At the cafe, the twins separated from me when I ducked behind the counter. Mandy smiled at me as she removed her apron, relinquishing her place behind the register for me. I tied a fresh apron on and signed into the register before turning to the next customer in line. "What can I get for you?" I asked with a bright smile I knew was nowhere near the magnitude of Mandy's.

I rang up the customer's order when the bell jingled. "Welcome to Jitter bean," I said without glancing towards the door.

Giving the customer their change, I smiled back at them. "Have a good day."

When I looked up, I saw that the twins had multiplied. For some reason, I hadn't expected this outcome. The idea of it was preposterous but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Aiden, Caden, Dante, and Maddox were all standing together in a group. They spoke to each other comfortably so they must have been friends for a while at least if their body language and surface emotions were anything to go by. Their easy camaraderie reminded me a lot of my relationship with Cara. "What can I get you guys?" I smiled tightly at them.

It wasn't that I was upset at seeing them here, I was happy, just maybe a little too excited for them to be here. Aiden smiled his lazy slow grin at me. His sinful voice was something he didn't use often so I relished it when he did speak. "Hey Flower, have you met our friends yet?"

"Yes, I have actually," I spoke in a clipped manner glancing over Dante and Maddox. "So would you like to order?" I smiled looking back toward Aiden and Caden.

"Two black coffees for us. What do you recommend to eat?" Caden asked.

I busied myself with typing their orders into the register before I answered. "Well, I love the blueberry scones for something sweet. If you're feeling something more savory, we've got a pretty good turkey club." I answered.

"We'll have two of the scones please," Aiden spoke for the both of them.

"Are all of you together on the same bill or just you too?" I addressed Aiden hoping to get him to talk more.

"All together. It's Maddox's turn to buy today." I nodded before I looked at the other two.

Dante didn't shy away from my eyes this time. His gaze seemed to be evaluating like he was piecing together a puzzle. "Can I get an earl gray with cream and one sugar with a turkey club please?" His voice was less snooty and know it all now that he wasn't challenging a teacher.

I nodded and looked over towards Maddox. For him, I gave a smile because he looked like he felt about as awkward as I did. "What would you like?" I spoke the words aloud this time.

He seemed to think for a moment, his ears turning that adorable shade of red again before he started signing. "Can I get a caramel macchiato and an orange scone?" He asked.

I pursed my lips before shaking my head. "Oh, he wan..." Caden started to say the same moment I began speaking.

"We're actually out of caramel syrup right now, we should get a new shipment tomorrow. It's one of our most popular but we've got: white mocha, regular mocha, hazelnut, vanilla, cinnamon, and peppermint. Would any of those be okay?" I had my full attention on Maddox.

He thought a moment before responding. "What would you recommend?"

"Well, my favorite is just a normal latte but when I want something sweet, I get a soy latte with 2 pumps of vanilla and cinnamon. It tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie." I spoke in a conspiratorial whisper.

Maddox smiled at me. It was genuine and brightened his entire face. "I'll have that, but then can I change my scone to a cinnamon roll?"

"Absolutely." I typed his order in before looking back up at him. "Will you be paying in cash or card?" I asked him.

"Card please." He handed his debit card over, and I furrowed my brows.

His debit card was from the same bank my account was at. I slipped that piece of info into the back of my mind and rang up their order. Returning his card, I went to retrieve the pastries since they had been the only customers in line while James made their drinks. I handed their food over the pickup counter. Before grabbing a rag to wipe down the counter while we had no customers in line. An itchy feeling traveled over my skin, but I ignored it knowing what I would see if I looked up. "Do you know those guys? They keep staring at you." James murmured from next to me.

I gazed out of the corner of my eyes to see the guys at a table close by watching James like a hawk. I tilted my head a little considerably. "I think they are more interested in you. They are all staring. Too bad, I already claimed your hand in marriage. They'll have to get in line. I am not giving up free blueberry scones for life."

James surprised me by letting out a full-bellied laugh. He was usually more bottled up with his emotions. Half the time I couldn't get an exact read on what he was feeling which was part of the reason I was so fond of James. "I'm glad I hired you. Though I'm pretty sure your net worth would blow me out of the water." He shook his head in disbelief.

Still watching the guys from the corner of my eye I noticed Dante's eyes bouncing back and forth between us almost like he was following along with the conversation. Almost as if on instinct, I lowered my voice to where James wouldn't even be able to hear me standing right next to me. "It's really rude to eavesdrop on private conversations, Dante." My suspicion was confirmed when his eyes jumped to mine.

What I didn't expect was his complete lack of remorse as he kept his eyes steadily on mine. James broke our staring match not noticing the intensity between us. "Honestly though, are we talking thousands more? Give me an idea."

