Coffee with Wilde

Chapter 5

"Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences" - Sylvia Plath

By the time Athena dodged Gavin on the train, Klade had already been sitting in his spot for twenty minutes, waiting for her. Two cups of coffee sat in front of him, thin tendrils of smoke wafting into the air.

"It's for you," he said, pointing to the blue cup with his pen when she'd sat down.

"Did you spit in it?" she asked, taking a tentative sniff of it and staring into the murky brown liquid.

"No, I just thought it would be a nice thing to do after I embarrassed you last week."

"Oh, thank you. I suppose strange things always happen here."

"Yes, I don't know any other places where rocking up drunk for cannoli is acceptable."

"You did that, Klade?"

"No my ex did," he said, sipping his coffee, staring over the top of it, at the songwriter over the other side of the cafe. Scowling he put the cup down, letting some of the liquid spill out onto the table.

"You are capable of human emotion," Athena said, pushing her chair back in shock.

In a few seconds his scowl had moved from the songwriter's direction to hers. Athena patted his hand, taking the cup out of his grip, as his knuckles turned white. She hit him with her Legal Studies textbook causing him to break out of his reverie and focus on Kwan who was walking towards them.

"I see you came back," he said, placing a hand on Athena's shoulder. "Don't scare her off again Klade, she's the only shot you've got at getting a friend."

He moved over to playfully hit Klade upside the head, Kwan sat down next to them, kicking his feet up onto the table and throwing the empty black tray onto their table with a clatter. Letting out a sigh he rolled his shoulders back.

"I thought you were my friend," Klade whined, picking up the tray and handing it back to him.

"Of course I am sweetie," Kwan said, pinching his cheek before repeatedly hitting himself in the head with the tray. "I'd stay and chat but you artists are messy people who I have to clean up after."

"We all have quirks," Athena said, dryly. Typing in her password, she drummed her fingers against the table, waiting for the blue screen to slowly load.

"Yes, but I thought it was you all being a bunch of science haters," Kwan said.

"I thought I was the only Romantic left who believes science sucks out the imagination," Klade said.

"It's one of the reasons humanity has survived for so long," Kwan protested.

"I know, it's just boring."

"Someone got stuck using Bill Bryson as their Area of Study text," Athena said, laughing.

"I did and it was bloody boring."

Athena put her pen between her teeth and began to type furiously, putting her headphones in, tuning the boys out, causing their conversation turning into a whisper.

"I never really liked the sciences, I did bio but I much prefered things like Society and Culture," Kwan said.

"You're really an arts student at heart," Athena said, tuning in for a moment, before redirecting her focus back to the document.

"I'm doing an arts degree majoring in psychology," Kwan said, raising his hands.

"Kwan what are you doing?" a voice said from the kitchen.

"Coming appa," Kwan yelled back. Taking the tray he walked back, pushing on the door to the kitchen, slamming it shut.

Klade began humming under his breath. Scrunching up a serviette, taken from the metal dispenser on the table next to them, Athena threw them at him. Klade glanced up before looking back down still humming an unrecognisable tune. Sighing, she picked up the spoon on the saucer and tapped it on the cup.

Klade raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry have I offended you? You're not a science nerd are you?" he asked.

"No I'm an English literature nerd so I know how hard it is to be a writer in a world of logic. Apparently I've ruined my life by not doing any sciences," she said, gripping her pen tighter.

"You're telling me apparently I'm going to die without purpose if I do an arts degree even though that includes psychology, law, and international aid."

"I know but I did distract you for another reason. Would it be possible for you to stop humming? Please."

He nodded, blushed and looked across the cafe to prevent meeting her eyes. For the next five minutes they worked in silence, until Klade disturbed the peace. "What'cha writing?"

"The short story you read," she said, running her fingers through her hair, in frustration.

"Can I read the finished product?"

"Not yet." She pulled the laptop closer, tilting the screen down.

"Is it about Harry Highpants?"

"No, it's not about Stephen," she said under her breath.

They continued to work until six that night, when Klade decided to leave before her. Standing at the door he dramatically said his goodbyes he exited out of the green door.

Once he'd left, Athena opened a new tab on her browser and opened the submission page for a literary magazine.

Attaching the document she'd been working on, she hit send, letting out a large breath. It's a long shot, she thought, while packing up.