Café Lov

by Samantha Lau

  Rather than go straight home, Tatsuya requested his lawyer dropped him off back at his company.

  “I just want to get my car back,” he said when the man gave him a disapproving look; and it was true enough. He did nothing stupid this time, merely got his car back and drove off, not home, but to Café Lov.

  At the last minute he thought better of it. He wanted to apologize to Ivan, but he didn’t want to make yet another scene in the middle of his workplace. He ended up stopping a good way from Vanya’s café, hanging around the area until it would be nearer to closing time, fully aware that he was both acting just a bit creepy and looking so too. If what he’d seen on his rearview mirror was any indication, he was sporting quite a nice bruise on the side of his face.

  ***

  It was Sasha who first spotted Tatsuya approaching near closing time. She greeted him at the door by slapping his face. Hard. She’d slapped the bruised side too –she hadn’t really meant to, she’d just not seen it until it was too late to stop, though she was still unsure after the slap that she would have stopped anyway. This guy had hurt her older brother, after all. He deserved the fires of hell.

  While Tatsuya took the slap stoically, only bringing a hand up to rub his pained cheek, Vanya wasn’t so stoic.

  “Sasha!!” he hurried over. Vanya did not like Tatsuya much that very moment, but that didn’t mean he wanted him hurt.

  “What?” She demanded, glaring at Tatsuya for good measure “He deserved much worse!”

  “I’d say he already got worse,” Tom chimed in, having left his post by the counter to come see if Vanya would need backup.

  Vanya pursed his lips, glaring at them both, then at Tatsuya. He knew his sister and friend had good intentions, but this was not going to help anyone.

  “Please,” Tatsuya said, addressing Ivan and no one else. “I just want to talk to you.”

  Despite not wanting to, Vanya found he could not refuse him that much. Yes, he was hurt by Tatsuya’s actions, but he still cared for the man, and it hurt to see him so wounded and lost. He reached for his arm and pulled him over to sit by one of the tables.

  “Come, sit down. Sasha, get me some ice please.”

  She huffed and mumbled a curse in Russian, but went off to do as told. Tom considered them, but ended up giving them some space too, even if he kept an eye on their table.

  “What happened?” Vanya asked.

  “Ivan, I’m sorry,” Tatsuya said instead.

  “No. Tell me what happened.” The blond repeated, refusing to hear any apologies yet.

  Tatsuya was silent for a moment as Sasha brought the ice. When she retreated, Vanya rested a hand on the man’s knee, and leaned with the cloth-covered ice to press it to the bruised side of his face.

  Tatsuya winced. “I was forcefully removed from my workplace following a... bit of a regretful moment of anger.”

  Vanya’s brow rose slightly. “Why? What happened, Tatsuya?”

  Swallowing, trying not to wince when the ice was pressed against another pained spot, he said, “I guess I’d been fired and someone forgot to let me know.”

  Tatsuya snorted, reaching up to take the wrapped up ice from Vanya, to hold it himself where it hurt more. Before the man could ask, he continued. “Ivan, I’m sorry, I really am. My boss, he’d been threatening to fire me if I didn’t get this sale... ” He said, and so Tatsuya told him everything. “I know how this looks, I was going to tell you everything, Ivan. I was. I just needed time to find the right words, to–”

  “There are no right words. I would have still been as pissed off with you as I am now. What you did–”

  “What I intended to do. I didn’t do it. I wasn’t going to. I know it’s a poor excuse. I know what I was going to do, what I started this as is awful. I... ” he frowned, putting the ice aside on the table and reaching for Vanya’s hands “I’ll understand if you don’t want to see me again, but none of that changes the fact that I am sorry and that I do, truly care for you, Ivan. I just... fell in love with you. I know you think I’m a horrible person–”

  All through, Vanya watched Tatsuya carefully. His eyes looked honest, and he found himself believing his words, even if experience made him doubt now. He finally reached up to slap his hand over the man’s lips, unable to take more of the apologies.

