"YOU'RE FUCKING KIDDING, RIGHT?"

Sharon stared at Felix with an O-shaped mouth, her eyes wide with shock. Felix slowly shook his head, to which she shrieked like a banshee. Felix winced, glancing around the cafe apologetically as people turned to stare.

"You're telling me that Shane-Fucking-Becker is going to be here? At this cafe?"

"Yes, Sharon, that is what I'm saying."

"Oh my god, when?"

"In about," Felix glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes."

"Why didn't you warn me ahead of time?!" She exclaimed, whipping out her phone and using the camera to check her hair. "That's no time for preparations at all!"

"He's ARRIVING in twenty minutes," Felix clarified. "He and I are going to be doing music filming for a little bit before he comes here."

Sharon let out a long breath, putting a hand over her chest. "Don't fucking scare me like that!"

"Sorry."

"You should be," she scolded, shaking her head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to primp up my hair for a bit."

Felix watched as Sharon disappeared into the kitchen of the cafe, brushing her clothes as she stepped through the doors. He let out a long, tired breath, rubbing his face. He knew it would be bad, but he was almost hoping that she would somehow be calmer.

Felix's phone buzzed. He let it sit for a moment before pulling it out, tapping the screen. There were two messages from Shane.

On my way now!

Hazel decided to tag along >:(

Felix smirked, shaking his head.

The more the merrier.

Yeah but I wanted to escape her :(

You'll survive.

Promise? :(

I promise.

Felix chuckled as he realized the conversation he was having. He pocketed his phone again before grabbing the violin case that was in the booth beside him. Standing up, he briskly walked out of the cafe, bee-lining for the piano.

It felt so strange to be back in the mall, staring at the piano that had served so many random people. The familiar anxiety welled up in Felix as he arrived at the piano, placing his violin on the piano bench. With two satisfying clicks, he opened the case, pulling the violin out from inside.

It took him a few moments to tune it, but he was quickly ready to play, glancing around the mall anxiously. A few people glanced at him with mild curiosity, but most people ignored his existence, uninterested in him. With a deep breath, Felix put the bow to the violin and pressed down.

Everything came rushing back to Felix the moment the first note rang from his violin. Muscle memory kicked in as he sank into the familiar sensation of playing in the mall, the crowd chatter ceasing to exist to his ears. People began to crowd, but Felix did his best to ignore them, focusing everything he had on the music.

Felix closed his eyes, the back of his eyelids exploding with color as the music filled him. Since he wasn't being recorded, he went back to his comfort song, Summer, letting the well-known notes pour from his fast moving fingers. A small, faint smile came to his lips as the rush of joy from playing flooded him.

With every note, Felix's heart slowed ever so slightly, calming as the comfort of music washed over him. By the end of the song, Felix felt as calm as he ever had, his eyes slowly peeling open to see a crowd of people watching him with wide eyes.

Shane stood front and center of the crowd, directly across from Felix. When they locked eyes, Shane grinned, his brilliant smile shining in the mall's fluorescent lighting. From his pocket, Shane pulled his phone, holding it up as he flashed a thumbs up to Felix. Felix smiled at the camera, but more importantly, at Shane, preparing his next song.

The hour flew by as Felix played song after song, his heart rate fluctuating with every piece. He could feel every vibration in his bones, the beat matching that of his heart. He was one with his violin. One with the music. One with the universe.

After a while, Felix's fingers began to grow sore, becoming slightly clumsy as he pushed through. To prevent the possibility of the audience hearing a potential mess-up, Felix quickly wrapped up the song he was on, bowing gratefully as everyone clapped and loudly cheered.

"I have to be done for today," Felix said softly, his voice barely carrying into the dense mass of bodies. "Have a nice day, everyone."

Felix briskly strolled to his violin case, trying his best to ignore the murmurs of the crowd beside him. They whispered with one another, their hush voices floating through the air. Felix's heart rate started to speed up, his heart beat becoming louder, more insistent.

Maybe you just didn't speak loud enough, he tried assuring himself, clicking the case closed. But what if they're talking about me? What if they think I did horrible?

A hand softly grabbed Felix's shoulder. Startled, he jumped, whipping around to see Shane with a surprised yet amused expression, an uncertain grin on his face as his eyes flicked to the crowd before returning to him.

"Sorry to surprise you," he chuckled, flashing his bright, charming grin. "That was a great performance, as always."

"Thanks," Felix murmured, smiling. He glanced at the hand on his shoulder, disregarding it for a moment before recognizing the lack of disgust in his body. The lack of awkwardness that usually followed physical contact.

