Work Text:
Kevin likes his job – sure, it’s not the most profitable one, and he can just hear his mother’s voice echoing in his head how he could have aimed so much higher, but the pay is good enough and the working hours aren’t bad either. He knows he’s a people person and always has been, so even though some customers can be… a lot to handle, Kevin still enjoys working with people.
And besides, what is one boomer complaining about how he didn’t put enough cream on their coffee, when behind them in the line are multiple beautiful, cute girls, who offer him smiles and oftentimes condolences for having to deal with shitty customers?
It’s a fair trade, in Kevin’s honest opinion.
The days go by fast, he gets to chat ( and sometimes flirt, though his manager always scolds him for it ) with customers and his co-workers are chill. He likes William and Mike the most out of them. They sometimes also get to take leftover baked goods home with them – and they’re delicious.
He’s working on a rather calm shift with Mike on a Thursday when he hears the bell hung over the cafe’s entrance dingle, signaling that customers are coming in. He puts down the mug he was cleaning and turns to face the counter with a bright smile.
“Hello, what can I– Oh, Demi! Haven’t seen you in a while!” Kevin laughs as he recognizes the person walking through the doors.
Demi strolls in with a big grin on her painted lips and waves at him. “Hey, Kevin! Hope you didn’t miss me too much.”
“Aww, you know I miss you every second I’m not seeing you,” Kevin says with a wink, making Demi chuckle.
“Yes, of course, darling.”
It’s only then when Kevin registers there’s another person with Demi, standing too close to her not to be in her company. He sweeps his eyes over the man, but pauses as he really takes in his appearance:
The man is probably a few years older, but about the same height as he is, maybe an inch or so shorter. He’s also lean but fit; the man wears a shirt with a low collar and it’s easy to catch a glimpse of his pecs. His arms are also thick and muscular– Kevin would like to see and compare if they are bigger than his.
His hair is dark brown and swept back, and it looks silken and soft to the touch even from the slight distance between them. There is a long scar marring his face over his left eye that Kevin is curious about, but it only adds to the charm in his opinion.
Kevin is not one of those guys who can’t say that other men look good if asked, and he can admit without anyone even needing to voice the question that the man before him is handsome .
He’s wearing a tilted smile on his lips as he’s clearly amused by his and Demi’s antics, and fuck, the man is handsome.
“Uh,” Kevin stutters out as he stares at the man, and immediately wants to slap himself – what does he mean “uh”? He’s not one to be rendered speechless whenever he finds someone attractive!
Demi raises one questioning eyebrow at him, but thankfully lets it drop as she then throws her arm around the man and brings him closer.
“You two haven’t met yet! Jose, this is Kevin – he’s the one childhood friend I’ve told you about – and Kevin, this is Jose. He works at the same bar as I do,” Demi introduces them, and the two men lock eyes. Kevin feels his heart skip a beat and curses in his mind.
“Nice to meet you, Kevin. I’ve heard a lot about you from Demi,” Jose smiles. Kevin just stares at him for a second too long before realizing that he needs to answer too.
“Oh, uh, yeah– Nice to meet you too.”
Forget slapping, Kevin wants to stab himself. He’s very much aware he’s not acting like he normally is, stumbling over his words like this. Demi is now looking at him with a confused frown on her face, and Kevin feels how he’s starting to sweat a bit.
Jose though looks at him with a small, amused smirk on his lips as he quickly scans him up and down.
It’s honestly not fair how hot this co-worker of Demi’s is and how flustered he’s able to make Kevin feel with only by standing in front of him and looking at him.
Kevin shakes his head a bit and clears his throat. “But hey! You’re here for drinks, right? So what can I get you?” he asks, hoping to move the conversation along and praying to god that Demi doesn’t mention his previous flumbers, not now or ever.
Thankfully, he’s spared at least for this moment. “Yeah, get me my usual, dear,” Demi grins and Kevin finds it easy to answer in kind.
