Aldo’s POV
“Dude, did you hear me?” Tom, my fellow Barista asks. I’m ina bit of a daze, or rather I’m hungover from partying with the guys after practice last night…the painkillers and coffee haven’t kicked in yet so my head is thumping.
“Yeah, what was that again, man?” I grumble as I sip my second coffee of the day. I inhale the rich aroma of my coffee before catching a sweet new scent in the air…archidds, and something else, would be my guess…gosh I spend too much time with my mom and sisters, why was I the only dude in the family besides dad? My parents were told their chances of conceiving even with in vitro were slim to none…mom had had 3 miscarriages before adopting me and a few years later Cicely, then, BAM surprise mom got pregnant and managed to carry Sidney to term…so we are kind of a patchwork family, but that is cool with me. My birth parents died when I was 18 months old, and thankfully, the Reeds adopted me not long after. Mrs Reed had been my birth mom’s college roommate and was listed as my godmother, so things worked out well. Cicely is a year older than me and while she was adopted after me her story was not nearly as seamless, she was abandoned as an infant and was in the system for a bit before a family friend who is a social worker asked my parents if they wanted to adopt another kid. I was 5 when her adoption was finalized and then I had an older sister with a shy countenance and beautiful mocha skin…so different from our fair skinned adoptive parents. My skin , like my birth mothers gets a warm golden glow when I can spend time outdoors, but I don’t do that often enough these days and it has become more creamy in color. The youngest sister, Sidney, looks just like our mother, only with da’s blue eyes(of course, she is their birth child so is most likely to have their looks). I brush my dirty blond curls back with my hand before securing them in a loose man bun and glancing at Tom, remembering that he had something about a new cashier.
“Dude, wait until you see this new cashier, she is one curvy Mocha Latte!” He smiles before we both head out front to start our shifts.
“Mocha Latte! Man that is not the way you describe a woman. I might be a playboy, but that is just wrong!” I blurt before stopping in my tracks and spotting the beauty who is pulling on her Apron and talking to our manager. “Damn! Ok, you might be right about that description.”
“Tom, Aldo, get over here! I want you to meet Adia! She is our new cashier and once she is comfortable with the register I would like you to cross train her with our other operations, any of you should be able to fill in for the others in the long run.” our Manager, Keith, calls out to us.
We both rush forward and Tom smirks “Can I get you a mocha latte, Adia?” The dude is trying to be smooth, he’s been watching my moves with the ladies and thinks he has it down, but he’s falling a bit flat. While she says yes to him her eyes are roaming me…this girl is practically undressing me with those chocolate orbs of hers, and I don’t mind in the least.
It’s thursday and my last shift at the coffee shop until Sunday and I spend most of it drinking in the flirtatious looks and comments from that lovely Mocha late, yeah, Tom was being a pig when he said that, but he wasn’t wrong…the girl is seriously tempting, but I don’t fuck around with coworkers, so there will nothing happening beyond a flirty friendship. By the end of my shift I learn that Adia has recently moved here with her mother and little brother, though the way she says “brother” is odd, like she is unsure if that is the term she should use. She just started classes at our local community college and has no idea what she wants to major in. I consider asking her to come see me play at my gig tomorrow, but I don’t want her to think it is anything more than friendly so I don’t bring it up.
******
Friday is here and it has been one heck of a week. The guys in my band have been giving me shit. Yeah, I am known as a playboy, but I am always really looking to find my soulmate. I want a true love, but have yet to find a girl that is right for me, and they only get more annoying when they get drunk. Thanks to their shenanigans and way too much alcohol I have spent half of the week hungover, and still don’t have a girlfriend because I set myself rules about not going for coworkers, as cute as the new cashier is. I am glad that tonight is a solo gig. It will be much more mellow than gigs with the guys and my little sister is bringing a new friend from school who she said is gorgeous, although she doesn’t know their gender because they identify as nonbinary. I’m pretty liberal, one of my best friends from college is gay and does drag shows that I have gone to. I even let him dress me in drag at one party, but we won’t talk about that night and me waking up in high heels, drunk in the stairwell of my apartment building. But I imagine that Sid’s nonbinary friend has a hard time with dating. I mean don’t people want to know what they are getting when they date someone? I mean sid doesn’t care about people’s parts, maybe she is on to something, but my brain is just stuck on the idea that falling for someone just to find out later they have a part you were not prepared for, well…it seems like it could lead to a lot of heartache. I don’t know why this has got my head spinning, maybe because it is a fairly new concept for me.
