"HI, MORNING. A LATTE..."
"AND brownies..."
I looked up at him, and he sealed his lips to control himself from laughing. I didn't mean to say it out loud. It just came from my mouth while writing down, I mean, I get used to it.
I'm starting to see him coming by in the cafe, and kept ordering the same thing, who wouldn't get used to that?
"I want to try your Pie,"
"Pie. Okay," I said, writing his order down all over again.
"The Apple Pie," he cleared, "And also a slice of Blueberry Cheesecake, and yeah, two slices of brownies," he added.
A side of my lips rose at him. I just wasted a piece of paper for that. I opened my mouth to say the total price, but he got ahead of me.
"Name? A period then Pete, or just Pete, you could choose between them, but I like the first one with a star beside it,"
Is he teasing?
"295, Sir,"
He gave me three hundred bills, and I gave him the change. As usual, he waited at his favorite table with his friends. I couldn't stop watching them from afar. His friends were laughing, but he stayed with his typical poker face.
But my gaze flexed to the door that just spread, and Angelo came walking inside. He went straight to where am I.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing," he answered, leaning his back on the counter, "I'm going to part-time work here in the meantime,"
"Why?"
"I lost my job,"
"Deserve,"
"The audacity?" he questioned, slapping my arms, "I just took a day off,"
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes at him.
Before he hit me, I placed all the plates in one tray, "Serve this to table 1,"
Instead of a word coming from him, he also rolls his eyes, walking out the counter like he's walking a runaway. And I shake my head at him.
But I told him to serve Table 1, not to have a long session of talk. I didn't get to pull him away from them because there was another customer I had to attend to.
"HI!"
LYV WALKED INSIDE THE cafe, waving her hand to us playfully. She wears a suit maybe she also got off from work.
It's closing time, so it means, the time for us to go home too, but we let the staff go home firsts. We're left to clean the tables.
"Where are you going?"
"We're going home, Lyv. What else do you think?"
"Susan, it's girls' night out with a guy--" she's cut off when Angelo tries to hit her, but she got to dodge it, "Anyways, it's supposed to be today, right?"
"Yeah," I realized, "We're paying together,"
"Of course, I just received my payout. I don't know about him," I catch her eyes, glaring at him, but it only took a second.
I stopped them in time before they even got to hold each other's hair, "I'll catch up, okay? Shotgun's mine, Angelo, don't you dare! I'm just going to close the cafe,"
Lyv jumped to Angelo's hands, locking her arms with him. But he pushed her away, almost losing her balance but able to manage herself. And she didn't quit there, they continue teasing each other even though they were already outside.
I cleaned the counter everything is in place, the chair is up on the table, and the lights are close. Only the door was left.
Holding the keys and the handle of the door at the same time, I tightened the grip on it after hearing a voice behind me.
"Have you closed already?"
"Peter!" I screamed out his name.
I was trembling with fear if I didn't get familiar with his voice since only the lamp post on the sidewalk was the only light giving me a vision, and there was no one around me. Everything is shut.
"Did I startle you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I asked back after locking the door
"I'm sorry, I bet your close,"
"Yeah, you could go home,"
I walked past him and went straight to the other street where Lyv's car was waiting. Lyv drove the car, and Angelo stayed in the back seat.
We arrived at the restaurant where we usually eat every Friday night. It's a samgyeopsal, and we always have our table outside. It's open air, so we love it, we're filled with smokes while cooking, so maybe we could have some fresh night air touching our skins.
I prepared the tong, and we're just waiting for the griller to heat up.
"Start cooking, Angelo. I have good news to share," she said, fixing her hair to the back.
His forehead wrinkled at her, with a tong also in his hand.
"What is it?" I asked excitedly.
"I got..." she played her chopsticks on the table, "I got promoted at my Dad's company as the COO!" she giggled.
"Congrats!" I jumped from my seat and stood beside her to hug her.
"Angelo?"
He didn't pay attention to her and kept cooking.
"I got promoted! Aren't you happy for your friend?"
"Can't you wait? I'm cooking,"
He opened a bottle of beer and placed it on our cups.
He raised his cup, placing down the tong, "Congrats to my annoying friend!" he screamed, messing her hair before hugging her by placing his one arm around her shoulder and pulling her to his side.
"Congrats!" I shouted back, having a shot at the same time.
I go back to my seat, and after he let her go, she pushed his face away.
"One last time, Lyv!" he warned her, but she didn't listen.
She pulled his hair, and after receiving a dagger look from him, she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling,
"Sorry, " she sighs," You're so ugly," I heard her whisper.
He messed her hair while she tightened the wrap around his neck. I shake my head at them and pay attention to cooking.
