DANE
Iwas still a little surprised when Seth came out from behind the counter.
It wasn’t like he’d never left his post before. People took breaks, and people sat down. That was normal, reasonable, and very human behavior.
Still, something about seeing him step out from that familiar space, with no espresso machine between us, no stack of cups, no practiced rhythm of taking orders, honestly felt odd.
Like spotting a deer wandering into the middle of a parking lot.
He pulled out the chair across from me and sat, a little careful, like he wasn’t entirely sure he belonged there. Up close, without the counter as a buffer, I got a better look at him.
Seth had dark brown curls that refused to stay where they were told.
What struck me though were his warm, chocolate-brown eyes that always seemed focused, even when the café got chaotic.
There was something softer about him like this, though. Less composed, and more real. And yeah, okay. It didn’t hurt he was nice to look at.
That thought settled in my head a little too comfortably. I leaned back in my chair, one arm draped over the backrest, giving him space to talk. I knew the look.
The slight tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers tapped once against the table before going still. Someone gearing up to say something.
My wolf stirred, alert and interested. That alone should’ve been a warning.
While we sat there in that brief, stretched silence, something else caught my attention. His scent. I’d never really noticed it before, not like this.
Behind the counter, everything smelled like coffee, sugar, pastries.
A blur of overlapping scents that didn’t belong to any one person. But here, with him just a couple feet away, it separated.
Seth smelled of vanilla, coffee obviously, and something clean and warm underneath. Subtle enough that I couldn’t name it, only register it.
I found myself breathing a little deeper without meaning to.Focus, Dane.
Seth cleared his throat, dragging my attention back up to his face.
“So,” he said, like he was easing into cold water. “I’ve got this… thing.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds ominous,” I commented.
“It’s not,” he said quickly. “Well. Not really. It’s just, there’s a wedding.”
“A wedding,” I repeated, unsure where this was going.
He nodded, then immediately looked like he regretted starting there.
“It’s my ex’s wedding,” he added.
Ah, there it was. Maybe Seth really just needed someone to talk to.
I winced in sympathy before I could stop myself.
“That’s awkward,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said, letting out a small laugh that didn’t quite land. “A little.”
He leaned back, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
