Kala thinks a lot about the piece of unsolicited advice Nomi had given her that week: to not care so much about what other people think and to just live her life the way she wants. It's perceptive enough that it makes her wonder just how much of her life Nomi has seen (and she makes a mental note to tighten her privacy settings, even though she suspects Nomi could break through them in a matter of seconds). Ever since they were young, her sister's always told her that she's too sensitive, too much of a people pleaser, constantly going out of her way to make other people happy, even if it inconveniences her. She's always hated hearing it, always bit her lip and shrugged it off, but deep down, part of her recognises that it's probably not entirely wrong. Accepting a university offer all the way in America was one of the first decisions she had ever made solely for herself, but even then, she's not completely sure if she would have actually packed her bags and gotten on a plane if it wasn't for Rajan.

When her parents had first realised that she had applied to study abroad and then received an offer, they had been absolutely devastated; devastated enough that Kala didn't sleep for days, staring blankly at the ceiling for hours on end as she tried desperately to figure out what the best thing to do was. She wanted to go to San Francisco – the medicinal chemistry program there was excellent – but she also didn't want to hurt them.

"You should go," Rajan had told her firmly, when she had voiced all these conflicting thoughts to him. At this point in time, he was still just a friend, though she was already beginning to suspect that he was so patient with her, so kind, because he had feelings for her – or, at least, that is what her sister told her in between giggling unsubtly at them.

"But my parents…"

Rajan just smiled, shook his head. "It's a great opportunity, Kala," he had said, and he sounded so confident and sure about it that it made her nod along as well. "They'll understand."

It took six days before she finally managed to summon the courage to let her parents know her decision (Rajan had accompanied her for support, even though she hadn't explicitly asked him to), six weeks before Rajan had asked her out, and six months before she got on a plane and left for San Francisco. She's always cared a lot for Rajan – he's always been so good to her, with her), but she's also very aware that his feelings for her are much greater than hers are for him. He tells her constantly that he'd do anything for her – the love of his life – and whilst she feels immensely guilty for even thinking it, she's not entirely sure she would do the same for him. He makes her happy enough though and her parents approve of him wholeheartedly (she doesn't think she's ever seen them happier than the day she told them that she'd agreed to start dating Rajan), and she thinks that's enough.

…Except now they're on two separate continents and they rarely speak and she's not really sure where they stand anymore—

"—Kala?"

She blinks, then smiles softly, as she sees one of her favourite people standing in front of her, beaming at her as he always does. From what she has gathered from his stories, Capheus has been coming to the coffee shop ever since it opened. He never orders anything though, claiming that he can't afford to buy a beverage every day; instead, he just stops by every morning to talk to her and watch people get on with their lives. ("People are so interesting," he had mused to her one day, grinning as he stared out of the window, watching complete strangers file into the shop. "Don't you think?") Kala doesn't mind; if anything, having him around helps her get on with her job, his eternal optimism never failing to take her mind off looming deadlines and exam-related stress.

"Kala, are you okay?" Capheus is looking at her, his smile faltering slightly as he studies her expression.

"I'm fine," she tells him, giving him a reassuring look, "I promise."

Capheus nods, then tilts his head, shooting her a curious look. "Are you sure?" He starts, almost a little hesitant, "because I was in here after work the other day and Lito told me that there was some sort of commotion. He said coffees were thrown around and everything!"

She blinks.

"Lito needs to stop talking," she tells him, with a sigh, though it's not without affection.

"Yes, he probably should," a voice replies, except the voice is not Capheus', but Wolfgang's. Kala twists to see him standing at the counter as well, his expression unreadable, dressed head-to-toe in black as always. She offers him a soft smile in greeting, though his mere presence makes her heart beat a touch faster. She's just…not quite able to figure out what his motives for being here are. His very loud, brash friend had hinted that he had wanted to ask her out and he had seemed to want to in that moment (she's pretty sure she knows how his 'from the moment I saw you…' was going to end), but since then, he's been nothing but respectful – distant, even – simply coming into the shop every morning and asking for a black coffee. He always leaves looking like he wants to say something more, but he never does, just purses his lips and shakes his head at himself. (If she's honest, she's grateful for it; she's not exactly sure how she would react if he really did try to ask her out.)

