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“I know you!”
And that was how Xiao figured out he should have stayed home for the night. But no, instead of working on his current painting, he is now stuck with a weirdo who thought braids like that was a fashion statement. And of course, he had to deal with him alone, because Kazuha just had to decide to get them some drinks. Come to the open mic night, he said. It will be plenty of fun, he said.
“No.” Xiao’s reply is short, borderline curt. “No, you don’t.”
The man giggles a little, fingers adorned with colorful rings hovering over his mouth. “No, I don’t, but I do know your go-to order. Vanilla latte with just a little bit of foam. I wonder if that says anything about your personality? Vanilla latte is kind of mainstream, though…”
Great, so now I’m also being insulted by some random stranger. Maybe I should just bail and pretend the next day to Kazuha that I got sick. His eyes close for a moment as he lets out a tired sigh. No, I can’t do that, I promised I’d stick around. When he opens his eyes, the other guy is still there. “Vanilla latte is not mainstream. It’s comforting. Desiring comfort shouldn’t be frowned upon, you know.”
“Oi, relax.” The stranger raises his hand, but he doesn’t look defensive. He’s actually still smiling. “I was joking. I don’t care about your coffee preferences-- though I can recommend a few, if you want. The counter’s still open after a--”
Xiao immediately cuts him. “No need. Kazuha is already getting me something…” His gaze glides to the counter as he speaks, but his heart drops as his friend is nowhere to be seen. Great, where did that punk go?
When he finally spots him, he immediately concludes he won’t be getting his latte anytime soon. Why? Because his friend is absolutely enraptured by whatever conversation-- or flirt, he is having with another guy. There’s not even a single drink in his hands. Sigh.
“It’s about time Gorou makes a move on him, don’t you think?” Xiao jumps as he realizes Braids (he might as well call him that) has been following his gaze, a smile floating over his lips.
“Gorou?”
Braids nods, taking a few steps closer so that their shoulders are almost touching as they stare at the duo. “Yup. He’s kind of a regular, but if you want my two cents, I think he prefers Kazuha over his cappuccino.”
“Is that so.” And Xiao tries to look indifferent, but he can’t ignore the taste of bile taking over his mouth. Now, he knows that he and Kazuha broke up five months ago, but the prospect of moving on still seems like a near impossible task to him. And here goes Kazuha, doing it as if it were as easy and natural as breathing.
“Well, we all know coffeeshops are the best places for meet cutes, right?” And Braids’ smile manages to make Xiao just a little bit uncomfortable. Should I already be thinking of meeting other people?
“Coffeeshops are for drinking.”
“I mean, that too. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few other things to set up before starting up the open mic.”
But Xiao isn’t really listening to him. His gaze is still on Kazuha and Gorou. The way Kazuha is smiling at him, will I smile at someone the same way again?
━━✶━━
“So,” Tomo’s voice reverbs through the entire shop thanks to the mic, making Xiao wince just a little. “Is there anyone else who would like to get on the stage? Or shall we call this a night?”
A hand suddenly shoots right up, and Xiao recognizes the rings all too well.
“Ah, Venti. I should have known you wouldn’t go through this night entirely silent” The smile on Tomo’s lips is actually an excited one, and Xiao is left wondering what the hell that could mean.
Venti, the name rings in his head as he watches him step on the stage, taking the mic from Tomoe. So that’s his name. He does feel bad that, after all these months of being served by him, Xiao never bothered to try and know his name. He only cared about his latte, and Kazuha.
He suddenly hears the slow strumming of harp strings, and raises his eyes to see Venti holding a small lyre. Where did it come from? But before he can question this any further, Venti leans closer to the mic, and starts singing.
No, it’s not quite singing. While it has a touch of rhythm, it lacks the distinctive beat that makes a song one. What Venti is doing feels more like reciting a poem while trying to infuse as many emotions as he humanly can.
And as his fingers travel over the strings, Xiao’s heart and mind find themselves enraptured. Words that speak of love, of wind, of youth, of heartbreak. Vague melodies about growing and changing and being afraid and challenging fears. For a short, terrifying moment, Xiao feels horribly seen. As if a spotlight had suddenly cast its light on him.
But there’s no such thing. No one is looking at him as if they know how he is feeling. Even Venti’s eyes are closed as he hums softly. It’s just Xiao, only Xiao, and he feels alone. Kazuha is letting the wind take him wherever. I’m not. I’m planting my heels to the ground and hoping it will pass. But it won’t. His eyes are fixed on Venti, fingers gripping his own knee as he tries to put order in his thoughts. How come such a tune has the power to make him sway like this? Venti, he thinks. This time, I’ll remember your name.