Fic: A Study in Coffee and Chance
Pairing: Jenson Button/Sebastian Vettel (AU)
Rating: T
Word count: 3755
Synopsis: Sebastian is sent on a coffee retrieval mission for his housemate, Lewis.
Disclaimer: Didn’t happen, never will.
A Study in Coffee and Chance
Sebastian looked at the clock. It was almost midnight, and here he was still studying at the kitchen table like a high school student cramming for an exam, as opposed to the PhD candidate he was. His housemate, Lewis, would call this overkill if he were still awake, but as he’d gone to bed early with a headache, Sebastian had been left undisturbed for hours.
All in all, it had been a productive weekend, he concluded with a yawn. He’d spent most of Saturday at the library and today he’d continued his research at home. Of course, Lewis had chimed in several times with the usual lecture on how the PhD wasn’t everything - apparently Sebastian needed to get out more because ‘turning twenty-five doesn't mean you're fifty-five’. The pair had been friends for years, but it was Lewis who was the extrovert. This wasn’t to say Sebastian was a wallflower - he’d just gotten used to being a bit of an outsider. After all, he was technically still known - albeit affectionately - as ‘Lewis’s German Friend’.
(The term had been coined by Kimi, Lewis’s business partner at the coffee shop. Kimi, a Finn, liked to call himself ‘Lewis’s Finnish Friend’. That is, when he bothered to speak at all.)
Deep down, Sebastian knew his reticence about social interaction was probably related to the fact he wasn’t used to being openly gay. A social life had been easier when he thought he was into girls. Then a year ago he admitted what most people already seemed to know about him. He was interested in men. But with that step covered, he hadn’t jumped at the opportunity to socialise beyond the circles he was already familiar with.
I’ll set you up with someone if you don’t put yourself out there, Lewis often told him. There had been no follow-up so far, though, so Sebastian wasn’t too worried. For him, the world of British history was enough to keep him going. After all, his thesis wasn’t going to write itself.
*
When Sebastian woke up on Monday morning, he found that his ‘pillow’ was actually a leather-bound book on the Industrial Revolution. He’d fallen asleep at the kitchen table. Not only that, but a miserable-looking Lewis was sitting opposite him.
Sniffling, Lewis grabbed a tissue and blew his nose. ‘Mate, you gotta stop sleeping with these books. Get some action.’
Sebastian groaned and sat up, his neck feeling very sore. To top it off, the morning light streaming through the windows was entirely too bright. When his eyes adjusted, he finally registered Lewis’s red nose, the used tissues on the table and an opened packet of cold & flu tablets.
‘Wow. You look sick.’
‘I feel sick.’ Lewis frowned at the bowl of soggy cereal before him. ‘I’m not hungry anymore. Want this?’
The offer was met with a smirk and a shake of the head. ‘I don’t like pathogens with my cornflakes.’
‘I don’t like pathogens with my cornflakes,’ Lewis mimicked in a sing-song voice, complete with German lilt.
‘Go back to bed before you cover this entire table with your tissues.’
‘Worried I’ll infect your books?’
‘No, I’m worried you’ll infect me.’
Instead of a comeback, Lewis merely sneezed into the tissue in his hand.
‘Okay, is there anything I can do to help?’ Sebastian asked.
The question sounded oddly formal, but the truth was he owed Lewis a lot. Free board was a gift, especially since he relied on his grant money to get by. Lewis hated it when Sebastian tried to pay for groceries or utilities, as the profits from the coffee shop easily covered such expenses. Even Kimi was in on it, telling the Finnish checkout girl at Tesco to report back to him if Sebastian looked like he was about to buy a trolley of food.
(It was possible that such an arrangement wasn’t real, but Sebastian wasn’t about to test Kimi. There was a reason he was called the Ice Man. Only Lewis could get away with testing him - the last time being when Lewis introduced a type of iced frappe called ‘The Raikkonen’, after Kimi’s last name).
Lewis um’ed and ahh’ed for a few moments. ‘If you could get me breakfast from L & K’s, that would be great. Pick up your pen - write this down -’
‘You just said you weren’t hungry,’ Sebastian pointed out.
‘Not hungry for cornflakes, dummy.’ Lewis waved his hand at the pen and paper amongst the history books. ‘Write this down.’
Sebastian went along with it, eager to keep his friend happy. Lewis usually worked the morning shift at the shop, so it followed that he tended to have breakfast on the job. Since Sebastian didn’t drink coffee, visits to L & K’s were rare, but even so, he knew they served standard fare like breakfast sandwiches and savoury muffins.
‘Okay, make sure you get all this,’ Lewis continued after once again blowing his nose. ‘If Romain is on, which he should be, I want the best-looking bacon and egg bagel from the delivery. It must be toasted properly. Now, if he got Fernando to cover his shift because he’s hungover, then I want five slices of cinnamon toast - he’s the only one who knows how much cinnamon I like.’
‘Wait, I don’t think I’ve met those guys.’
‘Name-tags, Seb.’
‘Right. Gotcha.’
