The people here weren’t the same as the people from New York. The people he grew up around were always so focused on their next task, it left them blind to people with sticky fingers like Oliver and his friends. Here, however, the streets were more than just a way to get from Point A to Point B; they were places for leisurely strolls, for meetings and altogether times where people were more likely to think twice when Oliver swiped something from a pocket. Turns out, he’d pissed off the wrong people, people who were friends with the Sykes boys (Oliver didn’t have to talk to them to know this - he could practically smell it from a mile away), people who happened to notice. So here he was, skittering through a back alley, hoping to lose them in the first side door he could slip through.
This door happened to lead him into the cafe, where he stumbled to the front where the seating was (brushing off the concerns of employees who weren’t sure why he didn’t just use the front door). He had to blend in, and fast, and the best seat to do so was right behind a large plant near the counter. It just so happened that on the other side of the table was another guy, but that didn’t stop Oliver on his journey of self-preservation. “Hey! Long time no see,” Oliver greeted to this perfect stranger as he slid into the seat.
@binxed