"The hell, Grandma Kiyoko."
I just broke into an inner creepy chuckle when I saw her putting those organs into a dustbin cover and packing them all into a box. Soon, with decent sight, I crossed my eyes from one footage to another footage. What's the use of reacting to the things which aren't in my control? I let them do as they wish, as I finally have evidence against them.
Grandma Kiyoko. You failed in the end.
"Is that enough, Chai?"
"That's enough, Moon. I'll submit that evidence directly to headquarters."
"That's good of you."
I closed the laptop and handed it to Chai. Just in case, I eventually copied the footage to the pendrive. I know, somehow, my Step-grandparents will try to vanish the evidence just the way they did with Carin Vatz's valid evidence. I can't underestimate them just because they're old. Old is only a physical thing but that intelligence does exist by mentally. These oldies sometimes become actual pain in my nerves. Hash! Oldies!
"Queue seems to be so long. Kayleigh is gonna take a decade for one smoothie…"
I chuckled and passed a glance at Kayleigh. Aha, she's so irritated. Better I take action before she explodes. Oh, little volcano. I pulled my phone from the jacket and tapped the outlines of Kayleigh's frustration. Just 3 mins, Kayleigh. Can you really bear my response?
A grin appeared on my face and I just turned my face away from Kayleigh. A glance at the second counter and with a kind smile, I stood up normally.
"Where are you going, Moon?"
"To get the smoothies for us. As you said, Kayleigh is gonna take decades."
"Ah?! How are you gonna get the smoothies? The queue is out of hand." He said annoyingly looking at the long queue. Man, I'm never gonna stand that long for those 3 stands of smoothies.
"Who said I'm gonna go in the queue, Chai."
"Huh? Then how will you get them?"
"Just see, Young Man."
Looking at my phone, I walked to the second counter. All those guys in the queue's eyes were on me. Few were laughing and others were confused whether I'm blind or just stupid.
A guy from them said loudly, "Don't you know! The second counter isn't working!"
I looked at him fiercely and turned my head back to the counter lady with a fake smile. Man, do you think I'm that stupid to not know which is working and which is not? I will show the reason why the second counter is empty, hooligan.
I unlocked my phone and showed the screen page to the lady in the second counter. She immediately pulled out a scanner and scanned the QR code displaying on my screen. A sudden smile appeared on her face and she responded,
"Just 3 mins, young miss."
The counter lady rushed inside while the others beside me were quietly observing me. I peeked at them and grabbed myself back on to my phone screen. It makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable simultaneously. I rather deny this feeling.
"Young miss, there's your 2 mango smoothie and 1 strawberry iced smoothie. As you're our first customer to use our online reservation order. Here's the gift! Thank you for your order."
"Oh! That's nothing." I smiled and took my order. I was actually thinking of ordering donuts but eventually offered them as a gift instead. That's somehow heart touching!
I would never have imagined such an astonished bunch of faces waiting for me. I smiled at the guys who were laughing at me before. Mouths are shut down already? Pitiful.
"Continue waiting for your fucking chance to order, bullcarts!"
I walked loftily across the queue, grabbing Kayleigh from them. Though without seeing her face, one can say she is extremely astonished by now. Or she might be hyper furious for making her stand in the queue for hours when I can easily get the drinks in minutes. Anything is possible, Moon. Just be prepared.
Sitting opposite Kayleigh and Chai is the most pressured experience I have ever felt. I slightly lifted my eyes up hoping they were normal but… Aah! Kayleigh is still having that fiery red face. My god! Better if I just mouth and say nothing.
Without saying anything or lifting my head up, I slid the two different smoothies towards them and silently slurped my Mango smoothie.
"Fine, Kayleigh. Don't be furious over Moon now." Yes! Yes! Brother Chai is always right! The righteous: Chai!
I immediately lifted my head up, nodding timidly on Chai's statement with a sheepish smile that never fits me. She abruptly gave me a death glare… wait…this isn't going funny anymore… Have I really messed up everything? Shit…!
A glup rushed inside my throat. "Kayleigh behave!" Huh?
Wait, what? Her behaviour suddenly changed…
"Aah! Honey! It's not right to support your colleague! She's the one who did the fault here…!" Eh…? She's one of the weirdest humans I have ever witnessed after Tangwen. I looked at Chai with a weird sight and he was so busy handling his girlfriend that he was only able to give an embarrassed face. I understand your daily routine, man. Keep going!
Better, If I leave first. I seriously can't stand those lovey-dovey couples anymore. I picked up my smoothie and one snow mountain donut with a short look at Chai. Through those baby punches of his girlfriend, he spoke,
"W-Where are you going, Moon? Help me out first."
I grinned and said, "Help? Isn't she your choice? Deal with your things by yourself, Chai."
"Huh? H-Hey! Moon! You– Kayleigh stop it already!"
So noisy, man. With that triumphant grin on my lips, I walked out of the café. Haa… for the first time, my life really feels so good and at the same time empty… Eh… Why the hell is everyone here only couples?! Urgh! I hate it! At least, let me live, man!
I have no other choice but to ignore everyone and walk away. Wait… Is this month the end of winter already? That means it is the day today…
"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart."