‘If Kimi is taking the orders, then tell him I want the usual. If Jenson is taking the orders, tell him I want an extra large cappuccino with two extra shots. He must use the seventh special blend. Skim milk, mate, because I obviously can’t work out if I’m sick. Two artificial sweeteners - doesn’t matter which one. I want lots of froth and lots of chocolate sprinkled over the top. Oh, and it must be in my eco-friendly cup. It should be near the counter…if Mark remembered to wash it.’ Lewis pauses. ‘I hope he remembered to wash it.’
Dumbfounded, Sebastian looked down at his frantically scribbled notes and wondered if Lewis was serious. He sure looked serious. It made Sebastian wonder if all coffee-drinkers were this particular.
‘Okay…’
‘Seb, it’ll be fine.’
‘This is like a choose-your-own-adventure book,’ Sebastian complained, holding up the piece of paper.
Lewis ran with the adventure theme, putting on a raspy, commanding voice. ‘Go forth, oh German warrior! To the land of Lewis and Kimi. For Lewis!’
‘Can I at least have a shower first?’
‘Yeah, please do,’ Lewis replied in his normal voice. ‘Kimi will tell me off if you stink up the place.’
A coffee retrieval mission? All before seven-thirty? Sebastian wished he’d saved a Red Bull for this.
*
Though the coffee shop was a brisk walk away, Sebastian chose to drive. He liked driving. He would drive half a block to a second location if he needed to. Whenever he was back in Germany, one of the first things on his agenda was to speed away on the autobahn. The thrill, the freedom…it was a different exhilaration to learning and discovering more about the past. In another life, he could’ve very well ended up a racing car driver.
But for now, in this life, he happily settled for the quick drive to L & K’s. Since the place was so popular, it took a few minutes to find a parking space in a reasonable vicinity. A bunch of students pulled out of a spot just as Sebastian made a third go-around. It looked like they had just bought an Iced Raikkonen each, which was borderline crazy considering it was quite chilly outside.
Still bemused as to the habits of coffee-drinkers, Sebastian zipped up his jacket and got out of the vehicle. He caught fragments of a conversation as he approached a group of girls walking out of the shop.
‘…Oh my God, Jenson is so hot. I’m going to buy a coffee every hour, on the hour. I don’t care if I miss class.’
‘How long has he worked here? I’ve never seen him before!’
‘He’s new. Used to be one of the co-owner’s teammates on some team. That’s what I heard, anyway.’
‘I wish we didn’t have to go to this lecture. I want to stay in there and just stare at him. Yummy!’
Sebastian wanted to roll his eyes at all the giggling, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Maybe this Jenson guy was worth fawning over. Then again, he was really hoping that Kimi was taking the orders this morning, because Lewis’s cappuccino description was completely mad.
It was indeed crowded inside, and a little loud for Sebastian’s liking. Lewis and Kimi were apparently looking into buying out the building next door - a sad-looking takeaway joint - but they needed the help of an investor. In the meantime, the crowds would have to be managed. Always better to be popular, Lewis often said.
Lost in the memory of having once eaten a kebab next door, Sebastian wasn’t really paying attention as he got closer to the counter. It wasn’t until he was second in line that he made a conscious effort to see who was working.
Kimi was on the till, and after squinting a bit, Sebastian concluded that Fernando was working too. There were two other guys on the far side who he couldn’t quite see clearly, what with the coffee machines, the display cabinet and the people milling about for their orders. Though it was technically possible that one of them was Romain, Sebastian figured it was easier to go with the order according to Kimi and Fernando’s presence.
‘Hi, Kimi,’ he said brightly.
Kimi smiled in return. Since Kimi hardly ever smiled, this was shocking not just for Sebastian, but for the other people in line behind him. He could hear them murmuring in surprise.
‘So Lewis sent you, huh?’ Kimi asked. The smile faded but there was a kindness to his expression that reassured Sebastian.
‘Yeah, he says he wants the usual. In his eco-cup. If Mark washed it.’
One of the guys from the far side - the brown-haired one - came over to the till, presumably reacting to the sound of his name. Sebastian spied his name-tag: Mark.
‘Did I wash it?’ Mark asked with a grin. He sounded Australian. ‘Of course I washed his precious reusable cup. That Lewis. What a diva.’
Kimi was unmoved, nudging his employee out of the way. ‘Go back to work.’
‘Yeah, Mark,’ Fernando seconded from the coffee machine. ‘Go back to work.’
‘Shut up, Nando.’ Though Fernando had been joking around, Mark still cowered under Kimi’s continued stare. ‘I’m going, I’m going.’
With Mark going back to his station, Sebastian then ordered the cinnamon toast.
‘And for you?’ Kimi asked.
Sebastian blanched, digging into his pocket for his wallet. ‘I don’t drink coffee, remember?’
‘Ah, yes. I forgot you were crazy.’ Kimi nodded at Sebastian’s wallet. ‘You really going to pay? That’s crazy.’
‘Well, it’s -’
‘Next!’
There was no messing with Kimi. Sebastian put his wallet away and quickly moved on to the gaggle of customers waiting for their orders at the other end. Some people were content to hang back a bit, and when the customers at the front left with their orders, Sebastian suddenly found himself next to another group of girls.
