Standing as he tried to rest his gaze somewhere he could without the need to look elsewhere, the boy snapped on his indoor shoes.
The woman glared at him.
"What's with you?" Her tone sharp. "You have a problem with me?"
The boy swiftly glanced at her as he squeezed the words out. "No, no. I would never. I-I just… I was just thinking that, well, that you were someone I needed to smile for. I really never had anything, other than that."
Don't look! His words stuck in his mind.
Obviously, that was something he could never bring himself to say. Whether that whole thing would end soon or not, something can't change. No matter how much time passed, something was bound to remain the same.
The woman watched him, confused. Although she didn't understand what was going on, the boy was a customer. A customer who had just made his order.
While still having that piercing gaze on him, her hands moved to the coffee machine with practiced precision. A soft hiss filled the space. Smell of roasted coffee beans engulfed the environment, reaching the boy's nostrils. Closing his eyes, he sniffed, letting the scent rest in his body. And while he tried to keep himself in that calm state, he couldn't help but feel the tense atmosphere around him. His eyes twitched. Eventually, he opened them. The first thing he saw was the woman's sharp gaze on him.
Does she suspect me? he thought. No, no. Why would she? She has no idea. Right? Just to then immediately dismiss his own assumptions about her behavior.
He tried to erase the unease in his body, though, something didn't let him. As much as he was focusing on her hands on the coffee machine, he couldn't help but still be concerned. The barista rapidly switched between gazing at the boy, with soul-piercing eyes, and at the coffee cup in her hand.
While standing stiffly, the boy nearly forgot how to breathe.
Sometimes taking in too much air; other times, his pace was so off that he had to clear his mind repeatedly just to pretend he was as calm as he wanted to appear. But he wasn't. And not just from his perspective, but from the woman's too.
Why is she looking at me like that? Was my walking that weird?
No, I'm pretty sure it looked casual enough.
Or maybe…
His mind jumped from one thought to another.
The uncertainty of the situation made him feel quite powerless, he even attempted to make a bold choice.
Gulping silently, he let the tension leave his chest.
Uhm, is there a problem with me? he thought—even preceded to say it, but before the words could've manifested in his throat, his resolve vanished along with the thoughts.
To kill some time while waiting for the coffee, he shifted his head to the right side and glanced below the woman's chest.
She had a purple uniform, a tight skirt that only reached her thighs, and a blouse that highlighted her femininity. You could see her delicacy, though, after having a glimpse of that, the boy jerked his head to the left, gazing at the white counter where his cup would supposedly end up being placed.
Some moments of silence later, the woman crossed her arms as she looked at the boy with her piercing gaze.
He picked his head up.
Did-did she…
Before he could think of anything, the woman had already cut off his thoughts with her dry voice.
"Wanna pay, or expect me to do that?"
Paying? He had totally forgotten about that. But how? He could probably blame it on his lack of experience.
"Forgive me. I-I wasn't thinking. I'll pay right away!" said the boy hurriedly.
"No worries. I was wonderin' when you realize." Her tone still cold, having no effort to articulate her words whatsoever.
The boy dug his hand in his right pocket.
Nothing.
He did the same with the other.
Nothing again.
He quickly pulled them out, shoving them inside his back pockets.
Again, no sign of his wallet.
His heart tried to escape his body. Swallowing, his hands nervously got pulled out of his pockets.
Palms glossy, he faced her.
Grabbing his shirt, he wiped the sweat as he tried to compose himself.
Chest tightening. Breathing heavy.
"I-I, think that, I—might have forgotten my…my wallet…"
He paused.
Eyes flicked rapidly from one side to another, blinking several times a second.
"Are you for real?"
She looked at him with disgust, as though showing her disappointment in humanity.
"Y-yes. Sorry." He snapped to the floor.
"Huh," she sighed heavily.
The boy, still wiping his hands against his pants, tried to come up with something as he said, "I-if you want, I can go and—"
"Don't bother." She cut him off.
"Don't? What's that—"
"You only want somethin' for free." She glared at him with sharp eyes. "I'm not interested in your deceptive bullshit."
The boy froze.
His heart in his throat, pulsating with force. Breathing lost its pace. Sometimes gasped for air.
Is this what she thinks? That he's just trying to get a coffee for free? That he'd purposefully left his wallet at home, so that he could manipulate her feelings by utilizing his innocence? Those assumptions hurt. How couldn't they? After finally leaving his apartment, he ended up being accused of lying? That was just too much for someone like him.
He dug his hand into his pocket, pulling his phone out. Unlike other times, he didn't check the time or even turn his screen on, only putting it down on the counter next to the fresh cup of black coffee.
"What's this?" she asked, glancing at his phone. Her palm rested on the white laminate.
"My payment," he replied flatly, turning away.
Showing his back, he walked. Eyes on the exit. With each step, that door came closer. The light tapping of his steps rang in his ears as he got further away from the counter.
Just before making it to the door, he raised his left hand, almost pulling the handle when…
"Wait!"
A light squeeze on his arm.
