Rose Cappuccino Romance | Boy x Boy

Steamed Milk

The world was a cold place, an empty cesspool of desperation as other people desperately clawed at the walls that trapped them in their own personal hell. Matthew knew it all too well, and although he rose above the rest with the help of his parents' wealth and fame, even he could not escape the clutches. At the end of his life, he will die in the same way he had lived, hopelessly alone with his own thoughts in his head.

The bite of cold on his nose was the only feeling he relished in anymore. The bundle of the coat against his skin, cold but slowly warming as he breathed into the scarf that provided the thinnest of barriers for his face. The wind still cut through the fabric, but he didn't mind, allowing the frosty chill to touch the soft warmth of his lips, leaving them dry.

Matthew stepped through the street, the buildings around him mostly deserted as strangers sought the warmth of the inside. Not him. He didn't like people, didn't want to be around them. If he had his way, he would never go outside, never interacting with anyone else. He could read, or paint, or even just stare out the window of his bedroom that overlooked the ocean. Anything could be better than walking through this town of dead tourism and people struggling to make a living. Still, even when someone was out on the street, they ignored him, maybe even avoided him. Matthew might even have felt a look of disdain from some of the passersby, which he was perfectly fine with.

His parents may be famous, but so was he.

Matthew turned the corner, his gaze automatically searching out the coffee shop that he always went to. Coffee was about the only thing he could stand the taste of, everything else being ash in his mouth. Coffee was strong. Coffee gave him the boost he so desperately needed to feel even the slightest bit. He had no energy without the bitter bite that almost felt like it was clenching his jaw for him.

The shop itself looked, no, was deserted without a single person inside. The lights were out. The chairs were gone. And now that Matthew was focusing on it, there wasn't a single coffee scent that he was used to flooding the street. His eye twitched, his gloved hands clenching into fists, and he let out an almost growl. Kicking the side of the brick wall, steel-toed shoes were a smart choice after all, he clicked his phone on, hitting speed dial and pulling it up to his numb and red ear.

"Matthew," Claire, on the other side, spoke, not even bothering with a greeting or a fake cheerful tone, "What can I do for you today?" 

"You know everything in this town. The fuck happened to the Cold Drip?" He spat, his tone coming back several times more vicious than Claire's. To the woman's credit, she didn't even seem to notice as typing faintly took over the sound on the other line.

"Closed down. It seems they weren't making a lot of money in the busy hours. Wonder what could be the reason for that?" Claire replied, her blank tone as accusing as ever, "Would you like me to find you another business that you can run into the ground?"

Matthew snorted, leaning against the wall of the coffee shop and tugging at his sleeve with his free hand, "Just find a coffee place that doesn't suck. It's all that you're good for anyway."

Claire didn't respond, simply beginning to type again as Matthew waited. At minute two, Matthew was going to give her a few choice words when she shushed him before he could even get the second syllable out.

"The Steamed Milk coffee shop is highly rated, even better than the Cold Drip. Two blocks on the left." Claire finally said, hanging up right after. Matthew pushed his phone into his pocket, grumbling as he forced himself off the wall and began trekking down the street once again.

Claire was not wrong about the Cold Drip. Matthew, although a well-paying customer, was not a welcome one in most stores. He had a habit of driving other people away from the stores he frequented, usually with his biting words and lack of control over others. He hated people, hated them more than he could hate anything else, and he couldn't even stand being in the same room as most of them. Hell, his closest friend was Claire, his parents' manager.