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Just like every other morning, Melone watched as his coffee was prepared. While today it was you who was making it, he didn’t usually have such luck. Although he visited the cafe everyday, you didn’t work every day nor did he always come in at the right time to see you. But when the timing was right, he was reminded of why he made such an effort to see you.
Even when he didn’t have to head into work, Melone stopped by his favourite cafe every morning. Except for when he was travelling outside of Naples, there hadn’t been a single day that he hadn’t stopped in. You wouldn’t tell him your schedule and he didn’t want to miss you on a day that you were working.
The cafe that you worked at and that he frequented religiously was small and plain-looking, and he never would have chosen it except out of necessity. Several months ago when he had been searching for a woman who might be a good mother for his Stand, he had taken a peek into the cafe. Looking for a woman that fit a very specific profile and unable to find her, he had become increasingly desperate.
And while Melone never found the hypothetical woman that would give him the perfect Babyface, he had found something much better at that cafe. So much better in fact, that the mediocre cafe became his favourite before he had even tasted its coffee.
Plenty of cafes had better coffee, but none of those cafes had you behind the counter. Melone would glad go out of his way to get to this particular cafe and suffer through the subpar coffee just in the hopes of catching a glimpse of you. As disappointed as he was when you weren’t there, chatting with you when you were working made up for it. Making sure to come in when the cafe wouldn’t be busy the two of you had plenty of time to talk, even if the conversation was one-sided at times.
Melone made it clear from the start that he didn’t just want to be seen as a dedicated regular. He made enough innuendo to make it clear it wasn’t the coffee that he was after. And while you were annoyed by most of the other customers who made similar comments, they never bothered you when they came from Melone. As much as your coworkers teased and asked you about it, you had never been able to explain why. By all means you should have told him that you weren’t interested weeks ago.
“Don’t your feet hurt from standing all day?” he asked, drawing your attention from his coffee. All you needed to do was to add a small amount of sugar and it would be ready, but Melone didn’t want to leave yet.
“You get used to it,” you replied, but not without a huff. You knew where this was headed.
“Ahh, well if they’re ever bothering you I’d be happy to lend a hand,” he said with a smile. You had guessed correctly. While Melone and you occasionally chatted about mundane things, you had heard the distinct tone in his voice that told you he wasn’t actually looking for an answer.
“Melone,” you sighed and he gave a quieter sigh back. You said his name so nicely, although he wished that the circumstances under which you said it were different.
“Still sure you don’t want to go out for a drink?” Even though he knew what your answer would be, he couldn’t help but ask.
Before you could decline as you had each and every time of the twenty or so he had asked, your coworker interrupted. She was supposed to be emptying the now-cold coffee pots but had decided to creep into your conversation instead.
“She’ll go,” Gattina announced, smacking her hand against your back. Even though she was shorter than you, she packed quite the punch. She stole your breath for a moment, leaving you unable to add to the conversation. “She gets off at five.”
“Let’s meet at Torta’s at seven then,” Melone told you. He wasn’t even trying to hide his enthusiasm. Even though you weren’t sure that going out on this date was the best of ideas, you couldn’t help but find the enthusiasm contagious. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Don’t say you’re busy, because we both know that’s a lie,” Gattina teased. She took a step back and returned to her cleaning, leaving you to deal with Melone alone. Your eyes had followed her as she left, and when you turned back towards Melone he was looking at you expectantly.
“Alright,” you agreed but not without any hesitation. Although you chatted with him every day that you worked, you didn’t know how well you knew him.
In his excitement Melone left the cafe with a wave, forgetting to take his coffee with him.
“What?” Gattina asked, giving you a smirk. “It’ll be fine. You’ll have a won-der-ful time.” She marked each of the three syllables of the English word with a wave of her fingers. She had no uncertainty about the decision she had made for you.
All you could do was sigh. She was too proud of herself and nothing you could say would change that. Grumbling a bit but not too seriously, you told her to focus work instead of your love life.
---
Much to your surprise the date went well, and it wasn’t even because of your managed expectations. Anticipating things to be awkward between the two of you without the cafe counter to separate you, you had set your expectations low. And yet, perhaps thanks to Gattina’s monitoring, everything had gone well.
