Enjoy : ̗̀➛
...
"Hey, let me help you out. It's all good. You're doing great." Matthew said, holding Jack's arm and trying to calm him down, but his friend surprised him by pushing him away.
"Let me be."
He walked to his black car. He opened the door and was about to jump inside, but Matthew stopped him by slamming it hard. "Do you think you can drive in this situation?"
"I'm not that drunk; I was just passing the time, so please leave me alone. Matthew, I don't want to talk to anyone, so back off. I don't want to hurt you with my words." Jack let out a sigh, grabbed the door, and opened it. But he got a shock when his friend's fingers grabbed his wrist. He grabbed his shoulders and his back hit the car.
"What are you doing?"
"You're not leaving until you tell me what's wrong with you, okay?"
Jack, on the other hand, didn't say anything, and his eyes were fixed on his friend's serious face.
"Matthew, please." Jack's voice was all over the place, and Matthew was worried. He lowered his head and bit his lip, not wanting Matthew to see the tears that began to flow down his cheeks.
"Jack, are you crying?"
Jack quickly wiped his tears with his shirt sleeve. "No, it's just dust in my eyes."
Matthew took two steps back, letting his friend go. He didn't want to pressure him because it would only make things worse. Or maybe he felt it didn't matter if he was there or not.
He let out a sigh as he watched Jack get into his car, and just as he was about to close the door, Matthew stopped him. He looked disappointed. "I was wrong when I thought you were considering me as your close friend, but I just found out that I'm just like the other people who passed through your life."
"I used to be the one who always complained to you and never kept a secret. I was happy just to have you listen to me, but this time I just wanted to switch it up since that's what friends do, right?"
"My friend?" Matthew continued, a tiny smile on his lips.
"Matthew, stop."
Just as he was about to leave, Jack's words stopped him, and he turned around to face him. He'd gotten out of his car and was coming up fast.
"Can you just hug me? I don't feel good." He put his hands in his hoodie pockets and bent his head down, not saying a word, like he was scolding himself for making such a silly request and feeling bad about the awkward situation he'd put himself in.
"Forget it, I was just kidding."
"Come on."
He closed his eyes as he felt his friend's arms wrap around his body, providing much-needed comfort. He was so grateful for the hug that he finally let his repressed tears flow. He could hardly talk, and the sound of his crying voice near Matthew's ear made his heart clench.
"I miss him so much."
"What did you say? Who are you missing, Jack?"
Matthew didn't get an answer, and Jack just walked away, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie and staring blankly at the floor.
"Just take a rest and let me drive the car, okay?" Matthew said, getting into the driver's seat when his friend nodded slowly.
He looked at Jack, who was sitting next to him, and saw the sad look on his face. After a moment of silence, he turned the key in the ignition and drove away.
"I'd rather not go home, so I was wondering if I could crash at your place tonight. Of course, if it doesn't bother you." Jack said without looking away from the windshield. This was the first time Jack had ever been asked something like this because he had always turned down Matthew's invites, embarrassing him in front of his friends.
"Sure. I'll give your mom a call to let her know where you are, so she won't worry."
He nodded and closed his eyes, trying to rest his eyes. He hadn't slept in days; every night for the past thirteen years, he'd been thinking about his brother.
...
"Hey, young man, come here!" He called out, and based on how he looked and what he was wearing, he must've come from a higher social class.
His loud voice rang through the restaurant, and Taylor turned around and hurried back to him.
Aiden stopped what he was doing and glared at the angry man with raised eyebrows.
"Would you like anything else, sir?" Taylor wondered as he looked at the man's annoyed expression. He raised one eyebrow when the customer pointed his index finger at the bowl of soup in front of him and spoke in an aggressive tone.
"This soup is too salty. You put too much seasoning in it. I can't swallow it. It tastes unbearable!"
Taylor bit his lower lip as he listened to the man shouting, and then he was shocked by the customer's rude action. The customer pushed the bowl of soup in front of him so forcefully that it spilled on the table and made a mess.
He also got the attention of the other customers, who looked at the man's rude behavior.
Taylor looked pretty upset, and he spoke in the best-controlled tone he could muster, trying to get the customer to chill out and not cause a scene in public.
"Sir, I am simply a waiter. My role is to serve food, not to cook. If the food does not meet your expectations, please feel free to request another dish."
"Politely." He went on.
The man raised his eyebrows and stared in disbelief at the young man standing in front of him, who remained firm in his stance, gazing at him with total confidence.