Try as he might, he was unable to block out the hushed conversation going on beside him.
‘I think I’m in love with Jenson,’ one girl whispered.
‘No, he’s totally mine,’ another whispered back.
‘He knows our names now, because of the coffee! How exciting.’
Sebastian was staring at the ceiling. The whispering wasn’t so hushed now - one of the girls was clearly too excited to care.
‘I know, right? Tomorrow, if the other owner is here taking orders, I’m going to say my name is Jenson’s Wife”.’
It was that remark that made Sebastian look forward and then roll his eyes.
A split-second later, he realised he was looking at the famous Jenson.
Sebastian suddenly found himself dying on the inside. It was like an instant schoolboy crush - on a guy who appeared to be about Kimi’s age (in his early thirties, probably). No matter the age difference, he had never seen someone so alluring before. This guy was beautiful. Blue eyes, sandy coloured hair, chiselled jaw. And he was tall, too! Plus, his smile. It was so friendly and welcoming.
It took another few seconds for Sebastian to realise that the amused grin on Jenson’s face probably meant he had seen the eye-roll. Sebastian blushed, glanced again at the name-tag (which again confirmed Jenson’s identity), and then blushed even more.
Jenson himself was a little stunned at the sight of Sebastian, but soon had to turn his attention to the two takeaway coffees Mark had just deposited on the counter for him to deal with. ‘Louise and Jessica?’
‘That’s us!’ the girls said in unison.
Jenson handed over the coffees, all while maintaining his smile. ‘You ladies have a nice day.’
‘Oh, we will,’ one of them said suggestively.
The sheer brazenness of the girl made Sebastian feel embarrassed for her. On the other hand, he felt a teensy bit jealous that she was able to put herself out there like that. He would never do such a thing, though the blushing could be read as a sign of interest. Not that he’d intended to blush at all.
‘So, you’re Lewis’s German Friend.’
Sebastian froze. Jenson was talking to him. The girls had left, and he was at the counter, directly opposite the guy. He didn’t know what to do.
Fortunately, his brain kicked in before things got even more awkward. ‘Yeah, how did you know?’
Jenson chuckled. Sebastian concluded that he really did like Jenson’s laugh, though he wished he didn’t, because now he was getting as giddy as all the girls he’d overheard this morning.
‘Lewis sent out a pic of you sleeping on a bunch of a books, saying he was sending his housemate to get him breakfast.’
‘What?’
Sebastian was going to kill him.
He wasn’t really. Lewis was a jokester, so he should’ve seen it coming. Besides, it made him secretly glad that Jenson had a photo of him. Although, come to think of it, Kimi, Fernando and Mark all received the same photo.
‘I hear you’re a bit of an anglophile,’ Jenson said.
‘Yes, you could say that.’ Sebastian shrugged. He wanted to play it cool. He didn’t want to start blabbering about Little Britain or Monty Python or his love of British history.
Jenson nodded, seemingly impressed. ‘Well, that’s good to hear. You know, because I happen to be British.’
It was a comment that confused Sebastian. Everyone around here was British (well, not everyone, but the majority). They were in Oxford.
‘I suppose that was a little subtle…,’ Jenson mused.
‘Sorry, I’m not normally this slow. I’m not really awake.’ He didn’t want Jenson thinking he was rude.
‘I can make you a Red Bull slushie, perhaps?’
‘Too cold for that. But thanks.’
The conversation halted when Mark began loading up a host of coffee cups, paper bags and takeaway containers in front of Jenson. Jenson was saying a lot of names, and none of them was Sebastian’s.
‘Christian! This one’s for you.’
‘Professor Whitmarsh! Thank you.’
‘Ross! Get it while it’s hot.’
‘Britta! Nice to see you again.’
‘Dasha! Ask Nando out already. This is getting ridiculous.’
‘Adrian! First quiche of the day.’
‘Bernie, your daughter told us to cut you off at the third coffee. Lucky for you, we can’t count.’
It was irrational to be jealous just because Jenson was paying attention to other customers. He was working. Yet Sebastian felt a tightening in his chest - he wanted to be the sole focus here. He really hadn’t felt this excited about anyone before. Even if it was a stupid little crush, it was still something, a feeling that definitely confirmed Sebastian’s interest in men.
After the slew of completed orders, Mark came over and set down Lewis’s eco-cup and takeaway container of toast. ‘Any luck, Jense?’
Jenson was suddenly a bit flustered, a stark contrast to the way he’d expertly dealt with all the customers. ‘Uh, too rushed. Not enough time.’
Mark shook his head before turning his attention to Sebastian. ‘Sorry we’re so busy. We knew this might happen, so…hang on a sec…’ He waited for Fernando to hand over a paper bag.
‘What’s that?’ Jenson asked, looking mildly perturbed.
