His mom dropped him in a cafe nearby downtown, waiting until he got inside the store. Then she waited for a good five minutes, trailing all the movements inside the shop, before turning on the car again and going away. That was their compromise. She was too worried to leave her baby with strangers that just happened to be close to the place her son got attacked. And Lowe thought it would be too much of an embarrassment if his mom decided to go inside with him.

He was sure that, even if she decided to keep her distance and sit at another table, his mom would do that glaring thing with her eyes. And if she found anything that labeled them as not trustworthy, she would go full momma bear on them, index finger pointing to their faces and all. It didn't matter to her that she was as short as him against two bulky guys. It would be shameful and probably not the best first step to making friends.

So they reached an agreement, in which she could watch him for a while, but she couldn't enter the shop at all. She nagged a little bit, but she complied. Probably because William had already met the guys and told her they weren't a threat. 

His father worked with something related to information and security. He never explained much, and Lowe never saw the need to ask for more, so he just knew that if his dad told her they were fine, she would trust him. But she would need to see them and maybe glare a little first.

So that was what she did. And Lowe tried his best not to look outside the shop window. Just in case, he didn't want to find her stalking him while he traced his path to the table far at the corner of the store.

Andrew and Ethan were sharing a round table. They talked while facing each other, Andrew sitting on the left while Ethan sat on the chair to the right. A third empty chair could be seen in the middle, disrupting the perfect picture they portrayed together. There was no need for a third person. He would be sticking out just like a sore thumb. Lowe had watched movies enough to know that the person who transformed a duo into a trio would always disturb a good relationship or be the annoying person who would make everything fall apart.

That thought made him stop in his tracks. They hadn't seen him yet, so maybe it would be better to just forget everything and turn around. Knowing his mom, she should be somewhere around concerned about his safety. If he went outside the shop, he was sure she would somehow materialize in front of him, asking if everything was okay.

The image his head made of his mom breaking into the coffee shop to fight the guys just because her son ended up getting a bit upset soothes him enough to make the boy let out a chuckle. And it gave him the will to start walking again.

He remembered how this was a 'thank you' gathering, not a 'let's be friends' one. If they ended up getting close to each other and that led to a future friendship, it was a bonus he wouldn't complain. So he tried to bite down the expectations he already had.

His motion seemed to get Andrew's attention, and he turned his face to stare in the boy's direction, slightly scrunching his nose. Ethan's lips formed a teeth smile while the other's hand stood up, slightly waving it in a greeting. Lowe ended up beaming in face of the warm reception.

He occupied the free chair. Seeing how they didn't have any food or beverage on the table made him think that maybe they were waiting for him. If that was the case, it made his presence wanted, and he could relax a little more.

Lowe got his phone, calculating how they should interact. His eyes lingered on the last message they shared, with the location and time for their meeting. He was glad the guy didn't write with awfully long sentences, and his messages were quite objective. That helped a lot.

While wondering if he should ask Andrew to create a group on their talking app with all of them or if they should use the voice app again, he looked at him. The action seemed like the incorrect choice, in which he ended up getting lost in those dark eyes again. And this time, he didn't have the strength to break off their visual contact.

But he didn't need to. Soon a menu crossed his face, cutting the connection between them. Ethan handed him the price catalog with amused eyes, and Lowe got relief in the fact that at least one of the guys was clearly having fun. Andrew didn't easily show how he felt, but the boy was almost certain that he wasn't feeling bothered by his presence.

The assumption filled Lowe with confidence. He would do his best not to let their interactions end in some awkward way. He was tired of receiving glares that reflected people's will to not be in the same place as him.

Opening the menu, he got bombarded with a ton of beverage items. His eyes scanned through the first two pages, seeing a diversity of hot and cold drinks, and he wondered if his companions had chosen something already.

When he looked around, a waitress was already taking Ethan's order. The boy fixed his eyes again on the menu, hurrying the best his indecision could let him to find something that fit his tastes. He looked over the pictures of the drinks and chose one with chantilly and chocolate topping. No way something with chocolate could be unpleasant.

Satisfied with his choice, he took his eyes off the pictures, only to find a pair of dark eyes settled on him.