"You're saying I'm impolite?"
The young man sighed, then picked up the bowl of soup to respond. "What do you think?"
The man clenched his teeth in rage at the young man's provocative sentence, stood up from his chair, took the bowl of soup from Taylor's hands, and threw it across the floor, causing a huge mess.
The man crossed his arms and, with a big smile, stared at the young man, who was frozen in place, staring at the floor.
"Come on, waiter, mop the floor. Isn't that your job?"
Taylor decided to bite his tongue and keep his eyes closed instead of getting mad and turning the restaurant into a wrestling ring.
"What are you doing? You shouldn't act like that and insult the workers; it's completely improper!" Aiden stepped in between them and put his hand on Taylor's shoulder. He shot a dirty look at the customer and said, "Taylor, let's just forget about him. People like him aren't worth arguing with."
"Taylor, please move." Aiden begged, trying to pull him out of the chaos.
"What's going on?"
The three of them turned toward the principal, who was approaching them with rage in his voice.
The customer smiled discreetly and pointed his index finger at Taylor, whose eyes widened in shock at his hocus-pocus, causing the manager to turn and gaze at him in disbelief.
"Ask the waiter, and he'll tell you. Tell him,You fool, you dropped the soup bowl."
"He was also less polite to me when I asked him to be careful next time, children of this generation."
Taylor was taken aback when the manager grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and growled. "Taylor, are you crazy? Why don't you watch your step, moron?"
"Back off!" Aiden tried to get the manager's hands off Taylor's shirt. He made a fist and slammed it on the table, making the customer jump as his screams echoed throughout the restaurant.
"And you're lying on top of that? You started it first, you scoundrel! Taylor wasn't being disrespectful to you; you're the one being rude!"
Taylor blinked a lot as he looked at Aiden, who was defending him like they were best friends or something, even though he'd treated him badly before.
He turned and looked at the customer, who sighed furiously and pushed his curly hair back with his hand before grabbing his leather briefcase and leaving.
"There's no way I'm going to stay one second in this place; I can't believe it. A regular employee is bullying a customer."
The manager hurried to the frustrated man and grabbed his arm, trying to convince him to stay. However, he was only concerned with his own interests, money, and the restaurant's reputation, even if it meant humiliating the employee.
"Why are you insulting yourself by begging him to return? He can go to hell if he wants." Aiden spoke loudly as he glared at the manager, who had followed the client to the exit and begged him not to leave.
The manager let out a sigh, looking at the customer helplessly as he slowly disappeared from view—or rather, his money.
He turned to the two young men, swearing under his breath and giving them a gloomy look, and then walked quickly towards them until he was in front of them.
He looked around, checking out the clients, some of whom left and some of whom stayed.
He gritted his teeth and slid his index finger between their faces, saying, "Because of you, I've lost a big customer. You caused a scandal in my restaurant, and now I'm losing customers and my reputation!"
Taylor bit his lower lip before lowering his head and crossing his arms. Just as Aiden was about to say something, Taylor cut him off and looked at the restaurant's owner. "I can't stand to be around people like you, so..."
"Take this apron and use it to clean up the mess your customer made." He went on, taking his work apron and throwing it to the floor.
"How could you talk to your boss like that?" The manager stuttered as he took a few steps back and glanced at Taylor, who walked steadily toward him until coming to a halt when the distance between them was almost nonexistent.
He said one letter at a time, making sure the listener understood by emphasizing the last word. "Because I am not your servant."
He took off, headed for the staff room, grabbed his bag, and made a beeline for the exit door, but Aiden stopped him. He took off his apron and ran after him.
"Wait, I'm coming with you!"
"Yeah, go ask your parents to reeducate you, you immoral piece of shit!"
Aiden paused and stared blankly at Taylor's angry face, who, without thinking, turned back to the manager until he was standing right in front of him and said, "If you weren't my grandfather's age, I'd wipe the floor with you just for daring to mention my parents."
The man swallowed and looked at the young man's face, which was close to his own, with a harsh glare that showed he wanted to smash his face in front of the public.
"Stay away from me, or I'll call the cops!" The man was speaking with difficulty because he was overcome with panic, pushing the young man away from him.
Taylor lifted his left eyebrow and gave the man a sideways smirk before speaking sarcastically and defiantly. "Do it; what are you waiting for?"
The manager didn't say anything, just clenched his fists, clearly frustrated.
