Page 107 of Cream & Sugar

“So you don’t freeze again. I hope I got the size right,” I say as Freddie removes his raggedy bomber jacket. “I had to guess, but I thought the style would suit you. And it’s warm!”

Freddie slips the jacket on and examines his reflection in the window of a nearby jewellery shop. It fits him perfectly.

“What do you think? If you don’t like it, I have the receipt,” I reassure him, even though I think he looks amazing. The dark blue fabric perfectly complements his hair and eyes.

Freddie turns to face me.

“No one’s ever bought me something like this before.” Suddenly, I’m worried he hates it. Or maybe it’s too big a gesture for what is technically only our second date? Without warning, he leaps forward and wraps me up in a tight hug. I hug him back, his hair a soft blanket against my cheek as he whispers in my ear, “Thank you, Shaun. Thank you so much. I love it.”

We walk hand-in-hand along the esplanade, noses and cheeks made pink by the freezing wind. Freddie, the sweetheart that he is, won’t stop gushing about his new jacket.

“I still can’t believe you bought this for me!” Freddie wraps his arm around my bicep and kisses me on the cheek. “Although as gifts go, this might be too high a bar for me to match.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be getting socks for all future anniversaries,” I say as we reach the end of the sea wall and do an about turn.

“Anniversaries, eh?” Freddie winks at me. “Thinking that far ahead, are we?”

I pause to consider, but there’s no point denying it. “I guess I am.”

“Good,” Freddie squeezes my arm. “That’ll give me time to save up for something special for you.”

“There’s no need,” I reassure him. “You don’t owe me for the jacket. Maybe you can write a song for me or something, if you feel really bad.”

I laugh, but Freddie nods.

“Consider it done. Oh and FYI, Ilovenew socks.”

Arms linked, we retrace our steps until we’re a stone’s throw from the café. I’ve never really stopped to look at it from across the street. Even with the lights off, it looks so cosy and inviting. We stop to admire it.

“Look what you built,” says Freddie after a moment, his voice full of pride. He pulls me into his side by the hip. “You made this place, Shaun. How cool is that!”

“Pretty cool,” I concur. It’s true I don’t stop to appreciate it enough, but it really is a gorgeous little spot. All mine. All ours, really. There’s so much that Freddie’s brought to the place in such a short time. Anna, too. It’s as much theirs as it is mine. In spirit, at least.

Freddie hops in front of me and takes both my hands in his. He jerks his head in the café's direction.

“Shall we go inside?” he asks, putting on the same innocence he displayed back in the restaurant while he was feeling me up with his foot.

“Why?” I ask.

“It’s a secret.” His thumbs brush over the backs of my hands. He edges closer until mere inches separate us. “Can’t have you in charge of all the surprises tonight, can we?”

Before I can answer, Freddie lets go of me and bounds across the road. Mildly perplexed, I follow him, pulling my keys out of my pocket. The wind buffets us as I unlock the door, nipping at our heels with a bitter chill as we scurry inside.

Thankfully, the café is still toasty from the day shift. On instinct, I flick on the overhead lights. The sudden brightness kills my eyes so Iturn the dimmer switch down until the bulbs are at a low ember. Much better.

There’s a click from behind me and I turn to see Freddie locking the door behind us.

“Worried a customer’s going to walk in?” I ask as Freddie goes to the nearest window.

“Something like that.” He grabs hold of the blinds and lowers them all the way down. Then, he goes to the next window.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

The second set of blinds unspools.

“Well, I can’t have any passers-by seeing what we’re about to do.”

My eyes widen as the last set of blinds comes down. From the other side of the room, Freddie flashes me a devilish grin.