NOT MEANT TO BE

Chapter 7

"Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Copter!

Happy Birthday to you!"

His friends clapped while Copter blew the two candles – one and seven, stuck on the small cake. It's his seventeenth birthday today and he wanted to celebrate it here at the cafe next to of his school.

His doting parents were slightly puzzled because there will be a proper and much grander party at their luxury house tonight in honor of their loving only child. But still they indulged because this was something Copter had been doing for years, ever since they moved here. It's not that they didn't have the money to shower their dear boy with.

"Cut the cake!"

His friends screeched.

With a small smile playing at the corner of his lips and one dimple peeking lightly, the beautiful young man took the knife and sliced it carefully across the chocolate gateaux – his favorite flavor.

"Why didn't you arrange your birthday at the Water Front?" One of his girlfriends asked eating a piece of cake. "It's much cheaper and the space is vast we can even have DJ music."

"I like it here." Copter shrugged. "It's simple and right next to our school and I can have all of you here with me." He smiled and his dimples deepened. "Besides, my parents are having a grand celebration tonight at my house. He wrinkled his cute nose like a disgruntled rabbit. "You all are welcome to come but I warn you its formal, more like a black tie event."

"I've only been to one of your birthday parties and I swore to myself never to attend another again." A boy cried in exasperation.

All of them, including Copter laughed out loud.

"But that's not the only reason why we do it here, every year." Another boy smirked. "Right, Copter?"

Copter scowled but didn't reply. He proceeded to hand over pieces of cakes to everyone.

"This is Copter's favorite place in the whole world." The same boy said in a mischievous voice. "He comes here at least once a week."

"Why?" Asked a new girl from school.

The boy leaned in signing the new girl to move close.

"See that guy in a white shirt and a tie?" He pointed at one of the assistant managers of the Café de Vibe. The guy is tall and handsome with immaculate clothes and hair. He's following the progress of the birthday party with unconcealed interest.

"Yeah?" The girl nodded. "Who is he?"

"That's the guy Copter's being crushing on." He covered his mouth to hide his grin. "For years...."

"Shut up..." Copter grumbled, trying not to look at the said person. As a matter of fact, he didn't remember when he developed the silly crush. All he remembered was one day, a few years back, he walked into this place after school and saw the man smiling at him with warm greetings and he just melted. It's been like that ever since. Copter's intuition told him that the guy liked him back. It's been several years but he never made any moves on Copter. Neither did Copter, because he's too shy. Besides, he looked older than Copter, not just by a year or two.

If his parents knew that he'd been crushing on a worker in the cafe next to his school they might even change his school, just to keep Copter away from the place.

"A special treat for a very special customer on his seventeenth birthday!"

Copter startled and looked up. The guy he'd been pondering about is smiling down at him with another server beside him with a round of chocolate milk shakes for all his friends. But Copter couldn't look away from the hypnotizing eyes.

Finally after one long beat, Copter dropped his eyes to the name tag which said that he's one of the assistant managers. About a year back, before he was promoted as an assistant manager, the name tag had been just his name, Kimmon. Copter practiced saying that name and writing it many times while he was alone in his room at night.

"Thank you!" He mumbled, cheeks turning pink.

"It's on the house." Kimmon declared.

Copter widened his eyes. He didn't think that Café de Vibe offered any on the house meals to special customers. Yet he didn't question but accepted the treat.

"You are crazy!"

Kimmon's co worker, Jonny shook his head.

Kimmon simply smiled, checking an order again to see if it's done properly.

"Ten milkshakes is not a joke, man." Jonny stirred the contents in the pan. "Will be a huge dent on your wallet."

"It's his birthday." Kimmon sighed happily. "And I wanted see those dimples appear because of something I did for him."

"You got it really bad, man," Jonny snorted. "Isn't he a little too young for you, though?"

Kimmon nodded.

"I'm admiring him from distance, until he grows up."

Jonny appraised his crazy co-worker for a bit but shook his head and went back to work.

Kimmon headed back to the front and eyed the group of happy seventeen year olds. They are still in school uniforms but playing with cakes like little kids. Kimmon chuckled when a boy tried to smear cake on Copter's face and how he screamed and giggled like a kid. He's truly adorable. He'd been Kimmon's angel ever since he saw the boy for the first time, four years ago. The little boy still may not know but he's the centre of Kimmon's world. The tall man's whole life revolves around Copter.

"Excuse me?"

Kimmon looked up and found three kids coming towards him.

"Can you show us to the rest room?"

They all had cake smeared hands.

"It's this way." Kimmon quickly led them to the rest rooms. "Please, come!"

He was about to leave when a girl called out.

"So, you like our friend?"

"Huh?" Kmmon was dumbfounded.

"I saw you follow Copter with your eyes." The cheeky girl grinned.

"He's beautiful." Kimmon shrugged. He wanted to play it cool. He doesn't want to get arrested. "I couldn't help looking." And he hastily added. "But in a totally non creepy way." He grinned to make everything light.

"You're funny." The girl giggled.

He gave an exaggerated bow to her.

"I like you." She looked at Kimmon with a serious expression. "Are you on Facebook?" She took her phone out with her clean hand and tapped on it one handedly.

Kimmon doesn't want to be Facebook friends with this girl but she's a friend of Copter so he just gave in.

"Search for Vorodom Khemmonta," He said eying the girl's phone.

"There you are!" She exclaimed loudly.

"Yeah," Kimmon smiled less enthusiastically. "That's me."

"Thanks," The girl winked and skipped away towards the bathroom. Kimmon sighed and hoped that he didn't gain an unwanted admirer.

All day long he was dreading for that girl's friend request. To his relief none came. Finally he pushed that thought to the back of his mind and focused on his work.

The friend request came that night.

But it wasn't from the girl. It was from Copter. He almost toppled over his narrow bed.

Copter Panuwat had sent a friend request to him.

tbc.