Taylor suddenly kicked the table so hard that it collapsed, and everything on top of it spilled to the ground, causing the manager's body to shake. He stared wide-eyed at Taylor's mess, who smiled in satisfaction and headed toward the exit door. He just kept walking, totally ignoring the manager who was totally freaking out and shouting insults at him in front of the shocked customers.
...
"Hey, man, slow down a bit." Aiden called out to him, then started walking next to him.
Taylor felt Aiden's touch, a light tap on his shoulder, he smiled. "You're going to be my friend, even if you don't want to be."
Taylor paused and turned to face Aiden after hearing his words.
"You couldn't stand me since you first met me, so what has changed? Why would you suddenly want to be my friend?" Taylor crossed his arms and looked at Aiden, who raised his arm to rub the back of his head, rolling his eyes in search of an answer.
"Well, I..."
He jumped when Taylor put his face right up against his, saying in a dramatic tone that made Aiden almost believe what he'd just heard.
"Would you be scared if I were a gangster or something? Would you be my friend if I were?"
Taylor's eyebrows went up as he looked at Aiden's smiling lips, and he replied confidently. "Yeah, and I'll be your right-hand man if you want."
They stayed in the same position, staring into each other's eyes, and Taylor couldn't stop laughing.
He burst out laughing at Aiden, who stood still and stared at him.
"Oh my god, you're so cute and funny!" Taylor said in a childlike tone, ruffling Aiden's hair, who had a little upset expression, and then grumbled as he removed Taylor's hand from his hair.
"Stop it; I'm not cute." Aiden crossed his arms and looked at the other person, choosing not to say anything. He flinched when Taylor lightly slapped the back of his head before wrapping an arm around his neck to pull him along.
And that laugh he couldn't stop is still going strong.
...
"Aiden?" Taylor said quietly, looking at the straw he was swirling in his juice, making little swirls.
This caught Aiden's attention, who'd just stuffed a big slice of cake into his mouth, making his cheeks balloon up and his mouth look like a squirrel cramming nuts.
He raised his eyebrows at his new friend, who sighed, leaned back in his chair, and said,. "Why'd you defend me at that restaurant? Others wouldn't have stepped in and done what you did."
Taylor didn't say anything, just waiting for an answer from the guy. He swallowed, wiped his lips with his thumb, and then shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. He stirred the spoonful of sugar at the bottom of his cup to sweeten his coffee. "Because I didn't have anyone by my side when I needed help. Or maybe when I saw you in that state, I remembered myself."
He looked up at Taylor, who didn't say anything. He was just staring at him, not knowing what to say. Maybe he wanted to ask more because he was curious, but he knew they weren't close enough to talk about it.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not as miserable as you think," Aiden said, breaking the awkward silence between them. He smiled softly as he drank his coffee.
"No, I'm not." Taylor shook his head and smiled, trying to look happy while drinking his juice. But that smile quickly faded, and he said it in a tone that reflected the guilt he felt.
"But you lost your job because of me."
Aiden stopped sipping, narrowed his eyes, and put the cup down to cover his mouth with his palm. He was trying to control his hysterical laughter, which was threatening to expose him in public.
Taylor raised his eyebrows and gave him a puzzled look. "Did I say something funny?"
Aiden nodded and took his hand off his mouth, then crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, followed by a long sigh. "I don't need that job. I only took the job at that restaurant to stay close to Celine."
He smiled a little and leaned in closer, saying in a low voice as he crossed his arms, which he rested on the table. "She broke up with me for no reason, which is why I'm following her everywhere; I want to find out why."
Taylor nodded slowly and asked, "Okay, but if the reason breaks your heart, what will you do?"
"No, she will never do something like that to me; I was treating her like a princess. I am sure there is another reason, a logical one." Aiden said before throwing himself back into his chair and staring at the ceiling with a troubled expression.
"Alright, do whatever you want," Taylor responded, not wanting to prolong the discussion, which would undoubtedly end in a disaster-the mess he had just caused in Aiden's mind.
"Sorry about that, Aiden. I've got something important to do. If you need me, just give me a call."
"Oh, okay." Aiden nodded slowly as he continued to stare blankly at the ceiling, flinching as Taylor grabbed his arm and started writing his phone number on his skin with a pen taken from one of the coffee shop employees, and then stood up from his chair after putting on his backpack.
"Thanks for inviting me; that was kind of you." He smiled gently but received no response; Aiden only waved his arm as a gesture of whatever.
...