Gattina had shown up after the two of you had arrived and kept a careful watch from the restaurant bar. The last thing she wanted was to have put you in a dangerous situation. She wanted you to be more adventurous, not turn up dead. However there had been no need for her to intervene. There was the occasional remark from Melone that made you turn away and blush but he hadn’t escalated things as you feared he might. When he invited you back around to his apartment, it was only in jest.
But after a few more dates, you took him up on his offer. Half-joking, he hadn’t expected to hear a “sure”, however hesitant it was. Things didn’t usually go this smoothly for him.
The first time seeing his apartment, you discovered that it was tidy but not suspiciously so. It didn’t seem as if he had cleaned up just because he thought you might come over. Everything had its place. What surprised you the most about his apartment was how many bookshelves there were, all full to the brim. Before you got a good look at the spines of any of the books, Melone ushered you further into the room.
“We can watch a movie,” he offered, although he was looking towards his bedroom. If you noticed you didn’t say anything. He tried not to show his disappointment when you asked him what movies he had. Showing you movies he had, he was glad he kept his movies of the other variety in a different box.
Once the movie was playing Melone sat down beside you, leaving as little space between the two of you as he could. Parts of your leg were touching his, and occasionally even more would press up against you. When he did, you didn't pull away. Though it was the end of summer, the apartment was cool. Too nervous to say anything, you appreciated any warmth you could get.
Melone didn't let the continual leaning in go unnoticed. Draping an arm around you, he held you against him. He ran his fingers up and down your skin, matching the timing of your breathing. It was difficult not to tighten his grip on you and pull you right against him, but he managed to resist the urge. If he had waited months just to hold you, he could continue to wait to do more than that.
With you sitting so close to him Melone couldn’t help but notice how nice you smelled. A bit of sweat from the summer heat and maybe your nerves mixed with whatever scented products you were wearing. But the underlying natural scent was his favourite. It was distinctly you and he loved it.
Although you were right next to him, he wanted you closer.
“You look amazing tonight,” he breathed, trying to angle you towards him. While he wouldn’t say as much, he wanted you up on his lap. He had been trying to focus on the movie, or anything else except you, but nothing was helping. “You always do.”
When you leaned away from him out of sheer embarrassment, Melone loosened his grip on you. He watched you for a tense moment and when you didn’t push him away and get up off the couch, he was relieved. He should have known not to act so hastily. It had taken long enough for you to agree to go out with him and longer to get you back to his apartment. As desperate as he was to get you to stay the night, he couldn’t afford to make a careless mistake now.
And while there was plenty of room and the opportunity to do so, you didn't lean further away. Once Melone had let you put some space between the two of you again, you were fine staying like that. His arm loosely draped around you, the two of you finished the movie, occasionally chatting about what was happening on-screen. Melone didn’t want to take his arm back but when the credits began to roll he had his lost excuse to continue holding you. His arm slid off of you when you began to stand up, unsure as to what to do now that the movie had finished. It was getting late anyway.
Although you didn’t live too far away you took Melone up on his offer to walk you home and while it was slightly too hot for it to be comfortable, you let him take his hand into yours. You didn’t mind that it wasn’t quite how you would have imagined it to be. It felt more natural, like your hand had been made for his.
Despite how reluctant you had been to come over and how you had leaned away from him on the couch, it wasn't the last time you visited his apartment. Judging by how things had gone, Melone had anticipated having to chase you down at work but when he called, he was pleasantly surprised that you answered and agreed to visit again.
And it wasn’t just once either. Even after the second time back to his apartment, you visited again. Each time you did Melone grew more bold and you tolerated his actions a little more. Although it was slow progress, Melone didn’t mind. Just like how you had given in and agreed to give him a chance after weeks flirting, he knew that his persistence would pay off again. He had no issue with waiting for you.
That was why he didn’t mind that nothing much had happened between the two of you, despite how the two of you were running out of appropriate movies. Melone didn’t have more than half a dozen tapes and there only two left that you hadn’t already watched. Knowing that neither of you cared too much about what you would be watching, Melone picked the movie at random. Truth be told he hadn’t watched most of the tapes he owned but it had paid to have some lying around for a time like now. With the tape playing, Melone took his place on the couch beside you and pulled you close to him.
