"He's just nice to everyone."
"No," I say carefully. "He's friendly to everyone. There's a difference."
Devin looks at me, really looks at me for the first time since he sat down. "Yeah. I guess there is."
We drink our coffee in comfortable silence for a minute. Then he asks, "What's your favorite fantasy series? Like, if you had to pick just one."
"Cruel question."
"I know, right? It's like picking a favorite child."
"Probably The Wheel of Time, but that might be nostalgia talking. Read it when I was fifteen and thought it was the deepest thing ever written."
"Fourteen books of braid-tugging and smoothing skirts," Devin says with a small smile.
"You've read it?"
"Twice. It's terrible and I love it."
"Exactly." I lean forward slightly. "What about you? Favorite series?"
"The Realm of the Elderlings. Robin Hobb."
"All sixteen books?"
"All sixteen books. Fitz and the Fool own my entire soul."
"Devastating ending though."
His eyes light up. "You've read them?"
"Last year. Cried like a baby at the end."
"Oh god, me too. When the Fool —" He stops. "No, I can't even talk about it without getting emotional."
"In the library?"
"In the library. Margaret pretended not to notice, but she brought me tissues."
I can picture it perfectly. Devin curled up in a library chair, crying over the fate of fictional characters, trying to hide it but too invested to stop reading.
"Okay, controversial opinion time," I say. "Better dragons: Pern or Earthsea?"
"Oh, that's not even fair —"
And we're off, debating dragon mythology across different series. He gets animated when he talks, using his hands, leaning forward when he makes a point. His earlier nervousness is completely gone, replaced by this passionate intensity that opens him up, makes him look like the person he is underneath the careful politeness and customer service smiles.
He's beautiful like this. Engaged. Present. Not hiding.
"— and that's why Temeraire is clearly the superior dragon series," he finishes, slightly out of breath.
"I notice you didn't mention Eragon."
"We don't talk about Eragon."
"But talking dragons —"
"We. Don't. Talk. About. Eragon."