Page 7 of Perfect Blend

He turned back to the coffee shop and spotted me through the window. My knees weakened when he locked eyes with me. His smile was as warm as it had been in school, but more creases were etched into the surrounding skin. I felt like I’d slid on an old favorite hoodie, the most comfortable garment in my closet and worn with love and age.

I reminded myself to breathe while he strode through the front door. Mikey. High School Mikey was here. In my place.Worlds colliding.

He was taller than I remembered, but not objectively tall. Though neither was I. He wore his dark hair shorter than his shaggy teenage do, and his pale skin was still rosy at his cheeks. I liked his large nose as much as before. When we were teens, it had been large for his face, and I’d loved it. That probably had something to do with my obsession with Greek and Roman mythology.

“Wow, Dave. It’s been a long time. It’s great to see you.” Mikey approached, friendly as ever.

I froze. Should we hug? Shake hands? We were never on a hugging level back in school, but we’d been chatting a fair bit in the last month since he’d reached out about covering the Pride festival. Before I could kick my brain in gear and settle on a move, Mikey pulled me in and wrapped one arm around my shoulders and the other around my mid-back. The points of contact burned into my skin. I took a moment to mark the win for my past self. Teenage Dave would’ve creamed my pants after a hug from Mikey. Good thing Adult Dave had more self-control. Though the whiff of sandalwood in his cologne put that theory to the test.

“It’s great to see you too. You look the same.” Mikey probably still got carded. He’d always had a baby face and had surely hated it when he was younger. Now he looked like the kind of guy who’d always been diligent about skincare while the other mid-thirtysomethings woke one day with massive sunscreen-related regrets.

He reached up and dragged a finger across my cheek. “I like the beard. Makes you look more mature. The best I can grow is a bit of peach fuzz on my chin.” His touch lit my skin on fire.

I laughed, but based on Izzy’s startled expression, it might’ve sounded more like a hyena cackle than a proper chuckle from a functioning, chill adult.

“Hey, boss. Why don’t you take a break? I’ve got this covered,” Izzy called from behind the counter.

I ground my teeth at their shit-eating grin, unsure whether to be grateful or exasperated. When it came to Izzy, I often straddled the line.

Mikey still stood within hugging distance. It was hard to think clearly with him overwhelming my senses. Jeez, I seriously needed to relax. It’d been a teenage crush years ago, and I was acting like my favorite boy band member had invited me backstage.

I swallowed. “Can I get you anything to drink? You’ve had a bit of a drive.” Thank the caffeine gods that I’d managed that without the mortification of a voice crack.

“Black coffee would be great, thanks. According to the Yelp reviews, it would be a crime not to taste your perfect blend.” I couldn’t believe he’d scoped out my shop online.

I was grateful for the momentary reprieve because I’d completely forgotten exactly how potent Mikey’s big, dark eyes were in person.They were as dark and consuming as they’d always been.

“You got it.” I attempted to walk to the counter like an adult human and not a foal.

“Pull it together, man,” Izzy said when I overpoured the coffee. After I sopped up the spillage, they handed me a plate with two scones on it.

“Doing my best here.”

“This is so fucking adorable.”

I glared at them.

Miraculously, without incident, I carried two cups and a plate to the table where Mikey had settled.

“How was the drive down?” We made small talk about how traffic was way worse in the Pacific Northwest than it used to be. No better—or more boring—topic could’ve reminded me we weren’t in high school anymore.

Chatting with him was easy. Definitely not as uncomfortable as I worried it would be. Our messages and the few FaceTime calls where he’d collected background research for his article hadn’t been awkward, but I’d worried that being in person would be different. Like I would fall into my high school habit of shyness. I’d never been gladder to be wrong. Even being in his presence for only a few minutes, I relaxed. He’d probably never realized he’d had that effect on me.

It reminded me of the time freshmen year when I’d been anxious about having to go in front of the class and give my first high school presentation. The thought of all those eyes on me had made my skin crawl. Mikey must’ve noticed me white-knuckling my notecards because he’d leaned over and offered advice I would never forget.Picture everyone naked. That was all fine and dandy, except he’d basically given me the green light to picture him naked. Not the best thing when my boner had had a hairpin trigger. Thank god that problem had cured itself.

Hopefully, my brief regression to the shy high schooler I used to be was over because I wasn’t that guy anymore.

After the coffee cooled a bit, Mikey lifted the mug to his mouth and let out a satisfied moan. I stared at his lips for about five beats too long.

“How’s the B&B?”

“I haven’t been there yet. I wanted to stop by and see you first.” Mikey’s smile damn near stopped my heart.

A hot flush crept up my neck. I licked my lips.You’re not sixteen anymore. You’re an adult. A prominent business owner. Be bold.

“I was thinking—”

“Do you have dinner plans?”Mikey asked at the same time.

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