The days slipped by quietly after their strange first meeting, but Sir Will found himself restless. Every so often, his mind drifted back to Noah's laugh, the warmth of his arm casually draped across his shoulder, the way he'd helped brush dirt from his jeans. He told himself it was nothing. Just a silly memory.
But on Thursday afternoon, sitting at a corner table of a café with two clients across from him, stress weighed heavy. The meeting had dragged on for over an hour, negotiations circling like vultures. The other side was stubborn, refusing to yield on even the smallest point. Will pressed his lips together, suppressing the urge to snap.
He wanted a cigarette. Badly.
Instead, his mind betrayed him, flashing to Noah's voice that night, loud and unfiltered: If your crush dumped you for another man, you'd be like me too. A faint curl tugged at his mouth before he could stop it. A sneaky thought crept in.
Just then, his client excused himself to the restroom. And that's when the familiar voice came. Wait, that was in real life though.
"Yo! What are you doing here?"
Will blinked. Once. Twice. Was he imagining it? No. There stood Noah, coffee cup in hand, eyes wide in surprise.
"For a work meeting," Will replied smoothly, straightening in his chair. "You?"
"Oooouhh~!" Noah shrugged, dropping into the seat beside him without hesitation. "I'm taking a break from studying. Didn't know where else to go, so I ended up here again." His voice dipped, a little sheepish. "This was… my ex's favorite café. I feel kinda pathetic sitting alone." A glimpse of puppy eyes begged to Sir Will for companionship.
Sir Will tilted his head, studying him. This boy really has no layers, he thought. Everything sat on the surface—his sadness, his longing, his honesty. And somehow, Will liked that. :)
"Well, this meeting's about to end. I can accompany you if you buy me something." A smirk ghosted across his lips.
Noah's jaw dropped. "Wow. A grown working man begging a broke student for money? That's low." His eyes narrowed in mock judgment.
"Fine," Will deadpanned. "I'll leave then."
"Ahhh—ok, ok, fine!" Noah groaned, throwing up his hands. "I'll buy you a coffee."
Sir Will's client returned then, and he rushed the rest of the meeting faster than even he realized. Within minutes, he was at Noah's table, staring down at a tiny espresso shot.
"Hm." He eyed the cup, then Noah's smug grin.
"I said coffee," Noah retorted, looking away with a guilty smile. "Didn't say what kind."
Before Sir Will could respond, a server approached with a platter of cakes and pastries.
"Eh?! What's this?" Noah blinked at the table full of desserts.
"I didn't know what you'd like," Will said, tone cool, as if it meant nothing. "So I ordered everything."
Noah gaped. "Bro! Is this pity? Like—you feel bad for me, the brokenhearted fellow? Saranghae, oppa~!" teasing eyes of Noah.
"Your ex is the past," Sir Will snapped more sharply than intended. His fork dug into a slice of cake. "I just wanted to try all the pastries here. You don't have to eat them."
Noah frowned, confused by the sudden annoyance, but soon joined in eating. Silence stretched between them, broken only when Noah leaned back with a sly smile.
"So…" he drawled, "are you fishing, do you already have a fish… or maybe… a fisherman?"
Sir Will froze. Please, not this fisherman thing again. His lips quirked anyway. "What do you think?" he murmured, lifting a brow in a sudden, reckless flirtation.
Before Noah could answer, a woman appeared at their table out of nowhere—her hair wild, her eyes sharp.
"I was guided to you," she declared. "Pick a card."
They both blinked at her.
"Excuse me?" Noah asked, already suspicious.
But she was already shuffling tarot cards, placing them in front of them. Against better judgment, they each drew one. The woman turned them over with a flourish.
"A flourishing relationship," she proclaimed. "A bond so strong, fate will keep pulling you together until you uncover the truth."
She held out her palm.
They returned the cards. She still held her hand open. "Everything requires an exchange." Out came a card with her bank QR code.
Noah rolled his eyes. "This is harassment. We didn't even ask—"
Before he could finish, Sir Will scanned the QR with his phone and paid, the amount higher than necessary.