"Isn't the weather amazing today?" Capheus asks him, oblivious to the silence that has fallen, shooting him that trademark smile of his, gesturing at the window with one hand.

Wolfgang raises an eyebrow, looks more than a little awkward, and Kala fights the urge to laugh at the expression on his face. She doesn't think she's ever seen anyone so clearly uncomfortable about engaging in small talk.

"Uh, sure," he replies eventually, when it becomes clear that Capheus is waiting for an actual, vocalised answer from him.

Capheus grins at him in response, then starts asking him about his life, what he does, and everything in between ("Your accent: it's German, right? You're from Germany? Whereabouts? What are you doing all the way here in San Francisco? What's Germany like? I've always wanted to go!") Wolfgang just stares back at him, brow furrowing slightly, looking more and more uncomfortable by the second as Capheus' barrage of questions continues. Kala can't help but laugh out loud at this, but decides to rescue him; if only because Capheus' one-sided interrogation is making herdizzy as she struggles to keep up.

"Capheus, let him breathe," she tells him gently, giving him a kind smile. Capheus has the grace to look embarrassed, but then glances down at his watch and realises the time. "Oh, I have to go!" He tells Kala, though he's already halfway out of the door, "my bus isn't going to drive itself!"

She watches him leave fondly, before turning back to Wolfgang, her hands already moving to start making him his usual black coffee. She smiles a little as she notes that he's still looking shell-shocked, dazed even.

"So…you're from Germany?"

He nods, slowly, his eyes focusing onto her face again, gaze intense.

"Berlin."

Wolfgang's not a complete idiot: he knows that a girl like her would never – should never – go out with a guy like him, but it doesn't stop him from returning to the coffee shop day after day. Felix tells him that he's being fucking pathetic, rolls his eyes at him, and tells him to just man up and ask her for her number, boyfriend be damned. He doesn't though, manages to restrains himself from doing something he'll likely regret, especially since he's still got diamonds stashed away in the minibar and he knows for a fact that his uncle is coming after him for it. She's beautiful, and innocent, and everything that he wouldn't normally look for in a woman, but there's just something about her that makes him keep waking up at six o'clock in the morning and going to see her. He never says much to her, except for a simple 'hi' and 'thank you', but then he catches her one day when she's in the midst of chatting with a man...and then that man is talking to him as if they're the best of friends, and his resolve breaks.

"Are you a student here as well? At the university?" She asks him, once he's told her that yes, he is from Germany. He laughs at that thought, shakes his head.

"No," he tells her honestly, with a shrug, "I'm—I was never great at school. Always hated studying."

Kala frowns at that statement, looks as if she doesn't completely understand how that can even be possible, and he quickly realises why as she begins to talk again. She's smart, studying chemistry, and she starts rambling on about how she wants to work for a pharmaceutical company in the future and help discover new drug candidates for neurological disorders before he even has the chance to try to understand what the hell she is talking about. He doesn't interrupt her though, just lets her talk, if only because her voice is weirdly soothing and, well, he has nothing better to do. She realises he's not entirely keeping up about ten minutes into her monologue though, stopping abruptly as she eyes him, her forehead creasing slightly.

"I'm sorry," she tells him, cheeks flushing, shaking her head, then realises she's been holding his finished coffee in her hands whilst she's been talking and apologises again. "I tend to talk a lot."

He offers her a soft smile, shrugs. "It's okay, I don't mind," he says, as he gently takes the coffee from her, tugging it from her fingers; it's a bit lukewarm now, but he doesn't really care. If he's honest, he's never really given a damn about science (the little he understands about the world is already confusing enough), but she's clearly so passionate about it that it almost makes him want to reconsider his stance. She smiles at him in response – a genuine, wide smile – and he feels a pang in his chest because, damn it, she is so—

"—What are you doing in San Francisco then? Do you work here?" She asks him, interrupting his thought process.

