#oliver hillbrook (oc)

[frankie-and-briar]

chapter one

It was a regular evening on a regular day. I didn't expect anything eventful to happen when I followed my best friend, Oliver, to some coffee-shop so he could spy on his crush, but I guess I was wrong.

Let me set the scene. Warm lights, orangish-pink walls, faded wooden furniture, the scent of freshly-brewed coffee in the air. Oliver had brought me to a nice place, for once. It was called 'Irenic,' which I thought was fitting. The atmosphere was peaceful.

Oliver's crush, Amore Bishop, was sitting next to the window and sketching. So, we sat next to the window too.

I went to order and let Oliver try and gather up the courage to speak to Amore. The queue moved slowly, and I was fidgeting by the time I got to the front.

And that's when I saw her. The person behind the counter.

She was beautiful, and for some reason, in my mind, she resembled a pixie. Her blond hair was cut to just below her ear, dyed with blue streaks, freckles dotted her face, and the color of her lips matched the pink walls of the café. But what fascinated me were her eyes. They were hazel, deep and thoughtful. Her name tag read 'Francesca.'

Maybe I didn't fall for her immediately, but I did think she was pretty, very much so. Even if it was purely objective at that point, which I'm not quite sure it was, I blushed when she faced me.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "What can I get for you today?"

I had managed to recover from my gay panic. "A caramel iced coffee and a hazelnut latte, please."

"And your name?"

"Briar."

"Coming right up," she said, grinning.

I walked back to my table with a flushed face and a smile.