“Will do!” Kevin says and then turns to look at Jose, swallowing slightly. “And what do you want?”
Jose lifts his hand to his chin as he looks up at the menu on the wall and hums a bit. “There are so many options here…” he muses, eyes scanning the list of available drinks. He then turns his gaze back on Kevin, the same amused nuance still on his lips. “What would you recommend?”
Kevin brings a hand to the back of his neck, scratching it a bit. “Oh, uh, that depends wholly on what your tastes are like.”
“I’d like to be surprised, really. Why don’t you make me a drink that you enjoy?” Jose answers, and Kevin thinks he can see from the corner of his eye Demi giving the other man a quick, puzzled glance, but the barista’s attention isn’t really on her.
“Oh, sure. Just a moment.” Kevin takes the payment from the two of them and turns around to prepare a dirty chai for Demi and a vanilla latte for Jose– a mindless task for him, really, since it is his go-to drink he makes for himself often. The process is familiar and easy, and Kevin is kinda glad that his mind shuts out other distractions– namely, the man he is preparing the drink for– and he can compose himself.
He gets the drinks done, handing Demi her own with a friendly wink which the lady returns, and giving Jose his drink. “It’s a vanilla latte– mighty delicious, if you asked me.”
Kevin sees Jose hesitate for a split second before accepting the mug from him. The man still has a smile on his lips, though it’s not as wide as before. “We’ll have to see if I share your opinion,” he says, a wry hint of humor in his tone. “Though, I have to admit– I didn’t beg you as a person with a sweet tooth.”
Before Kevin can answer, Demi lets out a bright laugh. “Man, Kevin has a sweet tooth even bigger than mine– you sure you'll be able to drink that?”
A cold feeling sinks down into Kevin’s stomach. “Wait, you don’t–?”
“–Like sweet things? No, not really,” Jose laughs and shakes his head a bit. “But it’s fine– I was the one who asked you to surprise me.”
“Man, you should’ve told me that beforehand,” Kevin moans. “I even put a bit of extra vanilla syrup in there.”
Jose grimaces slightly, making Demi snicker at him. “I’m… sure I can handle that,” he says, though he doesn’t sound so convincing. Kevin grimaces as well.
“Sorry man, I can make you a new one-”
“No, don’t. I’ll just know to make my own order the next time,” Jose waves him off easily, and the off-handed promise of coming back for a next time lifts Kevin’s spirits more than it probably should.
“Alright,” he laughs a bit sheepishly. “Well, I hope you enjoy your drinks– as much as you can.”
“I know I’ll enjoy mine, dear,” Demi says with a satisfied grin, poking a teasing elbow at Jose’s side. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’ll drink his latte as well.”
Jose lets out a small groan, though he has a wry grin on his lips. The two of them then turn around to find a table they can sit at, and before Kevin can even humor the thought of joining them, the bell above the door jingles again as a sign for more customers walking in.
Kevin gets back to his work, throwing a couple of flirtatious lines at the customers– though nothing too bad or suggestive. He has learned his lesson. Mike still likes to remind him of the case where he got the coffee he had just prepared for a customer thrown at him because of his too bold flirting. And speaking of Mike–
The smaller man walks out of the kitchen, a tray of freshly baked muffins in his hands and a song on his lips. His singing is good– Kevin knows this, he has heard Mike sing many times to be able to say that with full confidence– but for some godforsaken reason, the blond has taken a habit of singing horribly out of tune whenever Kevin is in the earshot. This time isn’t an exception to that either.
“ Stop, you’ll drive all the customers away,” Kevin groans, but Mike just gives him an innocent grin that doesn’t fool Kevin at all.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about– my singing is good, you’ve said that many times.”
“Yeah, when you’re singing properly, you bastard.”
Mike snickers in response. “Oh, but I always sing properly!”