"Why did you—?!" Noah gaped, launching into a rant. "We didn't ask, that's a scam, she—"
And them Sir Will only chuckled, finishing the last bite of cake. "Nothing's free in life. Everyone wants something."
Noah stared at him, baffled. Before he could argue further, Sir Will extended a hand. "Phone."
Without thinking, Noah handed it over. Seconds later, Sir Will had added himself on Instagram and slid it back. Maybe those cards gave him some kind of confidence. It could be fate or just blatant placebo but he couldn't place where his feelings truly were at. There's only a few ways to figure this out. Getting closer was definitely the first step for him.
Noah blinked. Did he really just pay all that money just to get my Insta?
But before he could dwell on it, his notifications buzzed. He opened Instagram—and froze. His ex had posted a photo, clinging to her new boyfriend, a DJ spinning at their old club haunt.
The smile drained from his face. Sir Will noticed instantly.
"Your ex?" he asked, voice tight.
Noah passed the phone silently, lips pushed into a pout.
Sir Will set the phone down, tossed a few bills on the table, and stood. "Let's go."
"Go… where?" Noah asked, confused, trailing after him.
Minutes later, they stood outside the very club in the post, neon lights flashing above. Sir Will lit a cigarette, inhaling slowly. "To rub salt in the wound," he said, eyes glinting. ;-P
Inside, the bass rattled the floor. Sir Will dragged Noah to the bar, told him, "Order anything." Noah brightened, thinking maybe this was Sir Will's way of helping him drink away his misery. Two drinks in for Noah, five cigarettes deep for Sir Will with a few whiskeys downed, the DJ—the new boyfriend—took the stage, pulling Noah's ex in for a showy kiss, you know like those flashy bastards, before blasting the crowd with beats.
Noah wilted in his seat. Deflated. Cursing them wouldn't even help.
"Come on." Sir Will's hand closed firmly around his. "We're dancers. We ought to dance the night away." A slight wink drew Noah's heart in a little, although he was feeling too low on energy.
"I—I can't," Noah stammered, but with the help of alcohol and Sir Will's fierce eyes, the sad boy softened his resistance.
Sir Will tugged him onto the dance floor, right into the spotlight. Groovin' together sometimes their chests got quite close, you would've been able to hear their loud heartbeats if it weren't for the thumping bass. Noah's ex's eyes widened as she spotted them, fury in her expression. She stomped over, cornering Noah who's heart felt like it was in his throat.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped.
"Dancing?" Noah slurred, half-smiling. Covering up his pathetic feeling inside.
"We're over. Don't crawl back. I'm happy now, you know, you should move on too." A very smug look on her face as she points to her DJ bf.
Sir Will stepped in then, cigarette still smoldering between his lips. "Oops," he said smoothly. "Dragged my friend here 'cause I was bored. Didn't know his ex would be in the crowd." He exhaled smoke slowly, his words sharp as glass. "Don't worry. He won't bother you no more."
Then he leaned down, lips close to her ear, and whispered something only she could hear:
"…he's mine now you know."
Her expression flickered, but Sir Will didn't wait for a reaction. He caught Noah by the wrist and pulled him away.
Moments later, they were in Sir Will's car exhaling from slight exhaustion, the walk felt heavy and more tiring then when they were heading to the bar for some reason. He reached across to fasten Noah's seatbelt, pausing for a dangerous second as their faces were close—too close and the air thickened. Both looked away quickly.
"Your address," Sir Will muttered.
No answer. He turned but Noah was already asleep, cheek pressed against the window.
Sir Will sighed, the edge in his chest dulling. He drove back to his apartment, carried Noah inside, and set him gently on his bed. For a long moment, he just stood there, watching the boy's peaceful face. Then, with a low breath, he turned away and stretched out on the couch. What a tempting scene he's watching.
But even there, with smoke and city lights clinging to him, he just sat there with his thoughts. This boy's lucky Sir Will's got that cigarette, or else, control would leave his body.