Usually, I would be uncomfortable discussing my financial situation with someone I barely knew. I was still distracted from the moment I had with Dante that I answered truthfully without pause. "If I never wanted to work it wouldn't be a problem. I could live off my trust for the rest of my life and never want for anything. I don't have full control until I graduate though. The first thing I am doing is buying my mother a house in an assisted living community."

"Do you ever get mad at your father for leaving your mother practically destitute?" James asked, his voice suddenly serious.

My eyes snapped up from the guy to meet eyes with his. I had never really voiced the words, but Cara knew my feelings on the matter. "Honestly a little, but I don't think he took into consideration my mom's deteriorating health. He passed when I was ten and my mom was still relatively healthy despite already having her diagnosis. She broke his heart though. When they found out she was pregnant he asked her to marry him. She always said that she loved him very much, but it wasn't worth the drama. My grandmother is an evil witch of a woman who had it out for the poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks who dared to fall for her precious 'little boy'. My Dad never had the spine to stand up to his mother. Probably thought he could live his life freely when she died. We all know how well that turned out." I turned away to wipe at the corner of my eye where a tear had escaped.

"Sage... I'm sorry I brought that up." James placed his hand on my shoulder for a moment before we got back to working silently just as the after-school rush arrived.

Most of the students were still in uniform as they flocked to the cafe. I had been warned that Jitter Bean was one of the most popular places on campus after school. We were swamped but I couldn't help but notice the amount of attention that the four guys were getting. There was a wide berth given to their table. While people were paying attention to them, nobody really tried to approach them. Girls fluttered their lashes at them, and guys seemed to admire them. There were a few girls who got courageous and approached their table but most of them got ignored or were just shooed away.

After twenty minutes or so they got up and left the cafe. Aiden and Caden both sent me smiles and waved goodbye. It was almost eerie that they did both things in unison. Though they both had very different characteristics despite their identical faces and occasional actions. Aiden never gave a full smile. They were all half-smiles that screamed sin and sex appeal. Caden on the other hand seemed more carefree and was definitely the jokester of the two. I still didn't have a clear grasp on the other two guys but figured I would get a grasp on them within the week.

* * *

The week had gone by fast in a blur of work and studying. Some of my classes were strange. In politics my teacher still talked in weird riddles I didn't know if she was just trying to get the idea of politics across between advertising groups. She kept talking about fairies and shapeshifters and the ways they tried to get unfavorable laws passed against the other side. I mean it would be understandable if she was talking about vampires and werewolves if that's what she was trying to do. I had never heard that fairies didn't get along with shifters. In my species traits class, I had with Maddox the teacher was talking about mythological creatures. I had raised my hand in the second class to tell him that I hadn't taken mythology, so I didn't think I was supposed to be in that class. He told me mythology wasn't a prerequisite for the class. I had plans to talk to the twins about the weird classes to see what they thought on Monday.

Sunday night had arrived so I still had another day. It was the least busy day at the cafe. I was working with Mandy as it was James' designated night off. It had been a slow night and Mandy and I had spent most of the shift asking each other random questions. It was only a few minutes before closing when the door opened in the middle of Mandy's next question. "Do you have a boyfriend back home? Or girlfriend I don't discriminate."

I smirked at her before looking up to see who had walked it. Dante was watching me closely from the door as he approached. I glanced back towards Mandy who was still looking at me expectantly. I sighed and shook my head. "Nope. I've never got along well with others."

"What can I get you?" I asked Dante with a bright smile that screamed customer service.

"Earl Gray with..."

"Cream and one sugar?" I cut him off already typing it into the system.

I looked up to see him smirking at me. "Yes. Guess I'm pretty predictable."

I snorted in a very lady-like manner. "You are when you order the same thing every time you come in. Do you want anything else or just tea?"

"No, just the tea please."

I nodded and rang him up, noticing he also had the same bank card as me, Maddox, and as I had learned in the last weeks, the twins too. They never made Dante pay during their group trips, so I had been able to learn the order they went in. Maddox, Aiden, and then Caden. As I was pouring the boiling water Mandy followed me. "So, have you ever had a boyfriend?"

I snorted at the idea of it. "Definitely not." I almost gagged thinking about ever dating any of the boys from back home.

"Why not?" She furrowed her brows at me.

I bit the side of my cheek thinking of the best way to describe my aversion to the boys that lived in the town I grew up in. "Well, I come from a really small town. I just wasn't interested in any of the small-minded boys who live there. They all had stupid ideas of what was okay to do or say and I just disagreed." I answered, trying to keep it vague.

"What do you mean?" Mandy asked as I put the tea bag into the cup.

I sighed, "It's kind of important to note that Cara is deaf."

"Your best friend right?" She followed along with the facts of my life pretty well.

