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It had been painful to watch.
Freck loved his best friend, he really did, but god the woman was an idiot when it came to social interactions.
The past few weeks of Freck’s life had gone as follows:
Summer had always been slow at Tremire Treehouse coffee shop. The clientele was either mothers out and about running errands while trying to keep energetic children in line, or old men holding court and hiding from their wives. He didn’t mind the slow season though—Freck loved the quiet summers of Rhend, but he knew town’s economy depended on the university. Like clockwork, every fall the population swelled and he was once again making drinks that were more sweetener than coffee or loaded with so much expresso that he was sure the kid wouldn’t be sleeping for the rest of the week.
When it was the school season, the manager always made sure to schedule Rae and himself together. Rae kept him from constantly flirting with the freshman who didn’t know better and he kept her from climbing over the counter and attacking anyone with a medium sized ego who had given her even the slightest amount of attitude. They were a good team, really.
Soon, the seats the old men had occupied were filled with students nose deep in books or clattering away on sleek keyboards.
Enter the source of Freck’s pain.
The guy was tall. Like, really tall. Freck wasn’t short by any means—he was a very solid 5 foot 7 thank you very much—but this guy was easily a head and a half taller than him. He was pale, his skin almost ashy, and his long raven-black hair had one of those ridiculous skunk stripes in it. If it wasn’t for the lean muscles and lithe way he moved about, Freck would’ve dismissed him as just another scholarly type who needed to get out into the sun more. Not his personal taste, but he could see the appeal.
However, his appearance wasn’t what had caused Freck to pay attention to the man whenever he sat hunched over one of the small tables with a book that looked older than triple his age. No, the reason Freck kept an eye on him was, for some unknown reason, the man had taken a liking to Rae.
Now, he knew more than anyone that Rae was capable of handling herself, but he saw himself as her brother and therefore would always be at least a little protective. They had grown up together. He had held her when her father passed and she had shown up more than once at his place with a cold six pack and cheesy slasher flick when he was going through a breakup. They operated on the same wavelength and there was nothing the other didn’t already know.
Which is why Freck knew Rae’s romantic life was... well, there really wasn’t one. Sure, she’d go on the occasional date with guys she deemed not to be complete losers, but she had never been in a proper relationship. Which was by all means fine. She was perfectly happy with her life, but Freck couldn’t help to think she’d really thrive with the right person. Someone who could balance but also challenge her. So, when the opportunity to meddle presented himself, he decided why not? What’s the worst that could happen? Probably Rae punching him in the nose, but he could deal with that.
It had started subtly at first. The guy, Prince Toothpick, as Freck had been calling him, quickly became a regular at the Tremire. He’d show up mid-afternoon a few days a week, get a caramel macchiato, then sit at the corner table facing the counter instead of the opposite window seat everyone else took, and study. He was always polite when Freck served him, but he perked up more when it was Rae. He’d smile at her, compliment her hair or bracelets—something that Freck knew never registered properly with her beyond a short thanks—and eventually would ask small, noninvasive questions. How long had she worked here? Did she like it? What was her favorite thing on the menu?
Once, on a particularly hot day, Rae had worn a cut-off tank under her apron instead of her usual jersey sleeve tee. The golden orbs of Prince Toothpick’s eyes almost fell out of his head when he sauntered in and the man had barely managed to stutter through his order. When he sat down, Freck noticed he never took his eyes off the wildflower tattoos that cascaded from Rae’s shoulders and his face never lost the flushed tone it had gained. The guy had it bad.
Eventually, Prince Toothpick would be a bit more transparent and direct with his flirting. When he had asked Rae what her hobbies were and she plainly said kick boxing and hunting and that didn’t scare Prince Toothpick off, but rather intrigue him, Freck knew he had to step in. He had to give it to the guy, he was persistent, determined, and was in way over his head. Plus, he couldn’t bear to watch Rae’s obliviousness anymore. It has been funny at first, but now it was just cringy.
He was quite proud of his little scheme too. It was simple and easy to execute... as long as Prince Toothpick had the balls to do his part.
The next afternoon, as soon as Prince Toothpick stepped in the door, Freck set about making a caramel macchiato. He was disappointed that his usual attempt to converse with Rae had been cut short by Freck thrusting the drink into his hand, but then he noticed the piece of paper tucked between the cup and cardboard sleeve and raised an eyebrow. Freck fixed him with what he hoped was a flat look of ‘shut up and go sit down’ which he must’ve accomplished because the man did just that. A few minutes later, Freck caught his eye and received a short nod and even a mouthed ‘thank you’. His part was done, the ball was in Prince Toothpick’s court now.
The rest of the day and the following proceeded as normal. Freck suggested Rae and himself go to the bar after their shifts and she happily agreed.
As instructed by the note, Prince Toothpick showed up exactly fifteen minutes after close and Freck had purposely not locked the door so he could come in. He was dressed in dark jeans, a short sleeve—to show off his arms Freck was sure—button-down with the top few left open, and his hair was neatly tied back. Smart, but casual. He seemed nervous but came up to Freck with a hand outstretched.
“Hey, I really appreciate this—“
“Alright, let’s get our drink on!” Rae called out as she came up from the back room. She stopped short when she saw Prince Toothpick
Freck cleared his throat, “About that, I’m actually heading home. You have a date.” and gestured to Prince Toothpick
To her credit, Rae’s mouth only hung open for a few seconds before she collected herself and shot him a look.
“You sneaky bastard.”
Sensing a squabble, Prince Toothpick stepped forward.
“I hope that’s alright. I’ve been trying to ask you out for a while now and it must’ve been pathetic enough that your friend took pity on me and stepped in.”
Freck clapped him on the shoulder. “You were doing fine mate. Problem is this one is oblivious to any attempt at flirting even if it smacked her in the face.”
“Ha. Ha.” Rae deadpanned.
It was better than a fist to the nose so Freck closed the deal and shuffled the two lovebirds out the door.
“You kids have fun! Have her home by a reasonable hour!”
He chuckled to himself as he watched them head down the sidewalk. The difference in height was almost comical but there wasn’t any animosity in Rae’s posture so he knew they’d be fine.
He just hoped this guy knew what he was getting into.