Shane seemed to notice Felix's internal conflict, taking his hand off of Felix's shoulder with a small, unsure chuckle. A sense of relief filled Felix, but also a small pang of disappointment, which was quickly followed by confusion.

Before he could stop to consider it, Shane cleared his throat. "Ready to head to the cafe?"

Felix had completely forgotten about that. "Oh, yeah, of course."

Felix grabbed his violin case, slinging it over his shoulder. The crowd had seemingly realized the show was over when Shane had approached, as many of them had already scattered. Shane and Felix strolled through the slow river of people, heading towards the cafe.

"Just to let you know," Felix warned. "My friend, who will likely be our waitress, is a huge fan of yours."

Shane tilted his head slightly, grinning. "Oh?"

Felix nodded. "She's a bit obsessed, so please excuse her."

"I've seen it before," Shane said, waving his hand. "I'm sure she won't be that bad."

"If you say so."

They stepped through the cafe doors, the small bell chiming as the door swung open. Felix guided Shane to his favorite table by the window, gesturing for Shane to take a seat first.

"This is my favorite spot in the cafe," Felix said as Shane sat.

"It is?" Shane asked, glancing around.

"Try not to sound too surprised."

Shane whipped his head around, eyes slightly wide. "I meant it to be like, 'Oh cool, I see why–'"

"I'm kidding, Shane," Felix teased, sitting down. Shane glared playfully.

"Very funny," he said, smiling. "You should be a comedian."

"Maybe I am."

A young guy, likely in his teens, approached their table, dressed in the cafe's apron. He cleared his throat quietly, glancing at the two of them with tired eyes before looking down at the pad of paper in his hands.

"Can I get you guys something to drink?" he asked.

Before Shane or Felix could manage to say something, Sharon burst from the kitchen door, rushing over to them. Felix squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment as he heard her tumble over the counter, approaching their table.

"Move aside, Tim!" Sharon whispered forcefully, shoving Tim out of the way. She looked between Shane and Felix, twirling her hair as she smiled sweetly. "Could I get you two gentlemen something to drink?"

"I'll take the same coffee I usually get," Felix said. She barely acknowledged him before turning to Shane. Shane glanced at Felix with an amused grin before turning to Sharon.

"I'll have a black coffee, if that's all right," he told her, smiling warmly. She nodded, grinning.

"Of course it is," her voice was dripping with excessive sweetness. "Coming right out."

Sharon lingered for a moment longer, staring at him before slowly walking away, making sure to move her hips much more than necessary. Shane watched her leave with an amused grin.

A sense of quiet anger and disappointment washed over Felix as Shane stared at her leaving. The thought of Shane enjoying the view made Felix feel another emotion that he couldn't quite place.

It took him a moment to consider that it could be jealousy.

"I see what you mean now," Shane joked, ripping Felix from his brain.

"Hm?"

"She definitely acts like a fan."

"Oh, yeah," Felix nodded, glancing out the window. "I did warn you."

Shane put up his hands. "I know, I know, I expected it. Still always a bit amusing to see how people act."

Felix glanced at Shane, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Shane shrugged. "Fans treat me like I'm royalty. Like someone to hold above everyone else, even though all I do is make funny videos. It's weird to think about, considering there are people out there who are saving the world, yet they get no recognition."

Felix stared at Shane for a moment before slowly smiling. "That was the deepest thing to drop in a Cafe."

Shane chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it was, but oh well."

Suddenly, Sharon reappeared, balancing the drinks in her hands. She barely gave Felix a passing glance as she dropped his coffee in front of him, the liquid inside sloshing around. She smiled sweetly at Shane, gently setting his down in front of him.

"Do you need a straw with that?" She asked, her hand absentmindedly twirling her hair. He smiled, shaking his head.

"I'm good, thank you."

"If you say so," she giggled lightly, as if she said something funny. "Can I get you something to eat?"

Shane glanced at Felix with a slightly panicked look, his eyes widening as he silently asked Felix for an answer. Glancing to make sure Sharon wouldn't see him, Felix shielded his mouth from her and mouthed Chocolate Croissant.

"I'll take a chocolate croissant, if you have them," Shane said, smirking at Felix. Sharon nodded vigorously.

"Of course, I'll get that for you," she hesitated, trying to subtly pose as she tilted her head. "Is there something else you might want?"

Shane shook his head. "I'm good, thank you."