"Yeah. Where we lived, I was the only person who bothered to befriend her. Honestly, I detested the people we grew up alongside. So many of them called her names. It wasn't so bad for her because she didn't hear what they said about her, and I never had the heart to tell her. So no, I was never interested in anyone back home." Anger swirled in my stomach as I put the lid on the finished tea and handed it off to Dante who I was sure was listening to our entire conversation.

"So, who does Cara have now?" Mandy asked.

I smiled at the thought of Samuel as I watched Dante leave the Cafe. "She has Sam. He's a KODA so he knew ASL when he moved to our town sophomore year. He joined our friendship and made it a group. I'm just happy I got to stay for the first three years of high school. I know she's got someone by her side now."

Mandy nodded, "What does KODA mean?"

"Kid of Deaf Adult. It just means that one or both parents are deaf since both of his parents were deaf ASL was the primary language in their house growing up. So, he can speak better with Cara than even I can and I've spoken ASL since I was eight." I smiled at the thought.

"I'm glad she isn't alone." Part of why I liked Mandy so much was that she genuinely cared about others, even those she had never met.

I couldn't help but agree with that. We got to work quickly, shutting down the machines and cleaning up so we would be able to get home at a reasonable time. When we locked up, we parted ways. Mandy headed to her car since she didn't live on campus as a non-student and I walked towards the dorms.

Halfway there I crossed paths with someone who turned onto the same sidewalk as me heading towards the dorms. He was a medium-built guy I didn't recognize. The guy looked over at me and I felt slimy just from him having his eyes on me. "Hey, you're kinda hot. What's your name?" He glanced up and down my body in the most disgusting show of attraction I had ever seen.

"Hey, you're kinda creepy. I'm not telling you." I shot back with as much sass as I could.

"Come on baby. Don't be like that." He said stopping in the middle of the path.

"I'm not interested." I tried to walk around him, but he blocked me.

I was starting to get more scared and less pissed off. I was mad at myself for not thinking to carry my pepper spray with me to work. This would be a mistake I wouldn't be making again. I knew the basics of self-defense. Aim for the eyes, throat, groin, or knees, and then make a quick escape. The guy took a step toward me and that was when I noticed his dilated pupils. It was just my luck to be targeted by a guy high out of his mind on who knew what.

He smirked in what I assumed was supposed to be an alluring way, but it came out more like shark teeth. "I know you want me. Let's go back to my place." He reached out and grabbed my arm.

At first contact, I reacted without thinking. My fist hit the center of his throat as my knee slammed up into his groin. He crumpled to the ground, and I hurried to run away from him. Just when I thought I was going to be free, his hand clamped around my ankle. My balance was thrown off and I fell forward hitting my left knee and elbow on the pavement. I turned to see the guy smiling at me in victory. Before he could count this as a win, I slammed my other foot into the middle of his face. A sickening crunch sounded as he released my ankle to hold his nose. Blood poured down his chin. "You're gonna get it now, bitch." He snarled.

Moving quicker than I ever thought someone this high could move he grabbed my shirt collar lifting me. Panic was starting to overwhelm me. I knew that I might not be able to get away from this guy and that terrified me. All the things that he could do to me started to flash through my mind.

My body seemed to not realize the danger I was in and relaxed. I was confused about my reaction before I heard a voice from behind me. "What are you doing with my friend?" Dante's voice spoke.

I couldn't see his face but the guy holding my collar paled at the sight of him. My collar was released, and he stepped back from me. Warmth pressed against my back, and I could smell the mint and sandalwood cologne Dante seemed to wear every day. "I... It was just a mis... misunderstanding. I didn't realize she was yours. I'm so sorry." The guy spits out before he turned and ran off.

Hands gripped my shoulders before spinning me around to face Dante. "Are you okay?" He looked over every inch of exposed skin.

I nodded my head for a long moment before speaking, "Think I just scraped my elbow and knee. I'll be okay. Thank you for stepping in. I was getting afraid I wouldn't be able to get away from him."

Dante cupped the side of my face before wiping away a tear I hadn't realized fell from my lashes. "It's okay. He shouldn't bother you anymore now that he knows we're friends. Give me your phone." He held his hand out without giving me a choice.

Without question, I handed it to him which was strange for me. Under normal circumstances, I argued about anything just for the heck of it. Though for some reason I just blindly followed whatever he told me to do. After a few moments of him typing, he handed it back. "You've got my number now. Call me if anyone else bothers you." He looked around the empty campus before nodding his head towards the dorm, "Come on. I'll walk the rest of the way with you."

"Thank you," I said softly.

Dante didn't answer, just nodded his head in acknowledgment as we walked home in silence. The coldness that I had felt towards him since the moment we met melted away to nothing. He had just saved me from being hurt or worse; he couldn't be that bad.