The day before Stefan's birthday party, Hugo sat in the back room of the computer repair store, trying to boot up one of the many broken laptops on the desk in front of him. He sighed when it didn't do what he wanted and pushed away from the desk.

"Need a break?" Robert asked with a soft huff of laughter.

"I swear this thing hates me," Hugo replied, face scrunching up in annoyance.

"If we need to, we can send it out to someone else, see if they can fix it," his boss said.

Hugo shook his head. "Let me take a break for a bit and see what I can do later," he signed. He wasn't having the best of days and the laptop not listening to what he said was only making it worse.

Because they both worked, and the university was on break for another few weeks, Renee and Stefan were swamped with work shifts. Because of that, he hadn't seen much of them since he'd told Stefan what had happened to him. The only person he'd spoken to more than just a few texts was Robert, who was immensely proud that he had confided in someone.

On one side of the room was another small table and a minifridge. That was where Hugo spent his time whenever he took a break. Robert always kept the makings for sandwiches and cups of coffee, so they never went hungry while they were working.

"Heard from your friends lately?" Robert asked as the kettle boiled.

Hugo shook his head again. "Renee told me what time to show up tomorrow. It's Stefan's birthday and he's throwing a party."

"Renee was the one I met, right?" Robert questioned and Hugo nodded. "Are you sure you're going to be right to go to a party?"

"I don't know," Hugo answered with a shrug. "I won't know until I go there. Stefan said it would be alright if I needed to take a break or leave early. He said there would be a lot of people there though.”

Robert watched from his desk and Hugo poured them coffee. "Just make sure you're alright. Don't jump into something if you don't think you're ready for it."

"Yes, dad," Hugo replied with a grin, handing Robert a mug of coffee.

His boss rolled his eyes at him. "I'm just looking out for you, kiddo," he said.

"I know. Thank you."

The bell on the front door of the shop jingled before Robert could take a single sip of his coffee. The older man sighed and stood from his desk while Hugo went back to his. Another customer to add to their already busy day.

Hugo froze, mouth full of coffee when a familiar voice rang through the shop. "Hi there, I was told Hugo worked here?" Stefan questioned.

Robert sounded confused when he replied. "Yeah, I'll go get him." He shot Hugo a concerned look when he poked his head around the doorway. "There's someone here for you, kiddo."

With a painful swallow, Hugo placed his mug on the desk and wandered out to the main room of the store. He never really came out there to talk to a customer, let alone a friend. Renee was the only one who knew where he worked, but she'd probably told Stefan.

Someone Hugo didn't know stood next to him in front of the counter. Stefan grinned when he saw him and gestured for him to come closer. "I'm glad I got the place right, Renee sucks at directions," he said.

Hugo took a moment before he replied, his gaze switching between Stefan and the man beside him. He could feel Robert's eyes on him, watching him to make sure he was alright. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"He needs his phone fixed," Stefan answered, jerking his thumb at the man next to him, who stared at Hugo in confusion. Hugo had no idea who he was. Not a boyfriend, surely, Stefan would have mentioned him if that was the case. Probably a friend he hadn't met yet. "Renee said you worked at a repair store, so I figured I'd come here."

"But you don't even know if I'm any good at my job."

"So? Worth a shot, isn't it?"

"I guess," Hugo replied, then turned to the other man. Even though logic dictated that he was just a friend, an angry part of him was convinced it was something more. Something brewed in his stomach, something most people would have labelled jealousy. "Can I have a look at the phone?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," the other man said in a rumbling voice. He pulled the phone out of his pocket. "It looks fine, but it won't turn out for more than a second. It's irritating and I need it."

"I'll see what I can do," Hugo replied. "When do you need it by?"

"I'm only here for a week, so by the end of the week at the latest."

Stefan grinned at the words. "This is my older brother. He's down for my birthday. Tomas, this is my friend, Hugo."

Tomas stuck out his hand, a sly smile on his face. "Ah, this is the one you don't shut up about," he said when Hugo grabbed his hand to shake. His cheeks burned and he pulled away after only a second. He allowed himself a glance at Stefan, but he didn't seem at all fazed by his brother's words.

Hugo attempted to compose himself. "It's nice to meet you." He could see it now, the resemblance between the brothers. They had the same jawline, the same nose, but apart from that, they looked completely different. He supposed they took after different parents. It'd been stupid of him to get jealous though, there was always a reasonable explanation for things.

"Nice to meet you too," Tomas replied. "Stefan told me that I don't need to sign, you can hear, is that right?" He smiled when Hugo nodded.

Robert came up next to him then and took the broken phone from the counter. "Hugo is amazing at his job," he said. "He'll get this done as soon as possible. If you could fill out this form with just basic contact details, I can give you a ring when it's good to go."

Hugo shook his head and stepped back. He didn't know what to do with customers. It wasn't a part of his job after all. He could still feel eyes on him as Tomas talked to Robert about his phone. He looked over to catch Stefan staring at him with a small smile and willed himself not to blush again.

