18 ✓

FOUR

Every inch of my body froze. The only movement that I seemed to be able to accomplish was narrowing my eyes at Hunter. He reached his hand up, pressing against the doorway and leaning his body into it, the amused look never escaping his face for a second. Hunter stood in front of me in nothing but a pair of athletic shorts as I found my eyes moving briefly from his to glance at his exposed upper body. There were additional small tattoos that he seemed to have added to his collection since the last time.

Suddenly my eyes stopped when I noticed a particular new ink mark. It was small and placed on the side of his body. I would have missed it if it wasn't for the way he was leaning into the door frame, raising his arm to expose the skin. A butterfly. But not just any butterfly, the one I drew for him.

Hunter seemed to realize what I had seen, and instantly lifted his weight off the doorframe and dropped his arm.

"Dylan..." Hunter said cautiously in a low tone. He appeared to want to say more but lost the chance due to a voice that interrupted him.

"Dylan! Hey!" Charlie appeared from behind Hunter, "Didn't realize you were here. Come in!"

"No!" The word escaped my dry mouth too quickly, "I mean," I cleared my throat, doing my best to ignore the burning stare from Hunter, "I just realized I'm starving. Could I see it after?"

Charlie nodded, moving past Hunter. "Of course."

The two of us made our way down the stairs and out the front doors in silence. I followed his lead down the street, glancing up at him to try and get a read on what he was thinking. Either he was great at covering up, or he was oblivious to my previous odd behaviour.

"So..." I said softly, clearing my throat, "You and Hunter live together?"

Charlie looked over at me, smiling with a nod. "Yeah, he's helping me out by letting me stay with him while I finish up my last year at law school."

Law school. Charlie had mentioned briefly last night that he had transferred schools for his final year due to an internship opportunity.

"Isn't it hard living there with him? You know, with his... lifestyle?" I carefully chose the last word, not wanting to sound judgemental.

A light chuckle escaped. "Not really, actually. He spends most nights out at work and keeps his company out of the apartment." 

I did my best to force a smile as I nodded along.

Charlie placed his hand on the small of my back. "This is it," he said as he guided me towards the front of the café.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air as we stepped inside. It was a small yet charming space. Large bay windows on either side of the door allowed the sunlight to pour in. The painted white walls were decorated with photographs of city landscapes in gold frames. Each round wooden table had a small vase filled with beautiful lilac flowers. The anxious feeling that once clouded my thoughts seemed to instantly disappear as I took in my surroundings.

"Hey, Charlie," a young-looking waitress greeted the two of us, "Just for two?"

As Charlie gave the girl a nod in response, she gathered two sets of menus from the stack on the small table beside her and led us to a table.

"I'll be back in a bit to take your order."

"Thanks, Julia." Charlie gave the girl a smile before she scurried off to another table.

Charlie glanced back to me, his hands fumbling together nervously on the table. "I hope you don't mind this place. I thought it would be a safe choice for a first date."