Kevin rolls his eyes and sighs, and they fall into a comfortable silence as Mike starts to place the fresh muffins into their display. Unconsciously Kevin’s eyes keep drifting towards Demi and Jose, sneaking glances at the good-looking man trying his best to drink the latte he was given. It’s… not going quite as good as Kevin hoped it would, but to Jose’s credit, he does take sips regularly. Albeit very small ones.
“So who’s the handsome one?” Mike asks suddenly, standing on his tiptoes to peer at Jose from over Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin jumps a bit in surprise, embarrassed that he’d been caught staring by Mike.
“Who– What do you mean?” he tries to play it off, but of course he should have known that Mike wouldn’t have it.
“Oh, you know, the one you were basically drooling after and stumbling over your words like he was your first crush,” Mike says airily, a teasing glint in his eyes.
“Wha– No– I did not!” Kevin hisses, blood rushing to his face and he directs a quick glance at Jose; the man is laughing at something Demi said, and mentally Kevin sighs in relief– even though the table is a bit away from the counter, there is the possibility that he might have heard Mike’s words. Luckily it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Mike just grins at him, and Kevin grumbles, still feeling the heat on his cheeks. “He’s just a friend of Demi’s.”
“Uh-huh, and a future boyfriend of yours?”
A groan. “Mike, please. ” The said man lets out a bubbly laugh, and the subject is thankfully dropped after that. Mike finishes placing the muffins on display and returns to the kitchen, leaving Kevin alone on the counter. There are a couple of more customers who come in before Kevin notices from the corner of his eye Demi and Jose getting up from their seats.
“Thanks for the drinks, love,” Demi says jovially as they walk to the counter.
“No problem, doll,” Kevin answers with a smile before turning to look at Jose. “So? Was it as horrendous as you feared?”
A small laugh escapes from Jose. “It was… drinkable. But I’ll have to admit, it was better than I expected.”
“I’ll take that as a win, then.”
Jose huffs out and looks at Kevin from under his lashes. “If you keep that up then who knows, maybe I’ll end up having something of a sweet tooth myself.”
Despite himself, Kevin can feel his cheeks warming up and the two wave their goodbyes before exiting the small cafe. Mike comes back to the counter and just smirks at Kevin, receiving an elbow to his side in retaliation.
---
Kevin wouldn’t admit it out loud, no, but he keeps thinking about Demi’s friend and wondering when– if he’s going to come back to the cafe. He wouldn’t normally be as hung up on single customers like that but Jose had implied pretty strongly that he’d visit again, so Kevin thinks it’s really just justified that the man keeps occupying his thoughts like this.
But as eager as the barista is to see Jose again soon, the man doesn’t come back for another week. It’s fine though– it’s not like Kevin really expected him to return just a day after or anything. He had just hoped.
As the days pass with no sign of the man, Kevin’s mood takes a dip downwards. He’s not moping or anything, but if he’s a little less enthusiastic at his job, can anyone really blame him?
It really didn’t help that Mike’s boyfriend visited the cafe a couple of times while Kevin here was secretly longing after a man he’d taken an interest in. While normally Kevin would just make friendly jabs at the two men whenever Norton came by the cafe, now he could feel his lips form into a small pout while listening to them.
“Hey, are you okay? You seem a little down,” Norton asks him one time, startling Kevin out of his thoughts.
“Oh– no, man, I’m fine, don’t worry! Just didn’t sleep that well last night,” Kevin laughs sheepishly, waving off the question. Norton looks at him for a moment before apparently deciding not to question him further and just shrugs. Kevin lets out a small sigh in relief.
Just as Kevin is about to give up on the hope of Jose actually returning to the cafe, he hears the familiar sound of the door bell jingling and when he turns around, he’s coming to face the man himself. Kevin blinks once, twice, and then he lets an easy grin come on to his face.
“Hey there! Here I was wondering if you weren’t going to come back.”
Jose lifts an eyebrow and the corner of his lips. “Oh? It’s only been a week, though– Did you miss me that much?”
