"Frank Davie," was all that Mark said as he walked inside Dean's store. There were only a few people in the store. Some of his regulars, sitting at the tables and a few others standing by bookshelves on the other side of the store. Dean looked up from where he was chatting with Matias, who was sitting on his laptop working on his manuscript.

"What about him?" Dean asked, not batting an eye when Mark went behind the counter and stood next to them.

"He and Thomas ..."

Realization struck Dean's features and he pulled Mark closer in order to be able to talk more quietly. He looked around nervously and then —seeing as no new customers seemed to appear and knowing that Matias could handle it if needed — he walked to the back room with Mark.

"What happened?"

Mark quickly told him everything that had happened the previous night. From the game —that he was sure Dean had watched — to his experience in the bar's toilets; to that moan and then that chuckle. Eventually, he watched Dean study him in silence, and he sighed.

"I thought they had stopped ..." he said defeated.

"Frank is married!" Mark snapped, but then he remembered he should be quieter.

"Yeah, when he was younger a lot of rumors about him went around and he decided to play the 'game'. But he's still gay. And Thomas has been kind of desperate, "Dean explained.

"How long has that been going on?"

"Almost two years..."

"Two–"

"It's not serious," Dean was quick to say. "They are not dating. They occasionally hook up and well, the only reason I know this is because I witnessed something similar to what you heard last night. "

"For two guys hiding their homosexuality they're definitely not doing a good job," Mark muttered. Dean chuckled at that and then he shook his head.

They started heading back to the front and then just as they walked out Dean let out the softest yelp ever. Thomas stood on the other side of the counter and let out a heavy breath as his eyes fell on Mark. His eyes immediately softened at the sight and Mark shifted his weight on his feet. Thomas' gaze moved from Mark to Dean and he gave him a bitter smile.

"Can we talk?" He asked Dean. Moving to the side, Dean showed Thomas the back room.

"Welcome to my new therapy room ... apparently," Dean muttered as they both moved to the back room.

Matias laughed lovingly at his fiancé and then looked over at Mark. He was biting on his lower lip, not moving his eyes away from the closed backroom door. Shaking his head, Matias turned to his manuscript.

"You know, you won't magically get super-hearing and listen to their conversation ..." Matias told Mark.

"They're definitely talking about last night," Mark said under his breath and rested next to Matias against the counter.

"You don't know that ..." Matias started but was cut off by a new customer. Without missing a beat, he got the customer's order and started preparing a matcha latte. "They could be talking about the match. Or the weather forecast that was off again, "Matias added after the customer left, looking out the window at the dark clouds and pouring rain. So much for sunny with a chance of rain.

"Have you started the wedding preparations?" Mark asked, a smile on his lips.

"Man, we don't even know where to start with it ..."

"How about the date?"

"Late spring. Definitely," Matias replied, resting against the counter and playing with his hair.

"What do you want it to be like?"

"Outdoor venue, cherry trees are blossoming... there are roses..." Matias' eyes got hazy as he imagined it and he smiled to himself. "It's all fairytale, lovey-dovey bullshit."

"Sounds great," Mark replied. "And it sounds to me like you know where to start".

"I know where to start. I just don't think what I have in mind is what Dean would want for our wedding," Matias replied, shaking the imagination out of his head and turning to face Mark.

"Please," Mark began, waving him off, "Dean would be down to marry you on a pirate ship while fighting fish people if that made you happy". Matias scrunched up his face at that. 

"That such an old reference," he said with a groan and both began laughing.

But as soon as they started laughing they stopped, as the door to the back room opened and Dean emerged with Thomas in tow. Dean gave Mark a pointed gaze and then reached out and softly kissed Matias on the lips. Mark was making it a point not to look at Thomas, who was also not looking at him.

It was awkward. Why was it so awkward?  They weren't strangers. Both had feelings for each other. Good kind of feelings. Mark knew that. Thomas knew that. But both seemed to be so out of place as if they didn't know anything about each other. Perhaps they didn't.

"Hey so ..." Mark started at the same time that Thomas said, "I think we need ..."

Both stopped and Dean just rolled his eyes at them. Mark looked around for a bit, taking note that the place still didn't have that many customers and no one was too close to them.

The coffeehouse-slash-bookstore had belonged to Dean for four years now. He had gotten it with the money he had earned with his previous barista job and a loan from his father –which he had now almost paid off-. He loved it, even though it had turned out a bit different from his original vision. In the original vision, it wasn't also a bookstore. That had been a recommendation from Mark. Also, in the original vision, it didn't have weekly Creative Writing Nights. They were an idea that Matias had come up with. Once a week they threw this event where all sorts of writers could share their story experts. And once a month they held a competition in which people could vote the Story of the Month. With Matias' and especially Mark's connections, some stories had even been published.

"I have one thing I need to go to this afternoon. An event. But could I come to your place afterward in order to... talk things through?" Mark said, taking the initiative and focusing his gaze on Thomas for the first time that day.

His eyes had an exhausted haze and he seemed rather lethargic. For a second, Mark felt bad that Thomas hadn't gotten the rest he needed, but then remembered what he probably kept him up and that feeling was gone. Despite his tired look, though, at the offer Thomas smiled up at him, showing off his braceless white teeth.

"I'm free tonight. We can - we can talk tonight. You can swing by. I don't... I don't have anything- I'm free and you can come over... "Thomas cursed himself for being so flustered, while Dean and Matias couldn't help but roll their eyes.

Mark gave out a soft snort and he ran a hand through his hair. Another awkward silence followed and then both went for the end of the counter so they could go back to the front. They almost fell on each other and at once pulled back. Thomas could hear his heartbeat. Mark's breaths were short and shallow. Finally, Mark was the one to go back and let Thomas go first. Both quietly said goodbye to their friends and then left the store, each going their own way.