Every day, at nine in the morning, Alex drops by at his favorite coffee shop to drink tea before going to work as a singer. It started as a habit when he realized the tea in that coffee shop was by far, the best he had ever tasted in his life. And of course, his workmates were astonished at his habit to actually buy hot tea in a coffee shop—whose best product would be coffee. But then, it’s already the postmodern times, and Alex knows coffee shops don’t just sell coffee and he can do whatever the hell he wants. His workmates were just a bunch of shitloads trying to make him feel the lowest. A coffee shop that sells the best tea would be the best coffee shop. And the best tea shop that sells the best coffee would be the best tea shop. That’s how everything works. For him, at least.
It’s Friday morning, a busy yet the greatest day for Alex. For once, he’d be singing an original song and not a cover. Finally, his voice could get recognition by a lot of people and not just his label company. What he and his members have been working on for years will finally be put to success. And what makes him enjoy the day more is a takeout of Twinning’s hot green and lemon tea with cinnamon.
Alex can feel his mouth watering just from the imagination of the drink.
As usual, he drops by at Show Me The Coffee, whose branches are oddly labeled by numbers. So this one, the fourth branch, was called Show Me The Coffee 4. It was odd, true, but then again, coffee shops that sell great tea are the best. Their names doesn’t really matter. No one doubted Starbuck’s name, nor even Coffee Bean.
He pushes the double glass doors and takes in the coffee and cinnamon smell in the air, something at least he could take as coffee. Then he makes his way towards the counter, a definite huge smile on his handsome face. It’s a killer, everyone says. His curly brown hair up in a clean cut, his nose the ideal type, and his lips with a deep and defined cupid’s bow. Alex knows he’s handsome, with a great idea of his face but not confident enough to brag. He just walks around knowing with his head bent down.
“Hi!” The cashier greets, giving him a huge toothy smile. Alex narrows his eyes to read the tag, which reads: Elizabeth Song. There were doodles around her name.
“Oh yeah, hi.” Alex nods. “I would like a cup of Twinning’s green and lemon tea with cinnamon for takeout.”
“Would that be all?” The cashier-slash-bartender asks, still retaining her charming smile. Alex felt uncomfortable under the gaze but still replied, “Yes.” and places his phone on the magnetic scanner.
After the drink was paid, Alex waits for his magnetic number to buzz. In just a few minutes it did, and he walks over the claiming area to get his cup of hot tea. He flashed the Elizabeth Song a smile, something he usually does and not just to impress, and went outside to his work.
As soon as he gets inside the studio, Adrian requested for his appearance inside the recording room and Alex, although feeling a little down that he haven’t had any sip of his tea, complied.
It took them a few retakes to have a perfect recorded song, and all Alex could think was his tea and to please his colleagues. As soon as he gets out of the recording room, he touches his cup, and happiness spreads through his lips as he realizes that it was still warm.
He drinks. “Pfwah!” Alex exclaims, withdrawing his lips quickly from the cup and looks at his drink with a ridiculous stare.
“What is it?” Patrick asks, giving him a very droopy stare. Alex shifts his look back to the cup and answers, “It doesn’t taste like tea!”
Adrian quickly grabs the cup from him, takes a sip and says, “Of course it’s not. It’s Macchiato.”
“A what?” Alex exclaims. He’s become furious at the mention of a coffee name—or label. He hates coffee. It’s just dark, bitter and not any good to health.
“It’s coffee.” Patrick answers, adding fuel to the fire, emphasizing the wrongness of the order. “Did you get your order wrong?”
“They got my order wrong!” Alex exasperatedly says, sighing. His brain starts to calculate different ways to murder Elizabeth Song, and the latter should watch How To Get Away With Murder tonight or she’d not survive.
Patrick sighs, his eyebrows meeting in between. “Don’t get mad at us.” Adrian opens the cup, peeks inside, and says, “There’s a note inside. I think you should finish all of this before you can read it.”
“A what?”
"A note. Alex, are you deaf?” Finally fed up, Patrick wears his headphones and calls the conversation off. Adrian, however, was considerate enough not to put his on, but judging from his face, he’s near on doing it.
He gives the cup back, and sure enough, Alex sees a note wrapped in plastic, and taped inside. He grimaces at the thought of drinking coffee—something as disgusting and ugly as coffee. But he finished it, for the sake of curiosity, his gagging reflexes which he have always saved working to the extreme.
Alex grabs the note and throws the cup in the trashcan. Adrian momentarily stops with checking the instrumental for the live shows to wait for the note’s contents. Alex opens the folded note and reads with his eyes, You always drink green and lemon tea with cinnamon. But I think Macchiato fits you best. A little bit of bitterness for your manly side, a lot of milk for your soft side, a pinch of vanilla extract for your uniqueness and syrup because, well, it’s a secret. If you enjoyed Macchiato, meet me in front of the shop tonight at 8. If not, don’t go. I’ll give up.
Alex gulps.
“Alex.” Patrick says, looking up from the computer. He was expecting all along too. “Why are you blushing?”
Alex quickly looks up, and hides the note behind his back, crumpling it in process. “Um, no. It’s just—the coffee—she asked—was it good. I think…”
Adrian nods slowly, his lips pressed and asks, “I think? Were you not sure?” His lips form a smile that was definitely different from his usual smiles.
Alex avoids their gaze. Adrian uses the opportunity to press, “You got asked, didn’t you?”
“Hey.” Patrick adds. “Just agree. It’s been a year since you broke up with Hannah.”
Adrian makes white noises. “Ah, really. Haven’t I told you it’s a taboo to mention her name, especially when Alex is thinking of a new date!”
Alex crosses his arms. “I didn’t say I’d date her. She just told me that if I liked the coffee, I meet her in front of the coffee shop at 8.”