Mark was busy inspecting the contents of the paper bag. ‘Yes, all here.’ He thrust it at Sebastian. ‘For right now: one can of Red Bull, one blueberry muffin. For tonight: Jenson’s number written on a serviette - I mean, napkin, whatever it’s called - uh, one badly drawn map to his house courtesy of Fernando’s lack of sketching skills, and a list of DVDs Jenson would probably not be opposed to watching. Seven o’clock sound be fine -’
Mark suddenly paused, apparently deep in thought. This gave Jenson enough time to smile sheepishly at Sebastian, and Sebastian enough time to stop himself from gaping unattractively.
Sebastian slowly took the paper bag from Mark. He almost wished it was empty so he could use it to breathe in and out of. ‘Wow. Wasn’t…expecting that.’
Jenson was gay? The staff were trying to set them up? On an actual date? Jenson was okay with this? Was this all Lewis’s idea?
His heart was racing. Was he even ready for this?
Yes, he told himself. Even if Lewis had chosen the starting point of the adventure, it was up to him to actually make it happen.
Finally, Mark came out of his reverie, turning in Fernando’s direction. ‘Hey,’ he called out. ‘Whose smart idea was it to pack the muffin in the same bag? That’s going to smear all over the instructions. It’s blueberry, mate.’
‘It’s okay,’ Sebastian blurted out. He looked hopefully at Jenson. ‘I mean, I’ll just come back if I can’t read it.’
Jenson was positively chuffed, digging his hands in his apron pockets and rocking on his heels. ‘Use the map as a napkin. I know where you and Lewis live - I don’t mind picking you up.’
Mark rolled his eyes. ‘McLaren driver. Show off.’
‘Pick me up at seven then,’ Sebastian confirmed, feeling more and more confident by the second.
Jenson winked. ‘Don’t forget Lewis’s breakfast.’ He nodded at the order still on the counter.
‘Oh, yeah.’
Sebastian stacked the paper bag on top of the container and held the coffee in his other hand. Jenson was about to say goodbye again, and Mark was going to tease Jenson again, when Kimi stalked over to this end of the counter.
‘Flirting done. Go back to work! Busy.’
‘Yes, Boss,’ the employees said in unison.
Kimi turned on his heel only to immediately turn back again in order to address Jenson. ‘Wait. How can you afford to have a McLaren?’
Jenson raised his hands in innocence. ‘I can’t help that I’m a man of mystery, Kimi.’
Kimi narrowed his eyes at Jenson and then turned to Sebastian. ‘Keep an eye on him.’
Sebastian was sure he would. After all, it was unwise to disobey Kimi’s orders.
He turned around, faced the awed crowd and then exited the shop. This was turning out to be the best Monday ever. Maybe he didn’t hate coffee after all.
*
Back at the house, Lewis was still sitting at the kitchen table. But rather than being miserable at being sick, he was now grinning like a fool. He’d just received seven texts in a row from Kimi:
When you said you were going to arrange for an investor to see the shop AND get Seb a date, I didn’t think it was going to be the same person!
So Jenson isn’t a real employee? That’s why you told him to just hand out orders?
No, he has to keep working. Good worker. Customers like him. He can invest AND work.
Except girls now heartbroken.
But Seb looked so happy. That is all that matters.
Wait. Are you actually sick? Or just hungover like Romain?
Never mind. Don’t respond. Have to work.
This was the equivalent of a week’s conversation with Kimi. Lewis wanted to take a screenshot and frame it as proof that his business partner could talk so much.
But such a task would have to wait, as Sebastian had just arrived back home, and boy did he look happy. He entered the kitchen with a radiant smile, immediately dumping the food and coffee on the table so he could give Lewis a big hug.
‘I don’t care if you’re contagious. You’re the best!’
‘Get off me. If you catch what I have, you’ll be too sick to go out.’
‘Okay, okay.’
Lewis laughed. ‘He’s a looker, right? I mean, I’m comfortable enough with my heterosexuality to say that. But hey, I’ve known him longer than I’ve known you and I can guarantee he’s got a great sense of humour. Nice, polite, down to earth.’ He paused. ‘I should get into matchmaking. Maybe set up a speed-dating night at the shop. I bet Kimi would hate it!’
Sebastian sat down on the chair next to Lewis, still a bit dazed. ‘Just…amazing.’
Lewis would bet his whole stake in L & K’s on the fact Sebastian and Jenson were perfect for each other.
He raised his hand, expecting a high five. ‘Good work, brother from a German mother.’
‘No high fives,’ Sebastian said, pushing his chair back and standing up again. ‘I have to decide what to wear tonight.’
‘It’s like five past eight. Calm down, mate.’
‘Tell me everything about him.’
‘No. Ask him yourself tonight.’
‘What did I look like in that photo you sent him? Was I drooling?’
‘Ha! From what Mark tells me, you were drooling at the shop.’
‘Lewis!’
‘Go away! I’m having breakfast.’
Sebastian didn’t go away. After copying Jenson’s number off the napkin and into his phone, he then opened his can of Red Bull, pushed his library books aside and started to quiz Lewis on how he knew Jenson. He didn’t even care that Lewis was being vague in his responses and that each response came with a cinnamon-covered smirk. He was working on his personal life…and enjoying it.
