Even after the blond bent down to see directly inside the car so its owner could notice him, Luca still didn’t see him. So Avery took one last step forward to be close enough to stretch out his hand and knock lightly on the window.

The young resident definitely hadn’t expected that and visibly startled before beginning to look around himself in confusion.

The barista was given a direct view of his tear-soaked face, and now he was certain he had made the right decision not to simply walk away. Especially since he had a suspicion about what could be behind his sadness. Or rather who.

Luca quickly wiped his cheeks, though his red eyes and wet nose gave away exactly why he was sitting alone in the car, and Avery waited patiently. 

The car window rolled down halfway at first, and then it seemed the brunet changed his mind and rolled it down completely. Overall, he seemed hesitant, and it likely wasn't just because apparently a complete stranger had knocked on his car.

The barista had had enough of his broken confidence, so before he could even take a breath to ask anything, he took the initiative and spoke first.

“What did he do this time?”

Luca’s face twisted into a grimace as he suddenly became confused for a different reason, and then he barely managed to say, “What?”

“What did your doctor do this time?” Avery clarified, and when he noticed the resident’s eyes widen in panic, he quickly added, “You weren’t at the club, and last time you talked about his wife,” he reminded him, leaving him with no doubt about who he was talking to.

“You…” Luca stared at him, and the barista slowly watched as his expression shifted from panic to doubt until finally a spark of understanding appeared in his eyes. “Diablo?” There was still a trace of shock in his voice.

Despite the situation, Avery let out a brief laugh. “At your service.” His wide smile softened into a smaller, more reassuring one. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

The young medic looked undecided, and no one could blame him. Whatever had happened had shaken him deeply, and now he’d suddenly learned the second most closely guarded secret after his affair with the doctor. Or perhaps he simply didn't trust him, despite being reminded of something they had theoretically discussed in private.

The sound of the door unlocking was the first indication of his decision, and then came the words: “Get in.”

Avery didn’t hesitate and reached for the handle, sitting down in the passenger seat.

When he turned his head toward Luca, he noticed that the other man was looking him over as if seeing him for the first time—which, technically, he was. "You look like an angel," he remarked after a few seconds, and the blond gave another short laugh.

“I get that a lot,” he admitted honestly and met his gaze.

“Am I even allowed to know about this?” Luca asked, and it didn’t sound like a reproach, more like genuine confusion.

“Theoretically, no,” Avery admitted, though his tone was indifferent, as if he didn’t care at all. "But I couldn't just leave you crying alone in your car."

Even though the blond had just reminded him of the state he had found him in—and probably the reason for it—a small sincere smile appeared on the resident’s face. But it was quickly replaced again by a sad grimace, and since Avery didn’t want to see him in tears again, he spoke quickly.

“Can I be honest now?”

“What do you mean? Even more?” He looked him over again, as if wanting to make sure the person in front of him really was who he claimed to be. Each time, his gaze ended at his eyes, which had never been hidden—neither now nor in the club. At least someone seemed able to recognize them.

The barista nodded. “You pay me in the club. Now we’re not in the club, so without losing money I can tell you that guy is a dick and absolutely doesn’t deserve you,” he finally said what he had wanted to say for weeks, if not months. "Besides, I’d bet anything he has a receding hairline, so you are way out of his league."

Luca stared at him, blinked as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard, and then his eyebrows shot up. He was silent for a moment before saying, "He does."

Avery looked at him like he was crazy. “You’re crying over a guy who’s going bald?” And since he had managed to make him laugh earlier, he decided to do it again and didn’t hold back. “And he definitely has wrinkly balls too, since he’s old.”

Slowly, as he spoke, he watched the corners of the medic’s mouth begin to lift until he finally laughed, and Avery felt proud of himself as the sounds of crying in the car were replaced with something lighter.

“Oh my God.” First the brunet leaned his head back as he laughed, then he placed his hands on the steering wheel and rested his forehead against them.

“If I’d known this would be your reaction, I would’ve told you a long time ago,” the barista told him, and the sound of his voice made Luca lift his head again.

“Are you really Diablo?” he suddenly asked, although something in his tone suggested he believed him and was only asking to be sure. It wasn’t common for the most popular companion in the city to casually reveal his identity to someone.

“I am.” Avery nodded. “Are you disappointed?” He tilted his head automatically to the side—a habit he had clearly picked up from Diablo.

“No,” Luca assured him. “I just never expected you to look like this.” He gestured toward him to support his words.

Right now, Avery unusually had his hair loose. Because it was constantly braided under a wig, it was wavy. Perhaps that was his natural hair texture, but he didn't know for sure; since it had grown long, he always needed it either out of his face for work or tucked under the wig. He hadn't even realized it had grown a bit longer until he saw himself in the mirror that morning.

