Then I Met You | Mat Barzal

The First Date

Mat's nervous.

Not in the way he was when he performed his new song. Not in the way he feels when he's about to go on a first date even - because it feels bigger than that somehow. Usually, before a date, he's not too afraid of fucking things up, because he knows it's not the end of the world if it doesn't work out. But now, for some reason, he knows that if he doesn't do it right, he'll be missing out on something big - something important.

He's been down in the café for half an hour already and it's still another half hour until you'd agreed to meet. Every time the bell over the door rings he turns his head to check if it's you, but there's no way you'd show up so early. Lucy doesn't know whether to laugh at him or to pat him on the shoulder, she's never seen him so nervous. Fidgeting with his fingers, asking her if he looks alright, trying to check his reflection in the shiny coffee machine across the bar.

He checks the time once more and sighs out, he swore time was moving slower. "Can you make that coffee now?" he asks Lucy again as if you'd magically appear in front of him when everything was ready.

He'd asked Lucy to make sure there were a couple of cinnamon buns left and he wanted you to have your favorite coffee ready for when you arrived. You'd told him you were studying today and guessed you'd be tired, so he just wanted things to be perfect.

"Mat," Lucy chuckles at him, and he raises his brow at her.

"You know if I make it now it'll be cold by the time-" her voice trails off as her eyes look behind him. "Never mind" she mumbles as she starts making the coffees with a smirk on her face - his eyebrows furrow in confusion. That is until he hears the bell above the door ring and he turns around to see you walk in.

You were early, maybe even embarrassingly so.

You'd gotten ready as soon as you got back from the library and you simply couldn't wait any longer. You'd tried to sit down on the couch next to Olivia, but you kept checking the time, fidgeting around, and sighing out loud - "Just go" she had laughed at you.

So 20 minutes before you'd agreed to meet up you walk into the café, hoping to grab a coffee before Mat shows up to wake yourself up a little. Only to see him already sitting by the bar, his head turning as he hears you enter.

"Hey," he shoots up from his seat, a nervous smile on his face matching your own.

"Hi" you breathe out, relieved to be out of the cold and happily surprised that he's already there.

"You're early," he thinks out loud, his eyes drifting over your face, trying to memorize your features now that he's seeing you in the daylight. Without a second thought, he greets you with a hug, and it's too short for your liking. You fight the urge to hold on, the brief whiff of his perfume intoxicates you and you want nothing more than to stay wrapped up in his warm embrace. You have to shake your head to rid yourself of your thoughts, you'd only just met this man and you already felt butterflies going wild in your stomach just looking at him, surely that couldn't be normal.

"So are you" you point out with a small laugh - looking at him just in time to see him blush. "I uh- I live close by" he scratches the back of his neck and Lucy scoffs with a playful roll of her eyes. He glances over at her, with a warning glare, though just as playful as her eye-roll. She slides over your coffees, giving you a warm smile as Mat takes them and walks over to a table with two very comfortable looking chairs.

"I live right upstairs, actually" he motions his head to the ceiling. He gently sets your cups down as you both take a seat at table 13.

"So you're here often, then" you smile.