only made Juan laugh harder.
Within minutes, he’d ended up sitting cross-legged on the floor completely surrounded by dogs. One puppy curled against his chest while another tried chewing his sleeve.
Nexe eventually joined him on the floor too after tending other customers, leaning comfortably against the nearby couch.
Juan impulsively reached toward the fluffy fur around Nexe’s ears. “Your fur is ridiculously soft,” he said in disbelief.
Nexe only snorted softly as Juan continued absentmindedly ruffling his fur while petting the dogs at the same time.
Juan didn’t even make it to ordering anything. He just ended up sitting on the floor, surrounded, laughing softly every time a puppy demanded his attention.
And then Graf walked in. He had come by to check out what his fellow Polish mate had been working on, but he stopped immediately at the doorway when he saw him.
Juan was on the floor, smiling brightly as a puppy curled into his chest. Nexe sat nearby, casually petting one of the dogs while Juan idly reached over and ruffled the fur around Nexe’s fluffy ears.
“Who’s a good little puppy? Who’s a good little puppy?” He cooed, making Nexe burst into giggles, tail swaying.
Graf stared blankly.
“…Wow,” he said quietly after a moment. Sometimes he forgot that Nexe was the true main attraction of the cafe all along.
Juan looked up instantly. “Nice to see you, Graf!”
The brightness in Juan’s face made something in Graf’s chest tighten in a way he did not bother naming.
“Hola,” he greeted back nonchalantly.
Graf walked over and sat beside him, careful not to disturb the pile of dogs that immediately tried to claim him too.
Juan shifted slightly closer without noticing.
“You came alone?” Graf asked.
“Yeah,” Juan said distractedly while stroking a puppy’s ears. “I wanted to check this place out so bad.”
Graf noticed something then.
“You haven’t ordered anything?”
Juan blinked. “Hmm?”
“You’ve been here for a while, haven’t you?” Graf asked. “Although we can play with them for free, it is still a cafe.”
Juan looked around like he’d only just realized. “Oh, you’re right.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “My bad, I got really distracted by these cute puppies.”
Graf stood up without saying much and walked to the counter.
Nexe looked up. “You ordering something?” he asked in Polish.
Graf nodded once and said something too low for Juan to hear.
A few minutes later, he returned carrying a small chocolate parfait topped with whipped cream and a tiny dog-shaped biscuit. He gently placed it in front of Juan.
Juan paused mid-petting. “What’s this?”
“You should eat something,” Graf said simply as he sat back down beside him. “It’s my treat.”
Juan’s expression softened at once. “Gracias…”
He took a small bite, eyes widening a little. “Wow, this actually tastes good.”
Graf’s shoulders eased almost imperceptibly at that.
Across from them, Nexe watched the interaction in quiet interest, tail swaying lazily as he leaned back against the counter.
Then he stood when someone called from the back room, dusting his hoodie off.
“Haiper needs my help right now,” he said casually. “Can you two watch the cafe for me for a few minutes?”
“Sure,” Juan said immediately. “It’s no problem.”
“Sure,” Graf echoed a second later.
Nexe gave them a lazy thumbs-up and disappeared into the staffroom, trying to contain his laughter.
The cafe’s mood shifted the moment he was gone.
Well not exactly, because the dogs were still everywhere, weaving between their legs and collapsing into warm little piles, but something in the space between them loosened.
Juan leaned back slightly, still eating his parfait while a puppy settled comfortably into his lap again.
“This place is nice,” he said softly.
“Yeah, true,” Graf agreed.
Juan absentmindedly reached over to scratch behind a dog’s ear, not noticing how his hand drifted close enough to brush near Graf’s knee before pulling back again.
Graf noticed, but Juan didn’t even bat an eyelash.
Graf exhaled slowly, then spoke in a quieter, almost casual voice. “You know,” he said, “Nexe actually built this place with AI.”
Juan turned to him in disbelief. “What?”
“Yeah,” Graf continued, gaze fixed somewhere between the dogs and Juan. “He used schematics to build it. Didn’t even bother to build it himself.”
Juan looked around more slowly this time, taking in the warm lighting, the cozy corners and the neatly arranged beds and shelves.
“…Really?”
“Mhm.”
“…Damn.”
Graf didn’t know if that changed Juan’s opinion of Nexe at all, but it gave him a quiet, petty satisfaction he wouldn’t openly admit to.
Despite the noise and the hectic atmosphere of the dog cafe around them, Graf’s attention didn’t drift even once. It didn’t wander to the wagging excited tails or the restless paws or the warmth spilling through every corner of the room.
It stayed quietly and stubbornly, exactly where it always ended up.
He only had his eyes on Juan.