Without Me, His World Would Go On Turning

All I see is us, forever and forever

     Mike Matthews loved the winter. He loved the feeling of the cold wind against his face, the eventual snow gracing the city, resembling a large duvet, and was found astonished, particularly, when the following days brought blue skies and the brightest sun.

     And so he strolled down the streets of New York City, cherishing the marvelous views created by the famous concrete jungle. He felt an inexplainable joy growing inside him, partly because of the weather, always capable of lifting his mood, partly because of the plans he'd made for the day.

     It had been a tough week. Getting over a relationship — in the midst of accomplishing all the duties brought along with adulthood — couldn't have been easy. Fortunately, however, he had been one of the lucky ones. He'd had Kara, who had made sure she was there for him through it all, managing to make him feel a whole different person by the end of the week. 

     He noticed her mannerisms during that period, noticed that she seemed hurt when he used diminishing phrases to talk about himself. He never intended to wound her, and, even though he knew it wasn't really his fault, he had made an effort to be better. To elevate his self-image, to recognize the value Kara so regularly repeated that he held. Surprisingly, it had worked. He stopped thinking so lowly of himself, and she told him how proud she was, how happy it made her that he saw his worth. He was beyond grateful, but she hadn't allowed him to thank her, claiming it was her obligation as a best friend and he should expect nothing less.

     Aside from the fact that he had recently restored the fire in his eyes, all thanks to his more than amazing best friend, on the last Saturday morning, during his morning jog, he had bumped into one of his old friends from college, whom he had lost contact with, Winslow Schott Jr.

     The sudden encounter had caught him off guard, but the shock was quickly replaced with pleasant surprise. The two men agreed to meet again, this time at a proper place and time.

     And that was the other reason to why Mike was found happily humming as he approached his destination, feeling utterly embraced by his surroundings.

     A yellow painted construction caught his attention, right when he realized the café his friend suggested must've been close. His eyes traveled to the top, noticing the writings that characterized the place. "Molly's Cupcakes" it said, just like Winn had told him. 

     He pushed the door open and stepped in, being greeted by an inviting atmosphere. Looking around, he noticed the place's insides were adorned with what looked like... school ornaments? There were stools inspired by swings, being attached to the ceiling, blackboards announcing the menu, lunch boxes of all sorts decorating different spots... it was definitely a sight to behold.

     His gaze fell to the tables, spotting Winn already seated at one of them, looking at his phone.

     "Winn?" he voiced, after walking in his direction. The man raised his head, a smile growing on his face as he registered who had called him.

     "Mike!" he exclaimed, standing up. The two men hugged briefly, carefree chuckles coming from both. "It's been so long!"

     "Oh yeah, tell me about it." Mike smiled. "Interesting place you chose," he remarked, as they took their seats at the table.

     "Oh yeah, this place has the best cupcakes in the world," Winn replied, over enthusiastically. Mike threw him an amused look, countless memories flooding his mind. He remembered Winn and Kara constantly gushing over the best restaurants, cafés, and food in general. He had never seen a pair so passionate about their savoring adventures. "Besides, it has a great story behind," he pointed out. Mike raised his brows, signing for him to continue. "So, the guy who started this café had this sweet memory of his primary school teacher, called Molly, bringing the students cupcakes, and so he dedicated the place to her, decorating it with school stuff. Isn't it cool?"