Chapter 10: The Beginning of the End
The letter was short but to the point.
"Dear Stark, please accept my apologies for the way I acted last night. I came with the intent of a night as lovers and I left with anger in my heart. But I still want to try this. I believe we can make this work if only you'll give me a second chance to prove to you. So please meet me at the cafe Longstan on the corner of market and fifth on Saturday at 8 o' clock. Love Loki."
Tony didn't move, he didn't breath. Finally after re-reading the letter four times just to make sure he wasn't imagining things he got up and started pacing. His first reaction was anger. Tony thought they were done! They had said all that was to be said! He told Loki to either get with it or get out! And Loki had left. Tony wasn't going to do this whole living two lives thing! There was no way he was going to accept this invitation. He just couldn't.
"I'm going to take a very long shower." Tony muttered.
This was it Loki thought, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Would Stark show? He sat, wearing what he considered to be his most attractive clothes (couldn't hurt right?), tapping his foot impatiently. Loki chose a booth that had a clear view of the street right next to the window so he could be seen. But as 8:00 was drawing near he started to get a sinking feeling.
Stark had tried everything. He had booked three meetings on top of each other so that he wasn't even tempted to go to that cafe. But they had been canceled. All three of them canceled. And here he was, right where he had planned not to be, sitting on his couch trying not to think about Loki sitting in that cafe all alone, checking his watch every few seconds, the look of disappointment that would form on his face when Stark didn't show. How long would Loki sit there waiting for him? Just sitting there waiting . . .
Tony jumped off the couch and bounded for the door, knocking over the coat stand as he hastily grabbed his jacket. He set out at a dead sprint towards Fifth Street. It wasn't too late, three minutes till 8:00 he could make it there in 20.
Loki looked at his watch. 8:20, Tony wasn't going to show. He slowly sipped at the black coffee he had ordered, mostly just to make himself go through with this. The date, if Tony did indeed show, was both the first and the last. When Stark awoke the next morning Loki would not be in his bed, that was assuming they didn't tear each other apart before then. Loki was leaving Tony to his earth. There were other planets, perchance not as good as this one, for Loki had come to love this place. Other places he could make his home. Somewhere away from hurting Stark.
Rounding the corner Stark knocked three people over but he just kept running. What if Loki wasn't there? What if he gave up? No Tony was only 20 minutes late he had to get there only a few more blocks. . .
Exactly 10 minutes later Tony came skidding around the corner and halted. There was the cafe and . . . no Loki. Half jogging half tripping Tony made his way to the cafe and burst inside. Scanning the room he saw . . . no Loki. Damn it! Where was the bastard?
"Would you like a seat sir?" A waiter approached him.
"No I'm . . . I'm waiting for someone and . . I'm late." Tony panted out.
"Oh? There was man here just a second ago."
"Where?" Tony nearly grabbed the man's shoulders in desperation.
"He left."
"Which direction?!"
"Down Market." The man pointed.
"Thank you." Tony shouted over his shoulder as he tore out the door.
"You're welcome." The waiter shouted back but Tony was already racing down the street.