The snow fell lightly in the town of Peach Creek as none other than Kevin Barr trudged his way through inches of snow on the sidewalk. He had just started a new job at his old high school, Peach Creek High, as the Physical Education coach. As he trudged on he passed by a small coffee shop and decided to stop for a cup to wake him up.
The bell chimed as he entered the lovely little shop and he was greeted by a vaguely familiar gap toothed smiled and a friendly, "Good morning".
Kevin stopped in his tracks, looking the boy up and down his eyes were glued to the black beanie with two white strips on his head. "Double Dee? Is that you? Man, I haven't seen you in years!" Kevin said as he ran up to the counter.
"Kevin Barr! What on earth are you doing back here?" Edd replied with a smile. That same smile had Kevin hooked on the boy, now man, from his childhood.
"I, uh, I got a job at our old high school. I'm the new P.E. coach. The real question is what are you still doing here?" Kevin asked.
"Oh, well..." Double Dee started, but another customer entered the shop. "Excuse me Kevin, as I would love to catch up, I have customers and I assume you have work soon?" Edd said to him.
"Oh yeah! I came in for some coffee, it's pretty cold outside. Can I get a large cup of joe with sugar and almond milk?" Kevin ordered.
"I'm terribly sorry, but we don't have almond milk here, would regular milk be suitable?" Double Dee apologized.
"Well, do you have Lacto milk then? I'm, uh sorta lactose intolerant." Kevin said, an embarrassed blush creeping across his face as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Oh certainly! I'll get that right up for you Kev... I mean Kevin." Double said, the same blush starting to creep across his face. Kevin's heart fluttered at his old nickname.
He paid for his coffee, and was soon out the door. The gap toothed smile and beanie etched into his mind for the rest of the day.
As the weekend progressed, Kevin went into Edd's coffee shop every morning, making small talk and always asking for almond milk. It tasted way better than Lacto but he wasn't one to complain when it was Edd making it for him.
As Monday rolled around the following week, Kevin found himself once more inside the coffee shop. Edd was acting a little off, but Kevin just pushed it aside.
"So tell me, why are you stuck here in this dump? I thought you'd be some big shot doctor or something by now." Kevin asked as Edd prepared his coffee.
"Well Mother and Father only paid for me to obtain my bachelors degree. I plan on earning my masters next, so here I am paying off my student loans." Edd explained.
"Oh, I see, well why didn't you just get a job at the school? I bet they'd love for you to work there." Kevin asked.
"Well I applied, but my degree is in biology and they already have a biology teacher, who just so happens to have ten year, so he's not going anyway until he retires." Edd said, wanting Kevin go dropped the subject. He was soon finished making Kevin's coffee and handed it to him with a big blush across his face.
"Thanks Dee, I'll see you tomorrow, don't work too hard." Kevin said, winking at the boy and heading out of the shop. As he was just about to walked out of the door, he took a sip of his coffee and stopped. It tasted different today and the difference made him turn back to the counter.
"Hey Dee, my, uh coffee tastes different today. What'd you do to it?" He asked, hoping Edd hadn't forgotten he was lactose intolerant.
"Well you kept asking for almond milk, and we don't order special milk so last night I picked up some. To, uh use it for your coffee." Edd said, his whole face red.
"You didn't have to do that you know. I'm fine with settling for just plain Lacto." Kevin said, his heart fluttering once more. He couldn't explain it, but it was the same flutter he had when Edd had called him "Kev", and the same flutter he got all those years ago when they were in high school.
"But, I wanted to. I thought you would enjoy it, considering you have to deal with rowdy high schoolers all day." Edd said, not wanting to admit the real truth. Back in high school he had a huge crush on Kevin and seeing him again, made him think he might have another shot. But why would Kevin Barr want him?
"Dee, that's the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me." Kevin said. He wanted to jump over the counter and kiss him, but he wasn't sure how Edd would react. Was Edd even gay? Kevin was always one to take chances, and he decided to go for it. They were the only ones in the shop, so he would be too embarrassed if the boy rejected him.
"Hey Edd, Uhm can you come over here for a second?" Kevin asked, his voice cracking a little.
"Uh, sure Kevin." Edd said, a little confused. He came up to the counter closer to Kevin. His heart was racing.
"I hope you don't mind, but..." Kevin said as he reached over and grabbed Edd's face. He pulled him in, closer to his own and gave Edd a kiss filled with so much want, and longing, and love, he didn't know it was possible. Then before they knew it, the kiss was over.
"Kevin..." Edd tried to say, but Kevin put his hand over the boys mouth.
"Shhh, look I've liked you for a long time, and that was a thank you for the milk. I'm gonna go now, but, uhh, I'll be back tomorrow." Kevin said, winking at him, then walking out of the shop. Leaving Edd behind, confused and red faced the whole rest of his shift.