𝓢𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓟𝓼𝔂𝓬𝓱𝓸

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓞𝓷𝓮

18 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼 𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻...

𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓪 𝓟𝓞𝓥

I casually flipped the page of the menu, pretending to be reading off what the cafe had to offer. It was a beautiful summer morning- it was a shame I had to waste it waiting for a client at a cafe when I could be swimming or training back home. But Ercole had wanted me to meet this person, and I wasn't one to argue with figures of authority. He did raise me, after all. I was indebted to him.

A pretty young waitress with long brown hair came up to me, and I looked up at her. "Buongiorno, signore. What can I get for you today?" she asked, flashing a white-toothed smile. The scent of strong perfume wavered off of her, and I barely refrained from wrinkling my nose in disgust. 

"Nothing right now, signora. I'm waiting for someone," I said politely. She nodded. "Well, can I get you something while you wait? Food, perhaps? We have kolaches," she said, gesturing to the menu. I gagged slightly. "No, thank you, signora, I'm a vegetarian," I said. 

"Oh. Is there really nothing, nothing at all I can get you?" she asked, sounding slightly disappointed. I sighed. Of course a girl would have a crush on me. They seemed to come from everywhere, trying to flirt with me or win my favor. It was rather annoying. 

"No, signora, I'm quite fine. Do you mind allowing me to have some peace and quiet? I have a bit of a headache," I lied. She nodded, then turned and walked away sadly. I ignored it. I didn't care if she cried me a river. I wasn't here to be hit on by ladies. Besides, she must have been at least 16. I was 20. The numbers didn't add up. 

A sudden car horn brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see a shiny white limousine park in front of the coffee shop, and a young man with brown hair and cold blue eyes stepped out. I sniffed eagerly, just to make sure that he was the man I was looking for. Sure enough, he smelled like peaches. His signature perfume scent, just like Ercole said, I thought. 

The young man stepped into the coffee shop, and I calmly folded my menu, got up, and followed him. I walked into the dimly lit store and put on a pair of sunglasses. Some people gave me odd looks, but I ignored them. They'd never understand why I wear sunglasses in the dark. 

I gently tapped on the man's shoulder, and he barely glanced at me before responding. "Sorry, no autographs. I'm having my me time right now, so you can leave me alone, peasant," he said haughtily. I curled my lips into a snarl. 

"I'm not looking for autographs, signore," I said in a low voice. That got his attention. He turned to face me. "Well, then, what are you looking for?" he asked, sounding uninterested, but I could tell that he was listening. "If you come with me, I'll talk to you about it. We have to do it outside, though. It's professional business," I said, gesturing towards the patio. 

He stared at me, then shrugged. "Let me get my espresso, then I'll come and talk with you about your professional business. Oh! Are you a sponser? Well, that just made my day even better!" he said, smiling. I faked a smile back, then stepped away from the line and waited while he ordered. 

After about 15 minutes, he walked up to me. "So, little man, where do you want to sit? There are plenty of seats on the patio," he said. I shook my head and gestured to the alleyway between the cafe and the shop next door. "This way. We can't let these peasants listen to our superior conversations, can we?" I said, the words bitter on my tongue. But the man nodded, satisfied that he could trust me, and followed me into the alleyway. 

I walked about three-quarters of the way into the alleyway, far enough so that no one would be able to see me clearly. The man followed me, carefully stepping around stray trash piles and sipping his espresso. I stopped, then turned to face him. A lazy smile was on his face, and he set his cup down on a discarded chair before reaching out to shake my hand. "It's a pleasure. Apologies for treating you so early. My name is-"