Chupa-Chup

The Warmth

Dating Lily was not what Yo had imagined. Don't get him wrong, Lily was such a delight to talk with and fascinating to listen to while watching movies, but...there was something missing. A spark? Something like that.

Lily never pushed for more than kissing, and for that Yo felt strangely relieved. He wasn't quite ready to have sex again. Plus, they'd only been dating roughly about a month, so it was still far too soon in Yo's book. That and he hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend yet. He was planning on doing so that evening.

He hummed happily to himself, reaching for the top shelf where the spices were at the supermarket. He was going to cook a fancy dinner at his house for him and Lily, and spring the question on her then. His fingers barely brushed against the rosemary bottle, and he grunted with the effort, rising up on tiptoe and struggling to grasp it when a hand came from behind him and grabbed it for him. He turned with a smile to thank them.

The words died on his lips.

"Hi, Yo," Pha said softly. His eyes drank Yo's face in.

Yo blinked in surprise. Then he noticed the uniform Pha wore. "Oh...you work here, P?"

Pha nodded and took a small step back. "Yes. I've worked here since high school. I don't have to rely on my parents for an income."

Yo understood that more than anybody. He swallowed hard at the look in Pha's eyes. It took him back to that careless, steamy night up in Kit's spare room-

Stop it, Yo, don't think about that!

"Grocery shopping?" Pha asked casually as he went over to straighten up some of the spice bottles.

"Y-yeah..." Yo cleared his throat. Pha was making him nervous for some reason. Then he blurted out, "I'm asking P'Lily to be my girlfriend." He inwardly cringed. There could've been a better way to phrase that! Dammit, Yo, you know the guy likes you! Moron! He avoided looking at Pha's face, instead focusing on searching out the rest of the spices he needed. Luckily, they were all on shelves he could actually reach. "B-but...um, knowing my luck with girls, she'll probably laugh in my face," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

Pha sighed. "You really need to stop putting yourself down. I bet she'll say yes."

Yo scrunched his nose up in doubt.

"Stop it," Pha tapped Yo's nose with the tip of his pointer finger. Yo stared at him in shock. "I know I'm right. Only a fool would refuse you."

"Lots of girls have turned me down."

"Then they were all fools."

"Maybe..." Yo trailed off. He wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Let me know if you need help finding something," Pha smiled warmly at him. "I'm the manager, so I know what we do and don't have."

"Thank you," Yo managed to get out before Pha walked away. All he got in return was a nod and small wave. Then Pha disappeared around the corner.

That...could've gone so much better... Yo wanted to beat his forehead on one of the shelves.

XXX

Everything was ready. Yo had sneakily found out what Lily's favorite dishes were, and cooked them just for her: steak, ratatouille, brioche toasts and chocolate tarts with raspberries. Fancy for Yo, but he was a decent cook, so it wasn't that difficult. He waited with nervous energy making him fidgety.

A knock sounded on the door.

Yo opened it and ushered in Lily, eager for her reaction. "I hope you like it," he said shyly.