The maple seeds fell in droves, spinning like pinwheels on their gentle descent to the hot, glistening concrete of the sidewalk. Yet, the passerby were careless enough to step on them, as the wings of the seeds cracked under their hurried feet. Still, the sight did nothing to distract from the beauty of midday in Station Square. The bustling crowds were humbling, and the glossy panes of glass which made up the buildings refracted in the sun, creating a mosaic of colorful fractals.

Shadow finally slowed to a stop in front of the Cafe. He gripped his knees and panted, exhausted from sprinting all the way from his outer-city apartment. He wished he had a better mode of transport, but it was his own damn fault for waking up late. Despite his hesitancy to admit it, he was captivated by the book Rouge had given him and allowed himself to indulge in it into the early morning. It troubled him at first how willingly he had read through it, but the anxiety wore off as he continued to read. Eventually, he accepted it as an honest interest.

Still, he recognized he should have had his priorities straight. He was nothing short of a fool for spending so much time indulging in the fantasy of meeting with this girl, that he nearly lost the opportunity to experience it in reality. His guilt quickly left him, however, as he realized he was still the first one there. Shadow suppressed the self-deprecating idea that perhaps she forgot about him. He favored the more reasonable option that she was just a busy woman, it was likely she would be late for a good reason. Just don't ask him what.

So, he leaned up against the concrete foundation of the Cafe building and waited. As he pulled up his feet to allow more room for the sidewalk-goers, his eyes shifted to the maple tree planted in the median of the street. His face slowly softened at the calming sight of fluttering maple seeds and the scattering of light through the bright green leaves.

The scent of Coffee escaped out of the Cafe door and wafted toward Shadow. He turned slightly to look through the front window. In contrast to the Cafe's unassuming outer appearance, the interior was decorated like a vintage Mom & Pop pharmacy with a vintage soda fountain and jukebox. The walls were lined with a striped, pale-pink wallpaper and the baristas were dressed in pastel uniforms with frilly aprons for catching pastry crumbs. It wasn't exactly Shadow's speed, but it seemed a fine place for coffee. It was Amy's choice after all, and if her writing was any clue, she must have decent taste.

They made plans to meet here to talk, not as a date per say, but just a casual get-together to see what the other was about, or at least that's how they put it. Amy found it strange that Shadow wanted to meet for coffee despite him being a barista, but he insisted he just really liked coffee, which was true. If only he had some that morning, then perhaps he wouldn't be so drained.

His eyes returned to the tree, and through the thin branches he caught a glimpse of something pink flickering across the street. As the blur traversed the crosswalk, Shadow couldn't help but feel the adrenaline rush at the sight of Amy. She seemed equally drained from the run, and Shadow quickly got up to greet her and check to see if she was okay.

"Hey, I'm so sorry I slept in! I was up writing last night." she panted. Shadow sighed in relief, feeling himself becoming less guilty. A subtle smile crept across his face as his tired state helped mask his giddy excitement.

"Don't beat yourself up. I wasn't exactly on time either." Shadow shrugged. Amy leaned up from her tired, hunched position to get a good look at his face, suddenly hit with another wave of familiarity. She figured that it would wear off eventually, and she would no longer see Terios but rather the real-life person standing before her. Either way, she enjoyed the way the light bounced off him.

"Wanna head in?" She finally asked, standing straight and leading Shadow to the front door. He smirked in amusement at her enthusiasm and followed her in. Immediately, Shadow was aware of how she complemented the place. She was cute and an aesthete, but not flowery. She was genuine. There was substance beneath her surface, which was reflected in the Cafe from how the interior was clearly made to be accurate rather than a parody of the time period. Amy went to the counter and greeted the shrew who worked there. Her hair was done in pin curls and her voice had a charming twang. Either it was so authentic that Shadow couldn't tell the accent was put on or this woman had moved many miles for a barista job.

"What can I get y'all?" The shrew asked with pep. Amy asked for a sugary, creamy drink that barely had any room for coffee, which only made Shadow worry if perhaps she wasn't much of a coffee drinker after all. What if he made the mistake of dragging her to an activity she wouldn't enjoy? His line of thought was cut short by his order, which was a steaming cup of black coffee. The shrew gave him a look of confusion, like he had asked her something in an ancient language. Afterwards she simply shrugged and continued to prepare their orders. As the two moved down the line and received their order, Amy asked the shrew for a pink-frosted sugar cookie, intending to pay for it on her own, to which Shadow offered to pay instead, plus the drinks, in full.

"Oh, you don't have to do that! Really!" Amy argued. But Shadow insisted. As they left to take a seat by the window, the shrew gave Shadow a proud look, as if impressed by his chivalry. Shadow was indifferent to it, but was appreciative in what little way he felt he could. He knew that this place wasn't his style, that he didn't fit with it nearly as perfectly as Amy could. This entire situation was out of his comfort zone, but he could hardly care.

"Really, I could have paid for that." Amy insisted, still unwilling to drop the random act of generosity.

