Third Person's POV.
The store was quiet, bathed in the late afternoon sun filtering through the front windows. Gemini was meticulously rearranging a shelf of new releases at the book section, lost in the familiar scent of ink and paper. He had just finished helping a student find a rare philosophy text when the front door swung open with a rush of cool, outside air, followed by a sudden burst of loud, male voices.
He looked up and froze, his hand hovering over a book spine. Walking into the store, sweating profusely and heading straight for the chilled drinks fridge, was Mark Sinclair, flanked by three other tall, athletically built guys. They were clearly fresh from a strenuous workout.
Seriously? Gemini thought, lowering his arm slowly.
Mark spotted him instantly, his face breaking into a wide, unapologetic grin. He pulled two bottles of Gatorade from the fridge.
"Well, well, well! Look who it is!" Mark exclaimed, approaching the checkout counter where Gemini was standing.
Gemini leaned against the register, crossing his arms and fixing Mark with a deeply suspicious look.
"Okay, look, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest with me. Are you stalking me?"
Mark laughed, a booming sound that made one of the guys at the fridge look over.
"Me? Stalking you? Why, Gemini, that's so flattering! But no. This is a pure, chance coincidence, again. We just finished basketball practice, and this is the only place on campus with decent sports drinks before you have to trek all the way to the student union."
"Chance meeting, huh?" one of Mark's teammates, a towering guy with intense focus, drawled, holding up a bottle of water for Gemini to scan.
As Gemini rang up the drinks, the third guy, who was leaning against the counter, suddenly focused entirely on Gemini. This guy was handsome, in a rugged, slightly chaotic way, and he had a loose, easy charm.
"Hey, man, Mark's right. Pure chance. But, wow," the guy said, his voice dropping slightly. He fixed his gaze on Gemini, a fascinated expression spreading across his face. "I have to say, your eyes are insane. Like, actually mesmerizing. What color is that? Sea blue? Turquoise? It's like they change with the light."
Gemini couldn't help but blushed slightly, a familiar reaction he tried to suppress. It happened often, but it was always awkward.
"Uh, thanks. They're just…eyes."
"No, they're really not 'just eyes'," the guy insisted, leaning a little closer. He held out a hand. "Hi! I'm Levi. And I would love to have your number. We should definitely grab coffee when you're not guarding the store."
Before Gemini could formulate a polite refusal or even a surprised acceptance, Mark slammed his open palm onto the counter between them.
"Nope! Absolutely not. This is not happening. Hands off, Levi," Mark said, his tone instantly becoming sharp and protective. He jabbed a finger in Levi's direction. "You are not touching this one, you hoe."
Levi's stumbled back, looking genuinely surprised. "Whoa, dude! Chill out! What's your problem? I'm just trying to make a new friend!"
Mark's gaze was hard as he looked back at his teammate. "My problem is my cousin will skin you alive if you touch this kid. I'm serious. Percy is fiercely territorial, and I'm not dealing with the fallout of you trying to bone his…whatever this is."
Gemini stood there, his eyes wide, completely speechless at the sudden, intense shift in dynamic. His cousin? Why would Percy care about some guy trying to get his number?
Mark turned back to Gemini, his voice instantly softening. "Don't mind him, Gemini. Seriously. That guy is a literal man-hoe who would bone anything that breathes and has a pulse. He has zero filter, zero loyalty, and absolutely zero shame."
Levi threw his hands up in indignation. "Hey! I'm right here! That is highly slanderous!"
"And highly accurate," Mark shot back dismissively. He then pushed a cold drink across the counter toward Gemini. "Here. On me. Sorry for the display of trash teammate behavior. I'll see you around."
Mark gathered his drinks and, with a final warning look at Levi, ushered his teammates toward the door.
Levi, however, couldn't resist a final word. He caught Gemini's eye and winked. "It was nice meeting you, cutie. Don't worry, I won't forget those beautiful eyes!"
As the door closed behind the loud group, silence rushed back into the store. Gemini finally let out the breath he'd been holding, staring at the condensation forming on the cold drink Mark had given him.
Percy is fiercely territorial…Mark's words echoed in his mind, leaving him far more confused than he was by the new laptop.