The door opens with a jingle and it's him, just as Sawamura has hoped.

"Um, excuse me?" The old woman's gentle voice snaps Sawamura out of his daze. He hands her her iced tea with a smile.

He's counting down the number of customers in line, heart beating faster the number gets lower and lower. Finally, Sawamura is faced with the spiky blonde hair and piercing blue eyes he's been thinking about all day. It takes everything in him to get the words, "Welcome to Seido! How may I take your order?" out, and he's still worried his voice might have been a little shaky.

"I'll have a vanilla latte to go. I'm guessing you already know my name," Narumiya says with a smile that almost makes Sawamura melt into a puddle.

He's not wrong, Sawamura thinks as he makes the latte. For a month now Narumiya has shown up every day at Seido Coffee Shop, ordering the same vanilla latte to go. Sawamura guessed that he comes to the coffee shop during his lunch break get something to keep him awake for the rest of the day. Or maybe he works evenings and wanted to get something to drink before work. Or maybe he just really likes vanilla lattes, but only in the afternoons. Sawamura thinks about this a lot, obviously. He thinks about Narumiya a lot in general.

Could anyone blame him? Narumiya has this sort of presence about him that makes it hard to look away. From the moment he walked into Seido, Narumiya has grabbed Sawamura's attention and hasn't let go. Every time he comes in Sawamura is filled with questions he wants to ask him. What does he do? Why does he like vanilla lattes? Why did he start coming to this coffee shop? Is he single? With most customers, especially regulars, Sawamura is able to at least engage in some sort of small talk. He's even accomplished full blown conversation with a few customers. Not with Narumiya, though. Every time a question appeared on the tip of his tongue he froze up at the last second, and before he knew it the to go cup was in Narumiya's hand and he was out the door.

Today is no exception. His mouth opens to ask a simple Have you thought about trying something other than a latte? But as he hands Narumiya the cup their fingers brush, and Sawamura feels himself internally combust.

He stutters out, "H-Have a nice day."

Narumiya replies with a simple thank you, and he's out the door as usual. As soon as the door slams shut behind him, Sawamura puts his head on the counter and groans loudly. He refuses to pick his head up until a customer requires his assistance. He decides, once and for all.

He's gonna ask for help.

"Eijun-kun, I don't think I'm the person you should be going to about stuff like this." Haruichi states firmly.

Sawamura clings to Haruichi pitifully on the couch. "Harucchi, please! There's no else I can go to! Kuramochi would just laugh at me and Furuya would just stare at me blankly. You're all I have left!"

Sawamura had avoided asking anyone for serious advice out of embarrassment, but he could only stand this unresolved sexual tension for so long. So after work he went to his best friend Haruichi's apartment to beg for help. Haruichi is a wise person, and he honestly can't think of anyone else who could help him come up with a good solution.

"You've got tons of experience in romance! I mean, you managed to charm someone like Furuya, and that's no small feat!"

Haruichi flushes. "I didn't 'charm' Satoru-kun!"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Furuya appears from the hallway, hair slightly wet from a shower.

"Eijun-kun just needs some dating advice." Haruichi replies.

Furuya looks at Haruichi, then Sawamura. Without a word he turns and walks into the kitchen murmuring, "I wonder if we have any leftovers from last night?"

"I told you he'd be no help!" Sawamura glares in the direction of the kitchen, then shakes his head. He needs to stay focused on what he came here for.

"Please, Harucchi?"

Haruichi sighs. "You're talking about the coffee shop guy, right?" Sawamura nods. "If you like him that much, why don't you just ask him out? You're usually not that shy when it comes to things like that."

"That's just the thing. I always want to say something to him, but as soon as he's front of me I just freeze up."

"I don't get it. What's so different about this guy if you've never even talked to him?"

Sawamura flops back on the couch. "Well, he's hot. Like really hot. I wish you could see him too, Haruichi. You wouldn't be able to talk either." He feels a dark aura coming from the kitchen. "No offense, Furuya!"

Haruichi thinks it over. "I think you're going to have to find some way to ask him out. Otherwise, you'll never find out whether there's something between you two or not."

"How can I ask him out if I can barely talk to him?!"

"Just write your number on his coffee cup."

They both stare at Furuya as he simply plops himself down on the other couch with a soda. It's silent for a few minutes, except for the sound of Furuya casually slurping down his drink.