He blinks, purses his lips, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. He's not sure what the best way to say I'm on the run from my uncle because I stole a bunch of diamonds is so instead, he settles for a vague "family business", gives her a dismissive shrug, and breathes an inward sigh of relief as she doesn't push it any further than that.

"Do you like it here?"

He shrugs again. "It's alright," he tells her, then adds honestly, "I haven't really had the chance to explore properly."

Kala gapes at him a bit at that, looking a touch horrified as she shakes her head at him, before starting to tell him about all the tourist attractions that he must go and visit when he has the time. He just smiles in response as he listens to her speak, but it comes out a bit tight, forced, because he knows that visiting a tourist attraction isn't exactly in the cards for him; probably will never be. He's not sure if she picks up on this, but if she does, she doesn't mention it, just continues talking at him.

When he finally drags himself away and makes it back to the hostel, he can tell that Felix is awake by the amount of rattling and cursing he can hear coming from the bathroom. Wolfgang sighs, already opening his mouth to tell him to shut up before he has even acknowledged his arrival, knowing what is about to come next.

"Wolfie, you're really fucked this time," Felix tells him, as he sticks his head out of the door, giving him an incredulous look; even if he wasn't still holding a (now-empty) coffee cup in his hand, he knows that Felix would have guessed exactly where he had been this morning immediately. "Why is it that half our troubles always seem to start with a pretty girl?"

Wolfgang purses his lips and doesn't reply; instead, he just twists around and swiftly throws the cup he's holding at his head, smirking as Felix yelps in response, quickly ducking. It misses him, but only just. He moves to the sofa, lying back on it, staring at the ceiling, doing his best to ignore the stream of very creative profanities now coming from Felix's mouth that are being aimed at him. Felix is right, he probably is fucked, but he thinks he'd probably be fucked even if he hadn't stumbled into the coffee shop that night and saved her from an asshole. He's not stupid; he knows that it's not going to take long before someone from Berlin finds them, but he hasn't quite figured out what to do about it yet.

"Wolfgang," Felix calls, his voice a little softer now as he reaches the sofa, reaching out and clapping him on the face. "What are we going to do?"

Wolfgang sighs, shrugs. "I don't know," he tells him bluntly, and it's enough for Felix to gape and stare at him in horror. He forces his eyes shut at that, feeling guilt pool up in his chest: Felix didn't ask for this; any of this. "I don't want to talk about it."

Felix is nothing if not persistent though and in the end, Felix manages to convince him that the solution is to go and find a nightclub, get wasted, and forget ("It's the answer to all life's problems," Felix proclaims, and he says it so conclusively that Wolfgang wants to believe him and he eventually agrees). He's pretty sure it's not the smartest move they've ever made, considering that they're supposed to be in hiding, but having a beer (or two, or three) sounds really attractive to him right now and Felix is clearly going a little stir-crazy at being cooped up for so long. The nearest club they manage to find to where they're staying is some sort of salsa bar, but it serves cheap drinks, it's full of people and the music is loud enough to stop them from getting lost in their own thoughts. They exchange glances, shrug at each other and decide to stay.

He's about halfway through his second beer, relishing the familiar taste in his mouth (it's not as good as German beer, of course, but it's better than nothing), silently listening to Felix trying to chat up the two girls standing next to them when he suddenly pauses, squints. He thinks he spots Lito in the crowd on the dancefloor – no, that's definitely Lito – and with Lito is a whole bunch of people, one of whom is Kala; he's not one to believe in fate but seriously? Felix tears his eyes away from the girls when he realises that Wolfgang's staring into space, rolling his eyes as he realises what he's looking at. He moves to shove him in their direction, but by this point Lito has already spotted him, bounding towards him energetically, arms outstretched.