  “That’s enough.” He said softly, making sure Tatsuya was not still trying to speak, and finally pulling that hand back. He looked back towards his sister and Tom, who were now looking away and trying to pretend they hadn’t been staring and listening intently just a second ago. “Can you guys close up?”

  “What? Oh, sure,” Sasha said, waving a hand, trying to look casual about it.

  “Yeah, don’t sweat it, we’ll take care of it.” Tom said at the same time.

  Vanya nodded and pulled Tatsuya up with him. Once outside, he held out his hand. “Give me your keys.”

  Tatsuya eyed the hand, then eyed Vanya.

  “Seriously?” Vanya demanded, glaring slightly “You’re going to doubt me? I might not know my cars, man, but I know how to drive. Keys. Now. You can’t drive with half your face swollen like that.”

  Tatsuya sighed, fishing for his keys and dropping them on Ivan’s hand.

  They walked back to the car without another word, but once they were driving off, Vanya broke the silence.

  “Yes or no questions: Were you really going to tell me?”

  “Yes,” Tatsuya said firmly, not giving it a second thought.

  “Did you really mean it when you said you love me?”

  “Yes,” again, the answer was immediate.

  Vanya paused, finger tapping the steering wheel slightly, then, “Was it my fault you lost your job?”

  “What? No.” Tatsuya frowned. “I think this was just the perfect excuse. It’s not your fault.”

  Vanya gave him a side glance but he asked no more questions, and Tatsuya didn’t offer any more answers.

  He drove them to Tatsuya’s apartment, not feeling like making excuses for the messiness of his own place. He demanded to know where the first aid was and spent the next half hour making sure all of Tatsuya’s bruises and cuts had been treated. He had not asked for permission after that, but had merely browsed through Tatsuya’s fridge. Annoyed at finding nothing to work with, he’d ended up calling for take–out food. A sort of tense silence fell between them as they waited for the delivery. It was no better when the food arrived and Vanya pushed Tatsuya’s serving into his hands with an order to “eat”. It was only when they were almost done with their meals that the silence was broken.

  “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

  “I know,” Tatsuya sighed, resigned to deserving the treatment.

  “It’s a shame I had to go and fall for an asshole.” Vanya remarked.

  Tatsuya looked up from his meal.

  “I believe you,” Vanya stated, having decided so in the end. “Doesn’t mean I forgive you, yet. But I’m willing to give you one last chance.”

  Tatsuya brightened a little “Really?”

  “Yeah,” Vanya put the empty take–out box aside and stood. “So don’t screw it up, alright? I’m not giving you another chance. You screw up, there’s no more Vanya in your life.”

  Tatsuya didn’t stand, but that didn’t stop him from pulling Vanya in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Vanya.” He whispered.

  Vanya’s gaze softened and he sighed deeply, bringing a hand up to stroke his hair gently. “I know.”

  9

  Even under the best of circumstances, it was hard to build trust back in a relationship. Vanya and Tatsuya were not under the best of circumstances, but Tatsuya worked hard every single day to get his lover’s trust back, and set his life back on tracks. Every day, early in the morning, he donned his suit and went out in search of a job. Every day he was stonewalled by people who had likely been told not to hire him, unless they wanted to be in a bad position with JUBA.

  And every day, while Tatsuya tried to find a job, V
anya opened his coffee shop. Despite the occasional snow storms, demolition had begun that week at the sites on either side of his shop; the noise and the sight put off customers, and those that did dare come in did not linger long. At the end of the day, the only regular customer turned out to be Tatsuya, who would come after a long day of job hunting and settle alone at a table to check his stocks. Vanya might have started to forgive him, but neither his friend nor his sister had yet, thus they remained out of the way and let Vanya sit with him when he had a break, but kept wary glances on them.

  “You’ll find something soon, you’ll see,” Vanya said that evening, offering a weak smile. He was a little worried at how such a smart man with such a strong business background and years of experience could not easily get any job he wanted.

  Tatsuya’s smile was a bit more honest, but his eyes remained on his computer.

