13: Good Listener

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There's a small coffeehouse in my neighborhood that I've visited periodically since Mom died

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There's a small coffeehouse in my neighborhood that I've visited periodically since Mom died. It opens after midnight and closes at 8 AM. I've always liked it there. It's for people like me—antisocial but still liking to be amongst civilization every now and again. The employees are also pretty good about gauging whether you're one to chit chat while you order or not. They've never pressured me into unnecessary conversations.

Gojo and I end up getting a little sidetracked on the walk to my apartment. I guess he called an Uber to get to me from the airport.

"Hmmm..." Gojo hums, thoughtfully tapping his chin while looking at the drink menu posted over the barista's head. "Two hot chocolates please. Whipped cream and extra sprinkles on both if you have it."

He says this in perfect English.

I look up at him, eyes wide and an arched brow. How did have no idea that he could speak English? I guess there are a lot of things I don't know about Gojo.

The barista nods and taps on the screen of her POS system a few times. A faint blush rises on her cheeks and I notice her hand trembling. "U-Uh...that'll be $6.73."

Ugh.

Gojo smirks down at me as he slips his card into the chip reader. "You into bilingual men?"

I am now... Ew—stop it!

I look away from him as a blush of my own blooms on my face. At least it warms me up a little.

The barista serves us our hot chocolate in 2 ceramic mugs, each with a perfect little mountain of whipped cream on top and finished off with red sprinkles. She also sneaks a slip of receipt paper with her phone number written on it under Gojo's cup. He winks at her and slips it into his jacket pocket as we make our way toward a booth tucked in the corner.

A small part of me can't help but feel annoyed by that barista. I know I shouldn't. It's not like Gojo and I are together. But for all she knows, we could be on a date and she just gave him her number. Or maybe she just knows that Gojo is way out of my league.

I keep a subtle eye on her as she goes on about her duties behind the counter. She glances up at the back of Gojo's head every now and again, but quickly bites her lip and looks away. She's definitely prettier than me. She's got a full head of red hair that's piled on top of her head in a messy but still elegant bun. Her eyes are a mossy green color that speak to the soul of nature, ones that even I could spend a good amount of time staring at. She applies a fresh layer of red lipgloss at one point while staring at Gojo, which only makes her eyes pop even more.

As Megumi would say, I seriously want to punch her.

"Should I call her tonight?" Gojo asks me, looking over the paper she gave him with a mock-contemplating stare. "'I think you're really cute and I'd love to get to know you better.' Awww! She even drew a little heart on it!"

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