Quinn heard the bell ring as Patrick and Jordan left and turned to face Mr. Winters who was staring at Quinn in a rather peculiar way. It was similar to how he had stared at him when he had been pressuring him to answer him, but it didn't hurt to look away from him.
"The food I ordered for us has arrived. Shall we?" Quinn almost relaxed his shoulders. Mr. Winters, at the very least, wasn't going to question him at the threshold of the coffee shop. Quinn nodded, sighing and moved towards the table. He jerked when he felt the soft touch of the man's hand on his lower back again.
He hoped that Patrick hadn't hung around to watch him. There was a 50/50 chance that his younger cousin would do that. He was just as nosy as the rest of his family when it came to his love life, or lack thereof.
Mr. Winters kept up his behaviour, helping Quinn sit down at the table again while Quinn stared at all of the food that was ordered. Quinn's eyes grew wide in shock as the table which had been empty before was now covered in food and their two drinks.
Quinn hadn't even touched his, but now he had to eat? Quinn's stomach rolled. He really wasn't that hungry but he couldn't be rude to the man who was trying to make a good impression on him. At least he thought that was what was happening. He wasn't exactly sure, and with Patrick interrupting them he was even less certain of what the actual purpose of this meeting was.
"I ordered a little bit of everything. Feel free to eat whatever you'd like. Everything they make here is very delicious." Mr. Winters assured and Quinn looked up at him, met his gaze for a second and nodded, then stared down at the plates of food. At least the smells didn't make his stomach roll.
"That's…very kind of you." Quinn said, meaning it. Mr. Winters chuckled.
"Somehow, you don't sound like you mean that." He said, and when Quinn looked up, he was smiling again. Quinn wondered how many people fell for that look of his. The smiling, almost sweet look that he put on with ease. Quinn didn't doubt that some of it was true, no one could truly wear a mask that didn't fit them, but Quinn had also seen the cold look he'd given him only moments before.
"I do mean it." Quinn said. "I just haven't had much of an appetite today. That's not something you could have been aware of." Quinn gave him a weak smile before turning his gaze back towards the food. He swallowed.
"Hmm, that's true. Well, if you aren't going to take the first bite, is it okay if I do?" Mr. Winters asked.
Quinn nodded, raising his head to watch him grab his fork and stab it into a rather juicy-looking strawberry. He raised it to his lips, putting it in his mouth and chewing. Quinn watched as his eyes fluttered closed and he let out a low groan.
"I love the coating that they use for the berries. It's sweet and tart and really compliments the flakiness of the pastry." He murmured, his gaze soft as he stared at the tart. Quinn listened to him and watched him eat. It was a slow process as if he was savouring each bite. Quinn had never viewed how someone ate as sexual before, but Mr. Winters was able to do that easily.
Quinn felt himself grow hot and a little uncomfortable at the soft sounds the man was making and the way he savoured each bite. It was rather erotic and to push those thoughts from his mind, Quinn reached for the drink he'd been neglecting until now.
Slowly he raised the mug to his lips, sure that it was cool enough to sip it carefully. When the rich flavour hit his mouth, Quinn shivered. It was sweet and pepperminty, with a richness that chased away both bolder flavours. It rounded out perfectly and Quinn let out a soft, satisfied sigh.
He wasn't aware that the other man was watching him until Mr. Winters chuckled.
"Here I am, attempting to put on a show, while you are doing no such thing and yet you captivate me more than anyone else. You're a temptress, Mr. Rivers." Quinn nearly choked on his drink, putting the mug down carefully so that he didn't choke as he coughed. Mr. Winters was grinning when Quinn met his gaze.
"W-What? Pardon?" Quinn gasped, coughing. Mr. Winters chuckled.
"Don't play coy. I'm sure you understood exactly what I was doing, Mr. Rivers, or are you that oblivious?" He asked, his grey eyes narrowing. Quinn blushed.
"I, uh, just thought you were enjoying the food." Quinn mumbled. "I didn't realise, I wasn't certain that-ugh." Quinn covered his face with his hands and that was when Mr. Winters laughed again. Quinn felt a hand tug on his own, pulling him away from covering his face. Quinn didn't want to. His face was burning, his body fidgety. This was very embarrassing and Quinn wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.
"You're very fun to tease, Quinnie." Quinn wanted to die.
"Please don't call me that." Quinn begged. Mr. Winters squeezed the hand he held, his eyes bright and his smile wide.
"Why not? I think it's cute. It suits you." Mr. Winters argued. Quinn groaned.
"No, it doesn't. I'm not cute, Mr. Winters. You need to get your eyes checked." Quinn deadpanned and Mr. Winters laughed. Loudly.