Paying more attention to how Melone was running his hand up your thigh, you didn’t have the slightest clue what the movie was about. You knew that the actors onscreen were speaking but Melone kept talking over them, leaving you at a loss as to the plot of the movie. All you knew was that the movie was set in France because Melone murmured about how he’d love to take you there someday. Except to fill some of the silence, the movie was serving no purpose.
“(name),” Melone whispered, catching your attention. Turning away from the TV you were met with Melone leaning in towards you. His hand had been creeping higher and higher up your leg and you hadn’t stopped it. Though you weren’t wearing a skirt, that didn’t dissuade him. The look in his eyes confirmed what he had suspected. You needed him as badly as he needed you.
About to speak, whatever he had been about to say was lost as the two of you were interrupted by the movie that you forgot was playing. Neither of you had to look at the TV to know what was happening. The dramatic groans and gasps were enough to tell you what kind of scene it was.
“Why don’t we follow their lead?” Melone murmured, leaning in a bit closer. Daring to reach your arms up, you wrapped your arms around him and pulled him and you together. Melone let out an excited gasp before his lips met yours. Nothing more than a peck, he wasn’t content with just that. He kept leaning in, chasing you down onto the couch.
You hadn’t meant to pull him down on top of you but the angle had been poor from the start. It didn’t take long for Melone to be partially on top of you, backing you into the corner of the couch. Even though the room was warm and his body was warmer, that wasn’t why you began to lean away.
But you got no chance to explain yourself. His fingers digging into your sides as he gripped you tightly, Melone drew you towards him. He couldn’t help himself. When he set his lips against yours again, it quickly turned into something far messier than anything the two of you had done before.
Eventually breaking apart from him to catch your breath, you set a hand against Melone’s chest. Although he knew that he should stop, he kept pressing kisses against your neck.
“Wait,” you breathed, then repeated louder when Melone didn’t listen. While he backed off gradually and sat up, he didn’t go back to how he had been sitting earlier. Brushing some of his hair aside in the hopes of letting you see him better, but his hair didn’t want to stay pushed back and dropped back in front of his right eye.
You muttered his name and then went quiet. You didn’t quite want to continue the thought but Melone had frozen and was waiting for an answer. Though he seemed calm, he was watching you with a rather serious expression. He was afraid of what you would say next. Hoping that the day would never come, Melone himself wasn’t sure how well he’d handle you breaking things off.
“I haven’t done this before,” you admitted. Though you weren’t watching for it, his expression immediately relaxed. What you were telling him wasn’t a surprise. Melone couldn’t quite explain how he knew with such certainty but there had never been the slightest doubt in his mind.
“That’s alright,” he breathed, as he untangled himself from you. As few words as he had spoken, it had been difficult to get the words out. His throat had gone dry. Even though what you had told hadn’t come as a shock, saying that he wasn’t thrilled would be a lie. Melone didn’t particularly care that you hadn’t had sex before rather it was your willingness to do it with him that had set his heart racing.
“Let’s go.” Melone didn’t give you the chance to change your mind as he ushered you into his bedroom. Though he would have been fine with the couch, the bed would be more comfortable. He guided you into the room from behind, pausing every so many steps to press himself against you or plant kisses against the back of your neck. While he knew that he was unnecessarily dragging things out, he couldn’t help himself. He had wanted to do this since the first time you had served him coffee and he had been imagining what he would do to you every night since.
Seeing Melone reaching at his shirt, you froze. Only seeing that you weren’t doing the same once he had taken it off, he paused.
“Don’t worry,” he assured you, “I’ll do it.”
Though he had been reaching for his belt, he gestured for you to sit down on the bed next to him. No sooner had you sat down than Melone reached out and pressed you down onto the bed. His hand crept underneath your shirt and while your breath caught your throat, you let him take a tentative grab at your breasts. Even through your bra he knew they would be perfect.
Although you could have taken over, you let Melone undress you. You could tell how badly he wanted to get you out of your clothes and yet he worked his way up to removing each piece. Once he got your shirt off, he left kisses along your collarbone before he went on to remove your bra. Punctuated by frequent sighs, he ran his tongue across your breasts as he fumbled at your pants with the arm that wasn’t wrapped around you.
