'Til There Was You - Jerry Cole Page 0,7

a tad arrogant, so he ordered himself the “usual” and then got to his hiding place.

The cafe in question was a dive cafe called Scout’s Honor; the kind of place that looked like an abandoned construction site, turned eatery. The chairs were milk crates, the tables were old wooden boxes and the decor was whatever had been left behind by the previous owner. That was all part of the cafe's charm, and the reason it was so popular. That and the fact that their coffee was the best in the area.

It also happened to be Freddy’s favorite cafe in all of Sydney... and his local cafe... and one that he visited every single morning, at the exact same time without fail.

All right, so Austin was still stalking Freddy. He hadn’t meant to! Seriously, he’d just been unable to sleep the previous night on account of what he had seen. And then he’d just been going for a walk. And then he’d spotted Scout’s Honor, noticed what time it was and figured he may as well pop in and see if Freddy was there... and if his new squeeze was with him. For some reason, Austin thought that if he saw Freddy alone, without the new guy on his arm, then it meant it wasn’t serious and he’d be able to breathe again.

And so, Austin sat hidden in the back corner, and when his coffee was ready, he hurried down and scooped it up – nodding his thanks to the overly friendly barista. He then hid himself again, making sure that the fake tree in the café covered him nicely. And then he waited... and waited a little longer... and did some more waiting. Freddy was late! Ten minutes late. Then fifteen! He was never late. Ever.

The cause of his tardiness arrived some two minutes later, wrapped in-between Freddy’s arm like he was a part of the man. It was the same hottie from the previous night, the movie-star-like dreamboat that had stolen Freddy from him! The two floated into the cafe, laughing hysterically at whatever had been said. The moment Austin saw them, his heart tore itself from his chest and sprinted headfirst into the nearest wall, so as to smash itself into a million pieces.

“... stop!” he heard the handsome side-piece cackle at something Freddy had said.

“I will not!” Freddy shot back with zest.” Lord, he was so perfect, and funny, and charming and clever and a whole host of other things that Austin couldn’t fathom. “Actually... I have to visit the bathroom. So, I'll give you a break from my sass. Order for me, will you?”

“Too easy,” his side-piece said with a wink and smile.

Austin stepped out a little from behind the tree as he watched Freddy disappear into the bathroom. Once he was gone, he turned his attention on Freddy’s new man, now at the counter ordering. He leaned over the counter as he spoke to the barista, and popped his cute little bubble butt—wearing black skinny jeans—out as if on purpose. He really was divine, and if Austin didn’t despise him so much, he might have even been into it.

It was because of this distraction that when Freddy’s new man finished ordering, and then turned back to take the cafe in, Austin didn’t dart back behind the tree, or even just leave. Instead he remained where he was, watching and staring right up until the moment that they made eye contact.

Austin’s eyes widened, but he didn’t move. He froze where he stood as Freddy’s man furrowed his brow in confusion, then smirked his sudden realization and waved at Austin. He waved like he knew him!

“Oh, hey there.” Freddy’s side-piece sauntered right toward Austin, so confident, so cool. “I should have known you’d be here.”

Austin’s mind raced as he tried to figure out what was going on. He took a sip of his coffee to try and act cool, he blinked a few times to focus, and then he muttered a very awkward. “Do I know you, sorry?” while looking at the man’s expensive sneakers.

“It’s Charles.” Charles’ voice was smooth like velvet, and his eyes were dark green, mysterious and confident. “But you probably know me as ‘that hot guy fucking your ex.’ And yes, I threw hot in there purposefully. I just naturally assumed.”

Austin’s heart caught itself in his throat. “Ah... I don’t... I...”

“Please,” Charles rolled his eyes as he reached Austin. He walked right up to him, so close that Austin was forced to take