The man released a deep breath as he eyed the two drinks he’d just bought, one for himself and the other for the friend he waited for. Arriving early out of habit, he’d decided to go ahead and pay for the other’s coffee, mildly amused by the contrast in how they liked their coffee. Even though this was something he’d barely call a date, it was in his nature to put in that extra effort to impress anyone he was going to spend time with. He’d told his friend about this particular coffee shop, in a nice part of town where he liked to go out for food during the day and not too far from the clubs he’d visit during the night. The idea of taking him out to a club seemed like fun, but he’d wait a bit before mentioning that, in case that sort of thing didn’t seem to be something he would enjoy.

Still sitting at a table alone, Javan Imella pulled his phone from his pocket of his grey jeans and checked the time, still a little early, then scrolled through the text messages he’d shared earlier with this friend of his. He was more excited about this day that he’d let anyone believe, happy to be seeing someone from out of town for once. This gave him something fresh and new to focus on. He smiled at his phone, quietly laughing at his own subtle attempts at flirting with someone he barely knew. He didn’t have any expectations of the day he was about to spend with this person, only hoped that it would be fun.

He pushed his phone back into his pocket as the door opened. Immediately recognizing the man that entered the room, he smiled and gestured for the other to sit next to him.

“Hi there, mister. I hope I got your coffee right.” He said this with a gentle laugh. Javan had read back through conversations they’d had just to make sure he’d order the right kind of drink, only wanting to seem like he put little effort into everything he did.

Ricky pulled the scarf off his neck and gave his friend a glare. She laughed, taking it back and wrapping it around herself instead, knotting it around her neck and pulling the thickest half up and over her hair and head, turning to pull the jacket that matched the color of his jeans off the hanger in his closet. He took it, smiling gently at Arima, then held it up. "Think it's too warm for a jacket...?" He sighed, knowing this feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was nerves. Nerves he usually got when he was going on a date, and that hadn't been felt for quite a while. A few years now, since he'd only just quit a relationship.

"Oh, just wear it! You know the buildings around here are chilled to the bone." Arima waved him off and went to the bed in the corner, throwing herself down and unwrapping the scarf from around her neck. "Besides, that jacket isn't so bad, is it?"

He shook his head, staring at it. The jacket was gray-blue, a cool tone, with a lighter blue inside and no sleeves. He slid it on, zipping it up just a couple inches. "I just don't want to seem like I'm trying too hard... Since---"

"Shh. It's time for you to go. I'll be here when you get back!" Arima jumped up and pushed him out the door, and before he knew it, Ricky was outside a warm, inviting little coffee shop, and he stepped inside, shivering slightly at the chill that separated the heat outside from the comfortable interior. Outside, he almost felt watched, but now, the homey little place had an inviting feel. He quickly found who he was searching for, and sat down alongside Javan. There were those nerves again, but he swallowed them down and smiled brightly. "Hey, you." He glanced inside the cup and nodded brightly. "Yeah, perfect." Ricky wrapped his cooling fingers around the cup and took a breath. He loved purely black, very lightly sugared coffee with nothing to weaken it. "Thanks a lot---you get here early? Or... am I late? He glanced at his watch worriedly, then eased himself when he realized he was right on time.

He shook his head once, smiling. The man across from him seemed to be a bit flustered at first by the idea that he might have been late. Already he was making a good impression, showing that being punctual was something important to him. "No, you're right on time. I got here a little bit early." His hands, almost completely covered by the sleeves of his thin jacket, wrapped around his coffee cup, fingers slipping between each other as he leaned back in the booth into a more comfortable posture.

"Ordering both of our drinks was an interesting contrast. You take your coffee so bitter..." Javan sipped his own drink, iced and flavored with chocolate. "I hear people who drink their coffee black are into some pretty crazy stuff." He smirked a little bit at his own joke, hoping that his humor would be taken well. Though they had been talking with each other for a little while, he still wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Ricky. This man didn't seem to be too far off from normal, but every time they would talk he always felt like there was something more to him than he would let on. Getting to know him would be interesting.

Letting out a breath, Ricky eased out of the overt sense of fear. He wasn't late, so he had reason to keep calm. But he hadn't been out socially with anyone besides Arima, and it was nerve-wracking in every sense of the way. More than he thought it'd be, though he was normally so laid back. He laughed, nodding a bit at the contrast. He did like the bitter stuff, not watered down with anything extra, because that kick helped him get moving even in the middle of the day. He took a drink despite it being very well heated, widening his eyes at the comment. "Well..." He chuckled a bit, shrugging. "I guess you might say I'm into some really crazy stuff... I guess it's what scares people off a lot."

He studied the black depths of his cup as his face grew a bit warm, thanking his dark skin for hiding the very faint flush that colored them. This did feel like a date, and Ricky was spilling some pretty well covered admissions already. Their text conversations had always been rather lighthearted but despite what he got out of recently, Ricky was searching for something else that wasn't a rebound or a one-night stand. Something serious with someone that wasn't crazy, and Javan was definitely not crazy. He didn't have that feel, that slightly... off feel. Knowing that put Ricky at ease even more, enough to let him say things he normally would never admit to.

His eyebrows raised a bit at the Ricky's reply, a little surprised by his answer. His tone seemed genuine, rather than playful, and Javan was a little caught off guard by this. If he was being serious, then that was a very unusual thing to say on a first date. ...But, it was also unlike Javan to go on a date with anyone who wasn't unusual in some way.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Maybe we'll have something in common there." He made sure to make direct eye contact as he spoke, then smiled as he looked away, taking another sip of his coffee. Ricky could take that how he wanted to, Javan thought to himself, hoping to keep the conversation just the right balance of personal and impersonal. He wouldn't want to get his date too shaken up, at least not in the very beginning of their outing. He crossed his legs under the table and leaned a little closer, ready to change the subject to something that was a little more tame.

"Do you know where you want to go first? We could go for a walk down town, or I could take you to the beach..." He'd agreed to show Ricky around, and was looking forward to it.

Ricky looked up, sitting up straight and grinning. He was nervous, but it was hard to keep his friendly, rather upbeat personality chained for long. "Well, ah, I'm glad for that. I really look forward to knowing about you more." The place was getting familiar, and he was starting to map out the area despite having only been in town for the past week and a half. He'd met Javan the second day, but hadn't put much thought into the other man until they met a second time, and actually had a conversation, and after that, exchange numbers. Ricky hadn't come here to get involved with someone else, not so fast, but it felt almost necessary to not ignore this chance to get to know someone new. And no doubt better.

Looking out the window, Ricky shrugged, then turned back to Javan. "Well, I've actually been looking at some maps of the town, and I noticed you can go through downtown on foot to get to the beach, so why not do both? I mean, I'm here for a long time, so I'd love to get to know the place like I'm getting to know the people..." He owned a successful restaurant where he lived, and had left a highly secure and trusted supervisor in charge while he took a very well-deserved break from the reality of a land-locked town full of frustrating memories.