Impress Me Not: Insomniac Cafe

Chapter 36

"So, you took today off?" Mateo asked, sitting down in the seat right in front of him. "That's not like you at all."

"I'm surprised myself," Anton said. He had texted him spontaneously, before he could overthink and stop himself. He was a master at keeping himself away from things he wanted to do, which was why Melvin and Gabe were always pushing him to go out rather than stay in or work.

He wasn't entirely sure whether it was a good idea to take this guy up on his offer, but he decided that it would at least be something to get him out of the house on his days off. He had worked himself to the point of sleeping an entire day away. His father woke him up that day, worried that he had gone into a coma or something.

Another problem with having a family full of doctors. They always wind up thinking that something was wrong medically rather than him just really needing sleep.

The one place that not too many knew of was a restaurant called: The Lavender Hideaway. It was well known for its lavender bushes that hid it from the main roads. While the place was packed around dinner time, Anton enjoyed going there in the morning. It was really calm. And Anton liked calm when he wasn't working. It balanced out the chaos that his life had been.

"This is a really nice place," Mateo looked around. "I almost couldn't find it coming here. I thought the GPS was trying to send me to a dead end."

"It's only known with the locals," Anton told him. "Pete's the owner. He doesn't really have to get the word out of his place all too much, though."

"Why wouldn't he?" He gave him a curious look. "I would think that every restaurant should."

"When you already have two Michelin Stars, it's not really needed," Anton shrugged. "Pete's been enjoying just focusing on the quality of his food rather than all the marketing that others have to worry about."

"Wow," Those green eyes of his brightened as he heard that. "I didn't even know! This little downtown area holds a lot more secrets than I thought it would!"

"I didn't think you would find it that exciting," Anton couldn't help but smile at that. They got their order in as soon as the waiter came up to them. As soon as he left, the conversation picked right up where it left off.

"I knew there was a reason why I wanted you to recommend some places for me," Mateo winked at him. "You'll have to tell me all about this little city."

"There's not too many secrets in it," he rolled his eyes. "The true city isn't in the buildings anyway. It's more defined by the people who live here."

That was what made Anton fall for this city. When he first came, he didn't. He was bombarded with a bunch of crazy people that wanted to talk to him and possibly start some random fight. He had only come here because he wanted to see the other side of his family that he hadn't really met. That and his father had agreed to pay for his college. It was his way of trying to apologize for not being there for him most of his childhood.

"That's an interesting thought," Mateo leaned in. "Maybe we should start with you then."

"With me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What are you like?" He smiled, showing his pearly teeth. "I mean, I already know that you love coffee and working. But what are you when you aren't doing those things?"

"That's a pretty general question," he crossed his arms. "Is this an interview now?"

"I promise you, it isn't." Mateo laughed a little. He had a nice laugh when he wasn't trying to come off as some hot shot who could have whoever he wanted. "I'm not really sure where to start with this."