Sharon smiled tightly before hurrying to the kitchen. Felix raised his hand to stop her, but it was too late. She had disappeared into the kitchen before he could utter a word. Felix glanced at Shane, smiling unsurely.

"Well, guess I'm not getting any food," he said, chuckling nervously. Shane laughed with him, smiling.

"You can just have some of my croissant," he offered. Felix's heart rate quickened.

"Really?" he asked, trying not to sound hopeful or strange. Shane nodded, grinning.

"You're the one who saved me when I ordered. It's the least I can do."

Felix scoffed. "I didn't save you. If you hadn't come up with something then Sharon would have lengthily listed every item on the menu for you."

Shane raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Again, you saved me."

Felix chuckled. "She's not that bad, just...obsessed."

As if on cue, Sharon burst through the kitchen door, holding a plate that contained the largest croissant Felix had ever seen. She stopped for a moment to adjust her apron, sauntering over to their table. She placed the plate down in front of Shane before grabbing a chair and pulling it up.

"So, Shane," she sat in the chair, resting her head in her hands as she leaned forward. "What brings you to this cafe?"

Shane glanced at Felix, smiling. "Felix and I were doing some filming. He brought me here because he said he wanted to introduce me to his friend."

"You guys film a lot?" Sharon glanced at Felix, mouthing thank you as she winked. She turned back to Shane before she could spot the annoyance on Felix's face.

"Quite a bit. Felix is very good on camera, so it always works out well."

Felix's face flushed slightly. "It's always fun to do."

Shane smiled warmly at him. "It is."

A small silence fell across the table as Shane and Felix stared at one another. Felix began to lose himself in Shane's bright green eyes, spotting small specks of blue scattered throughout his irises. It wasn't until Sharon cleared her throat that Shane and Felix broke eye contact.

"I like your videos," she complimented, leaning forwards a little more. "They always have such fun concepts."

"Thank you," he responded politely. "I come up with most of the ideas, but a lot of the time it's Marc or Antonio."

"Are those your friends who I see in the videos sometimes?"

"Marc and Luther are often on camera," Shane explained. "Antonio is the one operating the camera most of the time."

Sharon furrowed her eyebrows. "Don't you just use your phone to record though?"

Shane laughed. "A lot of people think that, but no. I try to go for the highest quality I can."

"It's a very nice camera," I added.

"I always wondered why they were such high quality," she leaned forward more. "I bet you have girls climbing for you in your comments, don't you?"

A quick change went over Shane's face, so quick that Felix could barely see it. He suddenly seemed stiffer, his features locking up as if he were bracing himself. But as fast as it appeared, it was gone, and he was back to his normal, casual self.

"Yeah, sometimes," he chuckled.

"Do you ever entertain them? Flirt back?"

Shane opened his mouth to answer, then his eyes flicked to something behind Felix. He grinned widely, waving someone over. Felix turned around in his chair to see Hazel stepping through the doors of the cafe.

"Hey Hazel!" He shouted. She rolled her eyes, striding over and standing beside Sharon and Felix.

"Hey Shane," she glanced around, her eyes landing on Sharon. "Hi, I'm Hazel. You are?"

"I'm Sharon," she responded, taking Hazel's outstretched hand. "Are you Shane's girlfriend?"

Both Hazel and Shane broke into laughter as Sharon looked between the two of them, confused. She locked eyes with Felix, silently asking for an answer. Felix grinned, chuckling.

"They're twins," he told her. Her eyes went wide, red rushing to her face.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she said, looking between the two of them.

"It's fine, people have asked that before," Hazel said, wiping a tear from her eye. "It's just funny. I would die before dating someone like him"

"Hey!" Shane exclaimed. "You'd be lucky to date a guy like me."

"Uh huh, sure," Hazel turned to Felix. "You. You're coming with me."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You and I are going shopping."

Felix glanced at Shane, furrowing his eyebrows. "We are? I thought we were hanging out here."

Shane nodded, turning to Hazel with an unreadable expression. "Yeah, so did I."

"Shane can stay here," she said. "But I need some shopping time with Felix."

"I would hate to be a burden here, though, as a singular customer."

"Oh you wouldn't be a burden, it'd be no problem at all!" Sharon eagerly jumped in.

"See? It's settled," Hazel took a step back, gesturing at Felix. "Come on, we're losing precious daylight here."

Felix stayed put for a moment, glancing at Shane unsurely. Slowly, he stood up, pushing his chair in.

"See you after?" Shane said, a hint of hope in his voice. Felix smiled, nodding.

"See you after."