“We just texted about it! It’s only the best music decade ever!”
He chuckles and leads me to a bench nearby and we sit down to continue the conversation. “I don’t know about thebestmusic decade…”
“How can you not agree? Your name is Jesse, and there is a literal song about your girl.”
“If you knew how many jokes I heard growing up, maybe you wouldn’t love the song quite so much,” he tells me with a small smile.
I groan in acquiescence, “Ugh, fine, you have a point there.”
We continue back and forth, and I find out that he actually prefers movies and TV that avoid overly technical things. He hasn’t met a food he doesn’t like, and he struggles to talk about himself. Listening to him talk, I can tell he feels a lot more than he lets on, and it’s clear he does care about other people, even if he doesn’t like being around them. He talks about some of his family on occasion with a smile, and even admits he doesn’t mind his co-workers, he just doesn’t know how to talk to them.
Coffee cup empty, I stand and toss mine in the nearby public disposal, grabbing Jesse’s to toss for him. We stand next to each other for a moment before I grab his hand again and pull him down the street.
“I heard about this new coffee shop going in and I feel like we need to do a walk-by,” I tell him as we go.
“Oh? What are we evaluating on this walk-by?”
I tap my finger to my chin as I think. “I don’t think it’s open yet, so I say we evaluate the general vibe.”
“General vibe, huh? Not sure how we can do that if it’s not done, but I’m up for a challenge.”
I turn and grin at him as we walk. On the next block, we almost pass the shop. It’s fairly unassuming, no sign up yet to tell the world what it’s becoming. Through the window, we can see construction tools strewn about the edges of the room, and it’s easy to find the customer counter, plus a few tables placed around the room. Almost like someone is trying to block the space and see how things will look. There are even boxes placed around as if they are benches that could be installed.
“Wow, it looks really open,” I say as we peer in the windows.
“Yeah, not bad. Too social for me, but if the coffee’s good, I would venture in. It’s not too close-spaced.”
“What colors do you think they’ll use?”
He hums for a moment, thinking. “Definitely dark greys and blacks. Full emo vibe.”
I can’t help but laugh at the idea. There’s no way this place is going to be an emo hangout.
“I vote bright neon colors. Well, bright if not neon. Put some weird squiggly lines on the walls and it’s perfection.”
Jesse chuckles, “I doubt it’s going to be an 80s lounge either.”
“We’re actually going to go with wood floors, a medium gray wall, and pops of color with art and plants.”
I squeak and spin at the deep voice behind us. Jesse turns, sans squeak, and holds his hand out in front of me. The fact that he’s trying to protect me makes my inner Omega swoon. Talk about a worthy Alpha. We’re on a first date, and he’s already showing he’d protect me.
The newcomer holds his hands up, “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I’m renovating this joint and overheard you talk about the interior, so I wanted to hear what you thought.”
My eyes take in this new Alpha, and I can’t deny that my interest is piqued. His curly black hair is long enough for the half knot that sits on his head, but the other half of his hair brushes the tops of his shoulders. He’s got caramel brown eyes that Icould easily stare at all day. The small scar on his right eyebrow makes me curious to know how he got it.
Jesse relaxes a tad when he realizes this new guy isn’t going to attack us, but he still stands close to me just in case. I can tell his Alpha instincts are riding him to protect, so I rest my hand on his upper back to reassure him that I’m okay. My hand may or may not have checked my chin for drool as I moved it to Jesse’s back. I admit to nothing.
The new guy is just standing there, staring, and even though I’ve already checked myself for drool, I make a point to ensure my mouth is closed. He is a cool drink of water on a hot day, and I feel guilty feeling like that while I’m already out on a date with Jesse. I know there’s going to be multiple men if I end up in a Pack, but these two aren’t Packed up. Something about this guy tugs at me, but I can’t put my finger on it, and I’m not sure I want to try while I’m on this date.
“So, when do you open?” Jesse asks, and the awkward moment breaks.
“Oh! Uh, hoping to open next month,” the guy says.
“It looks great,” I add.
He smiles and I’m ready to swoon, “Thanks. It’s my first satellite shop, so sometimes it feels like things are under a lot of pressure.”
“Oh wow, I bet. Maybe we’ll have to stop by and grab a coffee once you’re open.”