Kevin pauses, his mouth open. He… really didn’t think that through, huh. Feeling some heat rising to his cheeks, Kevin clears his throat briefly. “Nah, just that– I, uh, just wanted to redeem my last mistake with you. To make something that you’d actually like, you know.”
The amused tilt of Jose’s lips doesn’t leave his face and the man just hums amicably. Kevin’s face burns more.
Maybe he should just get used to the feeling of being a flustered mess around the man.
“Well, let’s see if your other stuff is good, then,” Jose then says, his voice pleasant, and somehow it manages to soothe Kevin’s nerves a bit.
“Right! Anything in particular you want?”
Jose brings a hand to his chin just like the last time he visited and eyes through all the options they have available in the cafe.
“I guess I’ll have an espresso,” he hums thoughtfully, and Kevin nods.
“One espresso coming right up!” he says and turns around to prepare the drink for the man. From the corner of his eye, Kevin sees Mike walking from the kitchen to the counter, and the smaller man pauses when he takes a notice of Jose.
“Oh! Hello Mr. Handsome– glad to see you again!” Mike says with cheer, making Kevin freeze right where he stands. “Kevin here was starting to miss you already.”
“Wha– Mike! ” Kevin hisses, feeling heat pool into his face as he gives a distressed glance towards Jose– who is looking at Mike with his brows lifted. To Kevin’s embarrassment, their eyes meet and he knows he doesn’t imagine the small glint that flashes in Jose’s gaze along with an uptilt of his lips.
“So you did miss me?” Jose inquiries, the smile growing as he takes in the sight of Kevin getting more flustered. Mike, the traitor, just smirks at Kevin’s way before turning back to Jose.
“Sure did! Wouldn’t admit it out loud, no, but he was clearly heartbroken over not seeing you come back.”
“That’s not true!” Kevin quickly exclaims, shooting a warning glare towards his coworker. “I just– I wanted to make you a drink you actually liked. Since, you know, the last one wasn’t really to your tastes. Which– I already said. And told Mike too.”
Jose looks at him amused. “Is that so?”
“Yes! And you’ll get the drink right now if Mike would get out of my way so I could make it, ” Kevin says pointedly, making the blond raise his hands placatantly up in the air and leave the counter, moving back to the kitchen with a laugh. He could feel more annoyed, but he hears Jose let out a pleasant, low laugh of his own at their antics, and suddenly all the shame he went through doesn’t feel as bad.
With Mike not in the way, Kevin gets the drink done pretty quickly. He hands Jose the steaming mug, and while he didn’t really mean it to happen, their fingers brush against each other. There’s this slight tingling feeling that lingers even after passing the drink for the other man, a safe distance between their hands once more.
Jose thanks him with a smile and Kevin waves him off easily. “Hopefully you’ll like that one more than the last one,” he adds with a sheepish grin.
“Not as an insult to your previous drink, but I think it’s guaranteed that I will,” Jose laughs softly. It really is a nice sound. A sound that Kevin could get used to hearing. And it’s that thought that makes Kevin blurt out the casual joke:
“Perhaps that’s the drink that’ll actually get you to come back.”
Hearing the words, Jose looks momentarily surprised, and Kevin regrets everything . He feels the traitorous heat crawling back to his cheeks and he starts babbling once again.
“N-Not that you need to! Just that, I guess if you decided to come back again, then it’d be more thanks to that drink. Our espresso is actually quite good– or so I’ve heard at least. It’s not something that I really drink myself, hah. More a fan of the sweeter drinks. Which you knew already, right. Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
Kevin doesn’t want to look Jose in the eye. He wants the ground to cave in, and jump straight into the hole formed there. Seriously, why is he such a mess around the man?
He does lift his gaze in the end though, and what he sees is the playful look in Jose’s eyes. Jose waits until he gets eye contact with him before he huffs softly, a simple smile on his lips. It could be mocking, but somehow Kevin gets the feeling that isn’t the case here.
