"I admit it, I'm attracted to you." Noah gently touched Ethan's hand with his slightly cool fingers, only to find Ethan's hand warm.
"So, let's hold hands and go home together now."
Ethan felt as if he were a feather, light and carefree, floating in the wind. Everything that had happened today felt like a dream, a perfect one where everything had fallen into place. Everything that had happened was exactly what he wanted, what he had longed for.
Ethan slid his fingers carefully into Noah's hand without leaving a gap, their palms pressed against each other as they intertwined their fingers.
"Let's go home," Ethan whispered.
When they reached the door of their home, neither of them was willing to release the other's hand. They stood there, still holding hands, neither of them wanting to be the one to let go.
"What are you two doing?" Shawn, dressed in a dark gray puffer jacket, looked at them curiously. "Isn't it cold in the hallway? Why are you standing out here…"
His words halted abruptly the moment he noticed their clasped hands.
"You guys go ahead," Shawn said, offering a slightly awkward smile. He quickly punched in the door code and entered the house.
Now, it was just the two of them left in the hallway.
As soon as Noah heard Shawn's voice, he instinctively thought to pull his hand away. But then, he remembered that their relationship had changed, and there was no need to feel awkward about it.
Half an hour later, when Noah opened the door, Shawn was sitting on the couch, holding a cup of tea. The warm steam hovered gently in front of his face.
"Are you two together now?" Shawn asked as he sipped his tea.
Noah had changed into slippers. "Yeah, we're together," he replied, then put his sneakers away in the closet.
"Have you eaten yet?" Shawn asked after a moment.
Outside, the night had fully settled in, and the wind howled fiercely. Inside, however, the room was warm and bright, a stark contrast to the cold outdoors.
Shawn set down his cup, not answering Noah's question. "Should I move out?"
Noah paused as he was unwrapping a takeaway box, looking up at Shawn. Their eyes met. "Once you find a suitable place, you can move out."
With that, Noah began to take out the tightly wrapped bowls and chopsticks, setting them neatly on the table.
"Can't you stay?" Shawn asked.
Noah stopped what he was doing and walked over to Shawn. Sitting next to him, he said gently, "What's going on with you?"
He felt that something was off with Shawn today. It was Shawn who had brought up moving out, but now, it seemed like he didn't want to anymore.
Shawn hung his head, his fingers anxiously twisting together. "I don't want to move."
This place was nice, and he didn't want to leave.
Noah felt as if Shawn was acting like a petulant child, throwing a little tantrum. He didn't want to press him for reasons, nor did he want to waste time on the same question.
"You like it here? You can stay as long as you help with the rent."
Shawn didn't reply, just staring at his cup as if the answer was somewhere in the steam rising from the tea.
Noah let it be. The topic was dropped, and Shawn seemed content to sit in silence, holding the cup as time passed by.
Shawn didn't speak for a while, lost in thought. He wasn't sure what kind of feelings he had for Noah. It wasn't love in the traditional sense—he didn't feel that intense need to possess or claim him. But seeing Noah and Ethan holding hands, it made his chest tighten with an unexplainable ache.
Shawn ran his hands through his hair, the thoughts in his mind tangled like his fingers in his messy hair. The more he tried to untangle them, the messier they became.
After a long moment, he leaned back, resting his head on the sofa, and let out a long, heavy sigh.
The next day, Shawn seemed to return to his usual self, just like nothing had happened.
Noah went on with his day, but something had subtly shifted between them. They started communicating more frequently on Messenger. The messages they exchanged last night had already surpassed all their previous conversations combined.
Their chats flowed easily from topics of the day to childhood memories, to the stars and the moon.
As Noah read through the messages, a smile tugged at his lips. But then, his thoughts drifted back to his own childhood.
Before he turned five, during New Year's, Noah was often left in the care of the old man who watched the building downstairs. The old man, a lonely widower, had children who had long since moved away. They would send money back now and then, but that was the extent of their contact.
Noah's parents, on the other hand, would go back to their own homes to enjoy a family New Year's celebration. To them, Noah was just a relative they'd see on holidays. He wasn't exactly part of their lives, more like a "stranger" with shared blood.
Back then, fireworks were still allowed, and on New Year's Eve, little Noah would sit with the old man in the security booth, each holding a hot water bottle, watching the colorful explosions bloom in the dark sky.
But as he reflected on Ethan's childhood, Noah realized that he too had felt happiness and warmth in those moments.
...............................
As Noah arrived at the shop, everything was just like usual. After getting everything ready, it was time to open the door and welcome the different customers.
Noah raised an eyebrow slightly. "What are you buying this time?"
Shawn obviously noticed him too. He glanced at Noah briefly before continuing with his work.
