An Angel's Heart

The Moons and Stars

After another hour and a half, Yo and Ming walked out of the practice area with several other Moons and Stars. They all went to an empty picnic table and Yo brought out a container of cookies and a thermos. Ging ran forward with some small cups, napkins, and a bag of ice. Pha walked up to Yo, hoping for a moment to speak, but Yo was busy.

Yo handed out cookies and poured out drinks, earning smiles and praises all around. Pha reached for a cup, but Ming gave him a look that screamed refusal. Beam and Kit, Pha's traitorous friends, were already enjoying a cookie and a drink, smiling and talking to each other. Pha was forced to wait quietly until an opportunity to talk presented itself.

Surprisingly, the opportunity presented itself sooner than Pha expected. He was waiting, alone and feeling quite depressed, when Yo came up and sat down next to him.

"Are you okay, Pha?" Yo asked, setting a cup of dark fluid and a cookie on a napkin in front of him.

"That's what I wanted to ask you," Pha said, seeing Yo's wrist wrapped in a bandage. "Did Pring hurt you?"

"It wasn't too bad," Yo said, quietly. "A couple of scrapes from her ring and a bruise. It'll be gone in no time. Try the iced tea."

"What kind of tea is it?" Pha asked, taking a sip before tasting the cookie. Pha savored the flavors, it was confirmed. If he was lucky enough to get Yo to date him, he was definitely going to get fat.

"Orange blossom," Yo answered. They sat in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Yo," Pha said, feeling guilty. "She really isn't my girlfriend. I should have stopped her. I was just so surprised."

"I should probably agree and tell you that you should have stopped her," Yo said, drinking his own tea. "That's what I thought at first. I was ready to blame you, but it wasn't really your fault. You can't be responsible for how other people behave. You can only be responsible for your own actions."

"I did talk to her," Pha said, feeling grateful for Yo's easy forgiveness. "I was very honest, rude even. But I'm not sure it's going to matter to her. She said some strange things."

Yo sat quietly next to Pha and nodded his head. Pha supposed that meant he understood.

"These cookies are delicious," Pha said, "but I don't recognize the flavor."

"They're called biscuits," Yo replied. "It's because they're crisp, more like biscotti than a cookie. They're made out of Earl Grey tea leaves, which goes really well with citrus flavors, like orange."

"They're really good," Pha said. He sat quietly, enjoying the biscuit and tea before he spoke again. "Can we go back to this morning, when you let me hold you? I know it was probably too fast, so if you don't want to, I'll understand."

Yo had some of his own tea and nibbled on his biscuit, after a minute he looked up at Pha with a shy smile on his face and whispered, "I'd like for you to hold me again, Pha."

With Yo's words, Pha's knees went weak while his heart beat wildly in his chest. Pha took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, this definitely had to be a dream.

************

Earl Grey Biscuits, recipe by Wittard: wittard.uk.co (also a good place to buy your tea leaves)

4½tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves (You can also use Lady Grey, if you prefer more orange flavor.)
115g butter
225g caster sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
½tsp grated lemon zest (I use orange zest instead, but to each their own.)
275g strong white bread flour
¼tsp salt
2tsp baking powder
Extra butter for greasing