"That's what I did!" Ledger exclaims, sweeping open the door to Starbucks like he owns the place.

I chuckle as I glance at him, my heart feeling so full in my chest.

His chocolate brown eyes are shining wildly, his distressed brown leather jacket doing nothing but accentuating them further. His energy, his gestures, everything about him is so...alive.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated how much my life would change when Ledger Olivier appeared in it.

He had been my brother's very eccentric, horribly handsome boyfriend. Nothing more.

Then, when Ledger moved to London, my eldest brother had asked me to keep an eye on him. Heartbroken, erratic, never capable of sitting still and essentially still a stranger to me, it was a very tall order.

But it was Ledger that had saved me. I had never known how lonely I was until Ledger. He gives me purpose, he needs me and makes me laugh and ensures that life never dares stray close to boring. He's changed everything.

I bite my lip, shaking my head in amusement.

I'm not entirely sure when things strayed from friendship to something more for me. Somewhere along the lines things had...merged. His smile not only made me smile, but also made my heart beat faster. His shiny eyes weren't just glimmering with madness, but beauty too.

I squash the thought quickly and efficiently.

"You painted the entire wall, Ledger. I don't think that's what your landlord had in mind when you suggested 'maintenance work'." I point out.

Ledger merely huffs.

We approach the counter together, our arms brushing against one another and the sensation makes my stomach flip. The coffee shop is blissfully quiet and comfortingly familiar and the smile on my face is hopelessly happy, but my heart drops a little in my chest at the sight of vivid, dark blue eyes. I take note of his characteristic scowl, sighing unhappily as it only seems to intensify at the sight of me.

It has always been this way.

Blue is my local Starbucks barista. With deep blue hair and eyes to match his name, he doesn't have a hard time standing out in a crowd. His personality is careless, sharp and brusque, often more irritated than not.

Despite his less than appealing manner, he's absolutely gorgeous, and he seems to hate me with an unending passion. If love at first sight exists, then I'd argue the opposite exists for Blue and I, and I still have no idea why.

Today, as usual, he is a beacon of shining optimism and positivity.

"You're back. How unfortunate." He mutters as we step up to the counter.

I smile, which only ever seems to tick him off more.

"Yep, lovely day, isn't it?"

Blue's jaw tenses, his teeth grinding as he completely ignores my attempt at small talk. Instead, he directs his glare to my left.

I can only watch in dismay as Ledger's eyebrows raise slightly, his lips twitching up into a smirk as he assesses the man in front of him. His features, which are dark and charming, rearrange into an alluring mask that I've seen more than a few times.

I know that it's an act, that it doesn't mean anything. I know because I hold him as he sobs over Everett every other week.

Doesn't mean that it doesn't bother me though.

I watch as he leans against the counter easily, his eyes wandering appreciatively over Blue's tense, firm shoulders.

My stomach squeezes uncomfortably, an ugly feeling filling me up like lead.

"Hey gorgeous, who might you be?" Ledger asks, his voice like velvet.

I sigh, scowling at Ledger. He sometimes seems incapable of normal conversation and, for once, Blue and I have the same reaction. His brows pull together even further, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm Blue." He mutters.

Everything happens in slow motion after that. I catch the widening of Ledger's eyes, his distinct, troublesome grin and sigh.

"Oh no." I mumble, my eyes scrunching closed.

To Ledger's credit, he doesn't miss a beat.

"DA BA DEE DA BA DA DA BA DEE DA BA DA."

I'm laughing under my breath as Ledger's obnoxious singing voice fills the quiet space of Starbucks, and when I open my eyes, Blue's face is incredible. His eyes are wide, his expression full of nothing short of pure horror and my laughter escapes my lips in delighted peals.

Blue's eyes dart towards me, accusatory all of a sudden, as though to blame me for bringing this wild animal into his place of work. I bite my lip, trying to contain my laughter.

"Order or get the fuck out." He offers, flashing a dazzling, fake smile.

It makes me feel slightly better that there are now two people on his hate list, as Ledger receives the same dose of unnerving menace that is usually reserved only for me. It doesn't seem to deter him in the slightest.

