Coffee, Stranger? [Completed]

V. Coffee Making

IT'S BEEN DAYS since my father's burial. True to Dean's words, I feel less anger and guilt about my father. I did cry so much that day, and it lessen the burden I felt all these years. But my mom, since my father's death, I've been constantly seeing and hearing her weeping secretly on her room. I bet it was still about my dad. She loves him dearly, but my father said that his love for my mom fades, and that it will be less painful if they'll separate.

I hated him for that. How can he love someone else after leaving my mom who's still loving him deeply? He was a jerk for leaving us just because his love fades.

But now he's dead. And we grieve in our own ways. These days, when my mom is so down, I usually cook her meals, before leaving the house after I make sure she's doing fine.

I'm out to the coffeeshop to meet Dean. I'm planning to let him meet my mom. Maybe to divert my mom's attention for a while.

Dean and I have been going out for days after the incident. He's helping me heal. During the times we can't meet because I just can't leave my mom alone during her day off, we talk through text or calls. We're not together, and I haven't confessed yet. But we're kind of friends, I think. And I like him, I admit that, since the first time I saw him and those fangs.

When I arrived there, he was already there, slurping his iced coffee- an iced macchiato. He waved his hands at me while smiling, and I felt like the sun shines brighter today than any other day, or was it just me? The whole surrounding moves slowly once again, people talks in indistinctible manner, and all I can see was him. I blink hard when I thought I saw him in his tuxedo and I was beside him in a white dress. I swallowed hard.

Damn. What was that?

He run towards him, waving his hand infront of my face. "Hey, are you okay?"

I snapped back, I nodded excessively. He then held my head in place, "Easy Maela. You might lose your head with that force." We shared a laugh because of his joke. I don't know, with him, my emotion seems settled.

"It won't, it is glued with the best adhesive." I said proudly showing him my neck.

I saw him swallowed hard. Gosh. I think I was set on fire because of that. I pulled myself together and looked away. Awkward.

He was the one who break the silence between us.

"Let's go to your mom's." I nodded, careful this time.

I left him behind to hide my tomato-colored faced, and I heard him chuckled. I'm so embarrassed I bit my lower lip while walking.

But then, he slips his hand onto mine, intertwining our fingers as he speaks, "We're going together, right? Together." He spoke with finality as he sways our hands.

I stared onto him but he was looking straight, not even giving me a glance, but his lips curved into a smile together with his eyes. Yes, together.

When we arrived at my place, mom's already up. She's sitting on her mini garden, admiring her little flowers she planted herself. She has tea on the coffee table just beside her and an open book. Now you know where I got my love for books from.

My mother love them so much we have a mini library in the house where I get to store my books.

I walked up to her side quietly and tap her shoulder. She looked at me surprised.

"Maela, hi baby. Where have you been? I looked for you when I woke up." I just kissed her cheeks and she smiled at me widely. "And you have company."

She looked at him as he was standing right behind me.

She glanced at me and grins widely. I just rolled my eyes. I haven't brought any guy friends of mine home ever since I was a kid. Because I don't have much friends, I think. I'm too focused with my studies and reading and I rarely even go out to date or something. The only place I enjoyed going is that coffee shop. And my only close friends are not with me right now because they also have lives, far from my place of course.

Bringing home Dean will definitely make my mom thinks that something's up. Well, something is really up, not that I'll confess that to her right now, right here. But yeah, this will distract her a little.

"So mom," I stand straight, "this is Dean. Dean, this is my mom, Mommy Sally."

Mom open her arms to to Dean which the latter happily accepts. He smiled at me while hugging my mom. I just gave him a thumbs up. My whole heart feels warm seeing my mom hugs the man I like.

We sat around the round table. Mom keeps smiling as she talks to Dean, asking him things about where he lives, what school he goes to, his course, his favorites and his family. I can say, mom like him, I can see it in her eyes.

"My mom runs a coffee shop in Batangas. And my Dad, well he's an engineer, a civil engineer," he said. My claps suddenly.

"Do you know that Maela's did is also a Civil Engineer? Well he died so you can't meet him now." I bite my lower lip as my mom speaks those words.

"Actually, Auntie, we were there." Mom looks at me, and I nodded.

"I asked him to come with me Mom." Mom held Dean's hand tight. She was teary-eyed.

"Thank you." I can hear the sincerity from Mom's voice.

I pinched Mom's cheeks, "No crying, Mom. It's embarrassing."

She just laugh while sniffing back her tears. We all laugh as well and it made the atmosphere lighter. We talked more things and I saw my mom enjoying Dean's company. I feel warm, I don't know. My heart is slowly falling for him.

"I can make coffee, Auntie. My mom taught me." Dean said proudly. Trying to impress my mom, eh?

I grinned at him. He just smirked back. Damn, competitive really.

"Well, I would very much like to drink a cup of coffee you make," Mom challenged him back. I guess, they look a bit close now.

We went to the kitchen. Mom insists I help him instead since he is 'my friend'. She quoted that with her fingers.

"This is the coffee maker," I pointed it to him, "we have the cups here and..."

I tried to look for a chair where I can stand to reach the cabinet above the sink, but to no avail, there's none in the kitchen. So I tiptoed and try to reach it with my hand instead. Why am I so short?

I felt someone walks up to me from behind. Was it Dean? I wanna be sure. Damn curiosity and hopeless romantic vibes.

I turn around and look up to find him reaching his hand to open the cabinet. I guess I turned the wrong way because my foot lost its balance but luckily, he wraps his arms around my waist and put me in place. I swallowed hard imagining this intimate position. He was so close and I have my hands on his chest. He is calmly breathing while my heart seems to be going crazy looking at him so close. His adam's apple moves as he speak.

"I'll do it," he looks at me and those brown eyes mesmerize me again. He looked at me with mouth half-open. His minty breath runs between us mixed with his manly perfume and I'm intoxicated. We stared at each other for a moment.

Mom, help! Your daughter is lost.

I closed my eyes as his face tried to get closer. Will he kiss me?

I scream my insides silently as I shut my eyes tight waiting for his lips to touch mine.