"Wolfgang, hello!" Lito greets, as he reaches forward to clap him on the back. The man is clearly more than a little bit tipsy, but his grin is as welcoming as always; it makes Wolfgang smile despite himself, and he can't help but wonder what it's like to be so free. "Do you want a drink?" Lito asks him, then tilts his head, starts talking again before Wolfgang has a chance to open his mouth and refuse the offer. "I'll buy you a drink."

It's not long before he ends up with his half-finished beer still clasped in his left hand and a tequila shot courtesy of Lito pushed into his other hand. "Cheers, brother," Lito tells him, as he clinks the shot glass he's holding with his and then downs it, gesturing for him to do the same. Wolfgang shrugs, follows, eyes sliding shut momentarily as he tips it back. Once his glass is empty, Lito grabs him by the shoulder, attempting to push him towards the dancefloor; except the people there are dancing salsa and it's not really the type of dancing that Wolfgang really wants to engage in when he's still pretty damn sober. He resists the attempts, shakes his head, and Lito pouts at him but eventually lets it go, disappearing back into the crowd with a flourish, catching the eyes of most of the girls – and guys – in the room.

"He'll try again," a voice says to his left, and he turns to see Kala, smiling softly at him as she leans against the table. He swallows, forcing himself not to think too hard about the red dress she's wearing and the way she's looking at him. "You're not going to get away that easily." He frowns at her at that, and she just laughs. "Lito absolutely loves salsa," she tells him, with an affectionate smile, "and he's very convincing when he wants to be."

Wolfgang's not really sure how to respond, so he just shakes his head a little, takes another sip of his beer. They sit in silence for a few moments, before Kala pipes up again, shifting slightly, moving her weight from one foot to the other. "Can I get you something?" She asks, biting her lip, looking almost surprised at her own words. "Another beer?"

He gives her a smile at that, runs his hand over the neck of his bottle, forcing himself to focus on the coolness of the glass underneath his fingertips. "I think that should really be my line," he tells her after a beat, then notices that her own hands are empty and shoots her a questioning look. She shakes her head at his unspoken question, and he nods in response, tipping the rest of the beer smoothly down his throat. She's staring at him as he does it, he can feel it, her eyes warm and intense as they carefully track his movements, and suddenly—

"—I need to get some air," he says abruptly, standing up from his chair. He pauses then, hurriedly gets his next words out before he has a chance to take them back, feeling the alcohol in his veins starting to have some effect. "You're welcome to join me, if you want."

Kala glances at him, clearly surprised, but then her expression turns into a frown as she looks down at the table, suddenly unsure; hesitant. He's quick to realise what she must be thinking, especially since he can vaguely hear Felix hooting at him from across the room ("Get it, Wolfie!" He fights the urge to not turn around and tell him to fuck off, just because he knows it'd probably scare her off even more.) He takes a slow step forward, places his fingers under her chin and gently lifts her head up until he's meeting her gaze.

"I'm not going to try anything, I swear," he tells her honestly, and she bites her lip in response, her eyes wide. "I'm just getting some air."

She doesn't say anything, doesn't move, but he can tell that she's still uncomfortable, based on the way her fingers are suddenly distractedly thrumming against the surface of the table. He sighs a little, slowly removes his hands from her face, and turns to go without another word. He's not really sure why he's disappointed; if anything, he should be relieved that she didn't follow him - a complete stranger - out of the door because he has a habit of fucking things up and she doesn't deserve that—

"Wolfgang, wait," he hears, and then he turns to see Kala standing next to him, her usual soft smile slowly reappearing on her face as she looks up at him. He meets her eyes, eyebrow raised, and she shrugs casually, though he can sense that she's still a little nervous. "I'm pretty sure Lito would kill you if you tried anything," she says eventually, eyeing him up, "I think I'll be perfectly safe with you."

He closes his eyes at that, momentarily wishes he was a better man so that he could tell her not to follow him; but he's not. He just purses his lips, tenses his jaw, and holds the door open for her.