Then Haruichi says, "What did you say, Satoru-kun?"

"Just write your number on his cup. I saw it in a movie once, and it seemed to work pretty well. You should try it."

"That's so cliched! He'll just laugh in my face if I do that!"

"Actually, it's not a bad idea." Haruichi says with a thoughtful look on his face. "Think about it, Eijun-kun. You can ask him out without having to talk to him at all. It's the perfect plan!"

He looks at the both of them. "You really think this could work?"

They both eagerly nod at him.

Sawamura sighs. "Well, whatever. What's the worst that could happen?"

He prays the universe won't try and test him on that.

But for the next few days, Narumiya doesn't show up. Sawamura can't help think this is a cruel twist of fate.

Haruichi tells him to be patient, but he can't help being anxious. What if this is a sign that he's making a huge mistake? He's had this recurring dream of Narumiya reading Sawamura's number on his cup, saying incredulously, "Me? Go out with you? Impossible." Then laughing so loudly that the other customers start to laugh too, all of them feasting on his disappointment and humiliation. Okay, maybe he's being a bit overdramatic, but it'd be stupid if he didn't prepare himself for the worst case scenario, right?

Sawamura just hopes he comes in soon, because it's starting to affect his work. Sawamura's mood is what makes the coffee shop an enjoyable place to come to, so if he's anxious then the mood becomes like that as well. He keeps messing up orders, dropping coffee mugs, and soon the patrons are afraid to even ask for extra creamer. Sawamura tries his best to make his customers feel happy and relaxed, so this is another thing that makes Sawamura feels down.

He's ready to resign himself to a lifetime of being along with fifty cats when the door jingles and it's him. Sawamura's so shocked he barely registers that this time, Narumiya isn't alone.

"Good afternoon!" Narumiya says, more chipper than usual.

When his brain manages to catch up with his mouth he mutters simply, "...Good afternoon." His eyes rove over to the guy Narumiya has brought with him. The first thing he notices is intense amber eyes. It almost makes him flinch, but he manages to get himself together.

Naturally his eyes go back to Narumiya. "How may I take your order?"

"I'll have the usual," he replies, and it kinda makes Sawamura smile that Narumiya trusts him enough to know what drink he'll want(really it's a no-brainer). "And my friend here-"

"The usual? Don't you sound cool?" The friend cuts in.

"That's right! I can say that because I'm a regular. Isn't that right, Sawamura-kun?" Narumiya says in a smug tone.

Hearing his name in Narumiya's mouth, Sawamura almost faints. Despite wearing a name tag he never thought Narumiya would actually bother to learn to his name.

Confidence bolstered he says, "Yep, he's been coming here pretty often. Except for the last few days."

"Oh, you noticed?" Is it just him, or does Narumiya's tone sound flirty?

Sawamura's face warms up, but he doesn't back down. "Of course! I always keep track of my regulars."

"Well, aren't you two close?" The friend says drily.

Narumiya elbows his friend while Sawamura hopes the sudden rush of color to his face isn't too noticeable. "I can see why you come here often," The friend speaks up, shoving Narumiya's elbow away. "The view is really nice." He looks right at Sawamura when he says this.

The shop faces a street and several buildings, so Sawamura doesn't know what he means by this. Instead of questioning it he just asks, "And what will your order be?"

"I guess I'll have the usual too." he says with a smirk.

"Will that be together or separate?"

The friend says together just as Narumiya says separate. They glare at each other for a few minutes, and whatever was said in that silent conversation leads to Narumiya begrudgingly saying, "Together."

The pair leaves to find a place to sit while waiting for their order. Sawamura's heart beats faster as he makes the lattes. His nerves almost make him back out, but then he reminds himself that he just had a, while brief, actual conversation with Narumiya. It gives him hope that maybe things will work out. So in a burst of courage he quickly scribbles down his number on the to go cup, and calls for Narumiya and company.

"Have a nice day!" he says firmly as he hands Narumiya the cups.

"Thanks, Sawamura-kun!" he responds sunnily. Narumiya waves goodbye and then both he and his friend are out the door.

Sawamura lets out a big sigh and prays that just this once, the universe will have mercy on his poor dating life.

"Here's your drink, Kazuya."

Mei takes one sip of his drink and moans in appreciation. "I told you, Seido is the only place that knows how to do lattes right."