Jose lifts the mug to his lips and takes a tentative sip– he lets out an appreciative hum, and Kevin softly sighs out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.
Taking another, bigger sip, Jose then lowers the mug and catches Kevin’s eye. “I think I’ll definitely come around again,” he muses with a tilted smile. Kevin perks up.
“So you liked that one then?”
“Oh, the drink is good too.”
Jose’s choice of words puzzles Kevin a bit, but ultimately he shrugs his confusion off– the important thing is that the man is clearly amiable for a revisit, and the thought makes Kevin feel warm and eager already. “Ah, that’s great! Glad I was able to make you something you can drink without grimacing,” Kevin laughs, and Jose huffs out a snort as well.
The bell above the entrance door jingles, and they both turn to look as a pair of girls enter the cafe. “I guess I should let you do your work in peace,” Jose says. It might be just Kevin’s imagination, but he would like to think that the note of disappointment he hears in his voice is actually there. Jose gives him another smile and a nod of his head before he turns around to find a seat for himself.
Kevin finds himself busy for the next 20 minutes or so with more customers coming in steadily, and by the time he gets a small breather and glances at the table Jose went to sit at, it’s already been occupied by other patrons.
Kevin would be lying if he wasn’t the slightest bit bummed about the missed opportunity to chat with the man more, but it’s alright. Jose did say he was coming back, after all.
---
True to his words, Jose does come back to the cafe, and this time it doesn’t take an entire week for him to visit again. A part of Kevin is feeling a bit embarrassed, wondering if the reason for that was his seeming clinginess– but Jose seems like he really is there because of his own interest, and Kevin doesn’t want to dwell too much on it, lest he starts overthinking.
Every time Jose visits the cafe and there are no other customers Kevin needs to serve, he stays there by the counter to talk with Kevin until either Kevin needs to do his job or he runs out of his drink. It’s nice – more than nice – but it makes Kevin wonder.
“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to sit by the table to drink your coffee?” he asks one time.
Jose pauses and seems to search Kevin’s face. “Do you mind me being here? If that’s the case, I’ll move to a table right away.”
Quickly bringing his hands up, Kevin waves them as he shakes his head. “Not at all! The opposite, really! I just thought it’d probably be more pleasant for you to sit down.”
The look in Jose’s eyes softens as he listens to Kevin, and he smiles. “Don’t worry about that. I do plenty of sitting around anyway.”
The expression Jose wears makes Kevin’s heart skip a beat, and the barista nods, a bit dumbfounded. “If you’re sure… Don’t feel like you have to stand there and entertain me though.”
“Trust me– I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to,” Jose says with slanted eyes.
It’s times like these– and they happen often, too– that stay on Kevin’s mind, thinking back on the words and moments shared between them when Kevin lies awake in his bed at night. He… would like to call the moments flirtatious, but really, he doesn’t want to get his hopes up for nothing– from what he’s seen when Jose and Demi visit the cafe together, the two of them seem to share a really close friendship as well. If Kevin didn’t know that Demi was gay and happily dating Vera, he would probably think that she and Jose had something going on between them.
On nights when uncertain but secretly hopeful thoughts like these seem to plague his mind, Kevin huffs out a breath and turns on his side, trying his best to think about something else. Jose is a handsome man that Kevin really wouldn’t mind taking out on a date or two, but he appreciates the budding friendship that has slowly grown between them– and he doesn’t want to ruin that. There’s also the fact that he doesn’t want to drag Demi into any possible awkward mess that could come between them, since she is a friend to both of them.
But each time he sees Jose step into the cafe with that stupidly attractive smile on his lips, Kevin feels how his traitorous heart skips a beat. And Jose’s words and actions, which Kevin could read differently that the man most likely means, don’t really help his case.
The last time Jose was at the cafe, they had been talking for a while and Kevin ended up suggesting that Jose try one of their cupcakes.