"I'll have a slice of red velvet cake and a slice of buttered toast, to eat here."
Soon, Noah brought two plates over, setting them down in front of Shawn, along with a coffee.
"When you're not busy, can we have a chat?" Noah asked casually.
Noah nodded, smiling lightly. There was nothing that couldn't be talked about. He kept up the smile, greeting the next customers with his usual charm.
Finally, after the busy time had passed, Noah wiped the light sweat off his face and sat across from Shawn.
"I didn't come here to trouble you. I came to trouble you." Shawn said, leaning forward slightly.
Noah smiled, folding his hands. "Trouble me? If it's about emotions, then…"
"It's not about emotions. I want to learn how to make coffee from you. Don't worry, I'll pay you well for it."
"Learn... coffee making?" Noah blinked in confusion.
The idea of someone wanting to learn from him was unexpected. After all, with the financial resources of an omega family, they could easily hire an expert to teach. Yet, this omega, sitting across from him, wanted to learn coffee making directly from him.
It made Noah wonder if there was some hidden agenda behind it.
Could it be that he was trying to capture someone's heart by first capturing their stomach?
It was true that Ethan enjoyed Noah's coffee, but there was probably a lot more emotional significance to it than just the taste of the coffee.
"You... don't need to think too much. I already know about you and Ethan," Shawn said.
"Wait, what?" Noah blinked in surprise. How did he know? Did Ethan already tell his family after just agreeing to be together?
Noah's mind raced with a pile of questions. He looked at Shawn, hoping he could help clarify.
"Where did you hear about it?"
Shawn leaned forward, closing the distance between them. "Ethan asked Auntie Jones to tell my mom yesterday, that he has a partner now, someone he's dating with the intention of marriage."
"You're a good person. Ethan is a good person too. Though I may not be able to fully let go just yet, I think it's a good thing that you two are together."
Noah, a keen observer of emotions, could see that Shawn's expression was uneasy, but when he spoke, his eyes were firm, his tone sincere.
Noah could tell Shawn was speaking from the heart.
"So why do you want to learn coffee making from me?" Noah asked, genuinely curious.
Noah had never gone through formal training in coffee making; he had only learned it through trial and error, not following any standard method. He didn't consider himself an expert, so it was odd to him that someone would want to learn from him.
"I've had my share of coffee, but there's something uniquely special about yours. I can't really explain it, but I really like it."
It was an ambiguous reason, but Noah found it strangely appealing. "Do you really want to learn?"
"I do." The omega nodded earnestly, tapping his head twice. "My name's Lyon. Please take care of me from now on."
Once Lyon left, Shawn, wiping down the counter with a cloth, looked up at Noah. "You're really going to let him learn from you? Kids these days, their minds are not so simple anymore."
Noah looked out at the glass door, then answered, "I think he and I have a good vibe. It doesn't hurt to give him a chance."
"Suit yourself," Shawn shrugged, tossing the dirty cloth under running water. "So, what are we eating? Are we still waiting for him?"
Noah didn't catch the last part of the sentence due to the sound of running water. Once Shawn had turned off the tap, Noah repeated, "Waiting for who?"
Shawn pulled out two napkins. "You wouldn't have lost your tenderness so quickly after getting together, would you?"
Noah realized that Shawn was teasing Ethan. "No, it's not that. A while ago, my stomach issues flared up again. Ethan was worried I wouldn't be able to control it, so he ordered food for me."
It seemed like Ethan had ordered food for Noah during their ambiguous phase before they officially became a couple. Ethan, knowing Noah's reluctance to waste food, always ordered one portion at a time, either to watch Noah eat or to make sure he didn't have to go without.
"Was it that night? Around 5:30 AM?" Shawn added. "I heard some sounds then."
That night, when Noah had returned home, he was still buzzing from the excitement of his emotions. After holding Ethan, he hadn't been able to control himself completely.
Noah subconsciously reached for his own face as memories of that night flooded back—his hand entwined with Ethan's, the warmth of their fingers locked together.
Shawn, noticing the soft expression on Noah's face, didn't continue asking questions. He could see that Noah was lost in the feelings of being in love, so he didn't press him any further.
He didn't ask why Noah hadn't asked for help, even though he was home.
The answer didn't seem important anymore.
Noah didn't think his life had changed all that much. But his heart was a different story. It fluttered uncontrollably, like a bird trapped in a cage, desperate to fly. Just this morning, Noah had caught himself reminiscing about the previous day more times than he could count.
He wasn't some naive young man experiencing his first love—he was nearly thirty. Yet, the way his heart fluttered was no different than when he had first confessed to Oliver back in high school, when even the letters on an English exam would remind him of Oliver.
Maybe Noah had never truly changed. He had just buried the youthful, naïve version of himself deep inside.