Choco Latte: 7
Title: Choco Latte: 7
Author: mistake_arrest
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: PG
Warnings: Language
Summary: AU. A new resident shakes up a narrow-minded small town - and a certain chocolatier.
Disclaimer: I do not own Muse - no matter how much I would love to - and this is pure fiction. Original characters and the storyline are mine. No profit is being made.
Note: Supermassive thanks to ms_belle10 for beta reading!
Previous Chapters: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
Matthew sat on the edge of a windowsill, leaning his back against the cool glass, and sighed. A little bit further down the street he could see three people standing next to one of the broken windows; two policemen dressed in yellow reflective jackets with Dominic beside them, his arms crossed over his chest as they inspected the damage.
It had all happened very quickly. After heard the second sound of a shattering glass, they silently agreed to stop their heavy make-out session and rushed outside to see what was going on. There wasn’t much to see anymore and whoever had thrown the bricks at Dominic’s windows was already long gone.
While Dominic stared at the scene in shock, Matthew was sensible enough to call the police. Luckily, Dominic’s insurance would most likely cover most of the costs, but even despite that he wanted the police to try and find out who had done it.
Matthew closed his eyes, listening to the distant sound of the three men talking. His heart had stopped hammering in his chest and he was ready to go to sleep as long as Dominic would get everything sorted with the policemen.
It seemed so ironic that something like this had happened just when things between him and Dominic had started to steam. Just Matthew’s luck.
He kicked at a loose stone on the pavement, the large pebble just barely missing a pair of silver Converse walking his way. Dominic sat next to Matthew, startling him from his thoughts, and sighed. Automatically his hand dug a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket and a few swift motions later, Dominic inhaled the first drag on his smoke.
“They found them,” he said, turning to look at Matthew who was curiously observing him.
“Yeah? Who was it?”
“Just some kids. Another patrol had seen them running down one of the side streets and they caught them. They had confessed before the police had even asked anything. Young lads, they said they weren’t older than 13.”
“And was there a reason they did it?”
“No… you know how kids are. Destroying stuff for fun,” Dominic said and shrugged, taking another drag on his cigarette.
“Right, yeah.” Matthew kicked at another pebble on the ground and watched as the police car rolled away. “Are you okay?” he asked then, nudging Dominic’s side lightly with his arm.
“Yeah, yeah. Luckily I had the insurance already sorted out. The cleaning company is on their way, too, and a security guard will make sure no one breaks in before new windows are installed. It’s all being taken care of, thankfully.”
“Good.”
There was a long, comfortable silence. Dominic took his time finishing his cigarette and Matthew was just content sitting there beside him. Matthew yawned, feeling the effects of the long night in his body. Now it was Dominic’s turn to nudge his side.
“Matt?”
“Yeah?”
“I was wondering if I could crash on your couch tonight. I can’t really stay there,” he said, nodding in the direction of his front door, the windows on either side of it broken.
“Oh. Right, sure. Sorry I didn’t ask,” Matthew replied with a laugh. “Of course you’re welcome to stay at my place.”
“Good!” Dominic declared, pushing himself up and turning around to grab Matthew’s hand. He blushed when he realized how enthusiastic he probably sounded. “I mean, I’m so glad you’re taking me - wouldn’t have wanted to wake up Mrs. Griffith at this hour.”
He pulled the smiling Matthew up and didn’t let go. They stared at their joined hands for a beat and then beamed at each other.
“Let’s go, then,” Dominic stated simply, tugging at Matthew’s hand once to encourage the brunet to follow him. Matthew hummed and walked beside Dominic, ready to follow him anywhere he wanted.
Half an hour later they had reached Matthew’s house. They shared a short good night kiss and a few murmured words of disappointment that their date ended the way it did. Both men were too tired for anything else, and Matthew left Dominic alone after making him a bed in his guestroom.
~*~
“Is he going to press charges?” Chris asked with a frown after Matthew told him what had happened the previous night.
Matthew shook his head, glancing out of the open door of his shop. It was early morning still, and Dominic’s windows hadn’t been replaced yet. “No, I don’t think he is… too much hassle. They’re just kids, after all. He’ll just probably make sure that they get a proper scolding from their parents.”
“Well, he’s quite generous then.”
“He has just moved here. I don’t think he wants any trouble with the townspeople.”
“Do you think there already is someone who has a problem with him?” Chris asked. “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that it was someone else who told the boys to trash his windows… This town is fucking insane sometimes.”
Matthew nodded, snagging his lower lip between his teeth. “That’s what crossed my mind too. But maybe we should just think positive, eh? That’s what Dominic does.”
“Aww,” Chris said and chuckled, making Matthew eye him suspiciously.
“What? What did I say now?”
“You’re so damn easy to read, Bells,” Chris teased, ignoring how Matthew rolled his eyes at him. “Is there going to be a second date soon?”
“I… don’t know, really. I hope so. I promised to give him a hand at the café opening next Saturday, anyway.”
“You’re giving him a hand now? Please spare me from the details…” Chris laughed, only barely dodging the rug that was swung in his direction.