“So you did got asked!” Adrian points out and starts to laugh. Patrick joins in and they both become seals, clapping while laughing. Alex’s face turns into a much deeper shade of red, and he’s flustered beyond comprehension.
“It’s just…” Alex starts, pauses immediately and presses his lips. Then he sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe this isn’t the thing for me. I’m really confident about me, but not about this. I’ll just—“ He tosses the paper to the trashcan. “I’ll just go to the company dinner at 7 and sing some Sam Smith songs.”
“Hey,” Adrian sighs, frowning. “You’re too hard on yourself. You need to date!”
Alex smiles and raises his hand. “I’ll go buy friend chicken. It’s on me today.”
“Alex!” Patrick calls but Alex had already gone out. He shakes his head and says, “He’s a worst case of heartbroken. Ah, really.”
Adrian agrees by playing the newly recorded song, and Patrick’s soulful voice suddenly matches the mood: heavy, heartbroken, and hates the night to come.
In perfect line, everyone hits the beer inside the glass and all of it starts to bubble. Alex drinks his and after that, shows the comforting taste by making a very long satisfied sound in his throat. He feels a little prick on his left cheek and he turns, seeing Patrick holding a green pea. “Yah,” He says, his eyes drowsy. Alex could guess he already had his second drink. “Just go to that coffee shop and accept her. It’s already a free date.”
Alex chuckles and says, “No. I told you already that unless it’s over—“
“Yah, Hannah!”
Alex stops talking immediately and swallows hard. He drinks the last of his beer and suddenly stands up. “Alex!” Patrick shouts, noticing him. “Where are you going?”
“I-I-I—“ Alex stutters, looking around and the staff starts to worry. “I’m going to the restroom.”
Patrick snickers. “For an hour again? Until Hannah leaves?”
Alex presses his lips, and silently wishes Patrick’s mouth wasn’t so big whenever he’s drunk. Considerably, Alex shakes his head and says, “No. I’ll go for ten minutes.”
He quickly escapes the awkward scene and walk towards the exit, rather than going to the restroom. He doesn’t care anymore he’d be perceived as a person who’d never move on from a break up. All he wanted was not to see Hannah and just be alone—probably cry or just think. For now, his mind isn’t straight or worse, just plainly blank. Or twisted. He wasn’t always sure about himself.
Alex sighs as soon as he got out of the restaurant. It's already dark. The streetlights and the light from the moon made him feel a little too heavy. His mind starts to wander to Elizabeth Song and her light, considerate gaze. Her toothy smile and sweet voice. Her small button nose, curly ginger hair and freckles.
He suddenly wanted a drink as he started to notice her in a different light after getting asked out.
“Do you still love me?”
Alex stills at the voice, and he doesn’t dare to turn around. Hannah repeats, now louder, “Do you still love me, Alex?!”
Absolutely fed up, Alex turns sharply and shouts, “No! I don’t love you!”
“Then why are you doing this?” Hannah asks with a sigh. “Why are you running away? Why?”
Alex starts to cry, his tears falling down from his puffy eyes. “Yeah! I am! I am because I hate you to the point I can’t breathe the same air as you. Because you, who broke up with me, didn’t tell me you hate me even to the last minute. Let’s break up because I love you?” Alex grunts. “You’re cynical!”
“What do you want me to say when I still love you? I just broke up with you because I don’t want to be a hindrance to your dreams.” Hannah sighs, her face distorted into a sad frown. “I only wanted the best for you even if I was not in it. What am I? Just a backup dancer and nothing more!”
Alex felt violated all of a sudden, as if his dreams were enough justification for a breakup. He gathers all of his will and says, “If you really care about me, you shouldn’t have done that.”
Hannah cries, “Alex!”
“It’s already 9!” Alex answers. “And I hate you.”
And amidst Hannah’s continuous call of his name, Alex didn’t dare to turn around as he ran away.
Alex found himself in a very dark street. He was sure it was here somewhere, but the lack of light had made him lose his sense of direction—as if he had any even with lights. He looks around, and finds the shop opposite still open, its sign can be seen from afar. Unpretty Hotpot
Alex starts to run, as fast as he could. Then he stops in front of a closed shop, and his breathing hitches. The front is empty.
“Too late.” Alex mutters, his tears starting to fall down again. “I’m too late again.”
He closes his eyes and silently cries.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBXYFRJA6H
589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72Ix7wOEan
“Oh?” Alex suddenly stills at the voice. “You came?”
He quickly raises his head up again and sees her standing a few centimeters from him, holding a hotdog in bun and a soda at the other. She takes a bite from her food and chews generously. Alex subconsciously laughs while crying.
Elizabeth Song laughs and then swallows. “Wait, I’ll just finish my food.”
She turns around and finishes her food in five seconds, including the soda. Then she turns around again and says, “Um, thanks?”
Alex shyly and almost inaudibly says, “I-I thought you weren’t going to be here if I go at this hour. I just tried…”
Elizabeth smiles widely, showing her full set of perfect teeth. “But love waits, isn’t it? If I gave up too early, I wouldn’t be seeing you standing a few centimeters away without a counter separating us.”
Alex’s throat suddenly becomes dry. Waiting. Persevering. Those words were what he wanted from Hannah, from their relationship, yet was selfishly not given. All this time he had been waiting for those words, for the person, to give it to him. At least make him feel it.
“Hey,” Elizabeth sweetly says, closing their distance and touching both of his cheeks with her hands. “Are you crying?”
Her breath smells like spicy hotdog but Alex still smiles. “No, it was the rain.”
“Ah, what rain.” Elizabeth mutters, pulling him into a tight embrace. “What rain.”589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgCHzHGkJs
