Detour

11: Coffee Break

"I know. I'm fine, don't worry. Yes...yes. I know—of course I missed him. I can't, for now... Please, don't give him my number just yet... Thank you mom. I love you too... Of course I missed you too, geez. Okay. I'm hanging up. Bye." I sighed and ended the call, putting my phone in my back pocket.

My mom calling how much she missed me and telling me a little bit about Vince, that he came in our house asking for my number and went home straight without other questions after mom had insisted for him to go home, lying she don't have my number too.

Pretending I ran away from home huh.

I turned around and caught him lost in his thoughts, face down. He noticed i'm looking at him and started staring at me, brows furrowed. "Your mom wants you to come home, I presume?" The corners of his lips raised and that's what his smirk is made of.

It's been a week after that talk in the garage and after that incident, the 'get my brother back' plan 101, Cole and I used to talk and hang-out a lot, —but of course not without Astrid.

And talking about Astrid, she's just one bench apart from us. This morning, the three of us just decided to have coffee down the street. Maybe another routine aside from locking ourselves in our rooms.

Now that I mentioned Cole and I is just one bench apart from Astrid, we're not really just in the bench. We're stopping by in a mini park where the grass is greener than the vase in room nineteen.

His stare is waiting for an answer so I went next to him. Not that close, sheesh. Getting my cappuccino beside his' and drink it before mom would interrupt with a call again.

Damn Jess, when did you became this 'don't disturb the moment or i'll kill you' kind of person?

"Yup." I played the cup in my hand with my fingers, "She said I should really come back 'coz i'm gonna miss my friends before the summer ends." I smiled as I stared at the grass across from where we're sitting.

Honestly, I regret saying those things to Vince—where a part of me maybe should've just confessed or something, maybe I should've just endured it a little. But no, things are here now. How much I hated myself, I just can't hate Vince just because I'm becoming who I don't want to be or just because he never asked anything about me aside from my mobile number.

And I admit, I always kept him behind everything on what's here in the present, but man, I just can't stop thinking about him every night. How is Therese, him, and how's their day.

I can't seem to find enough reason to face him on why I'm so eager to leave—that up until now, I'm still hurting myself—can't even show a face. God, I'm such a—

"Do you miss them?" His voice innocent and soft, like he's talking to a baby.

I turned my eyes to him and caught him looking at me. His hazel eyes—damn those hazel eyes, If I didn't took time to look at his eyes the other day, I wouldn't know he has hazel eyes. My lips slightly parted, I kept my composure right not to say anything ridiculous. "Yes. I do." Like saying your vows Jess? I smack my forehead in my mind. "But I can't just leave right? I mean, it's not even a month i've been here..." I paused, looking away. "They can wait." I smiled tightly, my heart breaking as another memory of Vince came flashing in my cerebellum.

"What the hell Jess? You just can't keep splashing water in my face. Thanks for reminding me you're saltier than this." He run his palms all over his face before I splash another again, this time, it went straight to his eyes. "Fuck. I'm really drowning you lady."

I ran so fast as I laughed hard, unable to catch the air in my lungs. "You deserve it you oaf! You're a pain in the arse when you decided to pull a prank on me, telling me you won't come today." I stopped laughing and started rolling my eyes. "You don't know how much I insisted mom to cancel this—"

"Oh no, we're not being dramatic Shay. You're drowning today—"

I squealed as he got me by my arm and tickled me. His chest pressed up in my back as I cried laughing, begging him to stop. "You're paying for this—double."

"Uh huh. Can't wait to see you cry." He laughed so hard that his breath tickles me.

"God, stop!" Tears rolled by my eyes as I felt my body surrendering, sitting on the water as my butt making contact with the sand. "Okay, okay. I give up."

That's where he stopped. "Good, because I don't want to see you die. Not yet." He also sat down beside me.

"Me too." After inhaling the air that was once deprived of me, I closed my fist. Getting my revenge with my palms, I threw the sand in his face and ran away from him. "Me too Vince! I still want to see you cry!" I laughed hard as I heard him groan in pain.

After that day, he and I never spoke for a week until he came in our house for the first time in forever for an apology.

I sighed.

There was silence and I don't even have a clue what's on his mind right now when he stood up and faced me—like, coming up in front of me.

What the—

"Jess, that look you're having right now is the same Astrid has given me when she lost her favorite puppy ten years ago." His eyebrows raising and his face is etched with concern and a little humor. "I don't know how to say this but," he paused, biting his nails like Astrid do when she's nervous.

I found peace in his eyes after spacing out like an idiot—Wait, is he nervous?

"I can be here for you."

Heartbeat. Going 40 kilometers per second.

"You can tell me everything."

Over-fucking-speeding.