Two Birds On A Wire

ch 10

"Johann, what shade of lipstick do you think suits me better?" Isma asked Johann, showing him a palette of shades on her mobile screen.

Johann looked up from his coffee and seeing the endless number of colors, turned his gaze towards Ivan, who just gave him a pursed smile.

"Aren't they all just the same effing color, Isma?" He asked, a pursed smile plastered on his face.

Isma rolled her eyes. "No, you. It's like saying you and Ivan have the same hair color" she said and Johann choked on his coffee.

"Girl, I am blond. This boy is brunette. It is like day and night. How could you?!"

"Exactly" Isma stated and handed over a tissue to Johann.

"I think none of these colors would suit you, Isma. You had better try coral shades or peach" Julian casually said, taking a sip from his sixth coffee that day and Isma's eyes immediately lit up.

"Wait, you can tell apart all these shades!?" She exclaimed.

"Apparently, yeah" he shrugged as if it was the obvious.

Isma gasped. "Lord, how I wish my boyfriend too could be like you!"

Johann cleared his throat and eyed Julian, only to earn a scoff from him.

"You know what, I'll give you a dollar a day if you can teach me all about lipstick shades--" Johann waved his hand in the air as he tried to remember the boy's name. "Julian, yeh"

"Sonny" Julian leaned into the table. "It isn't something that could be taught. You've gotta have color sense" he said, pinching his fingers together.

"Wait, are you questioning my artistic skills!?"

"Because you don't have any!"

Ivan patted Johann on his back as the boy pulled at his own hair. "Dude, where the hell did you pick this moron from?" He asked Ivan, almost whimpering.

"An unfortunate turn of events brought us here, Barry. I can't help it" Ivan clucked his tongue with a shake of his head.

Julian blabbered mockingly. "Fine. I can try and teach you" he started to make a deal, even though he hadn't any idea of how even he could tell all those shades apart. It all came to him naturally and there was nothing about it that he was taught. Still, Julian decided to pull one of his trickiest face. "Only if you raise my fee"

"Huh? I can't give you five dollars for merely helping me tell a few colors apart" Johann raised his brows.

Julian made a disapproving sound of tsk-tsk. "Johann, my son, do you even hear yourself? You yourself have admitted that you can't do something that could be described as 'mere'. I'm helping you get over it"

A moment of pause. The both of the boys stared into each other's eyes, none giving up. "Fine! Five dollars it is then" Johann finally sighed, given up and Julian grinned a toothy victory.

"You really do know how to pique at people, huh?" Ivan asked with an amused smile.

"That is the reason why I'm here, bubba"

"I'll keep that in mind"

"Huh" Julian scoffed.

"Do you even have that much money to spend on him, Johann?" Isma asked, her eyebrows creasing from watching the weird boys around her.

"Anything for you, milady" Johann smirked. "Also, don't you forget that my dad is a fucking businessman and that I am fucking rich" he blew at his own forehead, making a streak of his hair move over.

Isma just waved him off with a roll of her eyes. Johann really liked to show off.

"Ooh. Then, feel free to raise my funds" Julian smirked.

"Shut up, punk. I'm already spending way too much on you"

"Huh. What rude creature" Julian scowled.

He pushed his arms on the table and lied down on them, as he watched Johann making a conversation with Ivan and then him whacking him in the head. He realised their friendship was pure and unrivalled. And he vaguely wondered what he was doing there.