It was bound to be the best learning curve yet.
Rating: T
Word count: 3755
Synopsis: Sebastian is sent on a coffee retrieval mission for his housemate, Lewis.
Disclaimer: Didn’t happen, never will.
A Study in Coffee and Chance
Sebastian looked at the clock. It was almost midnight, and here he was still studying at the kitchen table like a high school student cramming for an exam, as opposed to the PhD candidate he was. His housemate, Lewis, would call this overkill if he were still awake, but as he’d gone to bed early with a headache, Sebastian had been left undisturbed for hours.
All in all, it had been a productive weekend, he concluded with a yawn. He’d spent most of Saturday at the library and today he’d continued his research at home. Of course, Lewis had chimed in several times with the usual lecture on how the PhD wasn’t everything - apparently Sebastian needed to get out more because ‘turning twenty-five doesn't mean you're fifty-five’. The pair had been friends for years, but it was Lewis who was the extrovert. This wasn’t to say Sebastian was a wallflower - he’d just gotten used to being a bit of an outsider. After all, he was technically still known - albeit affectionately - as ‘Lewis’s German Friend’.
(The term had been coined by Kimi, Lewis’s business partner at the coffee shop. Kimi, a Finn, liked to call himself ‘Lewis’s Finnish Friend’. That is, when he bothered to speak at all.)
Deep down, Sebastian knew his reticence about social interaction was probably related to the fact he wasn’t used to being openly gay. A social life had been easier when he thought he was into girls. Then a year ago he admitted what most people already seemed to know about him. He was interested in men. But with that step covered, he hadn’t jumped at the opportunity to socialise beyond the circles he was already familiar with.
I’ll set you up with someone if you don’t put yourself out there, Lewis often told him. There had been no follow-up so far, though, so Sebastian wasn’t too worried. For him, the world of British history was enough to keep him going. After all, his thesis wasn’t going to write itself.
*
When Sebastian woke up on Monday morning, he found that his ‘pillow’ was actually a leather-bound book on the Industrial Revolution. He’d fallen asleep at the kitchen table. Not only that, but a miserable-looking Lewis was sitting opposite him.
Sniffling, Lewis grabbed a tissue and blew his nose. ‘Mate, you gotta stop sleeping with these books. Get some action.’
Sebastian groaned and sat up, his neck feeling very sore. To top it off, the morning light streaming through the windows was entirely too bright. When his eyes adjusted, he finally registered Lewis’s red nose, the used tissues on the table and an opened packet of cold & flu tablets.
‘Wow. You look sick.’
‘I feel sick.’ Lewis frowned at the bowl of soggy cereal before him. ‘I’m not hungry anymore. Want this?’
The offer was met with a smirk and a shake of the head. ‘I don’t like pathogens with my cornflakes.’
‘I don’t like pathogens with my cornflakes,’ Lewis mimicked in a sing-song voice, complete with German lilt.
‘Go back to bed before you cover this entire table with your tissues.’
‘Worried I’ll infect your books?’
‘No, I’m worried you’ll infect me.’
Instead of a comeback, Lewis merely sneezed into the tissue in his hand.
‘Okay, is there anything I can do to help?’ Sebastian asked.
The question sounded oddly formal, but the truth was he owed Lewis a lot. Free board was a gift, especially since he relied on his grant money to get by. Lewis hated it when Sebastian tried to pay for groceries or utilities, as the profits from the coffee shop easily covered such expenses. Even Kimi was in on it, telling the Finnish checkout girl at Tesco to report back to him if Sebastian looked like he was about to buy a trolley of food.
(It was possible that such an arrangement wasn’t real, but Sebastian wasn’t about to test Kimi. There was a reason he was called the Ice Man. Only Lewis could get away with testing him - the last time being when Lewis introduced a type of iced frappe called ‘The Raikkonen’, after Kimi’s last name).
Lewis um’ed and ahh’ed for a few moments. ‘If you could get me breakfast from L & K’s, that would be great. Pick up your pen - write this down -’
‘You just said you weren’t hungry,’ Sebastian pointed out.
‘Not hungry for cornflakes, dummy.’ Lewis waved his hand at the pen and paper amongst the history books. ‘Write this down.’
Sebastian went along with it, eager to keep his friend happy. Lewis usually worked the morning shift at the shop, so it followed that he tended to have breakfast on the job. Since Sebastian didn’t drink coffee, visits to L & K’s were rare, but even so, he knew they served standard fare like breakfast sandwiches and savoury muffins.
‘Okay, make sure you get all this,’ Lewis continued after once again blowing his nose. ‘If Romain is on, which he should be, I want the best-looking bacon and egg bagel from the delivery. It must be toasted properly. Now, if he got Fernando to cover his shift because he’s hungover, then I want five slices of cinnamon toast - he’s the only one who knows how much cinnamon I like.’
‘Wait, I don’t think I’ve met those guys.’
‘Name-tags, Seb.’
‘Right. Gotcha.’
