Avery had barely slept. 

He’d just survived the day he’d dreaded most, and it had gone both better and worse than he’d expected. He didn't have all the answers and had no idea what would come next, but on the other hand, David had promised he would still keep coming to see him at the club.

One thing the blond had forgotten, however, was that David was supposed to see him at the café first, not the club.

Like every Thursday, he opened the café alone. It meant that on Friday, he only rarely had a morning shift—since he’d be exhausted from his second job, he usually wouldn't start until the afternoon shift.

Even though it was a day like any other in Bean & Blossom, Avery didn’t feel that way. The hours were longer as he waited for his favorite time of day to arrive, and his impatience quickly turned into inattentiveness. Fortunately, by that time Joshua was already at work too and managed to stop the milk steam wand before the splashing milk could completely foam over and scald the blond’s hands.

“Not your day today,” Joshua said, turning to him. Luckily, he didn't sound reproachful—more sympathetic, almost amused. 

“Sorry.” The blonde automatically grabbed a rag and wiped down the espresso machine, which had ended up splattered after his failed attempt at steaming milk. 

“I’ll finish it.”

The café owner took the milk pitcher and finished the rest of the order. Avery wanted to protest, but he decided it would be better this way. So much for still trying to make up to Joshua for the broken coffee machine.

“I had a crazy day yesterday, and I’m still recovering,” he admitted to his friend, though he wasn't sure how much he could say. Joshua already knew more than he should. Especially about David.

“Did something happen?” As expected, the curly-haired man frowned and turned to him with a concerned look, appearing ready to help with whatever problem he had. 

“Complicated question,” Avery said first, then sighed. “I don't even know what I can tell you. I need to sort it out in my head first, but I feel like it’s going to explode before I do.”

“Just breathe in and out before you burn yourself,” Joshua warned him and patted his shoulder. “You’re supposed to burn in hell like a demon anyway, but you don’t need burns for that.”

The barista rolled his eyes, but an amused smile appeared on his lips.

Fortunately, Joshua’s presence and his remarks turned out to be enough of a distraction from his thoughts. Especially when his boss started telling him about a story that had happened in the bistro on the same street. The employees there were friendly and some of them knew Joshua, so they could exchange complaints about unbearable customers.

Apparently this week they’d had worse luck with Karens, which Avery was glad about.

The last hours before the fateful meeting passed faster than the previous ones, and before he knew it, thanks to a quick glance at the clock, he realized he had the last ten minutes left before the brothers appeared.

“Can’t wait to see him?” Joshua also noticed where he was looking and knew what it meant.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the blond lied without hesitation.

“Sure.” The owner laughed and, as he usually did, withdrew to the tables and cleaning so that serving the Scotts would fall to Avery.

The barista was left behind the counter alone, and although he knew only a few minutes remained, his stress level managed to skyrocket all over again. He could feel a cold sweat breaking out—which wasn't good—but fortunately, he had deodorant and a black T-shirt on his side.

The worst part was that he’d convinced himself that how this meeting went would determine how the evening would go. After all, Avery and David met regularly at the cafe, but in Burning Temptation, he was only used to Diablo. Now, David knew that Avery and Diablo were the same person, so the old patterns no longer applied.

Maybe the blond was creating unnecessary chaos out of it, but he preferred preparing for the worst scenario rather than the best one. That was why his hands were shaking and he kept wiping a nonexistent stain on the counter with a cloth until the familiar sound of the doorbell rang.

“Hey, Angel.”

His hope that nothing would change and the brothers' visit would be the same as always vanished the moment the voice that greeted him first wasn't the usual one.

When he looked up, he realized he wasn't the only one who had noticed; Nick turned to his younger brother in surprise. Fortunately, he didn't say anything, and both approached the counter.

“Hi, Angel.”

Only when the fair-haired man greeted him as well did Avery realize he had still been staring at them fixedly, without his practiced smile and without greeting them back.

“Hi, guys.” He quickly recovered, pulling his lips into a soft smile and tossing the rag over his shoulder. “Do I even need to ask if you want the usual?”

“It’s not our fault you make the best coffee in town.” David decided to cut in front of his brother again, answering before he could. Moreover, he didn't even seem to be trying to be subtle; he leaned his forearms directly onto the counter. Compared to normal days, when he stood a step back and let Nick be closer to the barista, the difference was visible. Unmissable.

“Maybe you’re just used to it and should try something new,” Avery replied, and though he tried not to forget he was currently a barista and not a companion, something in his voice suggested not just amusement, but a challenge.

“I know what I like,” David assured him, looking straight into his eyes. “Why would I change it?”

The blond tried not to read too much into his words, but it was hard when he looked at him like that, saying exactly what he wanted to hear. He wasn't imagining a double meaning in those words, was he?

Before the barista could overthink it, he was the first to look away and quickly realized that it hadn’t been the best thing he could do for his peace of mind. Because when he didn’t see the CEO, who was dangerously close even though the counter stood between them, he saw his brother instead, who looked considerably confused, and it was only a matter of time before he asked.