It wasn’t until Melone pulled his mouth away from your skin that you realized how little you were wearing and became self-conscious. Covering your breasts with your arm like they weren’t covered with red marks that Melone had left, you watched as Melone undressed himself. He hadn’t wanted to stop what he was doing but he had becoming increasingly uncomfortable and taking a moment to take care of himself would make things easier.
You didn’t know where to look when he slipped out of his pants. Some warning would have been nice. You had known that he was erect from how he had pressing himself against you and yet seeing it, even clothed was overwhelming. He caught you staring and shot you a grin.
Grabbing you before you had the chance to twist away, Melone slid up beside you. His fingertips dusted your stomach before they fell lower down your body. When he reached your underwear he didn’t slip his hand underneath but kept moving down.
“Do you ever touch yourself?” Melone whispered, slowly moving the tips of his fingers downwards. Barely touching you, he added the slightest more pressure as he found your clit. Lingering there for a moment, he continued downwards.
“Sometimes,” you mumbled. His hand wasn’t giving you the chance to think straight. It felt better than when you did it.
“Do you ever think about me while you do?” His voice had dropped lower, curious yet hoping he would get an answer he liked.
“Yeah,” you sighed. There was no point in lying to him when he was dying to hear the truth. You felt that you were right in allowing yourself to admit it when Melone let out a long breath. A nod would have sufficed but hearing you say it was that much better.
“(name),” Melone sighed, “you’re all I think about.” Your admission enough to make up his mind for him, he withdrew his hand and worked you out of your underwear. He didn’t want anything between you and him. Maybe thinking the same thing, you couldn’t explain why your hips had lifted themselves up to help him.
Dropping them your underwear off the bed with the hopes that you might forget them later, Melone moved on to his own. All the while whining about how worked up you had gotten him, Melone was having difficulty keeping his hands off of himself. He wasn’t sure if he could survive another moment without being inside you.
After asking if you were birth control and getting his favourite answer, Melone was faced with a crucial decision. Upon opening his nightstand, there were two boxes of condoms for him to pick between. The box further away from the bed would work as intended, yet the other would give him a good shot at becoming a father. Grabbing a wrapper and returning to you, he wasn’t sure whether he had made the right decision.
“Look what you did to me,” Melone purred, getting back on top of you. You felt you body stiffen as Melone guided one of your legs aside. You didn’t know what to do. Completely bare and lying underneath him, you felt too exposed. You wanted to bring your hands up to cover your chest but the only person who seemed to be able to move was Melone.
“Ah, but look at you,” he breathed. “Di molto bene!” Melone made no effort to hide how heavily he was breathing as he looked you over. Your chest rose and fell with each shallow breath, giving the slightest movement to your breasts. Mesmerized, he found it hard to look away even despite what he was looking away to do.
Your toes stretched and fanned out as Melone began to guide his cock inside of you. Even though you had been watching it and expecting it, you were taken by surprise. Perfectly content with himself, Melone didn’t know what he liked better, how great you felt, or the sounds you were making as you took him. With each fraction of an inch deeper he went you let out another sigh, sounding just as content as he was.
Much to your relief, Melone was giving you plenty of time to get accustomed to things. Although you had anticipated it to hurt, just from what you had heard and what had gone through your head when Melone had undressed himself, while it stung, you had no real complaints. The pleasure outweighed the pain.
Unable to restrain himself Melone snapped his hips forward, forcing you to take everything all at once. Although you groaned, Melone covered you in kisses to apologize. But really, it was your fault for feeling so nice around him. He had never been inside a woman who had felt so warm and welcoming.
“I love you,” he whispered, as he thrusted himself inside you. While he found it difficult to maintain his composure well enough to speak, he had many, many things that he needed you to know.
Prompted by the praise, you lifted your legs until they were wrapped around him and wondered why you hadn’t done it earlier. Your hips angled just ever so slightly differently, it seemed as if Melone was doing something completely different. The bends of your fingers ached as you gripped onto his back, trying to relieve some of the building tension.