"Susan! She's killing me!"
Angelo was being choked to death by Lyv, and I watched them.
They stopped killing each other after I placed the meat on their plate. I wrapped a slice of meat into the lettuce, and Lyv opened her mouth to me with her hands under the table.
"Me too!" Angelo also does the position Lyv was in a while ago that I fed her.
As a friend, I also wrapped the meat into the lettuce, but it has an uncooked slice of pork, and Lyv saw that. And as expected, Angelo had a hard time breaking down the food until he found the uncooked meat.
"Yuck, Sue!"
Lyv and I couldn't stop ourselves from laughing at him, especially how he looked while struggling.
He swallowed a cup of water, after throwing down everything I placed inside his mouth. I got to hold my stomach after we laugh even harder after he showed us his middle finger.
We made him jealous when we were feeding each other, and we make sure we show it to his face.
"WE'RE GOING HOME!"
SHE ISN'T standing stable. She barely walks, thanks to Angelo's assistance.
"You're drunk!"
"I'm not! Promise!"
I show her two fingers, "How many fingers am I holding?"
She adjusts her eyes on my fingers, "Two! Duh!" she laughs, but that's not her type.
"Lyv..."
"Sue, I'll call you when I arrive home, and Angelo too, right?"
"Let's go. I'm going to drive," he pulled her with him.
"I'll drive," she insists.
"No! I don't have any death wishes I still have a client tomorrow,"
Of the three of us, Lyv was the one who drank four bottles, while I had only a few shots, and Angelo just one, like one. I don't drink, I started because of them, but I don't blame them. I'm starting to like it, though.
I watched her car leave the place while I waited for a taxi. Their house is like along the way, and it's unfair to mine.
I started to feel rain drops on my head, and I let out my palm to check it out.
It's starting to pour down heavily, and I turn my back to run into the restaurant when I bump my head into someone's chest, and I'm not feeling a drop of rain on my touch.
"I'm sorry--"
As I looked up, I saw Peter holding the umbrella.
"Let me take you home," he said, breaking the silence after I stayed looking at him.
"I'm fine, thanks. I'm going to wait for a taxi," I stood beside, preparing myself to run back to the restaurant, but I felt his hand on my wrist.
"It's raining,"
"I know,"
"It's raining harder. I don't think you could survive under the rain, and maybe it will take too long to stop,"
"I'm fine, just... go home,"
"Just one time?"
"Go home,"
I removed the grip of his hand on my wrist and ran back with my hand above my head. I waited beside an empty table, that was soon occupied by a group of men.
"Hi, Miss,"
I didn't pay attention to who called me.
"Miss,"
Before I slapped his hand, someone grabbed it before he got me touched. I saw Peter was holding it, and in a second, he twisted the guy's arm placing it on the guy's back.
"Stop! Shit, it hurts!"
"Don't touch her!" his voice doesn't seem his.
His fist is up in the air, and I could feel the people looking at us.
"Stop! Just take me home. Take me home, Peter," I said, pulling him out.
He panted and pushed the guy back to their table causing him to mess up their table.
He placed his jacket around my shoulder before putting his arm above my shoulders, and he pulled me close to his side while we were running to the parking lot.
He let me inside the passenger seat after opening the door for me. I could see how the rain wet his back, but he kept the umbrella under me until I got inside without a single drop of rain.
He placed the umbrella on the back first before running under the rain to the driver's seat, "Did you get wet?"
I shake my head. His hair was dripping water, and his white polo looked damped his shirt inside was already visible. Can't he ask himself that?
"I'm sorry about earlier. I couldn't control it,"
"It's fine... thank you," I flashed a smile at him.
He almost fought there because of me. I saw a roll of tissue beside us, so I grabbed it for him.
"You're damped," I said, handing him the tissue.
"Thanks,"
Hugging my bag with me, I looked outside the window even though he isn't driving yet. As much as I want to fall asleep, I can't. I have to show him the way until we reached my house.
"Is this it?" he said, pulling the joysticks as the engine halted.
I nod at him. The rain had stopped, and he ran outside to open the door for me.
"Thanks," I flashed a smile to him.
"Sue?"
I stopped walking after hearing my name from him.
Sue.
"Hmm?" I asked without turning my back. Holding the strap that I hung on my shoulder, I'm waiting for his answer.
"Nothing," he whispered, but that was enough for me to hear.
I nod at him. I went inside the house, and I couldn't stop myself from taking a peek at him through the curtain.
I saw him, looking at the door I walked in, leaning on his car, and it took him minutes before going back inside his car. The car's engine start, and I ceased.
I rest my back on the wall having deep breaths. Before I had another step, my phone beeped.
09XXXXXXXXX: Goodnight :)