‘If Kimi is taking the orders, then tell him I want the usual. If Jenson is taking the orders, tell him I want an extra large cappuccino with two extra shots. He must use the seventh special blend. Skim milk, mate, because I obviously can’t work out if I’m sick. Two artificial sweeteners - doesn’t matter which one. I want lots of froth and lots of chocolate sprinkled over the top. Oh, and it must be in my eco-friendly cup. It should be near the counter…if Mark remembered to wash it.’ Lewis pauses. ‘I hope he remembered to wash it.’
Dumbfounded, Sebastian looked down at his frantically scribbled notes and wondered if Lewis was serious. He sure looked serious. It made Sebastian wonder if all coffee-drinkers were this particular.
‘Okay…’
‘Seb, it’ll be fine.’
‘This is like a choose-your-own-adventure book,’ Sebastian complained, holding up the piece of paper.
Lewis ran with the adventure theme, putting on a raspy, commanding voice. ‘Go forth, oh German warrior! To the land of Lewis and Kimi. For Lewis!’
‘Can I at least have a shower first?’
‘Yeah, please do,’ Lewis replied in his normal voice. ‘Kimi will tell me off if you stink up the place.’
A coffee retrieval mission? All before seven-thirty? Sebastian wished he’d saved a Red Bull for this.
*
Though the coffee shop was a brisk walk away, Sebastian chose to drive. He liked driving. He would drive half a block to a second location if he needed to. Whenever he was back in Germany, one of the first things on his agenda was to speed away on the autobahn. The thrill, the freedom…it was a different exhilaration to learning and discovering more about the past. In another life, he could’ve very well ended up a racing car driver.
But for now, in this life, he happily settled for the quick drive to L & K’s. Since the place was so popular, it took a few minutes to find a parking space in a reasonable vicinity. A bunch of students pulled out of a spot just as Sebastian made a third go-around. It looked like they had just bought an Iced Raikkonen each, which was borderline crazy considering it was quite chilly outside.
Still bemused as to the habits of coffee-drinkers, Sebastian zipped up his jacket and got out of the vehicle. He caught fragments of a conversation as he approached a group of girls walking out of the shop.
‘…Oh my God, Jenson is so hot. I’m going to buy a coffee every hour, on the hour. I don’t care if I miss class.’
‘How long has he worked here? I’ve never seen him before!’
‘He’s new. Used to be one of the co-owner’s teammates on some team. That’s what I heard, anyway.’
‘I wish we didn’t have to go to this lecture. I want to stay in there and just stare at him. Yummy!’
Sebastian wanted to roll his eyes at all the giggling, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Maybe this Jenson guy was worth fawning over. Then again, he was really hoping that Kimi was taking the orders this morning, because Lewis’s cappuccino description was completely mad.
It was indeed crowded inside, and a little loud for Sebastian’s liking. Lewis and Kimi were apparently looking into buying out the building next door - a sad-looking takeaway joint - but they needed the help of an investor. In the meantime, the crowds would have to be managed. Always better to be popular, Lewis often said.
Lost in the memory of having once eaten a kebab next door, Sebastian wasn’t really paying attention as he got closer to the counter. It wasn’t until he was second in line that he made a conscious effort to see who was working.
Kimi was on the till, and after squinting a bit, Sebastian concluded that Fernando was working too. There were two other guys on the far side who he couldn’t quite see clearly, what with the coffee machines, the display cabinet and the people milling about for their orders. Though it was technically possible that one of them was Romain, Sebastian figured it was easier to go with the order according to Kimi and Fernando’s presence.
‘Hi, Kimi,’ he said brightly.
Kimi smiled in return. Since Kimi hardly ever smiled, this was shocking not just for Sebastian, but for the other people in line behind him. He could hear them murmuring in surprise.
‘So Lewis sent you, huh?’ Kimi asked. The smile faded but there was a kindness to his expression that reassured Sebastian.
‘Yeah, he says he wants the usual. In his eco-cup. If Mark washed it.’
One of the guys from the far side - the brown-haired one - came over to the till, presumably reacting to the sound of his name. Sebastian spied his name-tag: Mark.
‘Did I wash it?’ Mark asked with a grin. He sounded Australian. ‘Of course I washed his precious reusable cup. That Lewis. What a diva.’
Kimi was unmoved, nudging his employee out of the way. ‘Go back to work.’
‘Yeah, Mark,’ Fernando seconded from the coffee machine. ‘Go back to work.’
‘Shut up, Nando.’ Though Fernando had been joking around, Mark still cowered under Kimi’s continued stare. ‘I’m going, I’m going.’
With Mark going back to his station, Sebastian then ordered the cinnamon toast.
‘And for you?’ Kimi asked.
Sebastian blanched, digging into his pocket for his wallet. ‘I don’t drink coffee, remember?’
‘Ah, yes. I forgot you were crazy.’ Kimi nodded at Sebastian’s wallet. ‘You really going to pay? That’s crazy.’
‘Well, it’s -’
‘Next!’
There was no messing with Kimi. Sebastian put his wallet away and quickly moved on to the gaggle of customers waiting for their orders at the other end. Some people were content to hang back a bit, and when the customers at the front left with their orders, Sebastian suddenly found himself next to another group of girls.
