Yokubo

CHAPTER 2: EARTH

Fabian and Hailey sit side-by-side as they drive to Ana's house. Hailey is doing her lipstick in the car. They drive in silence as the sound of Hailey closing her lipstick with a click is the only sound made in the car. She then pulls out her phone and begins scrolling through Instagram. She takes a selfie and posts it on her story. 

"What was that?" Fabian asked.

 "What was what?" replied Hailey dryly. 

"That sound." he continued. 

"A selfie" she replied without delay. They drove in relative silence for all but two seconds before Fabian replied, 

"Oh. So that's what that sounds like." He flicks the signal on as he slows down. He pulls up by the side of the road. It's an out-of-the-way area with few shop lots. The noise of underage teenagers revving their bikes can be heard in the distance. Fabian locks the car doors as Hailey turns to him. "Babe, I need to go." He scans the area from the driver's seat. 

"This place has changed a lot. And not in a good way." he remarked uncomfortably. Hailey sighs. 

"Yeah, new owner or something. Anyways can you please let me out? Ana's waiting." Fabian sighs. 

"Fine. Just be careful okay babe? This place looks dodgy as hell." he said unlocking the door. Hailey opened the door. 

"I will, oh and I'll take a Grab back so don't worry okay?" she said. "No babe I can fetch you. No need to Grab." Fabian argued. 

"I don't know how long this is gonna take. I might need to stay the night even. Ana's really not in a good place." Hailey replied. Fabian sighs. 

"Ok, ok fine. Just text me if anything ok?" Hailey puts a hand on his cheek. 

"I will baby. You should try get some writing done okay? You've not written much and you're meeting your editor next week. Go on. I'll see you soon. Love you!" she says as she gets out of the car. 

"Love you too." Fabian says as the door shuts. He watches as Hailey walks into the run-down-looking apartment building. He stares intensely as she closes the door behind her. 

"The insecurity of love can turn good men cruel. Drowning them in doubt and impermanence. Like quicksand beneath their feet." he thought to himself. The car drives off into the sunny afternoon as Fabian ponders what he should do for the day.

The busy atmosphere of the cafe' he sat at felt so isolating. Fabian felt himself detach from human society at that very moment. His thoughts didn't drift, his mind didn't wander, he simply just, existed. He picked up his coffee and takes too big a sip. He winces as the hot coffee hits the back of his throat. 

"Hot coffee should be sipped. It's cold coffee you chug." a voice said as he looked up to see a girl in a purple shirt in front of him. She was a short-haired beauty with a cute pink watch. It was something a little kid would wear. 

"Sorry?" Fabian said through his pain. She smiled. 

"Don't you remember me, Fabian?" Fabian looked at her more closely. She did seem familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. 

"Yes, Daisy, it's nice to see you again. It's been forever! How are you?" she said sarcastically. Fabian sighed chuckling softly. 

"Yes, Daisy of course! I'm sorry it's been a while haha" he said with a nervous smile on his face. 

"I remember you from school. You look..." he continued. "Different?" Daisy said with a smile. 

"Yeah. Different." he replied. 

"May I?" she asked gesturing to the empty seat in front of Fabian. 

"Can't say no now can I?" he thought to himself. 

"Yea, yea sure." he replied.

 "Thanks." Daisy said as she sat down. Fabian pulls out his phone and scrolls on it, trying desperately to avoid conversation. Daisy straight up stares at him, resting her head on both palms as she does, with a smile on her face. They sit like this for what felt like the longest five seconds in the history of time. 

"Hey," Daisy said poking the pack of his phone with her finger. He looked at her blankly in response. 

" Is the coffee nice?" she asked randomly. Fabian took a moment, but then scrambled to answer. 

"Uh, yea its, its alright. Not too bad. A reasonable price I guess." Daisy laughed as he said this. 

"What? What?" Fabian asked, confused. Daisy chuckles lightly as she replies. 

" Nothing, I just find... I just find it really funny when people associate prices with an experience. That's all." Fabian puts down his phone, his interest growing. 

"What do you mean by that?" he asked. Daisy adjusted her posture, sitting up straight. 

"If that coffee cost double what it does now, would that make it taste twice as good?" she asked. Fabian thought about it a moment before answering. 

"No? Why would it taste better just because I paid more?" Daisy smacked the table in agreement. 

"Exactly! Why should it? Its still the same coffee ground from the same beans, from the same plant from the same planet. It's all the same! So why should anyone pay more?" she explained as if talking to a student. Fabian sipped his coffee, eyeing Daisy with a curious look. 

"Are we still talking about coffee?" he asked. She smiled knowingly.