"One brewed coffee, one latte macchiato, one mocha cake and one blueberry cheesecake for these beautiful ladies." A beaming voice chimed in and received both stares from Eirene and Harlock.
"Yes?" He asked awkwardly.
"Oh, nothing lightbulb."
"Lightbulb?" The server asked confusingly as to why the listless looking lady called for a lightbulb.
'Maybe the light was not enough in their table.' he thought.
"Ah.. haha.. that.. thank you. We will take it from here." Eirene cut in for she knows that another offense will be blurted from her friend's mouth.
"O-okay. Enjoy the food and drinks missuses." His blinding bright smile was back in his face and placed the dishes on the table.
The server left tilting his head with a muddled look and contemplates why they brought up the lightbulb but not asking further.
As the server walks back to his work station. Eirene tugs her friend nearer to her.
"Oy, your nicknaming ability can either make one flattered or insulted ya know."
"So?"
"So please, can you control yourself towards other people. It was totally out of line."
"Whatever. Who knows he may be flattered with it."
"With your glib tongue, I really don't know why you'd choose psychology over business management or law. You can easily persuade others to agree with your decisions or win an argument without too much work. Really a waste of talent." Eirene said shaking her head in a rueful manner.
"That is simply because of my awesomeness."
"Narcissistic."
"Just being honest. And besides, it was fun reading people's behaviour. It's like they're telling a story without even thinking. An unconscious way to introduce themselves. It brings me so much excitement I might drag them infront of me and watch them like a lab rat." Harlock grins like a madwoman in the midst of a scientific research.
"Geez! You're creeping me out Harlock. I feel like imagining some sort of horror movie with the way you said that line. Gosh!" Eirene slowly crept away, distancing herself from being a lab rat in Harlock's eyes.
"Well, imagination is good. It stimulates the brain to work creatively."
"I prefer being realistic."
"Yeah yeah whatever. By the way I haven't seen your camera for the longest time. Was it also destroyed?"
"Nope. Just gave it to someone."
"Oh~ that's so generous of you Eirene. I thought that was your boyfriend. You never parts with it."
"I decided it probably needs a new owner haha.."
"That someone might be special for you to hand it over."
"Well, maybe, who knows. I just do it on impulse."
Amidst the chatter of the two, the guy on the counter was silently watching them. He was recalling whether he had seen them somewhere or not.
'Maybe they were just of similar stature.' He thought, but the one wearing a trench coat looks familiar to the person who gave him the camera.
He immediately rejected the idea that they are of same person, for the one he encountered today looked sickly and the one he met was high-spirited.
'In the end, it was just my wishful thinking to meet her again.'
Unbeknownst to him, his hunch was right. The two ladies are the one he saw before passing out of exhaustion at that time when he was so helpless and almost beaten to death.
***