a boy and his toast

my undying love.

hetrochromia;ancient greek
is a difference in coloration, usually of the iris but also of hair and skin.
~
the smell of brewing coffee and fresh pastries filled cooper's nose as he walked into the coffee shop, a regular place he'd been going for the past two years. he sat at his usual table with a dusty old book he'd just picked up from the library and set his coat and his backpack on the floor under his chair.
"hello," he felt a tap on his shoulder. startled, he turned around to face a copper haired boy with an impish smile.
"hello." he replied back.
"is this seat taken?" the boy asked.
"no," cooper gestured to the chair facing opposite from him. the boy sat down and stared at the menu over the counter. cooper followed his gaze. he noticed a new item on the menu. toast.
cooper felt himself stand up and walk towards a barista who was using a rag to wipe off the counters.
"hi, cooper," the barista smiled and brushed a few stray curls back into her dark ponytail.
"hello, marie," after two years of coming to the same coffee shop every single day, it was becoming easy to make friends with everyone who worked there. marie was one of his favorites.
"what can i get you today?"
"i'm thinking a chai latte and some toast." cooper hadn't had toast in forever.
"okay, it'll be done in a bit," marie said before walking away. cooper sat down again in his seat across from the boy. it was only a quick minute before marie came over to the table with a slice of warm toasted bread and a mug of coffee in her hands. she set it in front of cooper before he gasped.
cooper had looked at his reflection in the shine of the mug. he could see his eyes glowing in the faint reflection, one green orb and one brown. he then looked to his toast. it's crust contrasted so nicely with the rest of the bread. the toast had the disfiguration that cooper had been picked on his whole life for.
the toast looked so beautiful in the orange lights of the coffee shop. you could almost see each grain of wheat. the butter was seeping into the crevices of the bread so gracefully. cooper couldn't help but stare. he almost didn't notice that the boy across from him had left and was halfway out the door. cooper wasabout to say it was okay and he could stay but he was grateful for time alone with his toast. maria had gone into the back of the shop to get some more creamer and more pastries to put out on display. cooper and his toast were alone. cooper picked up the toast in his hands. it was warm and so nice.
it felt so right.
maria came back into the room and stared at cooper.
"are you okay? are you going to eat your toast?"
cooper paused.
"i'm okay. and uh, yeah. i'm going to eat my toast." cooper stared at his toast, so delicately draped over the plate in front of him. maria eyed him and his toast. it made cooper feel extremely uncomfortable but he stared at his toast before lifting it to his lips. he closed his eyes tightly as he felt the toast crunch in between his teeth. he could feel tears gathering in his eyes because he couldn't believe what he'd just done. he kept his eyes closed and ignored the tears sliding down his cheeks until there was no more toast in his hands. he could still feel the toast's warm embrace lingering on his tongue and on his lips.
"i have to go," cooper tried to choke back his sobs but unfortunately couldn't. he was crying as he slung his backpack over his shoulders and ran out the door. he kept running until his legs felt numb.
cooper bent over the sidewalk on a street he didn't know and sat down with his head in his hands. the love of his life was dead.
and it was his fault.