Kazuya takes a sip as well and nods in agreement. "I admit, this is a pretty good latte." He goes in for another sip when he notices something on his cup.

"If I had listened to you we'd be paying thirty dollars for some espresso at Starbucks-"

Mei is interrupted by Miyuki's chuckle. "I knew it," Miyuki murmurs.

"What are you talking about?" Mei asks, confused by the sudden joy on Miyuki's face.

Miyuki turns his cup around and shows it to him. "I guess I'm still irresistible to guys as well as the ladies."

On the cup the words Call me are written in an inelegant scribble, along with a phone number.

"How do you know that wasn't meant for me? We were obviously flirting back there, and every time I come around to order he's always blushing."

"We had good eye contact going on in there and he didn't seem to mind my flirting with him. Besides, you think everyone is into you."

"I'm usually right."

There's another stare off.

With his eyes Miyuki says, Come on, let me have this one.

Mei responds, Who knows how many cute baristas who can make amazing lattes are gonna come around?

Mei, please.

Finally, Mei rolls his eyes. "Well, if he really wanted to give me his number he could've done it on all the days I didn't bring you. I guess he made his choice."

"He's a good judge of character." That comment earns him a punch on the shoulder.

"It's too bad for him, though." Narumiya says with a pitiful shake of the head. "I would've shown him a good time. Well, whatever. He's not really my type, anyway."

Kazuya raises an eyebrow at Mei. "What is your type?"

Mei looks at Kazuya suggestively and leans on him. "You're my type, Kazu-chan."

Kazuya shoves him off with a laugh. "Yeah, yeah."

Sawamura feels his stomach knot up with nerves when he sees an unfamiliar number calling his phone. He takes a few deep breaths and picks up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Sawamura-kun?"

"Yep, that's me. Who is this?"

The guy on the other end chuckles. "I hope you're not giving your number to random customers every day." he says coyly.

Sawamura can feel the dopey smile on his face. "Narumiya-kun?"

The other line is silent. "...Uh, wrong guess. This is Miyuki. You know, the one you met in the shop today."

Sawamura scrunches his eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry I think you might be confusing me with someone el-Ah!" Then he remembered. "You're the friend!"

Miyuki lets out a long, drawn out sigh. "Yes, I'm the friend. And I'm guessing I got the wrong coffee cup."

Sawamura is mortified. "Um, well, you see-"

"Next time," Miyuki cuts him off. "Try and be very specific about whose cup is whose. It'll save you and the other person a lot of embarrassment and confusion."

"I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot. I didn't even think about who would get what cup." Sawamura doesn't know what's worse: the fact that he completely failed at asking Narumiya on a date or that he accidently asked Narumiya's friend on a date, which he now has to to turn down.

"It's okay. Honestly, I'm beginning to think I have bad luck."

"Yeah, me too." Sawamura replies, and that statement has never sounded truer in his mouth.

Sawamura is just about to get ready to end the call when Miyuki says, "You know, this doesn't all have to go to waste."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Let's go out to dinner, you and me."

This is exactly what Sawamura was hoping to avoid. "I'm sorry, Miyuki-kun, but I still like Narumiya-kun."

"I know Mei is hot and all, but so I am."

"I don't just like him because he's hot!"

"Oh yeah? Then what do you like about him?"

Sawamura opens his mouth for an angry retort, but then he realizes he has none. What does he like about Narumiya, outside of his physical appearance?

Still, Miyuki didn't need to know that. "That's none of your business!"

"That's what I thought. Look, it doesn't even have to be a date. Think of it like an interview. Mei is my best friend, so I'm not gonna let just anyone date him. If you pass my test, I'll put in a good word for you."

Somehow Sawamura finds himself saying, "Okay, I guess."

"Awesome! I'll even let you pick the place."

So they plan to meet at this little diner near Sawamura's apartment on Saturday, after Sawamura's shift.

After the call ends, Sawamura fully processes what just happened. He comes the conclusion that he's an even bigger idiot than he realized.

"You're going on a date with the best friend of the guy you have a crush on?"

"I know, I know." Sawamura holds the phone between his ear and shoulder, using his hands to button up his shirt. He briefed Haruichi on the whole situation. Hearing it out loud makes him cringe at his stupidity all over again.

"I don't understand. If you like this guy why are you going out with his friend?"

