"Did you break something? I thought I caught you in time."
Felix blinked up at the stranger, his face reddening as he realized he was still being held. He was lying in a stranger's embrace, his legs dangling off the ground. When has he ever been in an awkward situation like this?
"Oh, I'm fine," he said, flustered. "You can set me down now. Thank you."
The man gently lowered him to the ground, taking a slow step back but still holding his arm out to catch Felix in case he stumbled. Felix's eyes lingered for a moment, taking in the tall, broad-shouldered, grey-eyed man. He was handsome, very handsome, but his unfamiliarity made Felix pause.
"Emm…" he said, clearing his throat, "Thank you once again."
"Sure," the man said. His voice was low and steady, it seemed to have a magnetic effect that made Felix want to speak more with the man. "Why were you up there, though? Something broken?"
Felix smiled sheepishly, brushing dust off his apron. "No. No. No. My cat is stuck on the roof. I was trying to coax him down."
He turned around to point at the roof, but the cat was no longer there. His brows furrowed. "Lulu! Lulu!" he called, stepping closer to the building. He bent down to check the flower hedges planted around the shop's exterior.
A rustle of leaves answered him. The orange kitten walked out of the hedge, stretching leisurely. It padded over to Felix with a casual air, unlike the fear it showed on the roof and curled around his legs, purring like nothing had happened.
"How did you get down here?" Felix bent to scoop him up, cradling the cat in his arms.
"You troublemaker," he muttered, scratching the cat's chin. "You know you're scared of heights, yet you keep climbing things. This is the 4th time this week, I really can't let you out of my sight for a second."
The cat only meowed in reply, snuggling deeper into his chest. Within seconds, the cat had fallen asleep.
When Felix looked up, the stranger was still there, standing quietly with his hands in his hoodie pocket, watching him with a slight smile.
"Would you like to come in for coffee. As a thank you." Felix offered, gingerly adjusting the cat in his arms.
The man looked like he wanted to say no, seemingly embarrassed about being repaid, but nodded instead. "Alright. Thank you."
Felix led the way into the shop, pushing open the glass door with his feet. The soft chime of the bell overhead sounded, and at once, 6 cats came rushing up to them. He carefully walked around them to a corner of the store, where cat beds were placed, and put the kitten in one of them.
He stood up and turned only to see the cats now crowding around the man, trying to get him to pet them, while he stood in place, unmoving.
"Sorry," Felix said with a chuckle. "They get excited whenever they see someone new."
The man said nothing, but glanced around as they entered. His gaze took in the warm cream tones, the fairy lights, and the paintings on the walls— some original pieces by Felix himself, others by the local teens he taught. Cat toys were placed at every corner, and each seat had comfortable cat-themed plushies and pillows. By one wall was a bookshelf. The place smelled like roasted beans, vanilla, and faintly of flowers. Though he had seen pictures of the interior, they didn't prepare him for the warmth inside.
"How do you like your coffee?" Felix asked, walking over.
The man was silent for a beat, and then asked, "What do you recommend?"
Felix's eyes sparkled, his pitch rising. "How about you try my new mix? I don't yet have a name for it."
He walked behind the counter and grabbed a clean cup. "Have a seat," he gestured toward the counter stools.
The man hesitated, then walked over and sat on one of the stools. Immediately, the cats tailed behind him, and one of the shop's cats, a black fluffball named Butternut, jumped onto the counter and then onto his lap and began nudging his arm with its head. On the ground, the others crawled between the chair legs, purring.
He froze at first. Then, awkwardly raised a hand to pet the black cat. It was soft and small, and the cat seemed to be enjoying his touch. It closed its eyes contentedly and nudged further into his palm.
Adrian had never interacted with cats before. Not really. Small animals had no place in his childhood. Even his dog was a trained guard dog, and the only other cats he had been around before these were lions and tigers. Yet here he was being surrounded by a bunch of regular cats.
"They seem to like you," Felix said, looking at him. Their eyes met and held for a few seconds before he turned away to focus on his craft.
"Here you go." A few moments later, he set a chilled glass of dark brown liquid in front of the man. "I've been experimenting with this, and you'll be the first person to try it."
The man raised a brow. "Should I be worried?"
Felix snorted. "Of course not, it's safe. I think…"
Adrian slowly lifted the glass, took a sip, and paused. The coffee was cold and sweet, but not too sweet. It had a light fruity zing at the end, something he couldn't quite place, but was sure he had tasted before. He took another sip.
"What do you think?" Felix leaned forward on his elbows, watching the man intently. Adrian found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Felix was close, so close he could see the flecks of green in them.
"It's good," Adrian finally said. "Unusual, refreshing, and a bit fruity. What did you put in it?"
This was the first time he had tasted such a sweet coffee. He usually drank his coffee black with nothing else added.
"Perfect," Felix beamed. "I added orange and grapefruit."
"You can add fruits to coffee?" Adrian asked, surprised.
"Yes," Felix nodded. "Try it with this," he slid over a small ceramic plate with a slice of chocolate cake and a small fork. The plate had little cartoon cats around the edge.
Adrian hesitated. Old habits tugged at his instincts. Because of how he grew up, he hardly ate outside food. Everything he used and ate had to go through strict security checks before it got to him. Even after all those measures, there were times he still got poisoned. He looked at the plate and then at the smiling young man, conflicted. Felix had no idea who he was. No agenda. He was simply offering a slice of cake as thanks.
Still, his fingers twitched slightly under the counter.
And then something soft brushed his lips.
"Open up," Felix said playfully. He was holding a fork with a small piece of cake to his lips. "Trust me, it's delicious."
Adrian blinked. Other than when he was a child, no one had tried to feed him food. Plus, he didn't let anyone this close to him. He opened his mouth without thinking.
The cake melted in his mouth, the perfect blend of sweet and bitter.
Felix raised the fork again.
Adrian reached out and gently closed his fingers around Felix's hand, taking the fork from him. He felt a jolt of electricity pass through him at their brief touch.
"I…I can do it… Myself," Adrian said, his ears reddening.
Felix smiled, but said nothing. He took in the man's red ears. Was he being too much?