You find yourself at the corner café "Café Peloso" in Forrock City, evening has fallen and darkness has set upon the skyline, the nightlife of the city has been roused on this Friday night, and the middle-class people of the area has taken to socializing and mingling to recover from another week's hard work. As the rumble of rainfall sets in, you make your way inside the café just as the first raindrops start to fall. You can tell it's gonna start pouring soon.
The atmosphere of the café is as always and just as you like it; warm colors, sleek wooden tabletops, the light hum of people talking in the background, the relaxing lofi beats emanating from the radio speakers and the sweet scent of coffee and baked treats hanging in the air. Simply wonderful, and just what you need to take a load off.
As you order the usual at the counter, in the corner of your eye you catch a glimpse of a lone figure you haven't seen around this place before. A new face! And a very pretty one at that~ The young man appears to be a feline halfbreed, with fair proportions and a relaxed demeanor, a cup of something hot in his one hand with the other absentmindedly tapping away at the portable laptop in front of him. He seems a bit bored.
Retrieving and paying for your order, you pick it up and, after a moments hesitance, decide to walk over to the newcomer catboy to see if he'd like some company. As you close the distance about halfway, he notices you approach and seems to tense up a little, his warm cup held still against his lips mid-drink and his eyes awkwardly trying, and failing, to focus on anything but you. Cute. As you arrive at his table, he finally puts his cup down and attempts a nervous smile.
"He-hello... hi there, how are you? I mean- I mean who are you? I mean- oh jeez... uhm, hi! Can I, uhm, can I help you with something? D-d-did I take your seat? I'm really sorry if I did, I'm new around here and-" He nervously blabbers on. Very cute.
I stare at him for a couple more second, tuning out his words. I liked listening to his voice. After long enough, I cut him off. "Nah, don't worry. You're fine." I say. I lean back in my seat, holding my cup in two hands. "Just thought you'd want some company." I say. I take a sip before setting the cup down on the table. "So anyway, what's your name?"
"Oh! Oh, right! Uhm, I-I'm Colin." He stammers, the blood rushing to his face as he realizes how nervous and awkward he must have seemed. "It's... nice to meet you. You're, uh..." His eyes dart down to examine your appearance for a moment before quickly looking away again, cheeks now even redder than before.
"I-I don't mean to sound rude or anything,"
"Again, you're fine. I'm Solario. A bit of an odd name, I know." I say, reaching my hand out.
"Oh! Oh, um... nice to meet you too? I mean, likewise!" He hurriedly replies, taking your hand in his own and shaking it awkwardly before pulling back like he just realized what he was doing. His cheeks flush even redder at the realization of how forward he was being. "Uhm, I-I'm sorry if I seem a bit... abrupt or something?"
"You apologize a lot." I mutter, scooting over into one of the corners. I move my cup over, and zone out again, staring at him.
"I-I'm sorry..." He repeats, hanging his head in shame and embarrassment. "I don't mean to be... I just get nervous around new people sometimes." His voice trails off as he stares at the table, fidgeting uncomfortably with his hands.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Colin finally musters up the courage to speak again. "So... uh, you said your name was Solario? That's an interesting name."
"Yeah. It has Latin roots, but I can't trace it to any actual languages." I say, a bit proud. "So I'm assuming it's either in some lost language or an original name." I mutter. I sink into the corner, getting comfy. I reach into my backpack and pull out a pair of headphones, sliding them onto my head. I click mix on my playlist, leaving one headphone out in case Colin started to muster up some confidence again.
"Oh, that's... cool! I don't know much about languages, but it sounds exotic." He pauses, mustering up more courage before continuing. "My name is actually pretty common, compared to that. Colin. Nothing special, really..." He shrugs, obviously trying to sound casual and nonchalant about the whole thing.
"So... uh, what do you like to do for fun? I mean, when you're not here or..."
"Well, I don't really do much other than hang out here and hang out at my apartment". I say, realizing how detached from reality I sounded. I look over at his drink, realizing it was empty. "Be right back." I say, walking over to the counter. After a couple minutes I return to the table and slide a cup over to him. "Here." I say with a warm smile.
"Oh!" he exclaims, his eyes lighting up as he takes the cup in hand. "Thank you! I'd love some more." He smiles gratefully at you, taking another sip of the warm drink. "So, uh... what about you? You mentioned you lived here... are you from around these parts?"
"I-I don't mean to sound nosy or anything," he quickly adds, flustered by his own forwardness again. "It's just that, well...
I wave my hand in the air, still smiling. God it was so cute watching him talk. "Yeah, I'm from around here. I've been living here for a long time."
"Oh, that's... interesting." Colin pauses, searching for something else to say as he continues to sip his drink. "So do you have a job or anything? I mean, aside from hanging out here?" He asks with genuine curiosity. His gaze remains fixed on your face, and it feels like the air between them has grown warmer over time.
"Yeah, I work as a bartender downtown. Thankfully it's pretty easy since I work during the day when less customers come around." I say, laughing. I take another sip from my drink, looking at him. I take a couple moments to really look at him. He really was cute. "So are you from around here? I haven't really seen you here before."
"Oh, no..." Colin says with a sigh, shaking his head slightly as he trails off. "I'm... actually not. I'm originally from the outskirts of the city, but I moved here about three years ago. It was just starting to get too crowded and... well, people don't always like seeing feline halfbreeds like me." He pauses, looking down at his hands before meeting your gaze again. "But this place is nice. It's quiet and the people here seem friendly enough."
"Yeah." I mutter. "Hey, I've got to head back to my house so..." I drag out my words, before standing up. "I'll catch you around." I say, walking away. I pause. "I mean, unless you wanna come over and hang out for a bit." I add.
Colin's ears perk up at your invitation, his cheeks flushing with excitement and anticipation. He hesitates for a moment before mustering up the courage to respond. "I-I mean... I'd love to, if you're sure it's not too much trouble..." His voice trails off, hoping against hope that you meant it.
It feels like hours pass as he waits for your reply, his heart racing and his stomach doing flips.
"Yeah, sure. Come on." I say, smiling. I walk out the door, him following me. We walked and talked until we reached my apartment. "Anyway, this is my place." *I step inside, holding the door for him. I take him up to my floor and then lead him into my apartment."
Colin follows you out the door, his heart pounding in anticipation as he looks around at your neighborhood. It was much nicer than where he lived; cleaner and less populated by humans. He can't help but feel a little envious of your life, even though he knows that's not fair.
As you lead him into your apartment, he takes in the cozy atmosphere with wonder and appreciation. It was so much nicer than his own cramped room back home.