"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?"

"A compliment. Definitely," the resident answered without hesitation. "It's a bit unfair how hot you are in both forms."

It wasn’t as if Avery thought he looked unattractive—or at least he considered himself maybe a six out of ten, since fatigue was often written across his face, he didn’t have time to work out, and he practically had no style outside work—but he definitely wouldn’t have called himself hot on a normal day. The other man’s direct words surprised him.

“There’s no way you don’t know how good you look.”

“I’m not saying I look bad—” the blond defended himself immediately. “—but I’m sure most people prefer me with the mask, the wig, and everything else.”

By most people, he mainly meant David, who hadn’t spared him a glance before seeing him at the club.

“I’m sure that’s not true.” Luca still wasn’t convinced.

“Okay.” Avery decided to give in. “I like getting compliments from hot people too much, so I’ll accept it.”

“Did you really just turn my compliment back on me?” The medic looked almost amused, and Avery felt satisfied with himself again for giving him enough distraction from his sadness, even though his eyes and red nose still clearly showed what had happened.

Before the blond answered, he thought for a moment and decided that since he had already revealed his identity to Luca, he might as well tell him everything he had been holding back for months.

“Another permission to be honest?”

“Obviously.” He nodded.

"Okay." The barista turned even more in his seat to face him directly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you this." And then he let out everything he had wanted to say before, but had bitten his tongue. 

"That stupid doctor ruined your self-esteem. You are obviously very smart, kind, funny, and you could literally have anyone you want. You work long shifts at the hospital, you go to the club at night, so you probably get minimal sleep, and yet you look super attractive all the time. I'm pretty sure you'll soon be known at the hospital as that hot doctor everyone has a crush on."

His tone allowed no protest, as he tried to get all these affirmations into the other man’s head so he would finally remember them properly.

Luca, on the other hand, first looked surprised, and then slowly his cheeks began turning red, matching the color of his nose and eyes.

But then his lips suddenly pressed into a thin line and he looked away. Avery almost asked what was wrong when the resident said:

“You’re going to be super mad.”

“I doubt it,” the blond assured him immediately.

Luca sighed, and when he lifted his head again, his eyes shimmered slightly as if he were close to tears again.

“I don’t think I made the best impression at the hospital,” he said, his tone deeply sad, though in a different way than when he spoke about his moronic doctor. “I kept being paranoid that someone would see us and he…” Guilt suddenly flickered across his face. “He was jealous.”

Avery didn't need to hear more to understand where he was going with this.

"So... what actually happened?" Avery still didn't know the most important part, and now he felt it mattered most because if Luca hadn't broken up with him yet after everything he’d just said, he wasn't going to let him continue the affair. Not when it was clearly destroying him, along with his relationships at work.

Quiet tears slipped down the brunet’s face, but he quickly wiped them away with his sleeve and cleared his throat.

“He shouted at me that I ruined his life.” He laughed bitterly. “He said I was the worst mistake of his life and that he never wanted to see me again.”

The barista frowned. “He’s got some nerve.”

Luca snorted, though it still sounded sad. “I thought I was ruining his life, but now he has the power to ruin mine.”

“Then don’t let him,” Avery replied immediately.

The medic looked at him with glistering eyes that clearly suggested he didn’t think that was possible and considered the idea almost crazy.

“I mean it,” the blond insisted. “Do you even work in the same department as him? If he doesn’t want to see you, great. Now you won’t have to run into him anymore. Nothing better could’ve happened to you. He was ruining your life.” He emphasized the last sentence so it would finally sink in.

Luca’s eyes stayed on him for a while, suggesting he was thinking about his words, and although it might have taken minutes, Avery remained patient.

“I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” The blond leaned closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. But with this gesture, he caught sight of the clock on the radio in his peripheral vision and suddenly focused more on his own problems than the medic’s. “Shit. I’m gonna be late.”

Even though he had left home earlier to have time for coffee at work, now it was already so late it would be a miracle if he managed to walk there in time for his shift.

“I’ll drive you,” Luca immediately offered. “It’s the least I can do,” he added when Avery looked at him uncertainly.

It was too late to wonder if it was right that, in such a short time, a second person had found out his true identity and would now also know where he worked. The only thing he focused on was not letting Joshua down.

“Thank you,” he finally chose, and then dictated the address of Bean & Blossom to the resident. In the end, he managed to arrive on time, and although Luca protested at first when Avery offered to make him coffee—since he felt embarrassed to walk into the café with bloodshot eyes and an appearance that clearly revealed his earlier breakdown—Avery eventually convinced him.

And so it seemed that not only did he have a chance at a new friendship, but the café might have gained a new customer as well.