"I'm only here to establish an alibi." A voice said from behind Alec. He quickly took the empty seat next to Alec in the cafe. His hair was black, with pink peeking through the effortless waves he'd mastered. His clothing choices were bold, and he was wearing quite possibly the tightest jeans Alec had ever seen on another man. A burgundy button down shirt hugged all the right spots of his chest and shoulders. The top three buttons were undone, leaving a sliver of his tan skin exposed that had Alec in a daze. A few more moments passed before realizing the man was actually speaking to him.
Alec set his book down, puzzled. He looked at the man with an eyebrow raised waiting for a more elaborate excuse for the stranger who just occupied Isabelle's seat. She was still in line waiting for her coffee.
"I may have a potentially overbearing ex-girlfriend who has been following me for six blocks until I poked my head inside this lovely little cafe and took a seat next to you. It might just be my lucky day" The man winked. Alec noticed the man's eyes when he got a closer look at his unique features. In contrast to his kind and deep brown eyes, was a line of gold glitter sweeping just beneath his bottom lashes. The man noticed Alec staring, causing him to quickly avert his eyes. They landed on the cup of coffee in front of him. After a moment, he looked back incredulously at the stranger who decided to take up real estate beside him.
"Magnus Bane." His voice sounded melodic almost, Alec thought. "And who might you be?" Magnus asked, eagerly waiting. Alec had gotten lost somewhere along the way of visually exploring Magnus. He had rings adorning nearly every finger, and his fingernails were painted a matte black. He had a way about him that just seemed so enticing. It pulled him in and left him strangely wanting more.
Without even thinking, he gestured his hand out for Magnus to shake. "Alec Lightwood." Alec remained composed yet skeptical. But, something about Magnus was magnetic, Alec thought. Maybe it was his whimsical personality. Or maybe it was his tight jeans. Still, Alec kept his metaphorical walls firmly planted.
"We're going to have to do a lot better than a handshake if you're my date." Magnus said quickly. Alec's eyes grew wide at this. He was nervous now, and tried to casually wipe his now sweaty palms on his pants without Magnus noticing.
Growing impatient with Isabelle, he wondered what had her taking so long as he frantically scoped the cafe for her. He saw she was leaned over the counter flirting with the barista. Of course, he thought. She was exactly Isabelle's type: redhead, fair skin, and kind eyes. She was going to be there a while.
Realizing Isabelle wasn't going to be able to bail him out of this, he returned his attention to Magnus. "Excuse me?" Alec replied aggressively, thinking Magnus' requests were too bold. After saying it, he regretted it. He realized he wasn't sure what he wanted.
Magnus' seemed shocked at Alec's sudden change in tone. He paused and focused on Alec, and with a look, pleaded for Alec's understanding. "Look, any moment, she will find me here. My hope is that she walks in… to find me sitting next to a beautiful man completely enraptured by his presence." He then smiled, hoping this would soften the mood again. It had. Alec looked away again, his cheeks burning. He kept telling himself to keep it together. Alec felt conflicted and unsure how to handle the unique circumstances of this situation. On one hand, he didn't know Magnus and didn't owe him anything. On the other, Alec felt strangely compelled by this mysterious man. Something told him he could trust him. Maybe that made him want to help him.
Magnus continued, "I also may have told her I couldn't come to her apartment to talk today about whatever peace she needed to speak about regarding our relationship, because I had a date with my new love. I'd rather not spend today being held hostage on the Upper East Side. She's a bit of a loose cannon…so, when I noticed her trailing me down the street in Brooklyn of all places, I knew I had to think fast and find a date." His focus broke from Alec for just a moment. Magnus began to laugh for appearances as he stealthily looked around for the mystery woman. He then returned his attention to Alec.
"Can I just say that I'm so glad it was you, Alexander, that I get to call my fake boyfriend. Even just for a moment." Magnus said in a low voice, leaning forward and placing a hand over Alec's on the table. No one ever called Alec by his full name, but somehow it didn't bother him that Magnus did. He liked the way it sounded coming from Magnus' lips. Alec noticed the color of Magnus' eyes deepen, and with intention, they trailed down to Alec's lips and stayed there. Desire lived in Magnus' eyes. Just before Alec could be pulled in further, a woman walked into the cafe, stopped and stood at the entrance, immediately snapping him out of it. This must be her, Alec thought.
