Bloodied Heart

Chapter 2

The sweet tinkle of a bell caught Caylen's attention as the glass door to the cafe swung open. Setting his cup back onto the table, he looked up towards the entrance, as a girl skipped through the doors.

My, was she stunning. A petite, familiar figure drowned in a white hoodie skittered into the cafe. Still rocking those skinny jeans, huh, Caylen thought as a sweet smile tugged at his lips. The girl swayed slightly as she spun towards Caylen. Her seemingly drunken movements, paired with her fun, lacklustre yet chaotic nature, made her the centre of the most beautiful memories he had of high school. His heart fluttered a little as she spotted him, eyes twinkling with that same sparkle that screamed her, and locking with his.

"Caylen!!!"

Zoey gracefully made her way towards him, almost bumping into a passing barista. Caylen watched as a bashful smile curved her pink lips, feeling a slight burn settle in his chest. Unable to put a name to the foreign feeling, he pushed it to the back of his mind, deciding instead to watch Zoey sit down opposite him, back settling against the cushioned seat, making her look awfully small. In contrast to her usual chaotic energy, the cushion seemed to swallow her, giving Caylen this unexplainable urge to wrap a protective arm around her small bean of a body and shield her from his messed up world. Gosh, Caylen was such a mess.

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "Wow, it's been long, Zoey. Still got all the boys pining after you?"

She lurched forward slightly as she giggled, eyes scrunching into little curves. Oh, Caylen was a gone, gone man.

"Wooow. Charming as ever, Caylen. Wonder what keeps the ladies away from you, huh?"

His eyes widened as he processed her statement.

Another burst of giggles. Caylen swore, the sweet laughter of that chirpy little lark would be his demise someday.

"Well, aren't you still such a delight to be around. Anyway, I got you your drink. I think my memory serves from our coffee outings, so let me guess.. Do you still drink a... white mocha frappuccino?"

Zoey gaped in feigned shock. "No! Not that diabetic abomination!"

"... Passionfruit iced tea."

"This is a hot cup, you absolute moron."

"Cocoa oat latte?"

"No! Not that healthy, lactose-free sludge either. How could you? This is disappointing."

"Ah, you think too lowly of me. Just open your cup and take a look."

She scrunched her face at him, sending his poor heart into yet another series of thumps. As she wrenched the lid open, eyes shining with the soft twinkle of the stars, the steam from the hot drink glazed over her face like a filter, exuding childlike innocence. At least, in Caylen's eyes, since that crush on her from way back had suddenly decided to make a grand reappearance. Ugh, young love.

As the steam cleared, Zoey was looking down into the cup, mouth gaping like a child on Christmas Day. Her eyes were comically wide, nose inching forward as she breathed in the aroma of the cup of liquid calories.

"NO WAY! YOU GOT ME A RASPBERRY CREME LATTE??"

That same feeling simmered in the depths of his chest as he watched her eager reaction. Much like a burning, a more intense version of butterflies. Ah, so that dormant crush from years ago had awakened and was bent on making Caylen aware of its presence.

He raised his cup to his lips and took a small sip, the stark bitterness of the cafe latte reeling him back in from that lovesick trance he was in.

"So..." He brought a hand to the back of his neck, scratching nervously.

"So."

"... So?"

They stared at each other. Caylen looked into her eyes, with an effort to avoid wavering from the intensity of Zoey's gaze.

"So, what've you been doing lately? Still wasting the nights away, grinding against girls in the club down the street?" Zoey prodded playfully. He knew it was all in good fun, but it stung to know she thought of him in that way.

"Wow, I'm hurt, Zoey. Please, I'm not that dumb and reckless kid anymore. I'm doing great things with my life, thank you very much."

"Ah, the playboy has changed his ways. Great things like what? Are you an athlete or something? I remember you used to bring so many championship trophies back to school, you talented douche."

"Well, um..."

What was Caylen to say?

"Oh, I kill people for a living, and make a crap ton of money, but don't worry about me killing you." That would definitely compromise his job, and send Zoey running. He couldn't possibly tell the poor girl that. Especially not the girl his heart was currently sprinting madly for.

"Something like that. I work at a... Gym. Yeah, I'm a physical trainer. You won't believe how much rich old men will pay for me to help them lose weight. And um, of course, get rid of any possible complications with their... work. Lifestyle. Obesity raises your risk of stroke, you know?"

"... Wow, that sounds... nice? Well, at least it brings in the dough, huh?"

"Yeah, totally. Lots of dough. Eh, enough about me and disgusting old goobers. You're still working at your dad's company, right?"

The diversion worked like a charm. Zoey's eyes glimmered as she started rambling about that inconsiderate department head who never emptied his capsule from the coffee machine, that colleague who never failed to suck up to his boss every other sentence, and that lady from the company canteen who always got her name wrong. "It's Zoey, not Joey?!" she snarked. She was a high flyer, even if boosted by nepotism. She was happy, and the inequality in the world was beyond saving anyways.

The ringing of a phone cut off her speech. Caylen knew that familiar ringtone, maybe a little too much for his liking. Did he hate it? It did interrupt Zoey's long monologue, so maybe a little more than before, but did he expect it? ...Probably.

"Oh, it's yours! Don't mind me, go ahead and take the call."

Sighing in resignation, Caylen slid his phone out of his jeans pocket and swiped across the screen.

"Hi, Sir, how can I help you? I don't think we had a session scheduled today, I'm out with a friend right now." He mumbled the latter part with a harsh tone, hoping his partners would read his tone and assess the situation.

A silence fell over the line. To his relief, they got the hint.

"Oh yes. We have a new client. We will pick you up in five."

He ended the call hastily, trying to avoid any suspicion from Zoey. Sigh, it just had to be the one time he was having a great time. Great timing for his job to interrupt.

"So, I guess you have to go, huh." She put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture, which only intensified that weird burning feeling. Wow, that had to be a pretty intense crush. He forced an apologetic smile, nodding, "Yeah, sorry about that. I swear, I'll make it up to you. How about that burger shack we used to visit? You know, in that dingy alley downtown?""

"No, no, it's alright. And yes, I'm surprised you remembered, but I wouldn't turn down free food. Go shoot obesity in the face, haha! We can catch up next time, Caylen." Zoey bid Caylen farewell with that sparkling smile of hers.

Well, that would've been funny, but considering his current predicament, it really wasn't. Honestly, he wasn't sure if her smile soothed or added fuel to the fire. Considering that unignorable sting in his heart, it probably wasn't the latter.

"Yeah, catch you next time. I'll text you!"

With that, he strode through the glass doors of the quaint cafe, that sweet tinkle of the bell like the sweet tinkle of her laughter ringing in his ears as he made his way down the street.