"I know, I wanted to," Shadow replied, sipping his coffee. It was still too sweet for his liking, but it would suffice. Amy unwrapped her cookie in quiet acceptance, words of thanks dissolving on her tongue like sugar cubes. They sat in silence for a while like that, unsure of how to start, but not uncomfortable with the stillness.

"Ok, I'll ask again, why a coffee place when you're already a barista?" Amy asked, nibbling on her cookie and taking a sip from the foamy paper cup. Shadow sighed, accepting that she likely wasn't going to leave him alone on this. He suspected that would be a trend if their relationship were to continue.

"I never said I was a good barista. I'm pretty terrible, really." He replied honestly. Amy's eyebrows narrowed in thought, eventually landing on a follow-up.

"So, what are you really wanting to do, then? if coffee isn't your thing." She asked.

"Good question. I've been kind of job hunting for a few years now." He answered.

"Well, did you go to university? What did you go for?"

"Kind of. I went to military school earlier in life and did some college later on but nothing serious. Bachelors in biomedical science."

"That's awesome, though! Were you wanting to do more with it?"

Shadow thought carefully. He had just met this girl. No matter how trustworthy she seemed, was he willing to give too much of his life away?

"I was thinking about nursing for a while, but that kind of fell through." He said it so absolutely that Amy could tell she shouldn't push for a backstory much longer. Still, the answer intrigued her.

"Really? What drew you to Nursing?" She figured it was a harmless enough question, which steered away from any possible baggage. Shadow's eyes lifted for a moment as if surprised by how interested she was in his story.

"I don't know. It just always felt right, I guess. I like taking care of people." He didn't mean for it to come off as any sort of implication but feared it might have. Amy's eyes lit up at his response. She was already so used to his genuine responses and seemed intrigued by every new bit of information. Military school? He must be quite strong, then. Biomed? He's intelligent. Nursing? He's caring! It didn't matter how much he thought of it. It meant the world to Amy to finally get to connect with another person, and she felt hooked on him from the get-go. She tried to disguise her interest for the sake of not coming across too eager but seemed to be failing miserably. To cope with this, she invited him to interrogate her for a bit.

"That's how I feel about writing… It's just always been an interest of mine. I like words and stories and creating a composition that can affect people emotionally." She said, swooning at the very concept of storytelling. It was apparent she was being sincere, which Shadow thought suited her well.

"You do have a knack for words. It's clear that your word choices, in your later novels at least, are so thoughtfully chosen. I love when writers are clearly careful about their work." Shadow commended. Amy felt prided, but quickly halted at the realization of his accidental confession.

"So you have read WOS!" She called out. Shadow's face grew slightly pinker at the accusation, fearing he'd been caught. But, sighed in defeat by the end.

"Yeah, I read through a bit before messaging you... Can I be honest?" He asked, which seemed to pleasantly surprise Amy, who was still riding the high of an open conversation.

"Of course!" She answered.

"I really wasn't into it. It was obviously one of your early works because it didn't have a lot of the characteristics of your current writing. Maybe it's just that I'm not into fantasy, but the characters didn't have the same level of depth, and the plot wasn't interesting to me." He admitted, frankly.

"Oh… really?" She finally spoke after a length of silence. Somehow, she didn't come to expect genuine criticism. She had heard it before, from critics when her book was first released. Shadow's analysis wasn't especially thorough, comparatively. Perhaps all the years of bad-faith slander and thoughtless defense of her series had clouded her memory. Still, it was a breath of fresh air. She prayed that Shadow didn't mistake her surprise for offense at his criticism. Yet, he seemed irritated about something all of a sudden.

"Perhaps I just don't get it… Your fans, what do they see in it? Why are they so obsessed with it? Do you think it's pure nostalgia or just something else?" He asked, seeming more like an interrogation than genuine curiosity. There was intent behind his words. Amy suddenly felt the hair on the back of her neck stick up. What caused this switch in attitude? Did she say something?

Suddenly, she felt like she was back in that interview chair. Ears listening in for every hint of hesitation, a wall of judgemental eyes, question after uncomfortable question being pelted at her all at once. Then, back to her bedroom at 3 am that morning. Pictures and pictures of Shadow, the pervasive waves of guilt, the tears. She couldn't even think of opening her laptop and writing.

"Um… I don't know. It's… It was just timing I suppose. It was released at a point that kind of favored it. There were, you know, multiple factors." She stuttered. Shadow seemed to be on a completely different plane of thought. His eyes grew dark and focused, as his face screwed up in concentration. He stared at her, still like a statue, yet his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

Why can't they see her for her talent? Why do those freaks have to be so entitled? Why does she have to be bothered so much? What is she so scared of? …Why is she looking at me like that? Wait… what did I do?

Suddenly, he snapped out of it, realizing his mistake. He saw her uneasy expression and wondered how long he was staring at her like that. Why does he keep scaring her like this? Was his face just… scary?

