Reading between the lines

A date or not a date, that is the question

"Yes... Whatever you just said." Seb nodded along, but he clearly hadn't been listening as he had already turned to Danny. "And you are all stocked up on pumpkin spice?"

A very un-Danny-like snort came from the Aussie, who was gripping a closed bag of coffee beans so tightly it looked like it was about to pop open and create a mess so badly they'd find the contents of the bag for months to come. But eventually he managed to fake a smile and nod.

Max chuckled quietly, turning away so Danny wouldn't see him. He just couldn't help it, knowing how much his ex-boyfriend despised anything season-related. Even though Daniel really loved what he did - being the master of coffee making (any kind of it) - as soon as it involved pumpkin spice or cinnamon and sugar cane or literally anything else trends would come up with to celebrate another special event of the year, he hated it. It was an insult to the art (as Danny had said in his own words).

"Perfect." Seb sighed, a small part of worry falling from his face, making space for a small smile. "Then we have done everything we can to prepare for today, now all that is left is actually surviving i-"

A loud bang interrupted Seb's little speech as someone opened the door so forcefully that the bell above the door sounded like it was about to have a heart attack and the hinges creaked as if they would fall out of their hinges. Everyone's heads snapped towards the entrance, wondering who in the world would have the audacity to storm in here before the shop even opened.

To their surprise it wasn't some rude, overly enthusiastic shopper, but a familiar face.

"I did it! I finished this fucking book! I did it before the end of the week!" Charles stood there, door still open behind him, letting cold air stream into the room, but he didn't seem to care. All his focus was on the book he held up into the air as if it was a trophy, a beaming grin spanned across his tan face.

He wasn't exactly met with the response he'd hoped for. Instead the Monegasque had five people staring at him. Speechless and open-mouthed.

Suddenly very insecure, Charles lowered his arm, a frown tugging on his thick brows. His eyes wandered from Max, who was giving him a what-the-actual-hell-has-gotten-into-you-stare, to Seb, who seemed purely baffled. At this point his grin had turned into a wry smile.

"It is Saturday, right?" He asked with a nervous chuckle. "I was awake all night to finish the book... Maybe I fell asleep? And slept through all of Sunday? But that would be weird... Oscar would have woken me up for sure-"

"No, no... It is Saturday, Charles." Seb said carefully, his eyes wandering over to Max, but Max just shrugged, not wanting to take any responsibility for whatever was going on with his friend. "It's just that we are..."

"We are still closed, dude!" Lewis barked loudly, not being happy about the situation at all and unafraid to show it. He really did look like was about to go home. Or kick Charles out in the very literal sense.

"Oh... Oh!" Charles nervously glanced behind himself to the still very open door. A frown tugged on the corners of his mouth as he turned back to the others, cheeks now painted in a bright red. "But... the door wasn't locked. I though-"

Again it was Lewis who was the one to answer, his voice closer to a growl that it should be possible for a human being, "We don't need to lock it because usually our customers are competent enough to read the sign in the window that so very clearly says 'CLOSED'!"

The bright red turned darker as Charles, very embarrassed by his mistake, turned to Max. The only person he really knew in this place and the only person who might be able to get the scary man to stop looking at him like he'd just committed a war crime.