Isaac couldn't stop thinking about Micah.
The encounter in Café Marigold replayed in his mind like an embarrassing loop. Every little smirk, every casually thrown compliment, and, of course, the way Micah seemed to know exactly how to make Isaac turn bright red with just a few words.
He had barely finished his muffin from this morning, but somehow, that awkward moment kept him full. It wasn't the muffin. It was Micah.
Noah had noticed his silence. He always did.
Isaac's phone buzzed, breaking him out of his spiral. He glanced at the screen. It was a text from Noah: "So, is Micah your new obsession, or are you just into awkward encounters with attractive strangers?"
Isaac quickly typed back: "It's not like that. I just—he's like a walking plot twist in my life, and I don't know how to handle it."
Noah's response came almost immediately: "Plot twist, huh? So, are you going to make your move or just wait for him to come back and save you from 'total coffee misery' again?"
Isaac groaned. "You're the worst."
Noah replied with a string of laughing emojis before sending one last text: "P.S. You're totally into him. It's cute. Please stop acting like a movie character in a rom-com."
Isaac shoved his phone into his pocket and sighed. It was one thing for Noah to make jokes about it, but it was another for him to be so right. He wasn't sure how to act around Micah, especially when the guy seemed to know exactly how to throw him off balance.
The next day, Isaac arrived at the coffee shop early, hoping that maybe he could avoid thinking about Micah for at least five minutes. He found a seat by the window, where the sunlight streamed in, and settled in with his notebook, preparing for what he told himself would be a "productive" morning. The last thing he needed was more distractions.
But of course, fate had other plans.
The door to the café opened, and there was Micah, walking in like he owned the place—again.
Isaac's heart skipped a beat.
Micah caught his eye immediately, and Isaac couldn't help but feel like there was a spark of something more in the air. The kind of thing that made his palms sweat and his stomach twist.
"Hey," Micah said casually, leaning against the counter like he had all the time in the world. "You always here this early?"
Isaac, trying to act cool (and failing miserably), cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm usually—uh—working. You know, writing. Trying to pretend I'm productive."
Micah raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, yeah? What are you writing?"
Isaac froze for a moment. "Uh, I'm just... you know... working on some stuff. Nothing important."
Micah smirked. "I bet it's more important than you're letting on. You've got that 'deep artist' look about you."
Isaac blinked, not sure if Micah was teasing him or genuinely complimenting him. "I—I don't know about deep, but... yeah. I guess."
Before Isaac could get more flustered, Adrian appeared from behind the counter, holding a fresh cup of coffee for Micah. "Here you go—black as usual."
Micah took the cup with a smile. "Thanks, man."
Isaac tried not to make eye contact with Adrian, but he was definitely aware of the knowing look Adrian was giving him. The barista had no problem dropping little hints about Isaac's obvious crush whenever he could. And right now, Adrian looked like he was enjoying Isaac's awkwardness a little too much.
Micah turned back to Isaac, his expression unreadable. "So, you come here a lot, huh?"
Isaac opened his mouth to reply, but of course, Noah decided to make his dramatic entrance at that exact moment, practically stumbling through the door like a tornado.
"Isaac!" Noah shouted, waving his arms. "I was literally five seconds away from texting you about how bad this coffee is today!"
Isaac wanted to die on the spot.
Micah turned to Noah, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I see. You're that guy."
"Guilty," Noah said, sliding into the chair next to Isaac. "I'm the guy who drinks coffee because, well, I need it to function, but I'm also going to complain about it at every possible opportunity."
Micah laughed, clearly entertained by Noah's bluntness. "You're not shy, are you?"
Noah grinned. "Why waste time? Life's too short to pretend coffee's perfect when it's not."
Isaac couldn't help but laugh. "That's one way to look at it."
Micah glanced at Isaac with a small smile, like he was testing the waters. "So, you write? What do you—uh, write about?"
Isaac felt his face flush. "Uh, just... life stuff. You know, random things that don't matter. Just to pass the time."
Micah seemed to study him for a moment, clearly intrigued. "That sounds... interesting."
Before Isaac could answer, Noah leaned in, grinning. "Oh, Isaac's a master at writing about things that don't matter. He's got notebooks full of 'important' doodles and tragic stories about fictional characters who probably need therapy."
Isaac shot Noah a glare, but Micah only chuckled.
"Noah's got a point," Micah said, standing up to leave. "Maybe I'll read some of your 'important' stuff someday. I'll see you around, Isaac."
And with that, Micah was gone, leaving Isaac once again flustered and wondering how he could ever face him again without spontaneously combusting.
Noah leaned back in his chair, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "So... was that a date or a subtle invitation to you-know-what?"
Isaac buried his face in his hands. "I'm going to need more coffee."
What do you think?