JanTom: Complete Opposites

A Cup of Something - Epilogue (Part 2)

Characters : Marco (17) and Star (19)

"Did I kept you waiting?"

The velvety voice all too familiar caught the brunette's attention. The former was clad on a simple plain shirt with shorts that reached her knees. Her blonde hair was particularly tied in a messy bun out of haste.

Marco smiled, tipping the coffee to his lips, savourly the bitter aftertaste. "You've been pretty busy these days, huh?"

Marco wasn't fond of coffee, however he garnered a tolerance for it. It was one of those things that kept him awake in the middle of the night, dutily complying with the demanding projects and homework.

The blonde smiled in response, pulling the chair from across him and sat with a heave. "Yup. College is quite hard. People said it was no sweat, that it was supposed to be fun."

She pursed her lips in annoyance. "But they lied! I don't know what in heaven's they were doing, but being awake at 3 every single day to write a damned 10,000 essay due tomorrow morning isn't fun at all."

She catches her breath, placing a hand over her chest. "How about you, Marco? How are you faring with your studies? Have you decided where you'll go in college?"

Marco chuckled, amused by her bombarding questions. "Would you mind asking one question one at a time? I'd be tongue tied trying to keep up with you."

Marco trailed his index fingers to the rim of the cup, musing by the thought. "I'm doing well, I guess. Well, I don't really care where I'll go in college."

"I see."

A brief silence imposed on them for a brief second before the waiter heads to their seat where Star orders herself some parfait and macaroons.

"You surely have a sweet tooth, don't you?" Marco teased. "--it's quite cold outside too. You're so peculiar Star."

"But that's one of your charms, I suppose."

Star pulled out her tongue like a cheeky child, not wanting to be defeated by Marco. "Well--I will stop if you will stop acting like some posh, old adult from the 1800's pretending to like coffee when you clearly don't."

"Ah, but don't they drink tea? I'm drinking coffee, Star. There is a major difference such as the difference between a skirt and a---"

"Please stop. You're making my head ache even more," Star squeezed her temple for effect, squinting her eyes at the witty boy.

"Well, we're even now," Marco smiled at the blonde who smiled back at him.

"That being said, it's been a while since we last met, right?" Star inquired, then shifting her perspective to the waiter putting down her order. She murmurs a thank you before facing Marco.

She crushes her parfait with the spoon, mixing the ingredients into a mush of all sorts. Then she takes a spoonful and immediately feels at bliss, the sweet hitting the spot.

"I've been craving for a parfait for a while now," Star gleefully utters, taking a bite of the fruit.

"Yeah. It's been a while," Marco responds to her other question, gazing at the streets bustling with life. The sun was peering at him and the skies were clear.

"As we got older, it just got more hectic that it's hard to find time," Marco mumbled, musing by the displays across the street.

"I swear you feel like an old man," Star replied. "--I still remember when you were a cute, bratty child who followed me around."

Marco flickers his sight to Star who in turn stared at him. Star could see the conflicting and yet playful glint in those hazel eyes.

"Is this your way of saying you miss me?" he smirked, leaning on the table with his palm propped under his chin.

Star's cheeks slightly flush as she flicked her spoon to Marco's direction, causing some of the melted ice to flinch his skin.

"You're so cocky."

"You're childish, Star," Marco shakes his head. "--you know, just because I harbour feelings for you doesn't mean I'll let you treat me this way."

Star whispered. "In what way?"

"Like right now," Marco softly replied, closing his eyes as he then placed a hand on his chest. "--you know what I mean."

Marco flinches, flickering his eyes open when Star leans forward, wiping the bits of parfait on his face with a tissue. Marco could feel the warmth emitting on her fingers despite the napkin damping on his skin.

"Then.." she trails off. "--why don't we do something about it?"

The statement not only surprised Marco to the point he might've been hearing things, but he couldn't help but let out a warm smile; a smile too real filled with happiness.

He places his hand on top of Star's which remained on his cheek. "You're really bad for my heart, Star."

"Did you plan this all along?"

Star smiled, too wide that her pearly teeth were in front view. "What if I did?"

"Then all the more for me to love you," he grins, caressing her hand.

"You're a sly girl, Star. A truly witty way of saying that you want me too."

In that day, coffee was not the only thing that was brewing, but some feelings as well.

January 4, 2022

Fan-art from last year :