Try as he might, he was unable to block out the hushed conversation going on beside him.
‘I think I’m in love with Jenson,’ one girl whispered.
‘No, he’s totally mine,’ another whispered back.
‘He knows our names now, because of the coffee! How exciting.’
Sebastian was staring at the ceiling. The whispering wasn’t so hushed now - one of the girls was clearly too excited to care.
‘I know, right? Tomorrow, if the other owner is here taking orders, I’m going to say my name is Jenson’s Wife”.’
It was that remark that made Sebastian look forward and then roll his eyes.
A split-second later, he realised he was looking at the famous Jenson.
Sebastian suddenly found himself dying on the inside. It was like an instant schoolboy crush - on a guy who appeared to be about Kimi’s age (in his early thirties, probably). No matter the age difference, he had never seen someone so alluring before. This guy was beautiful. Blue eyes, sandy coloured hair, chiselled jaw. And he was tall, too! Plus, his smile. It was so friendly and welcoming.
It took another few seconds for Sebastian to realise that the amused grin on Jenson’s face probably meant he had seen the eye-roll. Sebastian blushed, glanced again at the name-tag (which again confirmed Jenson’s identity), and then blushed even more.
Jenson himself was a little stunned at the sight of Sebastian, but soon had to turn his attention to the two takeaway coffees Mark had just deposited on the counter for him to deal with. ‘Louise and Jessica?’
‘That’s us!’ the girls said in unison.
Jenson handed over the coffees, all while maintaining his smile. ‘You ladies have a nice day.’
‘Oh, we will,’ one of them said suggestively.
The sheer brazenness of the girl made Sebastian feel embarrassed for her. On the other hand, he felt a teensy bit jealous that she was able to put herself out there like that. He would never do such a thing, though the blushing could be read as a sign of interest. Not that he’d intended to blush at all.
‘So, you’re Lewis’s German Friend.’
Sebastian froze. Jenson was talking to him. The girls had left, and he was at the counter, directly opposite the guy. He didn’t know what to do.
Fortunately, his brain kicked in before things got even more awkward. ‘Yeah, how did you know?’
Jenson chuckled. Sebastian concluded that he really did like Jenson’s laugh, though he wished he didn’t, because now he was getting as giddy as all the girls he’d overheard this morning.
‘Lewis sent out a pic of you sleeping on a bunch of a books, saying he was sending his housemate to get him breakfast.’
‘What?’
Sebastian was going to kill him.
He wasn’t really. Lewis was a jokester, so he should’ve seen it coming. Besides, it made him secretly glad that Jenson had a photo of him. Although, come to think of it, Kimi, Fernando and Mark all received the same photo.
‘I hear you’re a bit of an anglophile,’ Jenson said.
‘Yes, you could say that.’ Sebastian shrugged. He wanted to play it cool. He didn’t want to start blabbering about Little Britain or Monty Python or his love of British history.
Jenson nodded, seemingly impressed. ‘Well, that’s good to hear. You know, because I happen to be British.’
It was a comment that confused Sebastian. Everyone around here was British (well, not everyone, but the majority). They were in Oxford.
‘I suppose that was a little subtle…,’ Jenson mused.
‘Sorry, I’m not normally this slow. I’m not really awake.’ He didn’t want Jenson thinking he was rude.
‘I can make you a Red Bull slushie, perhaps?’
‘Too cold for that. But thanks.’
The conversation halted when Mark began loading up a host of coffee cups, paper bags and takeaway containers in front of Jenson. Jenson was saying a lot of names, and none of them was Sebastian’s.
‘Christian! This one’s for you.’
‘Professor Whitmarsh! Thank you.’
‘Ross! Get it while it’s hot.’
‘Britta! Nice to see you again.’
‘Dasha! Ask Nando out already. This is getting ridiculous.’
‘Adrian! First quiche of the day.’
‘Bernie, your daughter told us to cut you off at the third coffee. Lucky for you, we can’t count.’
It was irrational to be jealous just because Jenson was paying attention to other customers. He was working. Yet Sebastian felt a tightening in his chest - he wanted to be the sole focus here. He really hadn’t felt this excited about anyone before. Even if it was a stupid little crush, it was still something, a feeling that definitely confirmed Sebastian’s interest in men.
After the slew of completed orders, Mark came over and set down Lewis’s eco-cup and takeaway container of toast. ‘Any luck, Jense?’
Jenson was suddenly a bit flustered, a stark contrast to the way he’d expertly dealt with all the customers. ‘Uh, too rushed. Not enough time.’
Mark shook his head before turning his attention to Sebastian. ‘Sorry we’re so busy. We knew this might happen, so…hang on a sec…’ He waited for Fernando to hand over a paper bag.
‘What’s that?’ Jenson asked, looking mildly perturbed.
