“These shoes are super comfortable! Thanks, Eli! I—I can call you Eli, can’t I, can’t I?”

Elias flinched towards Ryan as they left the store, his eyes all the darker, now. “No.” 

“Whaaat? But it suits you so well!” 

“Shut up!” And already, Elias had turned away, and stomped towards his car on the parking lot. 

Ryan rushed after him in a pleased smile, couldn’t take those aggressive barks seriously at all. Not when Eli reached for the hair at his neck, trying to make sure his neck wouldn’t be seen. Was he sensitive there, or it embarrassed him to be exposed on such a tender spot, one that even Ryan couldn’t stop looking at?

Or perhaps his nape was the very sweet spot that showed Eli’s true emotion, tucked away behind his turtleneck, a slightly pink, heated blush? 

At this point, Ryan wanted to see it so bad; Eli’s exposed nape, his neck altogether and all around, in that pale color of his skin he had, with how holed up inside his atelier he was all day, every day. Would he ever get to see Eli without a turtleneck? Would he ever get to see anything more, even though Eli’s face and silken hair alone satisfied him enough already?

“What are you staring at? Get into the car. I don’t have all day.” 

Crap, Ryan thought. I really have a crush on you. 

So suddenly, and with one gaze alone, Ryan had fallen? How could it happen so swiftly, without any warning, and without even knowing anything about Eli but the way he carried himself?

He gulped his dry throat away, and hopped into the car all the quicker, smiling right at Elias, who turned away in disgust.

Next up, the café Eli had mentioned. 

It was an adorable, French-themed bakery with a coffee-place attached to it, tables and comfortable, padded chairs all around. As Ryan took in the sight in all his curiosity, Eli had long stomped onwards, his eyes flickering past all the pastries he could have chosen. 

Ryan, without much thought, reached for a chocolate-filled croissant on their plate, and when Eli commented it with a confused glare, all he did was smile. 

“This is a nice café,” he mumbled. “Where did you hear about it?”

“Online, I guess,” Eli grumbled, and honestly, Ryan was completely taken aback by the fact that Eli had actually given him an answer. No what’s it to you this time, no shut up, but instead, a genuine response. 

Ryan’s smile only grew as a response to that. “It’s really cozy, and it’s got a nice mood to it, doesn’t it? The brick walls over there, and the couches look really comfy. But I doubt I would get any work done if I came here. I’d just get sleepy with these dimmed lights and stuff.” 

Elias never answered to it, and instead, waltzed onwards to the counter, ready to order his drink and a slice of a cheesecake he’d seen, which was locked behind a glass display, with berries and strawberry sauce all over it. Delicious, it definitely looked. 

Eli ordered a cappuccino for himself, and then stared over at Ryan, who cluelessly stood beside him, waiting for them to finish their order. Only once he noticed Eli’s glare did he twitch back around.

“What do you want?” Elias hissed.

“Oh! Uh—“ Ryan lifted his gaze up at the drink option, scratching along his neck. The longer he took, the more impatient Elias became, his foot already tickling up and down, ready to lose his mind.

“Oh, I know! I’ll have a caramel macchiato! Extra caramel, please!” 

“…” Eli sighed.

“What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with my order, now? I like sweets!” 

Oddly melancholic, Elias’ gaze had become. He lowered his gaze, and when Ryan expected hostility, none of that was what came out. “I just didn’t expect you to order that.” 

“Why not? It’s yummy, isn’t it? Normal coffee is too bitter for me…” 

The usual Elias returned within a flash. “Guess you’ve got the palate of a twelve-year old. What do you eat for lunch, nuggets and fries?” 

“H-Hey! It was chicken tenders, thank you very much!”

Elias scoffed, and had nothing else to say, his point practically proven. Instead, he walked on, picking their seats all by himself, and sitting on the bench, unwilling to let Ryan sit beside him.

And so, Ryan was forced to sit across from him, which he honestly didn’t mind at all — that way, he got to look at Elias’ face up close without it being all that weird. 

Ryan never found the perfect moment to speak. Eli would nibble on his fork, enjoying his cheesecake and stare away from Ryan, avoiding eye contact, and it simply made it impossible to even think of a topic to speak about. 

Even though he was curious, Ryan didn’t want to mention art just now; they were here to relax from it, after all, and it didn’t feel right to bring it up.

But when their drinks arrived, and Elias stared at their latte art stenciled atop their drinks with cocoa, or flooded with foamy milk, his disappointment was clear and blank on his face, in the way he glared, and the way his shoulders slithered downwards. Eli’s cappuccino had a rose atop its drink, and Ryan’s foam had a tulip — they were those simple designs Ryan saw all the time. 

“This is horrible,” he said outright, no filter on his tongue.

“W-What do you mean? Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“No. These are crooked, and ugly, and totally overpriced for that. They advertised it as latte art.”

“O-Oh … Well, technically, this—this is—” 

Elias grumbled.

“I know what you mean, though!” Ryan was quick to continue, and reach for his phone. “You mean like those viral arts, like those in Japan? I’ve seen videos where all the foam is made into like a cute kitty, or a bear, or something like that. Those look so cool! Look!” It didn’t take long for Ryan to find the very video he’d thought of, and he slithered his phone over to Elias to show it to him.

Without touching Ryan’s phone, Elias watched the video, and when it finished, he didn’t react, and even watched it a second time thanks to the automatic replay. A deep sigh followed, and his gaze fluttered back towards his own, in comparison much uglier, coffee. 

“That would have been nicer,” he buzzed. “But even those are totally crooked—“

“I mean, it’s milk foam, Eli! It can’t be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be! The cheeks of the kitty being so chubby makes it even cuter, you know!”

“I told you not to call me that.” 

“Come on, you’re so mean…” Ryan pouted. “Should we find another café for next time? I’m sure there’ll be one somewhere in the city that does this. Like a themed café. This one’s just fancy.” 

Eli listened, but he was hung up on only one part of Ryan’s question. “Next time? What the hell are you talking about?”

Stutters, once again. “Well, I—I thought, maybe you’d like to … Uh—“ Ryan shut himself up by peeling the first layer off his croissant off, and flinging it into his mouth, but even that … completely infuriated Elias.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? I’m eating my—“

“Why are you eating it like that?”

“What—What do you mean?” Before he could even peel off another piece, Elias had ripped it out of his hands, and pushed it right into his mouth in one big squash.

“Don’t peel it like an onion, and eat like a normal person!”

“But—“ Muffled, Ryan’s voice tried to break through his croissant, crumbs of it falling onto his plate. 

“And don’t talk with your mouth full!” 

Ryan chewed on his croissant, obediently kept quiet, but couldn’t help but chuckle. Elias got bothered by the weirdest things, and had the most random pet peeves, making Ryan want to figure them all out one by one, even if it meant annoying him just a little more.