"It's a matter of life or death, Harucchi! Miyuki-kun said if I went out to dinner with him he'd put in a good word for me."

"And you believe him?"

Sawamura fumbles putting on a pair of pants. "Yes! At least, he didn't sound like a liar. Plus, if I have dinner with him he might not tell Narumiya-kun about this whole mix-up." He would die if Narumiya found out about it.

There's a long silence on the other side of line. "Harucchi?"

Finally Haruichi says, "I hope you know what you're doing, Eijun-kun."

"It'll all work out, you'll see." He glances at the clock. "Shit, I've gotta get to the diner! I'll talk to you later, Harucchi!"

The diner is close enough to walk, so Sawamura still manages to get there a little early. He starts to look for seats when he notices Miyuki lounging in a corner booth. Why he's here now is beyond Sawamura and he finds himself walking towards Miyuki without a second thought.

The first words that come out of Sawamura's mouth are, "What the hell are you doing here so early?" He inwardly cringes at his rude tone.

Miyuki grins up at him. "Sawamura-kun! I didn't think you'd actually show up, much less show up early."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who also showed up early."

Miyuki laughs. "Sit down. If we're both here we may as well start ordering."

Sawamura couldn't argue with his logic on that. He sits down across from Miyuki and pretends to look the menu. Truthfully, he's starting to think this is a mistake. He's starting to understand what Haruichi was trying to say. He didn't properly turned Miyuki down, and even worse he agreed to go on basically a date with him. He needs to make his feelings clear, before Miyuki gets the wrong idea.

"Look, Miyuki-kun-"

"What do you think I should order? You know the best thing on the menu, since you come here often, right?" He takes one look at Sawamura and sighs. "Loosen up, man! We're just two friends eating dinner together."

We're hardly friends, Sawamura thinks. But instead he says, "I know that! Everything on the menu is pretty good. Just order whatever you want."

"So, Sawamura-kun, how long have you worked at the coffee shop?" Miyuki asks after their food has been ordered.

Sawamura thinks on that. "Five years, I guess? I only work summers though, since I'm less busy then."

"I don't think I could do it. Dealing with all those people at once, having to complete all those orders. Seems like a lot of pressure."

"That's because you're looking at it the wrong way!" He tries to figure out a way to explain it to Miyuki. "At my job, I get to meet lots of new people. Even though I'm just serving them coffee, I get to learn new things about them. Who has a sweet tooth, who has trouble getting through the day, who just really likes coffee. Some people even come back regularly and I get to learn even more about them. Sure, there are mean customers, but it's nice getting to know the friendly ones. As far as jobs go, I think working at the coffee is the best job I've ever had!" Not that I've really had a lot of others. Sawamura keeps that thought to himself.

Miyuki looks surprised. "Wow, I've never met someone that actually liked their job."

Now he's curious. "What do you do?"

"Oh, I'm just a secretary. I take calls, file papers, all that stuff."

"That sounds really boring. I don't think I could imagining doing something like that." For some reason, this makes Miyuki laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Somehow, conversation comes easily. He finds out that Miyuki actually isn't a big fan of coffee, considers waiting tables at some weird restaurant as his best job, and that they're both in college, though Miyuki is a year ahead of him.

When he asks what Miyuki likes to do outside of school Miyuki replies, "Well, on the weekends I like to play baseball some friends."

If he hadn't had Sawamura's attention before, he had it now. "You like baseball?"

"Yeah, it's been a pretty big part of my life for a while.

Sawamura practically vibrated with excitement. "Me too!"

That launches them into an intense conversation about baseball(teams, players, the sport in general). He even finds out that Miyuki was a catcher in high school.

"No way! I was a pitcher!"

"We should team up then. I bet we'd make a pretty good battery."

"Sure!" He hasn't been on the mound since high school, but he still remembers the rush of striking out a batter and the sound of his pitch landing in the catcher's mitt. Nothing would make him happier.

They keep talking, long after they've finished their food. Before long, the waitress tells them that they'll be closing soon. They split the cost of the meal(after some persistence on Sawamura's part) and head out.

"You walked here, right? Let me walk you home." Miyuki offers.

"You don't have to." But Sawamura wants him to, more than he thought he would.

"I want to. Come on, lead the way."

So they set off down the path. The distance, or lack thereof, doesn't go unnoticed by Sawamura. They're so close that their hands brush occasionally, which makes his heartbeat speed up.

