Roommates, apparently (GxG)

Chapter 22 - "So damn tasty"

(T/W. - Brief mention of cancer, marked with *** before and after the paragraphs )

꧁•⊹٭𝙹𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚛٭⊹•꧂

"Jesus, it's hot today..."

I stand outside of a small Starbucks store, not far from the apartment complex, leaning against one of the metal bike racks in order to catch my breath. I relax for a second, wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand, and take in my surroundings. Nothing but a small and half empty parking lot graces my vision, each car sizzling under the scorching sun, to the extent that I can see those little heat waves along the top of each vehicle.

I snap back from my daydream and check my phone, just in case I've missed anything important, but my notifications are thankfully empty, the time however does grab my attention.

Damn...

It's been about an hour since I left on my run, the time must have escaped me. I figure that I might as well grab a frappe to cool down on the jog back - that way I can pick something up for Alissa as a surprise too - and I pop inside, thankful for the blast of cool air that the air-con provides me with upon entry. Luckily, it's not long before a member of staff is waving me over to the counter.

"Could I get a venti, iced matcha latte with whole milk, a shot of hazelnut syrup and topped with strawberry foam please?" I relay Alissas favourite drink from the top of my head, hoping it's correct.

She nods at my request, clicking various buttons on the screen of the digitised till, her nails tapping loudly against the glass as she avoids all eye contact.

I wait patiently, assuming that she'll ask the usual 'anything else?' Before continuing, but instead we remain in an awkward and suspended silence for a moment, until she finally raises her eyebrow, throwing me an annoyed glare.

"Oh uh- I'll also take a regular caramel frappe as well, no additions. That's everything, thank you" I apologise and cringe internally.

Her nails begin tapping away once more before she wraps them around the card machine, swivelling it around to face me with a bored sigh. She points at it and sluggishly walks away, leaving me to pay as she prepares the order elsewhere without a word exchanged.

It'd be easy for me to get mad at her attitude, but I don't see the point. If anything, I kinda empathise with her. After all, these places are always over worked and under paid.

After waiting patiently for a few minutes, she reappears at the counter and slides the double drink holder towards me, nodding at it with an empty smile.

"Thanks for your custom" She says almost robotically, immediately leaning on the counter and whipping out her phone out to scroll on some socials.

I retrieve the drinks with a light 'thank you' and head out of the shop, dropping Alissa a quick text to say that I'll be home soon, before walking at a quick pace toward the apartment. The whole way back, I can't help but wonder if the bounce in my step is obvious today, thanks to the monthaversary surprise turning out so well this morning.

Honestly, I half expected the fort to cave in on us at some point, or for her to flat out think it was childish... but she didn't. She embraced the romantic principle as well as the childish nature of the surprise, and after today I've never been more sure of us, of how I feel about her. It's never been clearer to me that I'm head over heels for the auburn haired girl. The girl who has swiftly booted my ego into position, so swiftly in fact that it was a shock to the people closest to me. The same girl I somehow once resented for invading my space, and yet now I look forward to saying 'good morning' to her every damn day! It's kinda crazy how things can change so quickly...