  “I’m not worried,” he said, even though he was a little bit. He still had his investments, and still had companies to check. If none he’d counted on would take him, surely one of the larger rival companies to JUBA would. He just had to find the right one. He had also been trying to get in touch with some of the chairmen from the board behind JUBA, but he’d had less luck with that so far. He was fairly sure Higa was behind his lack of luck on it all, but he had no solid proof to back up that claim. He had also no solid proof on Higa’s shady dealings, even when he knew there were many. Tatsuya would have had no qualms about blackmailing his way right back into the company... or even destroying Higa’s career like the man was trying to destroy his. It would just be a matter of who got enough dirt on the other first, and who would have the need to use it.

  “Oh. Then do comfort me,” Vanya joked, “Because I totally am so very worried.”

  Tatsuya looked up and smiled, reaching for his boyfriend’s hand and giving it a squeeze.

  “You shouldn’t be worried either.”

  Vanya shook his head in amusement, but he held his hand back. “Not very good at comforting, I see.”

  Tatsuya brought that hand to his lips for a quick kiss, then let go as Sasha came up to them.

  “Are we ready to close up?” Vanya asked, smiling up at his sister.

  “Yeah, Tom and I will be heading home if you don’t need anything else.”

  Vanya smiled and motioned for them to go ahead. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Good night, brother.” She kissed his forehead, then raised a brow at Tatsuya “And you I guess.” She walked off.

  Tom waved at them on his way out.

  “Is she ever going to forgive me?” Tatsuya sighed, turning off his laptop.

  Vanya got to his feet and stretched, “Not in a million years. You better get used to it, darling.”

  He had Tatsuya help him close up the shop, then head home. The past few nights they had alternated between sharing evenings in Vanya’s apartment and evenings in Tatsuya’s; tonight was Tatsuya’s turn once more. The man had restocked his fridge as he was home more often now, and though he wasn’t very good at cooking, he helped Vanya make some light dinner. After eating and catching the end of a movie, they turned in for the night.

  It must have been sometime past midnight when a recurring, annoying sound brought Vanya’s consciousness forth from the depths of blissful sleep. At first, sleep-drunk still, he couldn’t quite place what the sound was.

  At his side, Tatsuya stirred and mumbled, “you gon’ get that?”

  Vanya sat up and reached in his discarded pants for his phone, recognizing easily (now that he was more awake) that it was his ringtone. He didn’t recognize the number on the screen, but he took the call anyway, answering with a grumpy “Yeah?”

  Besides him, Tatsuya rolled over to watch him, frowning as his lover’s tone rose a little in panic with each word, and he finally sat up when Vanya jumped to his feet. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m on my way!” Vanya called on the phone, then gathered his clothes quickly to redress. He didn’t need to look back to know Tatsuya was doing the same, even if he had no idea what had happened.

  “The shop... my shop... ” Vanya said, hands shaky as he dressed. “I have to go.”

  Vanya didn’t need to say more. Tatsuya was right behind him, hastily putting on some clothes and following him out, driving him to the café even though Vanya did not say another word on what was happening. And he was glad for that. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell him, it was just that he couldn’t. The call felt unreal, he didn’t want to believe it, and if he voiced it out it might just make it real...

  Tatsuya found he didn’t need to quiz him either. When they were close enough to the shop, the column of dark smoke was already visible even against the night sky. He spared his boyfriend a quick look as Vanya whimpered, and hurried until they came to the cordoned off area. Tatsuya had to hurry to catch up with Vanya, who had barely waited until the car had stopped to jump out and run up to the nearest police officer to try to have him let him through.

  “I’m the owner!” Vanya called, and they were both waved in, past the cordoned off area and pointed to a higher ranked officer.

  He hurried in that direction, but immediately slowed as he came in full view of his beloved café, now burnt down to its foundations. He ran a hand through his hair as he took in the damage. The fire had been almost fully contained now, the firemen still working on something at the back, the smoke still thick, but it was too late to salvage anything. A shudder ran through him. All his hard work... all the effort he’d put into getting this place, fixing it up... all the memories... all of it, every last bit... his means of livelihood, his sister’s... hell, even his friend’s... it was all gone up in smoke.