"Sorry, I didn't… um." He stammered, which broke loose a long string of apologies from both parties.

"No, no! I'm sorry I should have… Well, I don't- I mean, I should have been more-"

"I didn't realize, I thought I- You didn't do anything wrong, I was just…" Shadow stuttered, his final sentence abruptly halting the slew of pardons. Amy was listening.

"Just what?" She asked, suddenly back on the same level. He didn't scare her, she realized. Somehow, she couldn't see him actually hurting her in any way. No, she was worried. She was worried that she did something wrong, and was equally worried about him as well. Perhaps his sudden mood shift was unwarranted, possibly even unfair, But now, she just wanted to know what caused such anger to take over his intelligent, soulful face.

"Just… it bothers me." He mumbled. "It bothers me, how someone I admired for so long can be so overlooked. I don't know you well, but I know your work, and you're extremely talented. I doubt you've done anything to deserve mistreatment. It just bothers me that someone who's done nothing but put herself out there can be so… disrespected."

Amy smiled as a light pink dusted her cheeks. She was less shocked at this point by his kindness and more deliriously flattered. Still, she felt his words had unintentionally trapped her. She was obligated to defend the people who she was really at war with, yet she desperately wanted to open up to him. Stuck between instincts, she sat in silence, treasuring the compliment, yet not daring to respond. She tried to excuse herself with a pitiful look. Shadow seemed to understand the dilemma.

"You don't have to defend them, I don't expect you to attack them either. I get that you have your job to worry about. So, sorry for putting you in a bad spot." She took a casual sip of his coffee. "Besides, I think we both know what you're thinking anyway." He flashed that accidentally devilish smirk that Amy had already grown so fond of. She melted in her seat. How was he so brutish and cocky yet so thoughtful and composed? He really was an enigma.

Their coffee was gone within the next few minutes, yet the conversation lasted well into brunch time. They discussed books mostly, occasionally delving into TV or movies, even news unrelated to Amy or her books entirely. Shadow learned that Amy loved to bake, that her mother and father were executives, how she used to babysit a rabbit named Cream, and how Cream was now entering high school. Amy learned that Shadow had a motorcycle but wrecked it, how he was once a lifeguard, how he didn't believe in Tarot, and how much that secretly bothered her. Eventually, the conversation was interrupted by Amy receiving a text. She had to leave soon. They sheepishly said their goodbyes, unsure of whether to hug, shake hands, or some other obscure gesture, eventually landing on the graceless alternative of finger guns. They laughed at this and then took even longer to officially part. Finally, as she skipped down the sidewalk, Amy answered her phone. Her agent's booming voice erupted through the phone speaker, causing Amy to temporarily move it from her ear and realize how high up the volume was.

"Hey, what's up?" She answered.

"Where are you? You have a shoot in an hour." He asked.

"I'm downtown at a Cafe. I was… I was meeting with a friend."

"... It wasn't that hedgehog from the photos was it?" He asked, trying and failing to not sound accusatory. Amy's eyes squinted. What does he know about him, anyway?

"Maybe. So what?" She retorted. She could hear a groan from the other side.

"'So what' is that you're going to end up being stalked again. You don't want that do you?"

"That's not his fault."

"I don't care whose fault it is. You don't want to be pulling him into anything that isn't his business." He sighed. Amy stayed silent for a moment, wondering if he was right.

"I'll be there in 15."

"Do you need me to send a car?"

"That would be great, actually."

"It'll be there in 5." He said as she hung up.

As much as she hated to admit it, Amy had baggage. A lot of it. And as far as she knew, that might be a dealbreaker for Shadow. There was the reality of her job and the publicity that came with it. If this were to work, he would need to not only be comfortable with being in the spotlight but be comfortable standing back and watching her be tortured. As much as she liked to think he wanted to, he couldn't save her. There was also the fact of Athena. Would he even be able to know about that? It would certainly be embarrassing, even complicated. What if he had already read some of them? She couldn't picture it, but you never know.

Then, there was Amy herself. Whether Shadow wanted her to or not, she was quite stuck on him. But, the more she thought about it, the more she realized how baseless her attraction towards him might have been. She liked him for him. He was handsome and fun to talk to. But, there was also the fact that he resembled the fantasy man she wrote about when she was 19. So, he was the first to not treat her like garbage? How rare was that really? If all of the coincidences that drove her to jump into this potential relationship were peeled away, what would be left? If he didn't look like Terios, if he wasn't a fan of her books, if they hadn't met at such a low point in her life, would she still be here?

Well, they just had what she finally admitted was, a date. She got to meet him for real. Outside of Terios, outside of her books, outside of all that was a man who wanted to be a nurse, who likes horror movies, who's eyes were the color of dark-stained wood, and whose friends drive him absolutely crazy.

There was a chance. And what was even a tiny sliver of a chance that it could maybe work between them was enough to convince Amy that, as long as he was along for the ride, she was determined to make it happen.