“I think I’ve got my quota of sweetness already,” was all Jose had said, while looking him in the eyes– thinking about it now brings heat to Kevin’s cheeks and he groans, hiding his burning face against the soft pillow.
He really has it bad, huh.
---
“Good morning, Kevin!” William greets him happily as Kevin enters the cafe, his voice way too bright for such an early hour. Kevin doesn’t really have any problems getting up in the mornings, but after getting to know William, he has had to admit to himself that perhaps he’s not as much of an early bird as he liked to think himself to be.
“G’morning,” he answers, fighting back a small yawn. William still catches it though, and grins knowingly at his direction.
“A busy night?” he asks, leaving Kevin blinking at him.
“Not really? How so?”
“Oh, I just thought,” the man sings, but doesn’t provide further context. Kevin just frowns at him, confused. He’s about to ask what he means, but William changes topic before he can do so.
“So I was thinking of testing this new recipe today– the boss said if it’s any good, we can add it to the menu.”
“Oh, nice. What are you making then?”
“A chocolate cake! My granny used to bake them real good, so I’ve kinda tried to replicate it but with my own twist.”
Kevin brings a hand to his chin and hums. “Wouldn’t you want to keep that to yourself then? If it’s a family recipe and all that.”
William just lets out a bright laugh. “No, no! Granny always said that food tastes better when shared– I’m sure she would love to have more people taste her bakings, and what’s better than having them available at our cafe?”
“Well, if you’re sure,” Kevin smiles, convinced when William nods his head happily.
The day passes by rather quickly; the sun is shining and the weather is warm, so there are more people out, and by extension more people stopping to enjoy a drink or a snack at their cafe. The cake William made looks delicious, and judging by the reactions of the people who buy a slice, it tastes so as well.
“Seems like your cake is gonna make a regular appearance at our showcase,” Kevin comments after he sells the last pieces of it. William lets out a bit sheepish but delighted laugh.
“I’m glad! I honestly didn’t think it would sell out that fast.”
“With how good it looked, I’m not surprised at all,” Kevin grins at William, who beams in response.
It’s not long after that Mike steps into the cafe, ready to start his shift and let William go home for the day. Before William leaves the store though, the two men have a brief conversation together.
“I tried making that cake I was talking about earlier, and it all sold out,” Willaim tells Mike excitedly.
“Sweet! Did you let Kevin’s boyfriend taste it?” Mike asks, a mischievous lilt in his voice as he glances at Kevin.
What.
“He didn’t come by today,” William pouts a bit. “I wanted to hear his opinion too.”
Wait.
“Aww, that’s too bad. But I’m sure he’ll come back later!”
Now just hold on a moment–
“Let’s hope so! But I’ll be going now, I promised to play some game today with Tracy that she was excited about. See you guys!”
With a furious blush on his face, Kevin starts to open his mouth. “William, wai–”
And he’s out of the door. Great.
Kevin turns to scowl at Mike, who’s absolutely unbothered by the nasty stare he receives. “What?”
“He– he’s not my boyfriend!” Kevin practically hisses, making Mike just laugh brightly in response.
“Yet!” the blond sings, “What’s the harm of telling him something that’ll happen soon anyway?” He snickers as he ducks out of the way of Kevin’s punch.
“I can’t believe you,” Kevin groans.
“I’m telling the truth, trust me!”
In the end, Kevin just rolls his eyes, feeling the heat still clinging to his cheeks. He doesn’t really trust Mike’s words, but maybe, deep down, he still hopes.
---
“Oh! Hey, Kevin! It’s your man!” William shouts out jovially. Kevin raises his head instinctively and comes peeking around the corner before he even registers the meaning of the words.
There, standing before the counter and waiting for his order to be taken, stands Jose. A bright smile lights up Kevin’s face at the sight, but then his mind finally catches up to what William had said. He flushes bright red and turns to face William, betrayed and mortified, but the man just gives him a thumbs up paired with a sunny grin on his lips before casually walking to the kitchen, leaving Kevin to handle the counter.