  Vanya had a hard time containing another whimper. He turned away from the sight of the ruined shop, and found Tatsuya there, readily wrapping his arms around him, holding him up when, for a split second, his legs weakened and didn’t hold his weight. But all the caresses in the world did not diminish the current shock.

  “Are you the owner?” The officer had apparently approached them, but Vanya tuned him out. He felt Tatsuya’s grip on him tighten, and heard him talk, but the words made no sense. All he could think about was the image of his burning café, now seared in his mind.

  ***

  “So, what are we going to do now?” Sasha asked, brow furrowing in worry.

  It was six in the morning, and they were gathered around Tatsuya’s dining table. Sasha was nursing a full cup of strong coffee, Tom had already downed half of his, and Tatsuya sat back, ignoring his own.

  “They said it was an accident. There’s little else we can do but wait for the insurance to come through and try to rebuild.” Tom stated, fingers drumming on the table.

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Tatsuya looked up. Of the group, he was currently the one who was calmer. Sasha kept looking at him with distrust, seeming to think his calm was a lack of interest in their shop now being ruined, but it wasn’t so. This troubled Tatsuya, but he’d learned it was better to temper his feelings and try to be objective about things. He did have the advantage of not being so directly emotionally involved with the shop, at least to the level Sasha and Ivan seemed to be, he felt he could see things just a bit clearer because of it.

  “You don’t think it was an accident?” Tom asked, frowning too.

  “I don’t. It’s too much of a coincidence that just as JUBA seems to back out of their interest, the place gets torched to the ground. I know the company. I know sometimes they don’t play by the rulebook, and I know they hide it well in those cases.”

  The group was silent for another moment, the words slowly sinking in.

  “I’ll call a friend in a couple of hours.” Tatsuya said, “He’s a private investigator, I’ll have him check this out. I won’t let them get away with this.”

  Tom nodded slowly. Sasha hesitated still, but she finally sighed and pushed herself to her feet; leaving behind her untouched coffee, she poured another mug and announced “I’ll go check on Vanya.�
��

  While she walked off to the bedroom, Tom had another sip of his drink.

  “You really think you can nail this guy? Sounds like it’ll be a bitch to do if what you say is true.”

  “I think we have a very good chance,” Tatsuya replied. Unlike others, they had the advantage of having him... and he had a few ideas on what they should be looking at closely to find the proof they needed. Higa might have just handed himself up on a silver platter, if all went well.

  Tom nodded. “Good, because I want him ruined.”

  ***

  Vanya lay in bed, his back to the door. He’d been in bed since they’d returned and Tatsuya had insisted he try to rest for a bit, that he would take care of calling everyone, that everything would be alright. He’d complied, but knew that everything wouldn’t be alright. How could it? His shop was gone, they were all out of jobs, he was all out of money. He’d failed everyone; he’d failed his memories, his parents, his sister, his friends... those who depended on him and the café for a living... he’d failed himself.

  Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the image of his burnt café. Every time it brought tears to his eyes.

  When Sasha and Tom had first arrived and checked on him, Vanya had pretended to be sleeping. When he heard the door open again and smelled the scent of coffee (and ached at the memories that brought), he could not pretend anymore.

  He was well aware that he was acting irrationally and being selfish, wallowing wasn’t going to bring back the shop, and he wasn’t the only one affected by this... he should have been out there talking with them, trying to figure out what to do next, and had this been anything but his prized shop at stake, he would have. As it was, he just couldn’t. He’d needed this time to try to gather himself, to quietly mourn his loss before he attempted anything else.

  “Vanya,” his sister’s soft tone distracted him from his brooding “We’re waiting for you,” she sat down by him, reaching to place a hand to his back and rubbing soothingly. “You’re kind of getting us worried. Here, look, I brought you some coffee.”