"Are you on the menu?" He purrs.

Blue stares at him as though he's insane and I elbow my stupid friend in the ribs. Ledger merely grins at me in that boyish, intense way that tells me he's not sorry in the slightest.

"Please can we get an Americano and a coconut milk latte?" I ask, a little frazzled. Ledger's smile does funny things to my stomach.

Blue stabs in the order before pausing, his eyes fixated on the screen. He seems to debate something for a moment, his gaze flickering up to me.

"Latte?" He questions, his tone completely flat.

I nod hesitantly.

"To go, please." I add and he deadpans.

"It was always going to be to go." He assures.

He sighs, deliberating something in his mind.

"You don't normally get a latte." He finally says, looking a little pained and I blink.

He's right. I invariably order a caramel macchiato, every day, between the hours of half-past eight and half-past ten. Even a rookie would know that, so it's no great surprise that he's questioning my panic order.

"It's fine." I say softly and he scowls at me.

He stabs through the order and I tap my card, fishing in my wallet for my usual tip. I come up with a single pound coin and pout.

"Do you have any change, Ledger?" I ask and he frowns.

I groan audibly as he proceeds to empty his corduroy pockets onto the counter. It's like playing the world's worst game show, and you never can know what they'll reveal.

Amongst the contents of Ledger's pockets today are:

A battered tin of mints

A stubby pencil

One disturbing troll doll with a coil of vivid blue hair

A single grape - which has seen better days

A bottle cap and, last but not least

58p in loose change.

Ledger seizes the doll quickly, holding it up.

"Look! Twins!" He proclaims, the doll just inches from Blue's disgusted expression.

I press my lips together firmly to prevent myself smiling. Instead, I sweep up the coins and drop them lightly into the tip mug. I then pluck up Ledger's other miscellaneous belongings and shove them back into his hands.

"Hey! That's all the money I have in the world!" Ledger protests, tucking the troll doll into the tip mug as well.

I shake my head in amusement as we move down the counter, my laughter finally escaping.

That actually might be true.

"Then it was very nice of you to give it up." I say, patting his shoulder.

He grimaces at me.

"'Nice' has never been the adjective of choice for me, Greyson." He mutters quietly, stuffing his things in his pockets.

I hate it when he full names me. He only ever does it to get a rise. I ignore it.

"Don't be silly, you're very nice." I say instead.

Ledger grumbles by my side, his arms crossed tightly against his chest as he mutters something about how 'disgusting' it is when I say nice things. I ignore him merrily.

I smile when Blue unceremoniously dumps our order in front of us, not even bothering to look at us as he flits away and begins his next order.

Ledger reaches for his cup greedily, sipping from it immediately, despite my protest to wait until it's cooled down. The writing on the cardboard cupholder catches his attention and he pulls away curiously.

"Eiffel 65 wannabe?" Ledger reads, tilting the cup.

I right it quickly before he can tip it down himself.

"They sang 'Blue'." I explain, not even bothering to look at what is written on my own cup. Blue's gotten very creative in the last two years, and I get the feeling that today's 'name' won't be particularly friendly.

I take a sip, frowning slightly at the familiar sweetness that spreads across my tongue. I glance at the sticker on the side, noting Blue has disregarded my wishes and made me my usual caramel drink instead. The thought makes me smile, but as my eyes read the words 'Ugly muppet', written directly below, my smile is replaced by a defeated grimace.

"He wants me." Ledger says determinedly, glancing at the barista.

I look as well, detecting the unerring irritation that graces Blue's expression whenever I visit. It's a little disheartening, and the thought of Ledger flirting with him has my heart sinking even further in my chest. I do what I do best, and squash the feeling until it's a tiny ache in the pit of my stomach.

"Good luck with that." I say.

-

A/N

*cue mild screaming*

It's happening. It's finally here.

Welcome to Coffee Conversations, Grey's story. I love this man, he is so sweet. I really hope you enjoy this story, it's been a pleasure to work on. As always, please leave me your feedback, it helps me be a better writer :)

~F