How often did Stefan talk about him for Tomas to know who he was just by name? And what on Earth did it mean? He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to get his hopes up when there was no point to it. Friends, that was what Stefan had called them. That was all they were, despite Hugo wishing otherwise. He wouldn't be able to handle a relationship even if it were possible.

His last one had been in year ten, long before everything with his friends and his mother went down. It had lasted two months, and it had been with a girl, so it barely even counted. He barely knew what went into a relationship, he just knew that it would be far too much for him to handle. Or would it? Stefan cared for him and wanted him to be happy. Hugo wanted the same for him. Maybe it would be relaxing, comforting. But he wouldn't know until he was ready to dive in and if Stefan actually felt the same.

"You alright, Hugo?" Stefan asked then, pulling him from his thoughts.

He nodded shyly. "I just got lost in my thoughts," he replied.

A sweet smile that caused butterflies to erupt in Hugo's stomach pulled at his lips. "Well, when do you get off work today?"

He thought for a moment. It would be good to go out, he hadn't seen much of his friends in a while. But he couldn't. "Not until later tonight."

"He can take a break for an hour," Robert announced, smiling slyly at him. "He needs a breather anyway. Go get some lunch or something. Just make sure he's back in an hour."

Stefan beamed. "Thanks, sir," he said.

"Call me Robert. I hate sir," Robert replied. "I'm assuming you're the other friend of his. I've already met Renee."

"I'm Stefan."

"Nice to meet you, kiddo. Now, get him out of here before he burns out."

Without another word, Stefan grabbed Hugo's hand and pulled him around the bench. Tomas finished up what he was doing, thanked Robert, and followed them out the door. Hugo shivered in the cool breeze and wished he'd had a chance to grab his jacket from the backroom before they left.

"Your boss seems nice," Stefan said as they walked. He dropped Hugo's hand as they rounded and corner, but didn't move from his spot next to him. "I don't think I know of many bosses that just let you leave when friends come by. If anything, they yell at you more to embarrass you."

Hugo shrugged. "He's my mother's oldest friend," he explained. "He likes to make sure I'm not stressing myself out."

"Ah, I understand," Stefan replied and it took Hugo a moment to remember that he did. Stefan knew almost everything. He didn't know the details of how his father treated him, but he didn't need to. He was moving out soon, he wouldn't have to deal with his father anymore. Maybe one day he would tell Stefan about it, or maybe he wouldn't. He didn't need to think about it then and there.

Tomas drifted along behind them, lost in his own little world. Stefan asked what he was up to and he answered, "It feels really weird to not have my phone."

Hugo huffed out a laugh. "It'll be back in your hands in no time. I'll start on it when I get back," he signed, turning around and walking backwards so Tomas could see him. "The other stuff I was working on hates me."

"So," Stefan said, a big grin on his face. "If my laptop breaks can I just take it to you and get a discount?"

"Bitch, no, pay the full price. I need money," Hugo replied, grinning when Stefan burst out laughing. Even Tomas giggled along with him. "Where are we going for lunch?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you knew some places around here," Stefan said. Hugo shook his head. He didn't go anywhere near work; he didn't see the point when he didn't have anyone to go with and he didn't want to deal with the anxiety. "Eh, we'll find somewhere."

Five minutes later and the three of them were sat in a quiet cafe not far from Hugo's work, pondering over the tiny menu. "So," Tomas said when they gave their orders to the bored-looking waitress. "Stefan said you study English with Renee. What's that like?"

Somehow, Hugo wasn't all that nervous talking to Tomas. Maybe it was because Stefan was there. Anyone Stefan brought to talk to him could be trusted. "Not really what I expected, but I need it to get where I want to," he answered.

"What do you want to be?" Tomas asked.

"A professional novel editor."

Tomas's eyebrows shot high. "Really?" he asked, shooting a look at Stefan. "This is why you wanted me to talk to him." Hugo gave them both a confused look. "I write novels, self-published, and I'm in need of an editor."

He looked to Stefan, who smiled sweetly at him. "Okay, for the most part, I thought you guys would get along pretty well. He also just happens to write books," Stefan said.

Hugo drummed his fingers against the edge of the table. "I'm waiting until I move to start up my freelance editing service again, but if you're interested now, I could give it a shot," he told Tomas. He didn't even know how much he would charge for it. He hadn't been focusing on it, but the fact that he could already have a customer was exciting.

"Yeah, I'll write down my email later. And when my phone is fixed you can have my number too," Tomas said. "I'd say we could talk about it more tomorrow, but I will probably be drunk by seven."

Hugo huffed out a laugh, smiling when the waitress brought over his food. Stefan's brother was nice enough, but he already expected them to have more of a professional relationship than anything like what he shared with Stefan. It didn't matter too much. At least he knew he would be able to do something with his freelance editing. Things were starting to look up.