Chapter 293: Familiar Grounds

Definitely.

Unfortunately for him and for most people, hindsight really was 20/20.

Riley Hale actually survived getting into the coffee shop.

He had braced himself for the worst as he stepped out of the vehicle, heart thudding, attention locked tight around his core. But to his surprise, it wasn’t nearly as bad as he had imagined.

But full disclaimer, it probably had less to do with his improvement and more to do with the fact that the café he chose was in an area not as frequently visited by all sorts of magical beings.

After all, most of the patrons were people affiliated with the university. If it was like before, the café would likely be home to the same faces at least for the duration of their studies.

Same time, probably the same drinks, all while staying for the same predictable hours every week. And the mana traces he could feel seemed to align with that.

Phew!

Riley let out a slow breath he had not realized he was holding.

His relief must have been obvious, because Kael glanced questioningly at him through the cap and mask he had been forced to wear.

Apparently the dragon lord didn’t want to use glamour. If Riley was going without then there was no way he would use a different face while standing next to him.

What if people think he’s got another mate?

Yep. They really had that conversation.

Therefore, as a compromise they decided to just go with simple hats, casual clothing—or as casual as Kael’s wardrobe could tolerate—and those face masks commonly worn.

Not that it did anything to hide the dragon lord’s commanding presence and eye-catching build, but surely it would help with all the wandering eyes, right?

Kael tilted his head slightly still waiting for an explanation.

Riley shook his head. “Not as bad as I thought. Actually,” he paused, considering it carefully, “more than the circulation, I’m surprised by the sudden stimuli.”

And that was the truth.

Being outside the estate made it painfully clear just how warded that place had been.

Human Riley would have once called this café peaceful. Ideal, even. A perfect spot for studying because most people were either reviewing, discussing matters with other students or simply enjoying their drinks. Overall, it would have been a great ambiance for productivity!

But Riley, who believe it or not, was now a black dragon, couldn’t possibly categorize the place as peaceful anymore.

Not when he could hear everything.

The tapping of keyboards. Phone vibrations. The steady whirr of machines behind the counter. The scrape of chairs. The shuffle of paper. Beans being ground.

And gods help him.

The slurping.

Wow.

Thankfully, he learned how to control the amount of incoming stimuli before he decided to do something as crazy as going out. Otherwise, he was fairly sure his ears would have started bleeding out of pure spite.

“But I’m good,” Riley said, taking another sip of his drink. “At least, I think I am. And the iced coffee still tastes the same.”

Kael glanced at the cup. “The same?”

“Yeah.” Riley chuckled softly. “I used to come here a lot back when I was still studying. Unsurprisingly, it looks exactly the same as it did years ago. I think the menu board just changed a bit.”

He looked toward the counter as he said it, eyes tracing the familiar layout.

Kael followed his gaze. “Why here?”

Riley smiled faintly. “Familiarity.”

He shrugged. “I figured it would be easier to control things if I started somewhere I already knew. Fewer variables.”

“No need to worry about directions, what to order, and finding things like the bathroom.”

“Then again,” he admitted, lips twitching, “it might just be nostalgia. Or maybe I’m just craving café drinks. It’s been a while since I’ve had one.”

Which, when he thought about it, was impressive.

He used to live on coffee.

“Oh there it is!” Riley had been eyeing the counter for a particular reason. He did set out his laptop for their promised research, but hadn’t started because he was hoping to get the timing right. And just as expected, it was still around this time.

Kael blinked. “What?”

“Cake pops.” Riley was already half standing. “I was hoping to buy some so you could taste them. And I’ll probably go buy some for the others too!”

__

Riley stood by the counter, eyes fixed on the newly replenished display case.

Rows of cake pops sat neatly arranged, colors brighter than he remembered, shapes more varied, and judging by the labels, flavors far more unhinged than they used to be.

But despite everything, his gaze locked onto one in particular.

“Oh wow,” he murmured without thinking.

“—matcha strawberry swirl, please!”

The voice came at the exact same time as his.

Perfectly in sync.

Riley froze.

He blinked, then slowly turned his head.

The woman beside him did the same.

They stared at each other.

For a second too long.

Then her eyes widened.

“…Riley?”

“Huh?” The guy who was indeed named Riley blinked again, genuinely thrown off.

Her face lit up. “Oh my god. Riley! It really is you!”

He stiffened, remembering his disguise. “It is?”

“It’s me,” she said quickly, laughing. “Aya! You little shit!”

The confused man frowned slightly, scanning her face for traces of the person he knew as Aya.

Seeing his confusion, the woman reached up and gathered her hair back, mimicking the old habit she had back when she was constantly pushing her glasses up her nose.

“I got my eyes fixed,” she said proudly. “No more glasses.”

“Oh.”

Oh.

“Oh!” Riley’s eyes widened. “Aya?!”

She grinned. “There it is.”

“What the hell,” he laughed, incredulous. “I didn’t recognize you at all! You actually went through with the procedure!”

“Of course I did,” she said smugly. “I swore I would. But excuse you.” She pointed at him. “If anyone here is surprising, it’s you.”

“Me?”

“Sure, you used to dress like that, but in the last how many years, we’ve only seen glimpses of you in suits. Worse, they’re all news sightings!” she whispered despite the exclamation.

“I wouldn’t have recognized you, if not for your voice and order.” Aya said frankly, squinting at him.

“My order?”

“Yes,” she said, laughing. “You always get the same thing. Years later and it hasn’t changed. It was way too familiar not to catch my attention.”

Riley rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I know, I know!”

They were just about to talk more when the employee behind the counter cleared their throat.

“Ma’am. Sir. Any other orders?”

The predictable dragon gestured politely. “Go ahead.”

Aya raised a brow. “Wow. Still a gentleman.”

“Haha! You wish! I was actually hoping to buy the remaining cake pops,” Riley admitted cheekily.

The employee froze.

Aya slowly turned to him. “…All of them?”

“Yep.”

Riley scratched his cheek, already feeling slightly ridiculous. But honestly, with the kids back home and their whiny bottomless stomachs, if he didn’t buy everything now, he was fairly sure he would hear about it for days. Days! Also, it had been a long-time since he had eaten these.

So really, just this once!

Aya burst out laughing. “Thank goodness I didn’t offer to pay. I was about to treat you since it’s been ages, but absolutely not. I’m living on a TA’s budget.”

She shook her head, still smiling. “Man, how intense is this craving?”

Riley laughed weakly. “More than you know.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Aha. Who’s the lucky one?”

“The lucky one?”

“Come on,” Aya said knowingly. “Like I don’t know about your three pops limit! Also, casual clothes and you going all the way here to buy everything? Something’s got to give for you to do all that!”

“So come on! Even a hint would do!”

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