"Don't go!"
Her grip strengthened.
"I didn't mean it that way, ok? I just assumed you're—" She cut herself off.
"I…" she began, "… I wasn't thinking."
His hand stopped reaching for the door.
Turning back, he faced her.
The woman continued. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to," she said, sounding nothing like the person she was behind the counter.
This too is about me?
The boy said nothing, only carrying a bitter expression on his face.
He grabbed her hand, attempting to sever it from his. The woman, however, didn't let him. Her grip firmed, feeling his slender arm. Weak. Fragile. She could wrap her fingers around his wrists with no effort.
She gasped.
"Wha…What have you been eating?"
"…"
He didn't say anything.
Her eyes narrowed, not letting go of his slender arms.
"I don't care if this is wrong; I won't let you leave like this." She pulled him back, dragging him through the cafe.
When they made it back, she hovered over the counter, resting her body on it as she grabbed a towel from the other side. With her hand still clamping his, she held him down, tying the towel around his wrist. Her other hand held the end of the towel.
"Here, now you wait until your coffee's ready, ok?" she asked, though, she didn't wait for consent, already crawling to the other side.
Her curves were visible from under her semi-short skirt as she thrust herself forward.
His eyes were like a magnet drawn to it, unable to separate his physical state from himself. Repetitively blinking several times a second, flicking his eyes away just to see them snap back to her thighs.
After failing to fight back, he turned his head, looking at the window's surface: tiny cuts, scratches; blurred colors from outside.
After the woman made it back, she turned to face the costumer.
He stood there like a statue. Hands like ice, stuck to his body. Eyes glued to the window, tracking tiny scratches, following thin lines until they ran into each other. When he explored all that, he switched to another part, spending some time there before that too was fully discovered. He continued to do this until all the nooks and crannies were mapped out.
The woman glared at him, snapping her fingers impatiently.
The boy, hearing that, snapped back. His head turned back to her, slowly. One of his hands extended as the towel pulled it.
As he shifted his head down from hers, he got a glimpse of her now expressionless face, before only seeing his indoor shoes and the white tiles on the floor.
The woman, upon seeing the boy holding his head low, tugged the towel, pulling him closer to the counter.
"What?" he asked a bit irritated, picking his head up in an instant.
Wait? What did I…
After realizing what he had done, he raised his head, looking at the tip of her right ear.
"My apologies. I-I didn't mean to say it like that."
She raised an eyebrow.
"So… which version is the…"
She couldn't finish. Even after seconds, her eyebrow didn't drop, still hanging high on her forehead.
"I wonder myself," he chuckled, cracking a weak smile as he met her eyes for a fraction of a second before snapping back to her ear.
"What am I supposed to get from this?"
The woman didn't get an answer. Only silence filled the room.
After a few seconds, though, the boy broke the stillness, curling his mouth back to a natural state. "Excuse me for asking this, but, uhm… now what?" He let the question hang in the air for some time before continuing. "I'm here like you wanted. But I still don't have my wa—"
Before he finished, his expression changed, one of his hands quickly covering his face.
He unintentionally made the situation a hundred times worse by what seemed a deliberate attempt to let her know he was still in the position in which their previous argument bloomed. And now he felt responsible for whatever was about to come because of that careless mistake. Though, he could pretty much see what was about to happen.
"I'll pay," said the woman, returning to a monotone tone.
He was right on the money. She offered the easiest solution, though, far from the outcome he'd hoped for.
She made a small gesture to pick up her purse from the counter, but before she could pull out the yen bills, her hand stopped.
Her head raised, gazing at the boy.
"I said that, but… look around. You see anyone here?"
She paused, catching her breath before continuing.
"Anyone?" Her voice raw.
"Even the owner left when cities began to disappear. I'm the only one now."
Upon witnessing her weary face, he felt as though a flicker of curiosity welled up in him.
Disappear? What is she talking about?
The boy's eyes sparkled under the dim light coming from the ceiling. His eyes ran through the tense towel, stopping at her hand.
Unable to contain himself, he asked her.
"Uhm, what do you mean by... well, like, you know?"
Though, asked might have been too far of a stretch. It would be more accurate to say he made his best attempt to ask her. The outcome, however, spoke for itself.
She gazed at him, her mouth ajar.
"Wha…"
He tried again.
"What I'm trying to say is, basically, the fact that the cities and stuff gone, I mean."
For the second time, some parts were actually contained in the question, which was undeniably a step up from the previous attempt.
Her eyebrows raised.
After a short pause, she opened her mouth. "Are you a hikikomori by any chance?"
Bam! Right where it hurts.
Seeing his reaction, a slight smile appeared on her face.
"When was the last time you saw a woman?—Scratch that. When did you interact with a human, you know, blood, flesh, skin?"
She definitely mocked him; he was sure of that. Though, he didn't care. If she wants to shame him, so be it. Her words are nothing more than a broken record, endlessly replaying in his head, anyway.
As much as he wanted to leave, though, he couldn't. How could he, after getting a free drink from her?