parted lips | ✫

︲𝟤𝟧

run it back , Dino Gala — 

The rain fell monotonously, it's a single hard stroke of downpour upon New York City. People scramble over to the little space of sidewalk that is sheltered, and some stumble over and nick at one another when speeding through the city streets. And so, the rain invited a city of colourful umbrellas to blossom. They appear in little to no seconds, with hues that vary from chilli red and dandelion yellow, to peacock blue and patterns of polka-dots and tiger stripes.

It's not very new to George Davidson, who not only lived in New York for the majority of his life, but had lived in London for the past five years. He didn't expect the sunshine and blue skies of summer, not yet, when it was only November. He'll have to wait for buskers and roaming kids with cups, holding little not nothing or a couple quarters. Though what continues to live through all seasons is the cry for a taxi, at least four people shoving each other away for the urge to escape the rain.

And with a quick pull, he brought his umbrella to the sky, tilting it to the heavens and letting the droplets slide down over the black material. There's a moment, a small one, where through the crowded sidewalks and clouded darkness, sits a side street with a large building of brick, and an iron fence guarding the area surrounding. There's teenagers hurrying through the gates, others taking shelter under the tree inside the school premises. And George found himself longing for his adolescence, to take back several years of his life and redo things, have a second shot at the missed chances and — hang on. Eyebrows furrowed together and lips downturned, he spun on his heels and looked across the street. There's a singular store sitting on the corner, looking far brighter inside than it was currently outside. With a gentle warm glow, surrounded with what George knew as Monstera Adansonii, tangling vines and large leaves with small holes, George can't see them from here yet he knew the plant. He knew they were the same ones he watered five years ago, and so seeing his chance, he ran across the road, dodging puddles on tar and headlights reflecting. Car horns blasted and he didn't bother apologising, though when reaching the other side, he found some differences, and similarities. The same italicised, gold letting on the glass remained, spelling out Parma Violet, and the building had since been painted, a darker grey that blended into the surroundings. It was bleak, yet George's lips quirked up, it was perfect.

The bell above the door rang loud, and he hung his coat up on the same hanger to the right, the floorboards squeaked as a blond hurried with an order across the cafe. His blue eyes catching George's and he smiled before rushing away. The same familiar atmosphere remained, a fire crackling, a gentle wave of hushed banter, forks clinking against knives and the whir of a new coffee machine running. Though when he turned to the side, ready to meet the back of the cafe where he was expecting (hopefully) to meet green eyes, sparkling, and damp blond hair. Though there wasn't, and actually, he was surprised to see that the brick wall in the back had been removed completely, instead replaced with bookshelves that carried on into the building behind. It used to be a tool shop, and George guessed that it had been bought to make the cafe larger, with an extended bookshop.

Though what caught his eye next was two brown leather chairs, one occupying three kids, and another, a man with a laptop. The couches had been moved to the very back, beside the bookshelves. And yet George didn't care anymore about the warmth, the sounds, and newness. He only saw honey-freckled skin, fullstops and stars across the bridge of his nose and bottle-green eyes that slowly scanned the screen of his computer, in his own world entirely, and George recognised the furrowed brows that came when he found a typo, quickly deleting and retyping, before he'd look content and go back to editing.

George was met with a familiar feeling, his heart dropping in his chest, and he felt so heavy all of a sudden, getting the urge to swim up, stop drowning, leave the cafe of his past and leave it in his past.