cappuccino kisses

table #1; trim cappuccino [extra hot]

[prologue]

  The attractive boy took the empty seat opposite her. His soft, honey-hued eyes studied her anxiously, but that usually-loving expression was absent and withdrawn– like some miserable secret hid behind his stare. She yearned to reach into his mind and fish it out.

  Fat droplets of rain pounded the window of the cafe while the distinct, sweet aroma of coffee and chocolate wafted through the air; although this time it got on her nerves. The silence hanging between them simply made her feel too nauseous to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere. Other than an elderly couple enjoying their lunch in the corner of the cosy coffee shop, the two were alone.

  "What's wrong? Did something happen or...?" She trailed off, tilting her head slightly.

  From the way he couldn't seem to maintain eye contact, Zahra got a feeling that it would be bad news. She watched him nervously lick his lips under the fading light of the cafe.

  He was always so beautiful, she thought, and with a jolt she realised how long it had been since they had last kissed. Suddenly she desperately wanted to hold him.

  "Zahra," he finally managed to get out. "I think we should take a break."

     "W-What?" A lump formed in her throat and her vision blurred, courtesy of the tears threatening to fall. The already-compact room felt like it was closing in rapidly and the knot forming in her stomach would soon consume her. Heart pounding out of control, she attempted to calm herself down.

  Shit, don't start crying, don't cry, don't fucking cry.

  A single tear escaped, leaving behind a wet trail as it slowly rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it with the back of her sleeve before he could see.

     The boy's chocolate eyes widened, and he looked rather uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"

     It took that one question to make her breakdown in tears. Never in her life did Zahra Maas think she would be that girl who cried in public because of a boy. The elderly couple were looking at her with pity-filled eyes but she didn't care, it's not as if she'd see them again.

  In fact, she swore at that exact moment to never set foot in another coffee shop. This was the first time in her life she'd ever experienced this kind of pain, and she couldn't understand why it hurt so much.

     "Goodbye Zahra," he said, as he tried and failed to lament the end of their relationship. The legs of his chair scraped the wooden floor as he stood up, stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket, took one last look at her and left.

     "Bye Carter," she whispered softly, but he was already gone.