People come and go as Emily, Maria, Lorenzo, and Mercer sit and eat at a small cafe near their workplace. Even though the cafe is small, it was filled with laughter, some arguing, and at the same time quietness. The group of four sat at a small booth near the door. Emily and Maria on one side, holding hands under the table and Mercer and Lorenzo on the other. Emily’s hand snaked down to rest on Maria’s thigh, keeping a gently but protective grip. Lorenzo and Mercer sat rather stiffly, due to the close proximity. Their thighs touched under the table. It didn’t help that Lorenzo was with a man spread, leaving Mercer with a small section of the seat.

“Soo, Lorenzo,” Emily smiled sweetly. “Have you gotten yourself any new toys or a wifey, by chance,” She giggled.

Lorenzo’s body stiffened but only Mercer noticed as Lorenzo forced a smile. “No, not yet,” He chuckled. “Just looking for the right one.” He lied through his teeth.

Mercer looked up at him and gently touched his hand. Lorenzo’s hand twitched and he quickly glanced down at Mercer before relaxing.

Emily turned to Mercer. “So what about you cuties?” She asked warmly, much more invested than when she was talking with her cousin. “You have a softer side… more fruity,” She pinpointed the work in her mind.

Mercer blushed instantly moving his hand away from Lorenzo’s to fidget with his shirt. “I um,” He muttered.

“You’re gay aren’t you?” Emily blurted.

“Well yes,” Mercer sighed quietly. “Yes I am.”

“I knew it!” She slammed her hand on the table.

The whole cafe went silent for a split second before returning to its regular lunchtime chatter.

“Emily, that wasn’t appropriate,” Lorenzo said firmly. “You don’t need to ask people straight up about things like that. What if Mercer wasn’t comfortable with disclosing that information about himself? Or what if he wasn’t even out yet?” He leaned onto the table.

Emily looked down shocked and guilty. She hadn’t realized how offensive she had just acted. “I’m sorry… I just thought he was, so I wanted to clarify.”

“But you don’t have the right to ask like that,” Lorenzo snapped before sitting back down.

“Mercer, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap like that,” She said sincerely.

“N-no no it’s okay, really,” Mercer looked down and sat quietly while the rest of the group resumed talking. Lorenzo took notice and gently tapped Mercer’s hand under the table, like he did for him.

“You doing okay?” Lorenzo asked quietly, not wanting the other two, to hear them.

Mercer hesitantly nodded as he picked at his food with his spoon. His food was barely touched and whenever he did take a bite, it was tiny and honestly looked really sad. Mercer was never a very heavy eater, mostly because of his size. He was lean and average height but no usable muscle. Lorenzo knew he never ate much but it still worried him in a way, only because he was Mercer’s boss, nothing more, nothing less. At least that’s what he hold himself.

Lorenzo sat quietly, watching as Mercer ate almost half of his food; a Caesar salad, which was what everyone had ordered. When Mercer finally set his fork down, Lorenzo sighed in relief. He grabbed his coat and stood up.

“I think it’s time Mercer and I got going,” He spoke up firmly, leaving no room for argument from Mercer or Emily, not so much Maria because she didn’t care.

“Oh, I thought we would walk back together,” Emily said, disappointment evident in her voice.

“No, we can’t sorry. I have a lot of paper work to get done and Mercer has his duties.”

“Well then, I guess we will see you back at the office at some point,” Emily waved.

“It was nice meeting you two,” Mercer smiled softly as he shuffled out of the booth so Lorenzo could also get out, since he was stuck in corner.

“You too, cutie,” Emily winked and Maria gave a soft wave.

Lorenzo said his goodbyes before laying down a crisp hundred dollar bill and a tip for whatever was left over. He pushed Mercer forward and the two of them walked out. The door rang as it opened before closing behind them. When the door closed the laughter and warm smells were encased in the cafe while honking, yelling, and engines filled the city streets.