Flower Boy

Chapter Twenty Nine

We walked into the café, a blast of warm air hitting us as the door opened. We hurried inside, and the door slammed behind us. I noticed there weren't many people as I looked around at the tables, the displays, and the menu. Serena looked at me expectantly, and I motioned for her to go first. She walked up to the cashier and smiled.

"Hi, what can I get you?" he asked.

"I'll have a medium Americano and a chocolate scone, please," she said as he rung up her order.

"Alright, that'll be $5.48," he said, and she gave him her ten dollar bill. I looked away from them, instead focusing on the small group of students working around a table. One of the boys took a sip of his coffee when I heard someone cough in front of me. I turned back to the register, and the cashier smiled at me.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, and I walked over to the cash register.

"Um, yes, c-can I get a small espresso?" I asked, not knowing why I was so hesitant. He nodded.

"Will that be all?" he asked, and I nodded.

"That'll be $3.39," he said, and I handed him a five dollar bill. He gave me my change, and I slid the coins into the tip jar. He smiled at me and thanked me. I went over to stand next to Serena as the loud sound of a coffee maker began, grinding and filling the air. I looked back at the group of students and noticed two of them holding hands. My heart jolted and I turned away, but I still felt the pain.

I could still feel Donavan's hand in mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze. I looked at my hand, cold and alone. I long for his touch, but it means nothing now. I can't ever hold his hands in mine again, unless he could come back to life, or if I were to die. The thought hit me hard, and I realized after thinking about it for a short time that I wasn't afraid of dying.

"Rosa?" I broke out of my trance, as I heard Serena say my name. I turned to her.

"Yes?" I asked, blinking a little.

"I just... You seemed so far away, what were you thinking about?" she asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing, just you know..." I trailed off, searching for a plausible lie.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," she said. It almost sounded like a joke, but when I looked at her, she looked dead serious.

"It's nothing. Just thinking about our drinks, that's all," I said, shaking my head. She looked skeptical but didn't push it.

"One Americano and a chocolate scone," the guy called from behind the counter. Serena got up and grabbed her food, sitting down at a table. I followed her, away from the table with the students. She began eating her scone, and took a sip of her coffee, making a face.

"It tastes too bitter now," she complained, and I cracked a small smile.

"I guess that's just what you get," I replied half-heartedly. She stared at me for a second before going back to her food.

"One espresso," the guy called, and I got up to get my coffee. I quickly sit down across from Serena and take a sip, immediately reeling back from the heat of the coffee. Serena gave a short laugh at my reaction, and I gave her a sheepish smile. I blew on the coffee this time before I took a sip, this time tasting the bitter sweetness of the coffee. I sighed, relaxing into the chair a little. Serena opened her mouth for a second, then closed it again. I looked at her, silently asking her what she wanted to say.

"Look, Rosa, we're here for you..." she started, and I groaned.

"Please, Serena, can we..." I stopped and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Can we please not talk about this right now?" I asked quietly. She seemed to sense the pain in my voice, and she nodded.

"Okay. Sure. Did you do the social studies homework?" she asked, turning the subject to school. I cleared my throat.

"No, was it hard?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"It took me like fifteen minutes. You'll finish it no time," she assured me. I nodded, and looked out the window at the deceivingly warm looking sunny day outside.

"Thanks, Serena. I think I'm going to go home. I've got a lot of homework to catch up on," I said, getting up and putting a lid on my cup. She stood up, but I waved my hand at her.

"I can get myself home," I said, tired of Serena trying to get me to talk to her. I just wanted to be along. Plus I did have a lot of homework. She faltered, then nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Rosa," she said, giving me a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. It was almost like a threat, like if she said she would see me there was nothing I could do about it. I nodded, agreeing, and stepped out into the cold winter air, throwing my cup away in a trashcan outside the café.