Severus decides that she really hates coffee shops. There are too many people, talking loudly to each other at the mismatched tables that really look more like clutter, and it absolutely doesn't have a sort or homely charm to it. Not at all. She hates how none of the chairs match the tables, how the table cloths are all definitely homemade, reminding them of her mother making her first dress with some spare fabric from her other projects that week.
The entire building reminds Severus of their mother, with the warm smell of coffee and baked goods floating through the air. The woman who owns the place, Hope Lupin, used to be friends with Eileen before she died, reminds Sev so vividly of her mother that it hurts a little bit. She can see it in how Hope gently holds her son's face and presses her lips to the top of his head, with how Hope gently rubs his shoulder when they're working together.
Sweet Exchange is one of the stupidest things Hope could've named her coffee shop, but it's fitting. Not in a she's stupid way, in a way that it fills Severus with the same warmth that seeing the mother-son duo does.
Well, that seeing Hope does. Remus, she still holds a resentment for.
Severus has this thing, with grudges. She doesn't remember where the majority of her distaste for someone comes from, but God does it stick with them forever. She doesn't even remember what Remus and his friends did that made them hate the lot of them, but she does. It was some childish thing, most likely, something that's carried from elementary school up to their senior year of highschool. Severus genuinely just doesn't know what it is, but that doesn't stop a knee jerk reaction of something hot bubbling in her stomach, eating her from the inside out each time she sees Remus. It doesn't appear when they see James or Sirius, which is a bit puzzling, but they don't think about it any further. James is her friend's boyfriend, after all. Another reason to dislike him, but she can't find it in herself to hate him when they know how he treats Regulus. And Sirius is… Sirius. Whatever that means for her. Remus has no positive connections to Severus, only negative interactions from years before.
Despite how 'kind' Remus is to most people, there's something about them that absolutely infuriates Severus. Something about him talking makes her want to shut him up, preferably with her own mouth. A weird thought, honestly. Remus' cane is always covered in crocheted covers, often rainbows or with designs woven in. It's clear there's a lot of work that goes into them. Severus hates them, for the sole reason that why the fuck are they cute? There's nothing remarkable about them other than the obvious care put into them, and something about that puts a weird feeling in Severus' stomach. Remus, in his large sweaters and square glasses, don't match the exact look that the crocheted daisies give, but it just looks right, for some reason.
Speak of the fucking devil and he shall appear, Severus thinks, as the boy comes up to their table with a coffee cup and a glare. "Mum said to bring this to you. Said you looked sad, or something."
"Sad." She repeats, blinking at him. Remus nods, not saying anything else. Clearly, he's waiting for Severus to speak first, which she does not. Remus stares and she stares back, until eventually Remus sighs and sits across from them at the table. He stretches their leg out, looking anywhere except Severus. The notes scattered on the table, her open computer, other patrons, the counter, and just about the entire shop. Severus opens their mouth to speak when Remus gets to it first.
"Do you want to go to dinner?" He says quickly, hands resting on the table.
"What?"
"Dinner." Remus repeated, finally looking at them. "A movie, even. I dunno. Something." He says it so casually, like he doesn't know that Severus hates his guts and every word out of that stupid mouth of theirs. But he acts like he doesn't care about any of that, even. "A date, Prince. Do you want to go on a date with me?"
"I know what you meant, Lupin." They snap, and Remus rolls his eyes. The only question is, why the hell is Remus asking her out? It's clear to anyone that they don't like each other, from heated glares to quick remarks in the hallways or in class, little jabs at one another that makes their respective friends groan or tune them out entirely.
But there's still that feeling in her gut each time he speaks about his newest favorite book, the one that makes them want to shut him up and listen to him for hours. The feeling that she's always been drawn to him, that's persisted for years, since they were just starting middle school and they couldn't help but immediately find Remus in every class, every project, even if working with him made her hate everything. She should say no. She should reject Remus, laugh in his face, and glare at them for even suggesting they're anything to each other besides childhood 'enemies', as Severus has personally dubbed them. But when Remus speaks again, that's not what they do.
"Look, nevermind. Pretend I didn't-"
"Yes." Severus says quickly, interrupting Remus while they're getting up. "I'll go on a date with you."
"Okay." Remus nods simply, looking at her curiously. "I'll text you. Bye, Prince." He doesn't smile as he leaves, just raps his knuckles against the wood before he goes. He doesn't turn around, and Severus pretends that she isn't staring after him.
There's a fine line between hatred and attraction for Severus, and maybe those lines are blurred a little bit. Not that they'd admit it.