Of course William wouldn’t see anything wrong with his comment, not with what Mike has told him– and normally Kevin loves his relaxed and easy-going nature, but at this moment he feels the urge to dump a bucket of ice water on top of the man.
Gathering himself and taking a couple of deep breaths, Kevin then turns back and walks to the counter. He can still feel the heat clinging to his cheeks, but he hopes that it isn’t noticeable to Jose. He can do this.
“ ‘Your man’, huh?” Jose greets with a smirk on his lips, and Kevin wants to die.
“Yes– No! Hah, I mean, not my man certainly, you’re clearly your own man– Not that I’d mind if you were my man! Uh, that is– You’re certainly very attractive, and, uh– no, wait, I don’t mean that like–” Jose is very obviously enjoying the way Kevin just keeps digging his own hole deeper and deeper, stumbling over his words with absolutely no filter between his brain and mouth. And it’s unfair how good he looks with that amused quirk of his lips and a lifted eyebrow as he listens to Kevin ramble, because it’s not helping Kevin’s situation at all.
Kevin bites down on his tongue to stop himself from talking and embarrassing himself any further. He drags his hands down his face, counts to three in his head, and then plasters his most perfect customer service smile on.
“Hello, welcome to Kahvila. How can I help you today?”
Jose snorts at him. “I don’t think you were that professional even the first time I visited here.”
“Wha– Well, you were with Demi! It’s different!” Kevin protests and Jose barks out a laugh.
“Sure.”
Kevin scowls at him, but it does nothing to hinder the amused smirk on the other man’s lips. He then sighs. “So what will you get today? The usual?”
Jose lifts his hand to his chin and hums softly as he thinks. Then, he gets a teasing glint in his eyes, and Kevin already knows he won’t like what he’s going to say before he’s even opened his mouth. “What would you recommend to your man ?”
An embarrassed groan slips out of Kevin’s mouth. “Please just forget about that, okay. William, he just throws comments like that all the time.”
Kevin thinks he sees a flash of disappointment flicker briefly in Jose’s eyes, but it’s gone before he even knows it, as if it had never been there.
“I see. But, in either case, the question still stands – do you have any recommendations?” Jose smiles at him. The smile seems a bit diminished compared to earlier, but it could also be just Kevin’s mind playing tricks on him. It probably is.
Kevin lets out a small hum as he thinks. “Mmm, maybe a macchiato? You haven’t tried it yet, right?”
“Not here at least, no.”
Kevin grins at him. “Wanna try that one, then?”
“Sure. I’ll trust your tastes,” Jose smiles back.
“Man, way to put pressure on a fella. Remember the first time you visited here? Don’t go expecting too much now,” Kevin laughs.
“Well, you know my tastes better now that you did back then. I’m sure it’ll be better at least.”
“I would hope so! I gotta say, I was impressed how well you hid your grimaces.”
Jose barks out a laugh. “But apparently not well enough for you to still notice the attempt.”
“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good try either way.”
Kevin makes the drink for Jose, waiting with anticipation for the judgement. He watches as Jose takes a sip of the drink and then nods approvingly. “Yeah, this is good. Thank you, Kevin.”
Kevin feels heat sneak its way to his cheeks, and he tries to subtly clear his throat. “No, it– my pleasure. ‘m just happy that you like it.”
The barista thinks Jose’s smile turns a hint softer. “I think I’d like anything you made for me.” His words make Kevin blink.
“Even another vanilla latte?”
Jose lets out an amused huff. “I’d... tolerate it for you.”
Kevin’s heart skips a beat or two in his chest. “Oh. But, uh, there’s no need for that! I now know that it’s not a drink for you, so I wouldn’t make it again.”
“Glad to know that,” Jose chuckles.
They spend the time it takes for Jose to drink his macchiato talking about every little thing that comes to mind, really. It’s nice and comfortable, and this warm feeling dwells inside Kevin even long after the other man has exited the little cafe.