I pull on my favorite worn out jeans and slip into my white button down, leaving the top several buttons open and pull my converse all-stars on along with the shark tooth necklace Aiden and picked up on spring break last year, we were digging the surfer vibe, and it looks good with this outfit, if only I still had the tan to go with it. I fling my leather jacket over my shoulder and grab my acoustic guitar in it’s case and head out to my gig.
The NightingaleCafe is jam packed tonight as I take the stage, setting myself on the stool center stage and adjusting the microphones. “Good evening everyone! How are we all doing this evening?” I pause for reaction and get applause and some whistles. “In case you don’t know me yet, as I see some new faces in the audience I am Aldo Reed and I will be performing for your acoustic pleasure tonight.” my eyes gaze over the audience catching glimpses of about half a dozen new faces towards the back, but have to force myself not to audibly gasp at the beauty in the front, sitting between Sid and her bestie, Neville.
Nova’s POV It’s finally Friday. I say “finally” because ever since Sidney invited me to see her adoptive brother perform I find myself excited about going out with friends as my true self, and without sneaking out at that! Also, having to hear Adia gush over her sexy coworker is getting on my nerves. My big sister can be so annoying when she likes a guy, but it sounds like this guy is playing it cool. She did go on and on about some flirty comments, but both baristas were throwing those at her according to what she was saying. It’s just a small coffee shop near her school, there are two full time baristas, two part timers other than herself and the manager. Today is her second day on the job and I plan on being out of here before she gets home from work. I glance at Shawn’s obituary that is plastered on the corner of my vanity mirror and apply my eyeliner and some lipstain. Before dabbing some watermelon lip gloss on full lips. The phone rings and any other day I would be thril
Aldo’s POV Throughout my set I couldn’t stop glancing at the violet haired beauty sitting next to my sister. I knew that it had to be her non-binary friend, Nova. I still have know idea what sex they are but I feel myself drawn to them like a moth drawn to a flame. It isn’t just their smooth, rich mocha skin,warm, chocolate eyes, high cheekbones or violet ringlets…it is something in their whole being. I notice every curl of their lip and the delicate way they sip their beverage with their eyes locked on me. Oh, to be that cup…pressed up to those full lips sweetly. I feel like a magnet is drawing me to them and for the first time ever I am excited to finish my set and get off stage just so that I can be closer to them. Sidney told me that they were beautiful and I had expected someone pretty but nothing could prepare me for their sheer magnetism. As soon as my set finished I made my way off stage and stowed my guitar in it’s case, leaving them in a secure backstage corner I q
Nova’s POV Even after Aldo said his goodbyes, giving us each a brief hug and whispering that he looks forward to seeing me again I felt like I was in a dream. Yes, he seemed to pull back and become a bit more reserved just before his friend showed up and I did not miss his friend calling our space “the Kiddie table”, but the way his lips brushed my ear and his seductive voice as he expressed his interest in seeing me again had my heart beating to a new rhythm all it’s own. I watched as the men went to a table at the back of the cafe where an angry looking brunette sat with her arms crossed. Aldo’s friend tried to kiss her and she pulled away scowling. I’m not sure what that is about, but not long after Aldo went backstage, then came out with a leather jacket and guitar case before leaving. “Nova? Are you even listening?” Chantelle chimes with a slightly impatient look on her face, but mischief in her eyes. Now that she has my attention she continues” We were just talking abou
