Chapter 5 will show that there's more to Adrian than sarcasm and latte art.
The next day Noah didn't mean to linger after hours. He really didn't.
But something about the café when it was empty—when the laughter and clatter were gone, when it was just the hum of the fridge and the low crackle of the record player—made it feel… realer. Like Adrian might actually let a piece of himself show.
Adrian was at the counter again, back turned, shoulders tight.
Noah sat quietly, sipping his drink.
He didn't ask anything right away. Just let the silence settle.
And eventually, Adrian spoke without being prompted. Voice low. Distant.
"You asked me once why I act like this."
Noah looked up.
Adrian didn't turn around.
I use to be in med school but, "It wasn't just med school," he said. "It was everything around it. I thought if I followed the plan—if I did everything right—I could escape it."
"Escape what?"
"My father," Adrian said.
Noah didn't interrupt.
"He wasn't... kind. Not to me. Not to anyone. He had a temper that turned everything into glass. We all walked on it. Carefully. Quietly."
The espresso machine beeped behind him, but Adrian didn't move.
"When I got into med school, I thought that was it. My way out. My shot at a life that didn't feel like I was holding my breath all the time. But things don't work out cleanly when people need you to fail to feel powerful."
Noah's chest tightened.
"He got sick a year in. Refused help unless it came with guilt. I dropped out to come back. Tried to do the right thing. And he died anyway. Angry. Bitter. And still blaming me."
Silence.
Adrian finally turned around. Not defensive. Not proud.
Just tired.
"So yeah," he said. "If I don't open up easily, it's not because I'm mysterious. It's because being close to someone has always felt like an open wound waiting to be used against me."
Noah swallowed. "You're not your father."
Adrian gave him a look. "Aren't I?"
"No," Noah said firmly. "Because he would've let people break. You walked through fire and built something instead. That café? It's you. You didn't inherit his damage—you turned it into something softer."
Adrian blinked at that.
Then he said, "You talk like a poet when you're not being annoying."
Noah offered a small smile. "I'm full of surprises."
A pause.
Adrian leaned back on the counter, crossing his arms. "You're not gonna try to hug me now, are you?"
Noah shrugged. "Only if you ask nicely."
Adrian chuckled—low, but real.
"Thanks," he said after a moment. "For not making it weird."
Noah nodded. "Thanks for trusting me with the dark parts."
Adrian looked at him for a beat, then said quietly, "You can stay a little longer if you want."
Noah didn't move.
"I was going to anyway," he said.
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Where should this relationship that they are building head ? Share your thoughts ?