From My Mouth to Yours (4/6)

*

When Adam entered the coffee shop, he immediately looked for Kris, who seemed to be absent. He had never been to this café yet, but it was really cute in the way it was set up. Unlike many of the other coffee places, this one seemed very open, with plenty of windows and space around the tables. Taking in his surroundings, Adam noticed a petite blonde typing on her laptop on the left side of the café; across from her was a rather tall brunette, seemingly very interested in the book she was reading. On the other side of the café was a group of four men, who Adam would normally peg as cute, but they were all wearing rather dark, dull clothing. Not that Adam minded dark clothing, but there was just something off about theirs. And he was never into the whole wearing-sunglasses-indoors thing, either.

Shrugging off the weird feeling, Adam went up to the counter, where a man with a dark green messenger hat stood ready to take his order.

“Hey there, I’m Matt Giraud! Welcome to the MG Café, what can I get you?” Adam couldn’t help but smile; this guy had so much energy!

“Hey, I’m Adam,” he introduced, shaking Matt’s hand. “I guess this is your café then? MG?”

Matt laughed and nodded. “Yep, this is my place. It’s not much, but it’s a lot of fun. What would you like?”

Adam stood back and glanced at the menu, feeling a little anxious as he waited for Kris. Adam Lambert did not get nervous. It was more like excitement. Anticipation, maybe. But it was not nerves. “Uhhh, I’ll get the…iced latte,” he finished lamely. Usually he would pick something more exciting, but it was hot outside, so that narrowed down the options significantly. He put the money on the counter as he turned to look out of the window, searching the parking lot.

Matt just smiled. “Coming right up, my man!” He started making Adam’s order, glancing back over his shoulder. “So, who are you meeting here?”

Adam practically jumped as his attention turned back toward the man making his drink. “What makes you think I’m meeting someone?” he asked, smiling sheepishly when Matt raised his eyebrows pointedly.

“Look, I definitely know when someone’s meeting someone. Is this like a first date kind of thing? You seem a little tense.”

Adam frowned. “I am not tense,” he insisted, crossing his arms. “And I’m meeting this guy I met yesterday at the grocery store…I told him 3:00.”

Matt looked down at his watch as he slid Adam’s coffee across the counter. “Well it’s five of, so he’s got time.” He leaned over the counter. “Who’s this lucky person? Maybe I know them!”

Adam laughed at the eagerness in Matt’s voice. He casually brought his hand through his hair. “His name is Kris Allen.”

Matt slapped his hand down on the counter, making Adam’s eyes widen. This guy was unpredictable. “No way!” he exclaimed, and Adam cocked his head, hoping for some sort of explanation. Matt obliged. “That little guy, he comes in here all the time. Well not all the time, he used to come in a lot more before the accident or whatever, but he’s the sweetest thing! This is so exciting!” Matt rubbed Adam’s shoulder playfully, laughing. “I can’t wait. I mean I’m not going to intrude on your coffee date or whatever, but this is good. He definitely needs someone.”

Matt was unaware of the fact that Adam had stopped listening to him after the word “accident.” What accident? Sure, he had just met Kris yesterday, but the idea of him being involved in any type of accident wasn’t exactly reassuring. Adam felt connected to Kris, even after a day, and thinking of Kris being in trouble made his stomach churn. He opened his mouth to ask Matt about what had happened, but thought better of it. If he was going to find out, it would be from Kris, and it would be when Kris wanted to talk about it.

At that moment, the chimes went off as Kris walked through the door, beaming as he saw Adam standing at the counter. He walked up to him rather quickly, and Adam couldn’t decide whether they were going to greet with a hug or just some kind of handshake. Kris went in for the hug though, and Adam took in a deep breath as Kris’ head rested against his shoulder. His scent was sweet, a mixture of coconut and vanilla, and Adam once again noticed how right he felt with Kris. When they pulled away, Kris looked up at Adam with a slight blush before turning to Matt. Adam noticed the rather intense-looking purple bump on Kris' head, but decided to save the questioning on that for later. He didn't want to embarrass the guy.