He thought again about the look he'd just seen in Magnus' eyes. Alec couldn't tell if it was for the sake of the mystery woman who was watching from afar now, or if it was real. Alec shook away the second thought.
Her heels clicked along the hardwood as she approached the table they were sitting at. Her brown hair sat in perfect waves along her shoulders, and she wore a tight black dress that laid snug against the curves of her body. She was beautiful, Alec had to admit.
"Magnus." The woman said his name like it was an accusation. Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were another story. Jealousy, perhaps.
"Camille, my dear. Fancy seeing you here." Magnus' tone was sarcastic and unmoved by her presence. His hand was still draped over Alec's.
"I'm so glad I ran into you. Do you think you could spare a moment or two to chat, my love?" Camille said, completely ignoring Alec. He sat awkwardly in the middle of Camille and Magnus as they stared at one another. Magnus ignored Camille's previous statement before continuing the conversation.
"Oh, how rude of me. Camille, this is Alexander Lightwood," Magnus' voice broke the silence. His hand gestured to Alec. "My boyfriend," he finished. Magnus looked at Alec longingly, leaving Alec even more confused than before. It's not real, Alec reminded himself.
Her eyes flitted to Alec's, thus acknowledging his presence. "Boyfriend?" her expression implied she seemed to have trouble processing the fact that Magnus may have moved on. Had she just thought of a thousand different ways she could kill Alec while he sat there in his seat? Magnus must have noticed, and gave a gentle squeeze to Alec's hand. It sent a shiver throughout Alec's body. It was unexpected. Alec met Magnus' eyes that were filled with worry.
"Ah yes, the boyfriend. I remember you mentioning this minute detail the last time we spoke." She cast her eyes on Alec. "As he lives and breathes," Camille responded. "What an absolute pleasure," she finished, reluctantly reaching her hand to shake Alec's.
Such a lovely woman, Alec rolled his eyes unintentionally. His instincts told him something about Camille was off, and he suddenly grew protective. His hands didn't leave Magnus'.
"Look, if you're here to interrupt the afternoon I had planned for Magnus and I, at least make it quick." Alec glared at Camille. Magnus' eyes briefly revealed shock, but vanished just as fast as it appeared.
Camille's mouth parted slightly, but no words came out. She seemed surprised that Alec had a voice considering he'd been silent up until this moment.
"So, if that's all then, we'll be going since you surely came here for the coffee." Alec rose up without breaking contact with Camille's eyes. "I highly recommend their dark roast. Just the right amount of bitterness." Alec finished, his eyes were cold. He led the way out of the cafe, Magnus' hand still wrapped in his. As they made it out and further down the sidewalk, Alec broke contact with Magnus. They stood there in silence for a few moments.
"I believe after going above and beyond any expectations I could have ever had for a fake boyfriend, I owed you. I surely hope you allow me to make it up to you for this." Magnus stared intently at Alec. Alec leaned against the building, looking down at his feet.
"You don't have to owe me anything. She seemed like bad news, so I did it to get both of us away from that situation." Alec laughed. "She seems…quite possessive. You did say ex-girlfriend, right?" Alec raised an eyebrow.
"Emphasis on the ex." Magnus replied. "Please, I insist. At least let me buy you a drink." Magnus smiled as Alec made eye contact. "I was so hoping to take you out on a real date, so you could tell me all about the fake date you said planned for us." Magnus smiled, searching Alec's eyes for any reveal of what he might be thinking.
Alec's skin burned beneath his cheeks. "That sounds like fun, but you might have to get me drunk before I reveal anything so secretive." Alec joked.
"Oh Alexander, I can make that happen. I'm very good at getting information." Magnus gave a devilish smile as he scanned Alec's body. Alec paused for a moment before pushing himself off of the wall he was leaning against. He walked up to Magnus, nearly closing the gap between them.
"Apparently you are." Alec said has he reached in his jacket pocket for his pen and an old receipt. He wrote something down and passed it to Magnus. "I guess I'll be seeing you soon, then." Alec held Magnus' eyes for a moment, before making his way back down the sidewalk into the cafe again. Through the window, Magnus could see he joined a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and eyes just like Alec's.
Magnus looked back down at the receipt Alec gave him. His phone number scrawled along the top, with "Alexander Lightwood," written below it. As if Magnus would forget his name.