Aldo’s POV Aiden and Candace have been fighting since last night. I don’t know what it is about, but just a minute ago she threw his engagement ring across the living room and it nearly hit me on my path to the kitchen. I am staying out of this shit. After my gigs on Friday nights we usually go out, but they kept arguing and I decided to just shut myself in my room and put my noise canceling headphones on and perseverate over the night’s events while listening to my favorite playlist. My music taste is fairly eclectic, which is great if you are a musician, you can take inspiration from many genres. Eventually sleep found me and my dreams featured a certain violet haired beauty. I probably shouldn’t admit this but even without knowing what sex they are the dreams were rather steamy and woke up with a situation I hadn’t had since highschool. It had been ages since I had a wet dream, but the sticky mess on my borders is evidence of where my dreams had gone. I’ve been doing all of m
Aldo’s POV After Candy accepted Rodrigo’s invitation for a date, asking if he would prefer Candy or Cade to show up, I blocked out their flirtations and ordered another round of drinks. I drank up, paid up and excused myself to go home. I don’t know if someone who was a stuck up asshole in high school can make that huge of a change in a few short years, but that isn’t my problem until Rodrigo traits Cade bad and I’m the one picking his drunk ass up off the floor while he ugly cries on me. Cade and Aiden have been my dearest friends for a long time. I met Cade in school, but Aiden was a private school kid who I met at one of my first gigs. He loves music and had dreams of owning his own label one day so when he liked what he heard when I played and sang he told me he wanted me as his first act he’d sign when he made that happen. Now, Aiden has been working for an independent label to learn the ropes better before striking out on his own. Speaking of Aiden, he is sleeping on t
Nova’s POV You know that song by Fergie.. The lyrics go “‘cause I’m tippin’, i’m stumblin’ , Clumsy ‘cause I’m fallin’ in love..” Yeah that seems to be the theme of my week..let me just recap as I get ready to head out for another Friday at The Nightingale Cafe where I will get to see Aldo again. I spoke to Cassie on Saturday and apologized for hanging up so abruptly on her and told her how Fridays would probably be the worst night to call me from here on out. Then I told her about Friday night. I described Aldo the best I could, not that my words could ever do him justice. She then finished telling me what she had been trying to tell, me and I am excited to say the least. Her father is being stationed in New York! They won’t be all that close since they will be upstate, but he promised that he would buy her a used car for a late birthday present (her birthday was last week, and i did give her a birthday call and send her a card) once they got here which means that we can see
Aldo’s POV Candace leaving Aiden put him down in the dumps for a short while, but really he had been kind of walking on eggshells for months with her which is why he had proposed to her in the first place. He was hoping that putting a ring on her finger would help her see that he was serious and ease her jealousy. It just seemed to make her worse rather than better and now I am extra glad that both I have this new posh gig that I signed the contract for on Tuesday, but also that Aiden was called into the producer’s office and informed that he was up for a big promotion at the label he works for, because now it’s just the pair of us paying rent. Aiden’s love life aside this has been a really great week and I am looking forward to tonight’s gig. I haven’t been able to flirt with any girls, it just felt wrong and Tom called me out for not being flirty. Flashback to Monday Night: “Dude! You haven’t flirted with any of the ladies once today, not even Adia! What’s up with that?
Nova’s POV I find him leaning on the wall in the alley next to the building. His eyes are closed and he is humming a song as he takes a long drag off of the cigarette, inhaling before slowly breathing the smoke out in a steady stream. “Gotta a light for me?” I ask quietly. He looks at me inquisitively but pulls out a zippo lighter and lights my cigarette for me. I notice his eyes traveling my body. “I got it from Chantelle, you don’t have to wonder where I have them hidden. I don’t always smoke. I used to do it more in Atlanta, especially when Cassie and I snuck out to the clubs.” I chuckle before continuing “Everyone is talking about going to Mariposa in a little bit. I told them I wouldn’t mind a smoke and got a cigarette from Chantelle, knowing she has the ones that I prefer, but I also told them I would see if you were up for joining us. Sidney wanted to come ask you, but Neville convinced her that I could do that while having my smoke.” His eyes meet mine and his voice i