---
It’s another lovely day if you asked Kevin: it’s partly cloudy outside with the temperature being just perfect– not too hot where Kevin would be sweating immediately if he were to take more than three steps outside, but it’s not too chilly either to wear a t-shirt with a pair of jeans. The weather’s ideal for his shift too, because it means the cafe isn’t really packed with customers, but new people step into the shop frequently enough so he won’t get bored from the lack of work.
The day is made even better when he hears the bell above the door jingle, and as Kevin raises his eyes to see who stepped in, it’s a familiar face that greets him.
“Jose!” he exclaims, a bright smile already in place. The man smiles back in answer as he walks to the counter.
“Hi. Sorry I haven’t been able to visit for a few days, I’ve been quite busy with work,” Jose apologizes, but Kevin waves him off.
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I’m just happy to see you whenever you have time.” Kevin’s words soften the look in Jose’s eyes, and Kevin would be lying if he said the sight didn’t make him melt a bit.
“I am glad to see you too,” Jose answers, voice sounding deceptively fond. Kevin might be melting a bit more than a bit, actually.
Shaking off the mushy thoughts, Kevin clears his throat briefly and composes himself. “So! What do you want today?” he asks then, an easy grin on his lips as he starts to already move towards their coffee machines.
The soft look on Jose’s face doesn’t go away, but a hint of something that Kevin would describe as seductive makes an appearance in his eyes– but surely it isn’t?
“I want you.”
Kevin stops dead in his tracks. He’s shocked still for a second before he blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind:
“I’m expensive.”
“I have money,” Jose answers without missing a beat. Kevin flushes bright red up to his roots, and as he stands there gaping at the older man, processing what he just said, Jose lets out a chuckle.
“I’m sorry, I’m joking – I wouldn’t want to buy your company. A regular black coffee is fine, thank you.”
Still blushing, Kevin turns to the coffee machine and mechanically goes through the motions to get Jose’s coffee done, his mind on the things the other man said.
That was definitely flirting, right? That counted as flirting, right? Jose flirted with him , right?
Sooner than Kevin would have liked, the coffee is done, and he has to face Jose again. He can feel the heat still clinging to his face, and he briefly glances at Jose’s eyes, catching his gaze – Jose looks at him with a mixture of amusement and, dare he say, fondness painted in his mismatched eyes. It makes Kevin’s heart do gymnastics in his chest.
“I, uh, here’s your coffee,” Kevin says as he gives Jose his drink. Jose takes the drink with a soft thank you, and their fingers touch and linger when the mug passes between their hands.
If Jose was flirting with him earlier, then that was probably purposeful too. And all the other previous comments as well that Kevin had tried his best to not overthink, in case he would read them wrong. Turns out, he probably did so anyway.
Kevin takes a deep breath. At this point, he should probably just take a leap of faith– he thinks he owes that much to Jose, too.
“I said I was expensive, but… For you, I could make an exception,” Kevin says slowly, catching Jose’s attention. God, he hopes he’s not mistaken in this.
Surprise takes over Jose’s features for a second before he settles on raising his eyebrow with a tiny smile on his lips. “Oh?”
“Yeah,” Kevin swallows. “A trial, free of charge.”
Jose hums, as if contemplating the offer. He looks slowly Kevin up and down, bringing his eyes back up to lock gazes with him. “And what if I would like to continue what we have, after the trial?
“Then we can make further arrangements accordingly,” Kevin lets out a small laugh. A giddy feeling starts to spread in his chest as he looks at Jose, seeing the eagerness mirrored in his expression. “There’s no return policy though, if you decide to keep me.”
“That isn’t an issue at all,” Jose assures, smiling wide. “So, when does this trial start?”
Kevin glances at the clock hanging on the cafe’s wall. “How about in 20 minutes? You can take me on a date after that.”
Jose lets out a laugh. “Sure– I’d love that.”