“Hey there Kris, how’s it going?” Matt asked, grabbing Kris’ hand and shaking it firmly. “What can I get for you?”

Kris seemed to ponder the question momentarily before pulling out his notepad and scribbling something down. Surprise me! he wrote, handing the paper to Matt.

Adam laughed. “That’s probably what I should’ve done, too!” Kris put a five dollar bill down on the counter and led Adam to a nearby table. When they sat down, Adam leaned back in his chair.

“So Kris, what’s been going on? I was really glad you were able to make it today. Sorry it was kind of short notice, but when I realized I didn’t have any plans for today, you were the first person I thought of.” Adam took in the way Kris’ brown eyes lit up, and he loved it. The shorter man began writing a reply, handing the paper over to Adam after a minute.

Really? Thanks! I was really excited to get out too. I didn’t have any plans either and I’m sure I would’ve just been bored stuck at my house. Probably watching reruns of Dharma and Greg or something.Adam chuckled, shaking his head and muttering, “Oh, you’re cute,” before he had realized he said it aloud. When he did realize it, he felt seized with fear, as if he had moved too fast. Maybe Adam Lambert did get nervous. Carefully, he looked back to Kris, who was staring at him biting his lip.

That fucking lip, Adam thought, distracted for a second by Kris’ perfectly shaped mouth. When he finally remembered why he was nervous, Kris was already writing again on his notepad. Matt came by casually and set Kris’ drink down on the table before slipping away again.

Adam read the note Kris handed to him. You really think so? Adam let out a breath, another smile appearing on his face. His eyes met Kris’, which appeared to be searching for some sort of verification. He really didn’t know? “Absolutely,” Adam answered, his voice slightly rougher than normal. He noticed Kris absently rubbing at the back of his neck, a nervous habit that Adam had picked up on already. He cleared his throat and decided to change the subject. “So I was thinking about seeing that new Meryl Streep movie that’s coming out, I forget the title of it…but I don’t know if I really want to. You see I have this free movie ticket, and I really want to see whatever I use it on, you know? What do you think?”

Kris was writing a reply before the question had been finished, and slid the paper back to Adam. I think you’re cute too.

Adam laughed freely this time, both because of relief that Kris wasn’t weirded out by him and because the guy decided to completely ignore his impromptu question. “Well, thank you very much, Kris. I’m flattered.” He heard a grunt from behind him, and Kris’ eyes darted over Adam’s shoulder. Adam ignored it, knowing the four dark-clothed guys were sitting at the table behind him. Frankly, he couldn’t care less about what they were thinking.

Kris, however, could. His eyebrows were knotted together and Adam noticed the different emotions in his eyes. Hurt, confusion, and -- what made Adam the most unhappy -- reservation. The same reservation that he saw in Kris’ eyes at the grocery store. If there was one thing Adam had learned throughout his life, it was to not censor yourself or sacrifice your personality because of others.

Adam leaned forward again. “Hey,” he sad softly, pulling Kris’ attention back to him. “Hey, don’t worry about them. If they want to be douche bags, then let them. It doesn’t matter.” Kris’ eyes kept going from Adam to the group, apparently unsure of what to do. Adam still refused to acknowledge their presence, only assuming that they were still giving an attitude by the way Kris kept watching them. Kris grabbed the paper again.

I’m sorry, but can we leave? We can go to your place, or my apartment or something. Adam read the note and immediately agreed. “Of course we can. Grab your drink, we’ll just head to my place, it’s not far.”

Kris let a small, crooked smile appear on his face, signing a thank you to Adam, who pulled Kris in for a sideways hug.

“It’s no problem,” he assured, following Kris towards the door. He turned behind him to catch Matt waving. “See you later, man! It was nice to meet you,” he called.

“Likewise!” Matt responded, wiping down the countertop.

When Adam and Kris had reached the parking lot, Adam started to give Kris a general description of where he lived. If they were going to become separated in traffic, he didn’t want Kris to go through hell to find him again. In the middle of his directions, he saw Kris’ eyes widen, and the smaller man pulled on Adam’s sleeve. Adam turned around in the direction Kris was staring, seeing the four men from the café walking towards them.