A Mate's Connection

Elena's POV.

A Mate's Connection.

Once we arrived at Relax Coffee, the feeling in my stomach intensified, followed by this beautiful smell. At first, I thought it was the delightful aroma of freshly brewed coffee beans that had enveloped the air. I instinctively closed my eyes to savour the fragrance; it was like a slice of paradise. My companion, Alex, and I approached the counter, awaiting the presence of an employee who was probably in the back of the establishment. It was during this brief interlude that Alex informed me that his boyfriend and a friend were seated on the other side of the café.

I turned my gaze in the direction Alex indicated, and my eyes met the sight of the most striking man I had ever encountered. His hair was a silky shade of black, perhaps even a dark brown. But what captivated me the most were his eyes – two mesmerizing orbs of blue-grey that I could imagine losing myself in for hours. Strange, right? His physique was equally impressive, even as he sat. He appeared as if he were built like a sturdy truck, with arms that looked more muscular than my thighs, featuring biceps, triceps – all the "ceps." He was exactly what I would define as a sexy man, not like Alex, who looked even more feminine than I am, No wonder he is gay, I don't even know how could not figure it out on the first day I saw him. At that moment, this man, whose name I had yet to learn, gazed at me with an intensity that left me blushing, and I suddenly found my shoes incredibly intriguing, I began to stare at my shoe as if I had not seen it before, it was there and then that noticed a speck of dirt on my right one. "Hmm... I will clean it when I return home." I said to myself.

My reverie was interrupted by Alex, who was gently tapping my arm. "Hmm?" I responded, snapping my head up to see what he needed. He chuckled and asked, "Are you going to place an order?" This was the moment I noticed that the employee had reemerged from the back of the store. And it was Tyler, a boy I was once crushing on, but that was back then in high school.

Tyler gave me this smile that would have got me drooling under my pants, but somehow, I found that disgusting and unattractive. He places a hand on my shoulder trying to start a conversation.

"Elena, long time, missed you," he said, I sincerely do not want to sound harsh, but at the same time, his hand on my shoulder felt so odd at the moment, more than ever, I never wanted to be seen as a girl with a man, and this Tyler who literally snubbed me throughout high school is somehow now trying to be nice to me.

"Hmm... You work here now?" I said trying to change the "I miss you" part of the conversation.

"Yeah, just started," he responded replying to the question. "Don't worry, you will be served now specially, you and your friend" he added. I looked at Grumpy, he was looking like he was jealous, or not happy seeing Tyler's hand on my shoulder. I quickly dropped my shoulder, making his hand glide down. And wanted to turn down his preferential treatment of serving us before the others that were here before us, but glancing behind me, I noticed a line forming. "No, that's okay. We'll just take the drinks. How much?" I inquired.

"Common Elena, you can't pay, this is on the house," Tyler replied with a smile. I was about to protest when a low growl resonated through the café, jolting me. My eyes darted toward the source, half-expecting to encounter a wild animal. But how could it possibly be an animal? Around Relax Coffee? That is impossible. However, all I saw was an extremely displeased – yet admittedly attractive – man. I didn't even know his name, but I fervently hoped he wasn't Alex's boyfriend. There was another man with golden blonde hair and brown eyes sitting across from the displeased one – a detail I had initially overlooked. Somehow, I just find myself drawn to that man, his looks, his smell, hmm... Just like berries, it's almost like I could eat him.

"What was that?" I asked Alex, clearly alarmed by the unsettling noise. "Oh, it was probably just a motorcycle passing by or something," he replied. The sound certainly didn't resemble a motorcycle, but I assumed it must be. After all, there was no visible wildlife indoors.

Tyler's grip on my shoulder got even tighter, he tried to drag me closer to him, This was when Mr. Grumpy pulled out of the act. "I will separate your arms from your body if you don't separate it from hers," he said. I could see his eyes changing, and he looked very angry, almost as if he had become bigger than he was earlier, he almost stood up from his seat, but the blonde guy stopped him. And quickly, Tyler left me and like a little kitten he jilted towards the counter. Grumpy was obviously jealous, and he looked protective of me, I do not understand why he did what he did, but I think I loved it, appeared sexy to me, and made me blush even more.

"Come on, let's find a seat," Alex suggested, leading the way with our coffee orders.

The closer we got to the table where the two men sat, the more nervous I felt. My lack of social interactions during high school made me somewhat apprehensive about such situations. What if I said something awkward or unlikable? What if they thought I was strange? Furthermore, I realized that, since the two men were sitting opposite each other, I would be seated next to one of them rather than Alex, which only heightened my anxiety.

As we approached the table, both men stood up to greet us, and I was struck by how tall they were – towering over my 5'2" stature. Blondie appeared to be around 6'2", and Grumpy, whom I hoped was not Alex's boyfriend, seemed to be around 6'4". I had to tilt my head to meet their gazes, and I suddenly felt very small. I've always thought I was a tall girl, these two made me rethink. Alex introduced me to them; Blondie was his boyfriend Raymond, and Grumpy was Jayson.

Then Alex turned to me to introduce me "And this is my friend Elena." he said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Elena," Grayson said. His voice was deep and smooth, perfectly matching his exterior, and it made my breath catch. When he extended his hand, our fingers met, sending tingles down my arm and throughout my body. I was too embarrassed to dwell on where those tingles might land. I cleared my throat and responded quickly, as time was of the essence. "Same to you, Jayson."

I shifted uncomfortably when I realized that Alex and Raymond had witnessed our brief encounter. Alex was grinning at me, clearly enjoying my embarrassment, while Raymond wore a soft smile. I was mortified and hid my face behind my hair, pretending to be preoccupied with my coffee. Jayson gently pulled my chin up with two fingers and brushed my hair behind my ear. I couldn't help but blush furiously under his gaze.

"Don't hide from me, Elena," Jayson murmured, making my face turn even redder. I removed my face from his hand and shot him a shy smile, hoping to diffuse the awkwardness. Surprisingly, it seemed to work, and Jayson regarded me with a newfound intensity. I quickly grabbed my coffee and took a long sip to divert my attention.

That's when Alex chimed in, playfully noting, "So, it seems you two are off to a great start." His comment snapped me back to reality, and I withdrew my hand from Jayson's grasp as if it had been burned. Then I looked at him and jokingly said; "Alex, haven't you hurt me enough?"

Jayson quickly shot a glare at Alex and leaned forward, his voice a low growl. "What the heck did you do to her?" he demanded authoritatively.

"Jay, calm down," Raymond interjected, and I realized that this was the first time I had actually heard him speak. He seemed to be a man of few words, which contrasted with his more talkative boyfriend. I recalled that opposites often attract.

"I didn't do THAT much," Alex chuckled in response to Jayson's accusation. My jaw dropped in disbelief. "Really?" I exclaimed, incredulous. "You made everyone in our class think I attacked you, and you wouldn't stop screaming. Then, in the middle of the lecture, you started screaming, making everyone stare at me again! They probably think I'm insane!"

I turned to Raymond, finally finding my voice. "How do you deal with him?"

Raymond's smile widened. He looked at Alex and kissed him on his forehead. "You will get used to this annoying beauty."

Alex shrank into Raymond's arm, curling himself even deeper. "You love me, don't you."

"Sure, I do."