Melone had been on the verge of asking you if you wanted to move and get on top of him, but the newfound strength with which you were clinging onto him told him that you didn’t need him to do anything differently. He heard his name sneaking through your lips, accompanied by the occasional curse word or meaningless gasp of air.
Melone found himself rambling, telling you whatever he knew you would like to hear, but he meant every last word that he said. You were perfect and he had known that from the moment he had first laid eyes on you. The best encouragement there was, he could feel your feet straining against his lower back.
“(name),” Melone sighed, “I love you.” Despite everything he had been telling you, he knew the effect those words would have on you. Hearing them, you grumbled a little before you gave into the feeling that had been building for some time. Somewhere between a hiss and a sigh, you said his name.
Even putting aside how you had grabbed him and how weak your limbs had gone already, Melone could tell what had happened. He could feel it as well. He could feel how badly you needed him. Every last fibre of your being was calling out to him and he was more than happy to oblige.
Jerking forward with more force than he meant to, you couldn’t help but wince as Melone hit a little too deep. He groaned your name again and again until he went quiet. Both of your breathing began to slow until it fell back into a rhythm that was close to normal but wasn’t. That would take some time.
It was difficult not to laugh when he raised his head to kiss you. Both of you were coated with a fine layer of sweat and your hair was messed up beyond saving. His eyepatch had fallen down a little yet was still covering his face. Nonetheless, he was watching you calmly through the pink fabric. As you were about to reach for his face to tidy him up, Melone gave you a final parting kiss before pulling away. Because of the box he had chosen, the condom hadn’t broken which meant that he had to clean himself up. While some part of him regretted the decision he had made earlier, it wouldn’t have been fair. Just like with everything else, he was certain that he could convince you to have his child in due time.
Crawling back beside you on the bed, Melone pulled you into his arms. Thoroughly worn out, there wasn’t an ounce of resistance left in your body. You reached up a hand and caught his eyepatch in your fingers and drew it up over his head. Finally seeing his bare face for the first time, you didn’t take long to take it before Melone went back to marking your body with kisses. It would be hard to hide that you were taken with the dark splotches that he left. It wouldn’t even be worth trying.
Trying to move as little as possible, Melone reached for the sheets and pulled them up over the two of you. The sheets weren’t needed for warmth, just for comfort. It was late enough that it would be senseless to head home. By the time you got home and got settled, the sun would rise and wake you. You were comfortable enough where you were anyway. Melone was running his hands in vaguely circular patterns that reminded you of ocean waves, just lapping at the shore.
Just about to fall asleep, a sudden thought shook you awake. Turning towards him, just enough so that you were sure that he would hear.
“I love you,” you told him. Suddenly unable to speak, Melone pressed a soft kiss into the crook of your neck. It didn’t take long for either of you to fall asleep after that.
---
Melone took you to a different cafe the next morning, with coffee that was much better than anything your place of work served. Still a little tired and very sore, the two of you were chatting over breakfast when you were interrupted. While you didn’t know any of the three men, Melone introduced them as his coworkers.
“This is (name),” Melone told them, gesturing towards you. He took a sip of his coffee before continuing, as if it would make what he was about to say seem less forced. “She stayed over last night.”
You went flush and shot him a glare, to which he could only smile. Although the comment was innocent enough, everyone there knew what he meant. Turning your attention back to your food, you tried to cover your neck with your hand but your poor attempt at obscuring the marks only drew more attention. His coworkers were staring at you and were making no attempt to hide it.
His coworkers left after an awkward parting and once they were gone, you gave Melone a frown. Calling your name reassuringly, Melone reached out and traced one of the marks on your neck with the tip of his finger.
“I couldn’t help myself,” he told you. You sighed and scratched at your plate, pushing around a piece of waffle. While you could barely bring yourself to admit it, maybe you hadn’t minded how Melone had been so excited to show you off to his coworkers. He hadn’t been looking for validation as some men might have but rather he was just telling his coworkers as if even he himself couldn’t believe it. Seeing that excitement had given you butterflies that were still fluttering around in your stomach. But you would never admit as much to him.
“Let me apologize later,” Melone murmured, leaning in so that only you could hear him. You had no complaints with that.