Caffe Latte (Love Like Coffee #1)
By Dee Aditya
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Ben has been crushing on Francisco ever since the gorgeous man transferred into his university. He's convinced himself that the Spanish Adonis wouldn't be interested in him at all. When they run into each other at the cafe Ben works at, it turns out that maybe Francisco is interested in him. But it seems Francisco's still in the closet...
Caffe Latte is the first in the Love Like Coffee series, and is a contemporary, new adult romance featuring a cute gamer geek, a hot mechanic with dimples of doom and a quirky little café.
Dee Aditya
Dee Aditya likes M/M, and loves romance, so that's what she writes. Her stories tend to be funny, sweet, angsty, cheesy, fluffy, or some combination of those.
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Caffe Latte (Love Like Coffee #1) - Dee Aditya
Caffe Latte
(Love Like Coffee #1)
Dee Aditya
Text Copyright 2015 Dee Aditya
Smashwords Edition
All Rights Reserved
Cover design by DecorousAnarchy Studios
Cover Photo by Breeana Dunbar on stocksnap.io (used under a CC0 licence)
License Notes
This ebook may be freely distributed, as long as the contents of the book remain unchanged. This ebook may not be sold or manipulated without the express written permission of the author.
Thank you.
Disclaimer & Warnings
This e-book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events or locales is coincidental.
This book is intended for adult audiences as it contains explicit sexual content.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Story Information
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
From the Author
About the author
Introduction
This book was written as a part of the Goodreads M/M Romance group’s event Don’t Read in the Closet, 2015 edition- Love is an Open Road.
Members were invited to choose a photo and write a letter asking for an M/M story inspired by the picture, and authors from the group were encouraged to choose a letter to write an original tale based on that
The prompt letter that inspired this story is included, along with a written description of the prompt picture.
I sincerely hope you enjoy this story.
Story Information
PHOTO DESCRIPTION:
A gorgeous man with black hair, thick eyebrows, and a seven o’clock shadow is looking out from the photo, amusement in his eyes. He has dimples, slight bunny teeth, and a teasing grin that stops your heart and makes you want to swoon and melt into a pile of goo.
STORY LETTER:
Dear Author,
Look at that smile. Isn’t he gorgeous? I’m so lucky I’ve managed to snap this picture. That’s the way he looks at me when we’re alone. When no one else can see.
But… and yes, isn’t there always a but? When anyone else is around, it’s a different story. He acts as if he doesn’t know me. He won’t look at me. He won’t even acknowledge I exist. And he sure doesn’t stick up for me when his mates talk trash.
I know I should walk away. I know I don’t deserve to be treated like this. Then he sneaks back in, making sure nobody has seen him and he’ll smile at me again just like that. How can I tell him to get lost? What do I do?
Sincerely,
Shaz
Acknowledgments
Shaz, thank you for this great prompt, even if it caused me to have spontaneous heart palpitations every time I looked at the photo.
Acerbus, I couldn’t have done this without you. You are the absolute best. Thank you for all your help in making this story better (because God knows I needed it, yeesh), and your patience with Ben and Francisco (and in turn, with me). Allow me to give you virtual hugs and coffers of gold, oh Mighty Nitpicker, Overlord of Little Details, ye of steady faith in me and my writing.
A big, big hug to Trace, who saved me at the last minute with her mad awesome beta reading and her helpful insights that I really needed. And for doing it so quickly when I asked out of the blue. God, you are the bestest ever.
And Elizabetta! Thank you so much for being the best editor, and later, the best beta reader. You got exactly what I wanted to do and you helped me do it better. You’re amazing!
A big hug and cookies to all of the DRitC volunteers and mods who gave me generous deadline extension on extension on extension and put so much effort into this whole thing. Special cookies to my editors who are brilliant and supportive and wonderful to work with. You guys are amazing.
PROLOGUE
The first time I set eyes on him, I was so blinded by his perfect grin that I walked straight into a table, bruised my hip, and spilled my latte all over myself.
The first time I heard his laughter across the dining hall, I stubbed my toe, nearly tripped, and spilled my latte all over myself.
The first time I saw him take off his shirt to reveal the tank top he was wearing, putting his glorious arms on display, I stumbled right into a wall, almost broke my nose, and guess what?
Yup, I spilled my latte all over myself.
See a pattern? I did, too. I might have been too awed by the gorgeous specimen of manly man that was Francisco Ibarra to notice much of anything that wasn’t him, but I did see what the pattern meant: that this man was a threat to my safety, both to my physical state and that of my clothes. But meh, who cared when you had a hot guy to look at and drool over from a safe distance? I certainly didn’t…
…Until the first time he looked back.
****
CHAPTER 1
Heyyy, Ben,
said Haylee, smiling too wide and slightly punching my shoulder. That was Haylee for you. No dainty gestures for her, nope.
I just gave her a suspicious look. Because Haylee didn’t smile like that. She twitched her lips now and then, sometimes she even curled her lips crookedly, but this toothpaste commercial act was just plain not done.
Are you all right?
I asked, squinting at her. Did you eat something? Some behavior-altering substances, maybe?
She huffed and punched me again in the same spot, glaring at me with this evil scowl. But at least she was back to normal.
You haven’t found any jobs this semester, right?
She plopped down beside me on our sofa and reached for the other half of my sandwich.
I carefully tore the crusts away before I gave it to her. No… Why?
She gave me a small smile (ah, much better) as she reached for it. Well, since I got the internship at Keller Design Co, I can’t work my evening shift at the café anymore, and they really need someone to fill that position. I thought, since you wanted a job, maybe you could take it?
She took a bite and chewed. I already told them about you, and they want you to come by. The job is pretty much yours if you want it, I think, thanks to my glowing recommendation.
Really?
I was surprised, but I really shouldn’t have been. Haylee was a fantastic best friend like that. When do they want me to meet them?
We can go tomorrow afternoon, maybe? You don’t have any classes, right? The sooner you can meet them, the better.
I had only morning classes tomorrow, so I would be free in the afternoon, but Francisco would be at the cafeteria for lunch…
I mentally slapped myself upside the head. Was I really going to put off a job prospect to ogle a guy who was barely aware of my existence?
Yeah, I can make it tomorrow. What time do I go?
She smiled at me in that crooked way she had, and I swear, her dark eyes gleamed. Meet me at the cafeteria for lunch. We can go after you’ve had your dose of Mr. Smiles-like-a-bullet-to-the-heart.
I rolled my eyes, but I could feel the blush crawling up my face anyway. I shoved the crusts in my mouth to keep from answering her.
Well, maybe I’d clutched at my heart like that when he smiled that sexy dimple-revealing smile for the first time (It was a reflexive action!), and maybe I’d made that pathetic whimper-keening noise (It was reflexive! Reflexive!) in front of Haylee, her boyfriend, and