"How are you going to sit there, half of your face covered, as red as a cherry tomato, your eyes watery like I'm making you cry and tell me that isn't cute? Do you need an eye exam?" Mr. Winters asked and Quinn sputtered.
He had nothing to say to that, and he knew it. Mr. Winters smiled, victorious, and Quinn wanted to get up and leave.
"You enjoy pestering others." Quinn muttered.
"Hmm? Oh yes, I do. I get quite a bit of pleasure out of it." Mr. Winters agreed with a cheeky grin. "Everyone has their own pastimes, and mine just so happens to be pestering those who give me good reactions. It's a blessing that you're one of them, Quinnie." He said. Quinn groaned.
"I'm going to shake Patrick when I see him next." Quinn grumbled, knowing that there was no other way he could argue against the man. He might as well just accept his fate at this point.
"Your cousin…he looks familiar. Have I seen him before? Does he go to parties?" Mr. Winters asked. Quinn felt his spine stiffen before he could stop himself. He knew that Quinn was here to speak to him about a sex party, so why would he phrase it like that? Patrick, in Quinn's eyes, looked barely legal when he was wrapped up in all of those damn winter jackets. His youngest cousin had a hard time with his circulation and that was due to the pheromone shot he was on.
Patrick put up with it because it was the only side effect he got and it let him live a normal life. Quinn didn't argue with him, just made sure he had a new, thick jacket every year for Christmas.
No, Mr. Winters was probably referring to the other, more normal parties. The ones that Noah and Michel attended.
"He might, but I'm not sure. No, you probably recognise him because he's a well-known athlete." Quinn said instead. Mr. Winters seemed surprised at that.
"What? What does he do?" He asked and Quinn felt a slow, satisfying smile touch his lips.
"He's very well known in judo. Has gone to the Olympics already. He's won gold." Quinn said, beaming. "When he was referring to his gym, that's what he was talking about. He's been doing judo ever since our grandpa got us all involved in sports as children. I never stuck by it, nor did his sister, but he stuck with it. Now the whole family is very proud of him." Quinn said.
Mr. Winters sat back in his chair, looking surprised, and impressed.
"That's wonderful. That probably means Dorian knows him. Huh." Mr. Winters nodded. "He's not single, is he?" Quinn bristled.
"Do not-" Mr. Winters raised a hand, chuckling.
"I would never think to seduce you after finding your cousin attractive. I'm not scum, Mr. Rivers. I was just thinking that it's a good thing he isn't. He's cute, but I agree with him. I think you both get it from your maternal line." He said, giving Quinn a smile that would probably blind others.
It was a miracle that Quinn grew up with Patrick, otherwise he probably would have been bewitched. It was a good thing that Michel wasn't as attractive as this man. If he had fallen for someone like him, things could have taken a turn for the worst.
"I, uh, see." Quinn muttered, flustered and unsure how to act. Mr. Winters laughed again, reaching out and taking Quinn's hand in his.
"Eat, please. I'm done teasing you for the minute and you look pale enough that I worry you'll faint on the way home. Are you not feeling well? You should have said something and we could have scheduled another date." Mr. Winters said and Quinn frowned.
"I didn't think that would make you view me in a good light if I asked for that, and I'm not ill enough that I would miss this." Quinn told him seriously. Mr. Winters stared at Quinn, his flushed cheeks and his red lips and let out a soft sigh of his own.
"Hmm. I can't say that I would view anyone else positively if they made me wait or changed the date on me the day of, but you are the exception, Mr. Rivers. I've already said that I knew of you in university, right? Well, you left quite the good impression on me then. I honestly just wanted to meet up with you to see how you've grown in the years I didn't see you, and to answer any questions you had for me." He said, smiling. Quinn narrowed his gaze.
"Then why did it feel like I was being interrogated?" Quinn asked and Mr. Winters grinned.
"Because I thought you'd like it if I was harsh and mysterious." Mr. Winters said, winking. "Did it work?" Quinn wanted to shake him too. "Forget all that. Eat. Please. Your skin tone is seriously making me nervous. I bet Noah is always feeding you when he's around you." Mr. Winters said and Quinn paused.
Noah…now that he thought about it, he was always feeding him something when he was around him. What was up with that?
From the confusion on Quin's face, Mr. Winters knew he was right. Slowly, he steered the conversation away from the reason they were there, instead talking about the industry he worked in and some of the funny stories he had. Quinn even offered some of his own. The tension between them dropped and Quinn finally relaxed.
If this was how things could be, maybe Quinn could be okay with this. Maybe he would be open to answering some of the questions that Quinn had.