THE LAST LATTE

I glanced at my phone, barely able to contain a smile as I read the message,

“Meet me at our usual cafe at 4 PM. It’s important..”

It was from Videv. He’d been away on a two-week business trip, and we hadn’t seen each other in what felt like ages. Though we’d been living together for a year and a half, he’d never asked to meet up like this before. Usually, he’d come home, and we’d settle into our usual routine. So why today? Why now?

The clock struck four, and I couldn’t get to the café fast enough. I slipped into my usual corner seat and fidgeted with my hands, my heart pounding. Five minutes passed, then ten. Then, finally, I saw him, calm and collected as ever, but there was something different in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place.

He walked over, and I stood up to greet him, though my voice caught in my throat. He didn’t say anything either, just handed me a small box and nodded with that half-smile of his.

"Something from the trip" he said. his deep voice low and steady.

“Thank you, Sir…” I managed to reply, my voice barely a whisper.

He ordered our coffees.. always a latte for me. He knew I’d never finish it all, but he got it anyway, just like he always did. He was thoughtful like that, in his own quiet way. But today, there was something off, something lurking behind his expression.

As we sipped our drinks in silence, memories began to stir in my mind.

Coming to Colombo from my small village in Kandy had been a big change. Everything here was so… loud, so fast, and overwhelming. My parents ran a tiny shop back home, so when I got accepted to university, we knew we’d need extra money to cover my expenses. That’s how I ended up working part-time at a cafe in an insurance company, where I first saw him...my “Sir..” as I came to call him.

He was twenty-nine, cold and almost terrifyingly composed. His presence was enough to silence anyone who dared approach him, and even now, I can’t tell you why people stayed away.
He wasn’t cruel or mean.. he just didn’t seem to need anyone.

For a year, I worked in that cafe, watching him from afar...
Everyone knew him as the IT manager who always kept his distance, the man with the quiet arrogance. But he was handsome...there was no denying that. And I was drawn to him, no matter how hard I tried to stay invisible.

Then came the company trip. Somehow, we were assigned to share a room, our names so close on the list that it was just an administrative mix-up.
I’ll never forget that night. We both drank a little too much, and in the quiet darkness of that room, he confessed to me. Or maybe it wasn’t a confession. But it was real, even if neither of us said the words.

Afterward, he invited me to live with him. It wasn’t pity, and it wasn’t guilt. I could see it in his eyes that night...he wanted me there. And I wanted him, too. I never once looked back.

Life with Videv was simple. He had a small house with two rooms, enough for both of us. I left the cafe job and focused on my studies while he quietly supported me, ensuring I had enough to get by.
I called him “Sir” out of habit, but even when he told me to use his name, I just couldn’t... He was older, wiser, and somehow untouchable in my mind.

Over the months, he kissed me exactly four times...on my birthday, his birthday, New Year’s,
and the day I cried for the stray cat that lived outside our house. I loved that cat... he was my friend. When it died, I was a mess. Videv held me, kissed me softly, and whispered my name. It was the only time I’d ever seen him so tender.

But he was never one for words. He’d just look at me across the room with those intense, unreadable eyes, and somehow that was enough. I knew he cared. I just didn’t know how much.

Now, in the cafe, he was looking at me with that same expression, a mix of intensity and distance. Something in my heart twisted painfully, sensing what was coming before he even spoke.

“Viduneth…”

he began, his voice lower than usual.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”
My hands trembled slightly.

“What is it, Sir?”

He sighed, glancing down at his coffee.

“I think… it’s time we separated.”

The words hit me like a punch, taking the breath from my lungs. Separate? You… you can’t mean that... I wonder silently, the words sticking in my throat, trapped.

He kept his gaze steady, but I could see the struggle in his eyes.

“I can’t keep this going. It isn’t fair to you.… to me… to both of us..”

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. But… we’ve been together for so long. Why now...I think quietly, barely able to hold my emotions back.

He took a deep breath, almost as if gathering his own strength.

“You can stay in the house as long as you need. I’ll move out...”

My heart shattered. This was it. I was losing him. I nod slightly and add aloud,

“No....I’ll move out… after all, that was your house. I’ll find a boarding room for myself......”

There was a flicker of pain in his eyes, and I felt a twinge of anger at his calmness. How could he end everything so easily?

Finally, I asked,

“Could I stay for a week? Just until I find a new place?”

He nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. “A week.”

After a strained silence, he stood up, leaving his coffee half-finished.

“I won’t be coming home tonight. Take care... Viduneth....”

And just like that, he walked out of the cafe, leaving me alone with my broken heart. Tears stung my eyes, but I bit them back, staring down at the untouched latte he’d ordered for me.

Who was I to him, really? Just a village boy trying to find his place in the city. And who was he? A man with everything, who gave me so much but couldn’t give me his heart.

Maybe I should’ve known all along. In this world, two boys like us could never have the life I’d secretly dreamed of.

I took a shaky breath, whispering to myself, “So this is the end… Now I have to live without him. How am I supposed to do that?”

The reality settled over me, suffocating, as I realized I’d have to find a way to move on. But how could I, when every memory, every corner of that house, was filled with him? With us?

“This is the end,” I repeated softly, trying to make myself believe it. “I’ll have to let him go....”

But as I walked away from the cafe, my heart heavy and aching, I knew that a part of me would always stay with Videv.... no matter how far I went..............         .

♡ _____________ ♡

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