They walked for a while then turned right along a road , making their way down a small, quiet alleyway. The graffitied walls of the alley were darkened with ash a long time ago, giving off a gloomy, suffocating feeling.
Even adults would try to avoid a dark place like this, let alone two high school graduates, but both Ling Dang and Hazel knew that their destination was on the other side of the alley. Walking along these familiar walls, Ling Dang remembered the last time they visited the cafe. With a sigh, he shook his head helplessly.
"Are you sure you want ice cream here?" Ling Dang said with a weird look on his face.
"Yeah" Hazel replied.
"We haven't been here in two months. Thanks to the exams, I was forced to study everyday at home. Normally we meet up at least once a week outside of school but my parents actually forbade me from leaving the house on weekends! Ugh, they're so restrictive! It's not like studying longer would get me better grades, I'd rather spend more time with you, maybe I can rub your head for some intelligence."
She stopped and reached out to try to pat Ling Dang on the head but the boy was too quick, easily avoiding her grasp. She chuckled lightly, then turned around and started walking again.
"Stop joking sis. I'm talking about that incident from last time. Of course, I won't let anyone hurt you ever again but will you feel comfortable in there?"
Hazel turned her head to look at Ling Dang. Seeing the uncomfortable look on Ling Dang's face, she rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"Don't worry about last time, I'm not going to let such a small thing affect quality time with my bro" she smiled.
Ling Dang could do nothing else but give a nod.
"That musclehead better watch his mouth or else..." he thought to himself.
The pair arrived outside a shabby, run down bar that was tucked away in the black walls of the alleyway. A dusty lantern hung from an exposed wooden beam along the door, extended from within the shop. A faded red sign above the door read "Cafe/Bar Nirvana, Drink til Yer Die" in bold lettering. On the side of the door, there was a yellowed laminated sign with the words "Once yer come in, yer won't wanna come out! Open every weekend, 4pm - 4am" written in an old fashioned yet stylish script. The whole storefront looked like it came out of a Western cowboy movie.
"Shouldn't that old man renovate some time soon? He's never going to get new customers with a scary entrance like this. Nowadays, we're like the only regulars left. Remember when Jamie and his girlfriend came here often with us? Such a shame that he moved" Hazel reminisced.
"I like it this way better. Just us two" Ling Dang smiled.
"Oh" she replied, blushing a little but no longer saying anything.
An old fashioned jingle sounded when they pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
Inside, neat rows of circular tables decorated the spotless wooden floor. There were a couple of private booths next to the windows, fitted with leather cushions and marble tabletops. From the outside, one couldn't see past the tinted windowpanes. However, people within the cafe could easily see everything happening in the alley, not that anything interesting ever happens. Rows and rows of expensive liquor were lined up in two rows on the shelf behind the counter. The assortment of alcohol included whiskey, rum, vodka, gin and wine... It was an alcoholic's paradise. Ling Dang knew that a small fridge hidden underneath the counter held countless cans of expensive beer. As this place was primarily a cafe, there were no visible beer taps on the counter.
A modern coffee machine took up a large section of the gold-plated counter. The rest of the counter was covered with masons jars filled with high quality coffee beans and tea leaves, intricately labelled with their sources of production. Next to the counter, there was a small glass display case showcasing a variety of desserts, each one more mouth-watering than the last. Ling Dang could see authentic French macarons and profiteroles, Japanese matcha sweets, chilled Chinese deep-fried nian gao and a perfectly decorated German black forest cherry-torte. Everything was intricately designed to maximise both taste and appearance.
One would never have guessed that such a luxurious cafe/bar would be hidden behind that hideous storefront, in a small, unnoticeable alley.
The welcoming jingle grew softer as it echoed into the back of the room until the sound disappeared. Apart from Ling Dang and Hazel, there was no one else in the cafe. It was deathly silent.
A rustle came from behind the counter. "Didn't you see the sign outside, we're only open on -" a stern looking, muscular man stepped out from a door behind the counter into the cafe.
"Ohhh it's you two. Whaddya want?" the man's face instantly turned ugly at the sight of the girl next to Ling Dang.
"We're in a cafe. What do you think we want, Gaven?" Hazel smirked sarcastically, making the muscular man's face twitch.
"I can serve Third Young Master Gao but not you kid. Remember what happened two months ago? I haven't settled scores with you yet, you little brat. And you're still shameless enough to come in here like you own the place. Watch me -"
"Gaven" Ling Dang spoke quietly but his icy voice struck terror in the heart of the muscular man.
"She's my guest, don't cause trouble yeah?"
"Third Young Master Gao! But last time, she - "
"What happened last time? Please enlighten me?" Ling Dang spoke coolly, his already cold tone turning even colder, making the entire room seem like a barren land of ice.
Gaven's body shivered, but he still summoned the tiny bit of courage he had left to attempt to reason with the boy.
"Third Y-Young Master, l-last time, she -"
"Nothing happened last time, remember? Or are you saying something happened?" Ling Dang icy gaze pierced into the muscular man's soul, dissipating what little bravery he had left.
"Y-Yes Third Young Master Gao! I just wanted - " the man said nervously.
"If you call me that again, I'll cut off your arms and legs then feed it to your family got it?"
The tall man shivered in fright, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead as he hurriedly nodded, not daring to say anything else in fear of receiving the boy's hellish punishment.