“Oh, fuck off, will you?” Matthew said, his lips twitching from the effort to hide the smirk that was stubbornly threatening to break on his face. “Don’t you have work to do?”
Almost as if on cue, Dominic appeared to his doorstep, holding a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and waving at Matthew and Chris with the other.
“Morning, Chris!” he said, padding across the street in his soft house slippers. “I take it Matt already told you about the vandals from last night.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that, mate. Not a very good start, is it? Although I can assure you that there are good people in this town too.”
“I’m sure about that,” Dominic said, casting a shy smile at Matthew, who blushed. They had breakfast together that morning and Matthew had even given him a lift. The closest they’d been to intimate contact that day had been Matthew’s hand on his lower back when, like a gentleman, Matt opened his house door for him, or when Dominic’s hand almost unconsciously brushed an overgrown tuft of dark hair off Matthew’s forehead when he was driving.
While Chris rushed to work, Matthew got a moment with Dominic, the two of them chatting for a couple of minutes until Matthew got his first customer of the day. Dominic excused himself, promising to pop in at some point during the day, and pattered back to his apartment, still cradling the cup of coffee in his hands.
~*~
“These couple of weeks have gone by so quickly,” Dominic sighed, sipping his beer and leaning back on the back of the booth he was sitting in. Red Lion was half full on a Friday evening, one day before the grand opening of Dominic’s café.
Matthew propped his chin on his hand and nodded with a grin. “Yeah. Seems like you only just came here demanding Chris to paint your walls in ridiculous colours.”
“Shut up,” Dominic laughed. “They’re not ridiculous! Green gives me energy. I don’t know why you and Chris are always teasing me about it.”
Matthew giggled and shook his head. “Honestly, Dom, I don’t mind your walls. They’re not so bad… you do have a good taste, really.”
“Yeah? You think so?”
“Of course I do,” Matthew said, sipping his beer and licking his lips.
“You’re just saying that to get in my pants,” Dominic added with a giggle. The two pints they had already consumed in a fairly short amount of time was making them feel flirty and courageous.
Matthew laughed, glancing around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. They had purposely chosen to sit in the booth in the furthest corner of the pub, although it was inevitable that they were still surrounded by people. A quick scan around the room assured Matthew that no one was interested in what the two of them were doing, and he tilted his head slightly, quirking his eyebrows.
“Is it working?” he asked in a quiet voice, leaning his elbows on the table to be a little closer to Dominic, who sat opposite him.
“You would like to find that out, wouldn’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, why don’t I tell you a secret, then?” Dominic said, also leaning closer so that he could speak in a quieter voice. Matthew stayed silent, anticipation of hearing Dominic’s secret making his heart momentarily thump at a breathtaking speed.
“You make me…” Dominic whispered, looking to his right to check that the group of students sitting the table next to them was still engrossed in a heated conversation about the best bars of Auburn. “You make me so hot, Matt. You’re a damn gorgeous little thing, just so you know. And the things you make me feel… there’s something really special about you,” the blond finished.
Dominic wasn’t shy, actually far from it, and had always been fairly confident, yet he was so bloody nervous about confessing his feelings to Matthew. Dominic braved a glance at Matthew’s face, his heart doing a little dance of joy when he saw the brunet beam widely, his face slightly flushed.
“You… really?” Matthew asked, tempted to pinch himself. “You’re not shitting me or anything like that?” he added, laughing softly.
Dominic smiled as well, pushing his hand across the table. “I’m not kidding, Matthew. And there’s so much more that I could say too,” he whispered, lightly touching the brunet’s elbow with his fingers.
“Good,” Matthew said, enjoying the touch for a few seconds before he remembered where they were. He quickly pulled his arm away but still smiled, trying to assure Dominic that everything was fine.
“What was that about?” Dominic asked, confused.
“I… I don’t think this is the right place for that. People talk and I hate that.”
Dominic frowned. “Are you embarrassed?”
“No! Don’t ever think that. Granted, I’m not the most confident person in the world about my… preferences. Well, my sexuality,” Matthew said when Dominic cast him a pointed look. “I do like you, a lot,” he added and dropped his hands in his lap to avoid further awkwardness, looking at Dominic shyly.
“Okay. I understand.”
They talked about the next day, Dominic babbling excitedly about his plans for his coffee shop while Matthew shared his enthusiasm and asked questions, giving compliments about how great everything looked now that all the renovation work was finished. Everything was finally ready for the place to be opened for the public and Dominic couldn’t wait to show the place to everyone.
“You’ve done such amazing job there, Dom. I’m sure people will love it.”
“I’m quite happy about the way things have turned out, too,” Dominic grinned, emptying his pint. “And a lot of it is thanks to you and Chris.”
“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I’ve enjoyed it; a nice break to my normal routine.”
“Well, that’s good to hear then. Of course, coffee will always be on the house for you since you declined any payment from me,” Dominic grinned. “That’s the least I can do to pay you back. Unless, of course, you have something else in mind…” he added with a wink.
Matthew giggled, covering his mouth with his hand. “I have no idea of what you could possibly be talking about…” He returned the wink and smirked. “You’re making me blush.”