Huh? I immediately shifted around just to find a guy offering a red rose bouquet to his girlfriend. Haa… it's already valentine's day. That's why I only found… couples today. Shh! I pinched the point between the two eyebrows in frustration. Stop it lovey-dovey couples, don't realise me that I'm a fucking bachelor! Damn! I'm even a virgin! Sh! My fucking life!
With all those depressing thoughts, my rushing foot suddenly pulled the brake in front of a bouquet shop. I glanced at those nourished flowers and almost fell for them until a melody-like voice raised in front of me.
"Hello, beautiful customer. Are you looking for a bouquet for your boyfriend?"
Ah… She's so beautiful! Eventually, she called me beautiful… My god, how am I supposed to hold that beauty of hers?!
Hey… Wait! What? No way!
"N-No! I don't have a boyfriend!" Realisation really hits so bad! o(╥﹏╥)o
"Oh, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding…" It's okay. I don't mind it as long as it's you. "How about I show some out of ordinary bouquets?"
"Out of ordinary?" Well all those other bouquets don't seem to be ordinary though. They bloom with unique Fragrance and freshness. What else can be called 'out of ordinary' rather than these? And then in the middle of my thoughts, my eyes fell on those bouquets which cost legs and arms. These bouquets… are quite different and… so bright.
"Oh! Do you want to buy them? These are carnation bouquets. They can last for 12 hours so they are quite expensive."
"Carnation bouquets?"
They can last for 12 hours? But why…am I insisting on buying a bouquet? Even if I buy it… what am I supposed to do with it? And… on such a day like valentine's day there's no one I really wanna offer a bouquet of love. It's only timid work to get a bouquet even when I'm tagged with solitary as if I'm a hikikomori well… that doesn't make sense. It should rather be called solitary confinement. Haa… I'm exaggerated already –
"Those flowers really look good when beautiful hands hold them. Is there any hands you wanna give those carnation bouquets, Miss?"
…Huh? What's with that sentimental face?! T-That dialogue… seriously moved me wholly. I'm totally moved by her words…
When I, startled, looked at her, I almost died. Her eyes spread those bright shine throughout the carnation bouquets. That shine was miraculous as if she's healing from something I ain't aware of. She's… she's so beautiful. Her face is so perfect. She's the ideal of those flowers, a gardener needs to have this understanding to melt any customer's heart with such facial emotions. How mesmerising!
...
"Thank you, Miss. Visit our world again!"
Sigh… I got trapped into her honey-like words. Aah! What's the use of knowing her trap further yet to fall for it somehow?! Are you nuts, Moon!
Come to think of it, what am I supposed to do with it? Should I just throw it? Man, No, Man, it's worth a king's ransom! I just can't let it go!
When all this mess was going on in my head – an unknown voice rose in front of me.
"This is for you."
A guy dressed up usually with light colours shined in the crowd with his bright smile. Those long praised hands of that man really are enough to not reject his flowers. It's my first time seeing a guy offering free single flowers to all regardless of age or sex. This guy… is really something. Obviously weird! But… His face is… beautiful. Man, what's wrong with me?! Why the hell am I praising each human I found this morning! Hush!
"And…," The guy I was praising was now in front of my eyes. His eyes were searching through the bouquet to give a perfect match of flowers to me. His two block hair was flying with the wave of the breeze. His dawn-hazel eyes and that fair skin. Perfect short nose and red natural pigment lips. This guy… damn outstanding!
"This is for you. A red tulip."
A red tulip? I wanna take that tulip into my curious hands but I halted in the middle when I noticed his eyes smoothing that tulip, filling its petals with his love. His lips moved for something but instantly halted before they could be born.
"Don't bury your words already." I hate when one thinks it's useless to speak even though their words hold a wide range of differences between those two alter bodies.
"... I'm not burying them. I want to speak but it might sound odd to you to hear such words from a stranger. So…"
"It doesn't matter to me – just speak."
With those strict words, he got startled but with a short smile, he finally said something.
"Give that red tulip to someone you name true love." At that point, I had almost lost my speech. Someone I name true love? Pfft! Is he kidding me? But the point is, why didn't he mention this statement before? Did he think I didn't deserve such a romantic line?
"I don't wanna say it before because I thought those vibrant red carnation bouquets are enough to say that you deserved an angel partner. You must be lucky to get that bouquet. I envy –"
"Enough. I heard enough about your love, Dear Love."
Damn! I didn't expect such a valued reason for such a simple statement. This guy really takes love so seriously, I can't bear that! Though he had such a good structure and face – I do regret for the rest of my life for keeping such a love addicted guy as my partner. Blarghhhhh! The word love sucks for me, Man!
"Man, keep your tulip with you. I don't want any kind of true love here. And for your kind information, this carnation bouquet, I bought it for myself! Don't just make your stories on what you see, Mr. Lover."
I pinned the tulip to his chest and turned my back to leave as soon as possible. This guy's words really for a moment recalled that beautiful flower shop girl. These both might be couples. Who knows? I can't just estimate something just like that. And this carnation bouquet brought me nothing but misunderstanding. Hell!
This valentine's day really sucks! Especially for those with no partners!