Living in the past[Rewriting, on hold]

Chapter 8 : Returning the favour

--Luke's POV--

We are out of coffee.

It was an embarrassing statement to admit, but the truth stuck out like a sore thumb. It was then I remembered I haven't visited the supermarket ever since I moved here.

I poured the hot water I had boiled minutes ago into the cups, and went back out to the living room where he sat.

Hank Simmons. Trusted subordinate of my father, and one of the many who had approved the idea that I moved out here.

"Sorry. We only serve hot water here,"

I handed him the cup, and sat down opposite him.

"It's fine. I didn't expect to get any, anyway." He said, taking out two packets of instant coffee from his pocket. "It would be very unlike you to have some."

"Take those out from the beginning, dammit!"

As I poured the condiment into the cups, I did a short mental checklist of him.

Short hair? Check.

Suit? Check.

Old age? Check.

Wrinkles? Check.

Sunglasses? Hmmmm... Check.

Guess it really is him.

His name was just a letter away from 'hunk', but the real person was worlds away. We used to call him 'hunk' back then, but now I don't know if things are still the same.

We sat in silence for a while, watching as the steam rose from the cups. I wasn't really fond of the silence, but I couldn't find a word to say.

"So how's life?" Then he looked at me and said, " Uh huh. Stupid question."

"Well," I nodded. "It isn't as bad as it looks."

"Glad to hear, buddy." Then he looked straight at me and sighed. "You had no idea how worried I was back there, when I found you all bloodied and bruised in the snow. Thought you had died of frostbite."

It's only been a few weeks, but it looked like he had aged years.

"Yeah. Sorry and, thanks."

"Hey now, I didn't come here to get ya to apologise. You coping on well here?"

"Yeah. Things are pretty good, and I found the best croquettes in town."

"Really? You gotta bring me there sometime," He imitated biting down into a croquette.

Childish behavior? Check.

We talked a little about the past, not going into sensitive territory. If I knew where that was, though. We joked heartily about anything and everything, like back in the days where we were the best of friends.

The young me and the 'hunk'.

I wonder when that changed, though.

"Oh yeah, do you remember?" He held his stomach and laughed.

"Remember what?"

"When you were young, you had this first love," He grinned. "You would sneak out just to play with her and you wouldn't stop mentioning her!"

Now that he mentioned it, I did have one.

"Say, Hank, what was her name?"

"Man, how long was that? Hmmmm..."

"Cmon, Hank, use that rusty brain..."

"Haha. I can't remember."

I did a mental backflip in my mind and landed on my butt.