“And you, dear, are really cute when you do blush. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Dominic watched Matthew drown the rest of his beer. “Although… maybe you’d want to go somewhere else to hang out, what with you wanting to be so discreet and all?”
“That would be great… my place?” Matthew asked, already reaching behind himself to grab his jacket that was folded on the backrest of the booth. “I thought maybe that’s more convenient since it’s closer than yours.” Dominic nodded and accepted his leather jacket that Matthew handed him.
The blond walked towards the door to wait for Matthew who wanted to quickly go to the loo before leaving. On his way Dominic felt someone tug on the sleeve of his shirt and turned around abruptly.
“Hey, Dominic! So nice to see you,” a dark-haired girl exclaimed to him and stood up from her chair. Charlotte was sitting with a group of girls, each of them seemingly several years younger than Dominic. The girls giggled, one of them winking at Charlotte. “I couldn’t help but see you and Matt earlier but didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Hi,” Dominic said politely but felt too tired to be very sociable with someone he barely knew. “How are you?” he asked, mostly because he felt like he needed to be nice to someone involved in Matthew’s life.
“Absolutely amazing, Dom! Especially now that I saw you,” Charlotte said cheerfully.
“Uh… did you want to talk about something?”
“No, nothing particular. I would just like to know you better, is all. We’ve never had a proper chat,” she purred, touching Dominic’s arm, unaware of the blond’s uneasiness. “Would you like to sit down for a while for a drink or two?”
Dominic bit his lip, trying to think of an excuse. Was Charlotte trying to hit on him?
“I… I was just about to leave, actually.”
“With Matt?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
Dominic nodded, remembering Matthew’s wish to keep low profile. “Well, yeah. He lives along my way home.”
“I’m sure Matt can find his home without you. Come on, Dom, it’ll be fun!”
“I’m really tired, Charlotte. I’m sure you and your friends are good company, but I have to wake up early tomorrow,” Dominic tried.
“Oh, yeah! The café opening! I almost forgot!” she exclaimed. “Girls, I’m pretty sure we’re all invited to Dominic’s coffee shop tomorrow! Isn’t that right, Dom?” She turned to look at Dom, the blond nodding his confirmation. Of course everyone was welcome. Charlotte turned back to the girls, giving them the thumbs up.
Dominic tapped his foot on the floor, wishing that Matthew would hurry up already. There was something about Charlotte that he didn’t like, and he really wanted to get out before she would get too handsy with him.
“Dom, did you know that half of this town’s girls think you’re super cute?” Charlotte wrapped her arm around Dominic’s waist, the blond casting her a warning glare that obviously didn’t come across quite right to the drunken girl. “You are sooo popular and you don’t even know!”
“Hey, Charlotte! Having fun?” Matthew interrupted Charlotte’s praising speech by walking between her and Dominic and winding his arm around her waist, effectively separating her from Dominic, who gave Matthew a thankful smile.
“Yeah, and Dominic won’t join us. How rude is that?”
“I’m sure Dom has his reasons,” Matthew said, stealing a glance at the blond. Dominic was looking at Matthew in an almost adoring way now, clearly relieved that the brunet had come to his rescue. “Well, anyway, I’m leaving now. Still going the same way?” Matthew asked Dominic, who mumbled his positive answer, much to Charlotte’s disappointment.
“You girls have fun,” Dominic said before walking out, Charlotte’s disappointed eyes on his back as he walked. Matthew followed close behind after reminding the girl that she would have to be at work early the next day.
“Thanks,” Dominic said after they had left the chatter of the pub behind a minute later.
“What for?” Matthew asked, hands in his pockets, nudging Dominic a little as they walked side by side. “Young girls can be pretty eager these days. Especially here; it’s not like guys like you come here every day.”
Dominic laughed, walking closer to Matthew so that their arms touched every couple of steps. “Guys like me?”
“Yeah. I mean, I think it’s pretty obvious that she has a crush on you.”
Dominic groaned. “Oh, please, let’s not talk about her…”
Chuckling, Matthew continued. “I’m just saying that you’d be a dream for someone like her. You’re kind and funny. Very easygoing, too. And let’s just admit that you’re simply gorgeous…”
“Matt. Stop it.”
Matthew glanced at Dominic, smirking playfully. “Can’t take a compliment, eh?”
“No, it’s not that,” the blond said and grabbed Matthew’s arm, bringing them both to an abrupt stop. “I just… it feels weird when you talk like that. I’d much rather hear what your dream man is like.” He rolled his eyes when Matthew giggled, but couldn’t hide his growing smile when the brunet touched his hip through his jacket.
“Aww, Dom. I promise to tell you all about it later.” Matthew bit his lip and then looked up, a few droplets of water landing on his face. “It’s going to rain soon. We’d better get going.”
Nodding, Dominic started to walk alongside Matthew, encouraged by the sneaky hand on his lower back. The darkness of the late evening provided them a chance to be close, and when the rain picked up its pace to a real torrent within seconds, the two men grabbed each other’s hands and ran the last hundred yards or so as fast as they could until they reached Matthew’s front door.