Coffee & Nerves (boyxboy)

[16] Don't Like Coffee

Then I do a double take. I squint my eyes suspiciously. "You sure you don't want your regular?"

I'm not quite sure why I ask, but I'm certainly now enjoying how flustered he appears.

"Yeah well um I don't really like coffee," Jack says as his cheeks start to burn up. The obvious crack in his voice doesn't really help ease his embarrassment.

Max and I are both struggling to hold back from laughing now.

Max turns to face Jack, "Can I ask why?"

I watch his Adam's apple move as he gulps and then shrugs. "Coffee makes me nervous," he states with some bit of nonchalance.

Just because he hides the content of his statement with ease, doesn't mean I'll let it slide. Jack-- nervous? In what world? I have to know more. I ask him, "Then why do you order it every day?"

Jack shrugs, "I dunno. It's called liquid courage so..."

I interrupt somewhat rudely, "No, it's not." Then I end with a laugh, "you're thinking of alcohol."

His face displays pure irritation and he grits his teeth. "Whatever."

This only adds to my curiosity. I squint my eyes, "And what would you need courage for exactly?"

"A... lot of different things."

"But you hate coffee?" I ask, hoping to expose the obvious contradiction he doesn't seem to grasp.

He responds, "Yeah, tastes like cat pee."

Max raises his eyebrows with wide eyes and nods while humming, "Agreed."

I don't need them ganging up on me so I take the offensive, asking, "Wait, how do you know what cat pee tastes like?"

Jack ignores my lame attack, continuing, "and it gives you bad breath."

"So does alcohol," I point out.

He smiles with no kindness. "And how do you know that, Mr. Sunshine?"

There's no way I'm answering that. I deflect, "Why do you even come here if it just makes you nervous?"

"I never said that."

"You said that coffee makes you nervous. Why come here every day to buy coffee, then?"

"I got coffee because I didn't know you had hot chocolate."

"But why come here at all-"

"We're not here to talk to me, we're here to talk about Max," Jack states, cutting me off.

I guess he has a point. We should focus on that mystery first.

I tap Jane, another waiter that works here, on the shoulder and ask her kindly to get our orders.

"Yeah," I turn to Max "What's going on? Earlier you seemed... not okay."

Max pales.

"Y-yeah well it's kind of hard to explain," he stumbles on his words, "and I don't want to make a big deal out of nothing."

Jack furrows his eyebrows at Max and insists, "If it was bothering you that much, it's not nothing."

Max mutters, "I have four older brothers."

Jane brings the drinks to the table and I thank her.

Jack looks even more confused, "Cool?"

Max shakes his head and explains, "They're the Thorton twins."