Mark was busy inspecting the contents of the paper bag. ‘Yes, all here.’ He thrust it at Sebastian. ‘For right now: one can of Red Bull, one blueberry muffin. For tonight: Jenson’s number written on a serviette - I mean, napkin, whatever it’s called - uh, one badly drawn map to his house courtesy of Fernando’s lack of sketching skills, and a list of DVDs Jenson would probably not be opposed to watching. Seven o’clock sound be fine -’
Mark suddenly paused, apparently deep in thought. This gave Jenson enough time to smile sheepishly at Sebastian, and Sebastian enough time to stop himself from gaping unattractively.
Sebastian slowly took the paper bag from Mark. He almost wished it was empty so he could use it to breathe in and out of. ‘Wow. Wasn’t…expecting that.’
Jenson was gay? The staff were trying to set them up? On an actual date? Jenson was okay with this? Was this all Lewis’s idea?
His heart was racing. Was he even ready for this?
Yes, he told himself. Even if Lewis had chosen the starting point of the adventure, it was up to him to actually make it happen.
Finally, Mark came out of his reverie, turning in Fernando’s direction. ‘Hey,’ he called out. ‘Whose smart idea was it to pack the muffin in the same bag? That’s going to smear all over the instructions. It’s blueberry, mate.’
‘It’s okay,’ Sebastian blurted out. He looked hopefully at Jenson. ‘I mean, I’ll just come back if I can’t read it.’
Jenson was positively chuffed, digging his hands in his apron pockets and rocking on his heels. ‘Use the map as a napkin. I know where you and Lewis live - I don’t mind picking you up.’
Mark rolled his eyes. ‘McLaren driver. Show off.’
‘Pick me up at seven then,’ Sebastian confirmed, feeling more and more confident by the second.
Jenson winked. ‘Don’t forget Lewis’s breakfast.’ He nodded at the order still on the counter.
‘Oh, yeah.’
Sebastian stacked the paper bag on top of the container and held the coffee in his other hand. Jenson was about to say goodbye again, and Mark was going to tease Jenson again, when Kimi stalked over to this end of the counter.
‘Flirting done. Go back to work! Busy.’
‘Yes, Boss,’ the employees said in unison.
Kimi turned on his heel only to immediately turn back again in order to address Jenson. ‘Wait. How can you afford to have a McLaren?’
Jenson raised his hands in innocence. ‘I can’t help that I’m a man of mystery, Kimi.’
Kimi narrowed his eyes at Jenson and then turned to Sebastian. ‘Keep an eye on him.’
Sebastian was sure he would. After all, it was unwise to disobey Kimi’s orders.
He turned around, faced the awed crowd and then exited the shop. This was turning out to be the best Monday ever. Maybe he didn’t hate coffee after all.
*
Back at the house, Lewis was still sitting at the kitchen table. But rather than being miserable at being sick, he was now grinning like a fool. He’d just received seven texts in a row from Kimi:
When you said you were going to arrange for an investor to see the shop AND get Seb a date, I didn’t think it was going to be the same person!
So Jenson isn’t a real employee? That’s why you told him to just hand out orders?
No, he has to keep working. Good worker. Customers like him. He can invest AND work.
Except girls now heartbroken.
But Seb looked so happy. That is all that matters.
Wait. Are you actually sick? Or just hungover like Romain?
Never mind. Don’t respond. Have to work.
This was the equivalent of a week’s conversation with Kimi. Lewis wanted to take a screenshot and frame it as proof that his business partner could talk so much.
But such a task would have to wait, as Sebastian had just arrived back home, and boy did he look happy. He entered the kitchen with a radiant smile, immediately dumping the food and coffee on the table so he could give Lewis a big hug.
‘I don’t care if you’re contagious. You’re the best!’
‘Get off me. If you catch what I have, you’ll be too sick to go out.’
‘Okay, okay.’
Lewis laughed. ‘He’s a looker, right? I mean, I’m comfortable enough with my heterosexuality to say that. But hey, I’ve known him longer than I’ve known you and I can guarantee he’s got a great sense of humour. Nice, polite, down to earth.’ He paused. ‘I should get into matchmaking. Maybe set up a speed-dating night at the shop. I bet Kimi would hate it!’
Sebastian sat down on the chair next to Lewis, still a bit dazed. ‘Just…amazing.’
Lewis would bet his whole stake in L & K’s on the fact Sebastian and Jenson were perfect for each other.
He raised his hand, expecting a high five. ‘Good work, brother from a German mother.’
‘No high fives,’ Sebastian said, pushing his chair back and standing up again. ‘I have to decide what to wear tonight.’
‘It’s like five past eight. Calm down, mate.’
‘Tell me everything about him.’
‘No. Ask him yourself tonight.’
‘What did I look like in that photo you sent him? Was I drooling?’
‘Ha! From what Mark tells me, you were drooling at the shop.’
‘Lewis!’
‘Go away! I’m having breakfast.’
Sebastian didn’t go away. After copying Jenson’s number off the napkin and into his phone, he then opened his can of Red Bull, pushed his library books aside and started to quiz Lewis on how he knew Jenson. He didn’t even care that Lewis was being vague in his responses and that each response came with a cinnamon-covered smirk. He was working on his personal life…and enjoying it.
It was bound to be the best learning curve yet.