Accessory Wars

Chapter 14-Ki

            I wanted to know how I ended up in this situation. How I ended up sitting in the newly rebuilt Coffee Palace sipping on a small hot chocolate. How I ended up sitting across from Jay while he worked on his chemistry homework. I watched him work, wondering how stupidly ironic it felt. Five weeks since we first met and we returned to the scene it all started. I knew why it happened, as he invited me to come sit with him while we went to our favorite coffee shop, but the question of how kept repeating in my mind.

It felt weird watching him work without anything for me to do. I did bring a sketchbook with me but I found it hard to concentrate. Mostly due to the fact I looked like I was slacking off while Jay pressed his nose into his books. I took my wandering thoughts and channeled them to the blonde sitting across from me.

The first thing I learned about Jay was he had a keen sense of focus. It didn't matter what I did because he kept trucking along with his work as if the world around him wasn't there. I also learned he jutted out his bottom jaw slightly when he was thinking deeply so his bottom teeth tapped on his upper lip. He kept his phone on complete silence with the screen facing down. All his notes had colored tags on them to help categorize his learning. He readjusted his glasses whenever he stared at a page for an extended period of time.

During one of those glasses adjustments, I set down my empty cup on the table and shifted in my seat. He set his glasses down on his chemistry book and rubbed his face. Jay picked at his notes, his eyes squinting at them as he tried to see.

"Sorry this is so boring for you," he apologized.

"It's fine. I didn't have anything else to do," I replied with a shrug. Jay picked up his glasses but didn't put them on. He examined the frames, turning them over in his fingers.

"Yeong, do you go home for winter break?" he asked, keeping his eyes on his glasses.

"Typically, but I'm not sure if I want to this year. I'm saving up money to pay my parents back my college tuition and flights are expensive."

"Well, I stick around during the winter too. If you wanted, maybe we can hang out? When you're not working, that is. Derek goes home for the break and I find it a bit...quiet." I could tell he wanted to say lonely.

"Yeah, we can do that," I agreed. "My friends will be gone too. Mysti's folks live here in town but Trevor, Kaylee and Reagan are farther out. I've never spent a winter break alone before so I'm sure I'll be a little bit bored."

"Just a little?" Jay teased, smiling at me. I shot him a look and he returned his glasses to his face. "Thanks, Yeong. That means a lot."

I wanted to say more but I felt like I'd jinx the moment. We were in Coffee Palace, after all. Jay settled back into his studies but I could see how worn out he looked. He kept quietly sighing as he turned over a page, checking every two or three to see how many pages of notes remained. I shifted my gaze outside where snow fluttered down upon the city. Bailey typically didn't get much snow. Just enough to make it look pretty. My home town got a lot more but I also lived in the mountains.

I fiddled with my cup as Jay continued to work. The silence between us became too much for me so I focused on my sketchbook. My pencil made some random lines on a page before I started to morph it into some sort of shape. It ended up being an intricate Accessory. Some sort of earring. Underneath, I started sketching out concept ideas for what the weapons and armor might look like. My eyes flicked up to peek at Jay, the blonde's eyes drooping as he leaned heavily on his arm. He jerked awake and adjusted his glasses, shifting his feet underneath the table. The fabric of his jeans brushed mine and for a second I paused in my sketching. Somehow Jay noticed this and looked up.