"Are you here for free coffee again?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think you should start paying for your coffee, even if we've been best friends since middle school, Chase."
"Stop being a cheap steak, Andy," Chase shot back, flopping into his usual seat with a smug grin. "This is exactly why being friends with broke people is a liability."
"I'm the owner of this building, Chase, where you come for free coffee every afternoon, and you dare call me cheap? At least I don't work under someone who drains me dry with overtime and empty promises." Andrew shot back, smirking.
"I'm working hard to take care of you," Chase muttered under his breath.
"Ah, take care of me? Come on, honey, leave the care taking to me," Andrew said, giving Chase a playful side-eye.
"Whatever, man. By the way, the guy I met at the bar yesterday was sooo fine… Dude was hot, and damn, his body was fire! We shared a kiss, and he was a great kisser—his lips tasted like milk and honey," Chase said, making an exaggerated cute face.
"Haven't you been going out too much lately, Chase? Any problems?" Andrew asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"But Andy, the bar's been swarming with hot guys! I swear, I can't help myself. Besides, I think… I might be ready for a relationship. For real this time."
"Well, if you say so, Chase," Andrew replied, rolling his eyes.
"I'm so tired! The café is packed today. I know people love my coffee and all, but isn't this too much?" Andrew said with a smirk.
"My fated partner should hurry up before I get snatched away!" Andrew exclaimed dramatically.
"Shut up, man! You've been saying that since middle school," Chase retorted, rolling his eyes.
"Dude, shut up! I know my man is coming really soon—petite, handsome, and beautiful. My dream man! We'll go on walks together, have late-night dinners, and try out my new cake recipe together. I can feel it, I can even smell it!" Andrew declared, his enthusiasm palpable.
"I know…" Chase said, trying to suppress a chuckle.
"One iced tea, please, with the cheesecake," a customer requested before Chase could finish.
"Sure, coming right up! Timmy, get the order!" Andrew called out.
"Yes, sir!" replied Timmy, a young boy about eighteen or nineteen, wearing a blue shirt and black pants.
"Here's your order, ma'am," Timmy said, handing it over.
"Thank you!" the woman in red replied, smiling as she took it.
"Chase, you're distracting me from my work. Isn't your break over yet?" Andrew asked, tapping his foot impatiently.
"This job is sucking the life out of me," Chase groaned, slumping forward like a wilted flower. "I swear I'm going to quit. I'll die in this office chair one day."
"I thought you said you were working hard to take care of me, or have you given up?" Andrew laughed, a smirk forming on his face.
"I seriously will kill you one day," Chase said, standing up to leave.
"I gain nothing from being your best friend," he huffed.
"Hahaha, hustle hard, Chase!" Andrew laughed heartily.
"Boss, you're too much," Lisa giggled as she wiped down a table.
"It's always chaos in here," a girl by the window remarked, smiling as she sipped her drink.
---
Later that evening…
"Don't forget to lock up, Lisa, and Timmy, take some leftover cake home to share with your siblings. I know how hard you're working to take care of them," Andrew said, smiling warmly.
"Thank you, sir!" Timmy replied, bowing his head slightly.
As Andrew stepped into the soft glow of dusk, a warm breeze brushed past him. The streets glistened under the golden hour, and the world felt momentarily still.
He glanced at his watch. "6:30?! Crap, I need to move. I can't miss tonight's episode of Hot Man: Reality Edition. They're finally revealing who the secret straight guy is. And I still need to grab Volume 2 of Men Are in Love —the BL manhwa.
He picked up the pace.
As he walked, Andrew's thoughts wandered. They say there are infinite universes… alternate realities… but mine is special.
Everyone is born with a destined partner once in their lifetime. The golden thread of fate connects people to their fated partner, regardless of gender. While it's difficult to meet your fated partner—only about twenty percent of people do.
But Andrew Sebastian, 27, fabulous, unapologetically hot (and very much a top—hopefully), still believed.
Sure, I've been single forever. So what? I've had more crushes than I can count—some guys even liked me back.
But as a die-hard romantic who worships the idea of true fate, he'd saved himself. For the one.
Not that his friends ever let him forget it.
"Andrew, how do you know you're gay if you've never even dated?"
"Andrew, how do you know you're a top?"
Ugh. So annoying.
Still, nothing would change his heart.
I want to find my one and only man. Sexy, sweet, maybe a little shy. Fate, I believe in you. He nearly shouted it aloud.
"Say yes! Say yes!" a crowd suddenly screamed nearby.
Andrew turned to see a proposal happening at the plaza fountain. A young man, probably in his twenties, stood blushing with a rose in hand, surrounded by candles and cheering onlookers. His partner looked ready to cry.
Butterflies literally danced in the air around them. The whole scene glowed with cinematic perfection. It was as if the universe agreed to their union.
Andrew scoffed. "Ugh, couples. That relationship won't even last. His partner isn't even that cute. Look at that nose—too big! Why must they show off like that?"
And then—
BAM.
"Someone call an ambulance!"
Andrew's vision blurred. He was lying on the pavement, headlights fading into the sky above.
His thoughts spun.
This… this is what I get for judging people in love? Their relationship is definitely going to last!
Is this really how I go out? Hit by a truck? Before I ever kissed my fated one? Not even once?!
So Chase was right after all!
Fate, why do you hate me?!
Tears welled in his eyes as the darkness crept in.
In the distance, the wail of an ambulance grew louder.