“I won't try to convince you.” He tried to sound casual and end this conversation before Nick could catch onto anything more suspicious. “After all, you have a simple order, and those are my favorite.” He flicked his gaze between both brothers to make it clear he was speaking to both of them, not giving the CEO special attention, even if that wasn't entirely true.

He could still feel David’s intense gaze on him, so he cleared his throat and moved toward the register. “So two coffees and a croissant?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.

“Yes.” Nick spoke first this time, finally finding his words. “Just like always.” His tone sounded a bit different as he said it, as if it didn't just apply to the order, but also expressed his confusion over a situation that was definitely not proceeding like always.

“Coming right up.” Avery nodded, still desperately trying to act as if it were a normal day.

David didn't share the same effort. “Thank you.” This time, it was he who slid the bill toward him, while his brother dropped the usual amount into the tips.

The blond thought their conversation ended there and that he could calmly move on to preparing the coffee, but he was wrong.

“How’s your day going?” The CEO still hadn't moved away from the counter, and of course, Nick—already so confused—decided to stay by his side and get to the bottom of this.

Avery looked up in surprise, as he had expected them to go sit down, and gave a generic reply: “Fine. Luckily, it’s not too busy today.”

David nodded as if he understood, and although the barista hadn’t given him much to hold on to and continue the conversation with, he still didn’t give up. “And tomorrow? Are you working?”

This question surprised him, since he hadn’t thought the CEO paid attention to which days Avery worked. Especially since his Fridays were usually variable.

“I have the afternoon shift,” he revealed. “So we probably won't see each other.”

Even though in that case he started at 2 pm, he usually spent the first minutes in the back, where he checked and restocked supplies and sorted returnable containers so Delaney wouldn’t have to deal with it over the weekend. By doing it right at the beginning of his shift, he made sure that if anything was missing, there would still be time to buy it.

“That’s a shame,” David replied, though he didn't actually look sorry. Either way, they were supposed to see each other at the club, if he was to keep his word. 

“Joshua will have to do for you,” Avery remarked, trying to inject a bit of humor into the situation.

“He’s not as nice to look at, but I’ll manage.”

The barista nearly scalded his fingers with the hot coffee. 

Did the dark-haired man seriously just say that out loud? 

In front of his brother? 

Was he trying to kill him?

Avery was certain that his jerky movement, as well as his momentary freezing in place, was impossible to miss. On top of that, he could feel heat rushing into his face, which he absolutely couldn’t allow to show.

In an attempt to save the situation, he cleared his throat and lifted his head. But when he saw the satisfied smile on the CEO’s face, he searched in vain for words to answer.

Oh, how he missed the mask that so easily hid his blushing. 

While Diablo had the upper hand at the club, it was obvious that David was enjoying his moment of power in the café. The worst part was that, caught off guard like this, the barista had absolutely no idea how to quickly restore the hierarchy between them.

“Cute.”

He barely stopped himself from opening his mouth in shock.

Unlike him, Nick didn't hide his confusion, staring at his younger brother as if seeing him for the first time in his life. Of course, David didn't grant him even a fraction of his attention, continuing to smirk at Avery instead.

With a cup in one hand and the portafilter in the other, Avery stood there staring back at him and though he opened his mouth to say something, he quickly shut it again. 

He had spent all his time preparing for the possibility that the CEO would lose interest in him, so he was completely unprepared for the opposite situation—one where David would flirt with him at both of his jobs. He was starting to feel that the period when he had stopped visiting hadn't been so bad after all.

“Am I missing something?”

Just when the barista thought it couldn't get any worse, Nick finally decided to speak up.

“No,” David assured him immediately. “Just a friendly conversation.” Then he turned back to the blond. “Right, Angel?”

“Right,” Avery said almost automatically, then mechanically lowered his head back to the items in his hands and began preparing their order by rote memory. 

Fortunately, David decided to stop tormenting him, or maybe he just wanted to avoid further questions from his brother, because they moved to a free table and Avery finally felt like he could breathe freely again.

At least, that’s what he thought until he realized their interaction hadn't just been witnessed by Nick, but also the eyes of his boss, and Joshua hadn’t come behind the counter just because he wanted to put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

“Did it really only take a smile from him to make you blush like that?” Joshua teased with a broad grin, making his employee realize his cheeks were in worse shape than he’d thought.

“Shut up,” he muttered, more irritated by his own reaction than by Joshua’s remark. 

Instead of taking his words to heart, his boss just laughed. 

“Do you want me to bring them their order?”

“Please,” Avery replied without hesitation. Although he knew it would look like he was running scared, he didn't care. Either way, he was going to see David again tonight, and he hoped he’d be better prepared by then. Especially now that he was starting to suspect what to expect.

“You still owe me an explanation,” Joshua said when he returned to the counter after successfully delivering the coffee and croissant.

“Later,” he promised. After all, he still had to survive the night at the club to know exactly where he stood, and after this conversation, he began to dread it even more. However, it wasn't for the same reason that had troubled him in the morning. 

It was a mess.

He was a mess.