"The sky looks really beautiful tonight, huh?" Miyuki comments.

It does, but just as his eyes look up at the sky they end up sliding over to Miyuki. That's when he comes to the startling realization that, along with being smart and funny, Miyuki is way more beautiful than he gave him credit for. Like way more.

"Hey!"

Sawamura jumps. "What?"

"Are you okay? You got really quiet all of a sudden." The concerned tone in Miyuki's voice makes his heart pang.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

Miyuki smiles. "Something good, I hope?"

Sawamura blushes. "Yeah, something good."

They fall into a comfortable silence for a while. Then Miyuki breaks it by saying, "Sawamura-kun, can I say something?"

He nods. "Sure, what is it?"

"I just wanted to say I thought it was really cool, what you did. I can't see myself doing something as brave as asking someone out by coffee cup. Even if it wasn't for me, I still admired you for it."

Sawamura completely forgot about the coffee cup, the whole reason why they're here now. And in turn, he also forgot about Narumiya. He's been crushing on this guy for a month, and yet Miyuki is able to storm in and take completely control of his thoughts. Sawamura doesn't know what to make of that.

"I'm still really sorry about that, Miyuki-kun."

"You don't have to be so formal with me. Just call me Kazuya."

The switch to first names seems sudden, but if Miyuki doesn't mind then neither does he. "Okay, K-Kazuya. You can call me Eijun too."

Miyuki smiles brightly. "Eijun, huh? It suits you."

Hearing Miyuki say his name in that low tone of his makes Sawamura redder than he already was. "Um, t-thank you."

They fall into silence again. Their hands brush again, and this time Miyuki takes the chance to grab his hand, intertwining their fingers. Sawamura's heartbeat skyrockets.

Finally, they stop in front of Sawamura's apartment. "This is your apartment, right?" Miyuki asks.

"Yes," he replies sadly. As soon as they stop in front of the door, Sawamura realizes that he doesn't want the night to end. He wants to spend the whole night just talking to Miyuki, soaking up whatever this feeling is.

"Miyu-Kazuya, I had a really nice time tonight." It's all he can say.

"I did too." The way Miyuki looks at him, he can't describe it.

Miyuki leans in and kisses him on the cheek, soft and lingering. "Goodnight, Eijun."

Without looking back, Miyuki walks back down the pathway. Sawamura watches him until he's out of sight. Unconsciously, his hand reaches up to brush the cheek Miyuki had kissed. After a few minutes he stumbles into his apartment, in a daze.

"What's up, Sawamura-kun?"

A new week begins, and Sawamura is back behind the counter. On the dot, Narumiya shows up at the coffee shop. He can't help thinking that several days earlier his appearance would spark excitement and desire in Sawamura. Now, however, all he feels is disappointment that he's alone.

"Welcome back, Narumiya-kun. I guess you want the usual?"

"You know me so well! Oh, make that two lattes."

That makes Sawamura look up. "Did you say two lattes?"

Narumiya smiles mischievously. "Yep, two lattes. Kazuya refused to come inside. I guess he's embarrassed or something. Did he do something weird on your date?"

Sawamura just replies, "Two lattes coming right up!"

Outside, Kazuya leans against the coffee shop wall, waiting for Mei. Mei looked confused when he refused to come in, but Kazuya held firm. He didn't want to see Eijun's face when he saw Mei.

Kazuya prayed that the date that wasn't really a date would go well, but he didn't expect it to go that well. By the time it was over it took everything in him not to force his tongue down Eijun's throat. He took a risk and settled on a simple, sweet peck on the cheek. Eijun didn't push him away, but that doesn't mean he isn't in there right now, asking Mei out like he meant to the first time. Thinking about it just kills Kazuya.

After an eternity, Mei finally comes out with the coffees. "What took you so long?" Miyuki asks, cursing himself for doing so.

"Sawamura-kun and I were just talking, that's all." Kazuya feels his stomach drop.

Narumiya carefully hands him a cup. "This is your latte. For some reason, Sawamura-kun was very insistent that your get this cup."

Kazuya looks at the cup. His eyes widen, and he laughs so hard that tears threaten to come down.

"What? What's so funny?" Mei keeps asking, trying to shake an answer out of him.

"Nothing it's just...I knew it."

On the cup is written simply but boldly: Call me.