Gray

01. Black Tea

<< Unfortunately," said Hodge, "we're all out of bitter revenge at the moment, so it's either tea or nothing.">>

0 0.  

b l a c k    t e a

___________________________

NEVER WOULD IT come to ones mind, that people in such a place could be so rude. The hustle and bustle of being at the airport was enough, but it seemed not to be so, according to God.

I held back the feeling to yell something to the taxi driver I knew I'd regret, and made my way to the group of colossal, glass apartment buildings. I walked to the front office, signing and marking papers before finally acknowledging my presence.

"Good evening, quite late to arrive here might I say," She was a young woman, younger than me, with cropped, brown hair and was chewing her gum in a way that made me wonder whether she had an extra tongue packed away somewhere.

"I'm new here, come to check my room." I replied, bluntly turning down her dry joke.

She was clearly offended, and kept silent the entire time. Not even her gum said a word.

"Room 204, second floor. Two people are already there, so you have no choice with the bedroom you pick. Have a great stay." She handed me a bunch of keys, before gesturing toward the staircase on the left. There was something weird about her. It was either her eyes, or my imagination. I made sure to memorize her nametag. Vanessa, it said. Familiar.

I waved to her and climbed the staircase, which led to a lift. Within about twenty minutes, I made it to the floor with the 200's.

I didn't have to push the handle of the door once I knocked the first time. A tall, curvy girl opened the door and embraced me. She hugged me tightly, close enough so I could inhale her scent. It was strong, but different. When she finally pulled away, I was able to see her clearly.

She was dark, like me, with a full afro of curly, brown hair. She had a cheerful, round face with glowing skin despite her use of zero make-up. Her finger and toe nails were both perfectly manicured and pedicured, however, dust coated her hands, probably as a result of moving old things around.

"Jacob!" She yelled. About two minutes after, a tall, skinny male appeared. He was light in complexion, not to dark nor two light, so I guessed he was mixed race. He had gorgeous green orbs covered with monolids, black curly hair and a black goatee to match.

"The transfer student is finally here! This is.." She trailed off, clearly waiting for me to introduce myself.

"Tamara."

"Tamara." She exhaled. "Beautiful name," She turned around as quickly as she came, picked her boxes up and resumed work. Rude.

I shrugged my shoulders, carried my own luggage and stepped inside. A wave of heat hit me as soon as I entered, causing great shivers down my spine. I viewed the living space first. From the outside, you could tell the view from upstairs was great. It was glass, with small, but bright hanging lights everywhere. Simple, mocha-brown sofas were placed in the corners of the room, pushed to the white walls for more space. A creme colored coffee table was slam-dunk in the middle, while a dining table was about six feet away from it. A miniature kitchen was near it, with three doors in irregular places. Our actual rooms, I presumed.

I opened the one that was untouched, and found my things already set in the middle. Within half an hour, my room looked less plain.

More like me.

It was all part of my healing process, my doctors made sure of that. And I wouldn't ever have to look at the face of Noah again. Ever again.

I heard my door open, and within minutes I was dragged outside by a strong pair of arms. It was the girl, the one who called Jacob, I presume.

"We're out for a quick get together down town. Wanna join?" She asked as she finally put me down. 

What were the odds of you being new and people genuinely wanting to get to know you? "Sure."

  *  *  *

The "Skye" Café had to be one of the best I'd ever visit. They weren't to different from the ones I was used to. It was what anyone could imagine - a place with stools around a little bar corner, and sets of round tables situated in spectacular places. However, tonight, the café smelled strongly of alcohol, which was unusual.

Jacob had pre-booked us a seat, showing they wouldn't have accepted 'no' for an answer. We all had a seat and the curvy girl broke the ice almost immediately.

"Let's get to know each other, it's the reason we're out here anyway," She chuckled, and when both Jacob and I didn't join in, she spoke up again. "My name is Melissa, and I was born and live here in Chattanooga. I'm twenty-six, and this is my boyfriend, Jacob."

It was Jacob's turn to speak. I noticed how the evening sundown reflected the color of his dark irises. Absolutely beautiful. "Unlike Melissa, I'm based in Austria. I'm also twenty-six and stuck with a total big baby." Melissa shot him a glare and punched his shoulder to which he laughed. They were perfect.

Unlike Noah and I.

I was about to start reminiscing about Noah and I and break down crying which would force me to excuse myself, but didn't seem to be happening. I caught a pair of dark green eyes staring right at me. And they didn't break away, not for a second. 

I could've sworn he wasn't here when we came in. Additionally, the door had a bell just above it, that made a noise even the smallest of life forms couldn't escape. It was as if no one else apart from us were in the building.

I resumed my conversation with Melissa and Jacob. Suddenly, he wasn't there anymore. Typical, I thought to myself. Another effect of Noah.

I told my new friends all about my life before moving, except for the Noah part of course, and they were astonished to find I was really from London. It amazed me, as my accommodation brochure specifically laid emphasis on the 'diversity' around here.

We ended up having a few shots to many and Melissa was too drunk to drive. Jacob was the only sane one amongst us, as he was seemingly immune to alcohol, and was forced to drive instead. I asked them to wait for me as I searched for the bathroom, only for me to nearly jump out of my own skin as I saw a pair of dark, green eyes once again.

"Jesus Christ, what do you want from me?!" I shrieked, my breathing shaky from my scare. He didn't answer, only stared at me as his hoodie crowded his features. All I saw was his black, extremely skinny jeans and Doc Martens to match. 

I didn't need to wait for him to do anything- I nearly jogged out of the café, not looking back at least once.