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There were pros and cons to being the favorite grandchild. 

One of the good things about it was that compared to his cousins and his older sister, Ken got away with nearly everything. He was also doted on and spoiled terribly, and not even his parents could scold or corral Ken, not when Lola Aya was in his corner ready to indulge his whims and tantrums.

The other side of it was that Lola Aya was actually very strict towards Ken where it counted. When he did something really, really wrong, she was the first to take her hand to his bum and then follow it up with a lecture that would take hours. She also had high expectations of him and always sought him out for every little thing she wanted.

It wasn’t a hardship though, because even through Ken’s tumultuous and rambunctious  teenage years, he genuinely loved and adored his sharp, devious, and witty grandmother. However, as he got older, he realized a very significant, er, complication to being the favorite grandchild. 

Ever since Lola Aya and Ken discovered Wild Strawberry a few months ago, she made it a point to visit the little cafe over at Marlim Street every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. She liked the ambiance, the food, the servers, and she also adored the staff and the cafe’s owner, Stell. She loved it even more after she had made a friend, Momsie Cha, a grandmother, like herself, who came on the same days she did. 

Ken loved the place too, and not just for the food, but he was only free during Saturdays to pick up his grandmother because he had work on the weekdays. So most of the time it was his older sister who ferried Lola to and from Wild Strawberry.

But anyway, the thing was that Lola Aya liked to meddle and she had seen fit to involve herself in all aspects of Ken’s life, especially his love life, seeming to take it as a personal affront that her favorite grandchild was still single.

So she did everything she could to find Ken a partner.

Much to Ken’s dismay.

“Lola, what is this?” Ken waved the scrap of paper his grandmother had just handed him.

“A phone number, chicken. Isn’t it obvious?” Lola Aya asked, rolling her eyes behind her glasses.

Ken might be the favorite, but not even he was safe from Lola’s quips and sarcasm.

“I know it’s a phone number, Lola, but whose number is this?” he asked patiently.

“Chacha gave it to me.”

“…so you gave me your lola friend’s phone number?” Ken asked. He yelped when Lola slapped him on the back of the head. “I was just asking!”

Lola Aya glared at him. “That’s Chacha’s grandson’s number. I also gave him your number.”

“What?” Ken asked, rubbing his head. “You and Momsie Cha did what?”

“Chacha introduced me to her grandson,” Lola Aya said. “He picked her up yesterday and he’s close to your age, chicken. Very handsome and so helpful, too. He works with computers and drives a nice car.” She looked at him. “When are you going to drive Lola in your own car, Felip?”

Ken sighed. She called him chicken on a near daily basis, but when she was annoyed with him or wanted his attention, he was Felip. 

“I have a scooter. We can ride that one.” Ken ducked when Lola tried to hit him again. “And Lola, you do this all the time. Seriously, stop getting people’s numbers or giving them mine.”

Ken rubbed his face. He wanted to say this was a weird occurrence, but it wasn’t. His grandmother had been doing this for years because she hadn’t liked Ken’s first girlfriend at sixteen, or his first boyfriend at seventeen, or anyone after that. She seemed convinced that she was the only one he could find a good match for him.

At least the guy was most likely creeped out by Lola and would probably not text Ken.

“Chacha calls him Cullen,” Lola added. “Fancy name, right? Really fitting for a good-looking boy. It matches your name, Felip, good strong name.”

Ken nodded. Cullen was a nice name. He pocketed the number.

“Whatever you say, Lola. Now come on. It’s time for Bingo.”

“You’re so shy, so I didn’t think you’d text, but don’t worry, chicken. Cullen will text.” Lola patted his cheek, exhibiting that weird ability to read Ken’s mind.

He nodded just to appease her, but he should have known. Lola Aya had the annoying habit of always being right.

An hour later, Ken was seated beside Lola Aya during her weekly Bingo game when his phone suddenly pinged. It was a number he didn’t recognize.

      xxx: hello, your grandmother gave me your number

Ken sighed. Here they go again.

Some people actually tried Ken’s number, amused by Lola’s antics or looking to scam someone. It was actually why he had to keep changing phone numbers and why no one in his family called or texted him. They usually contacted him through his social media accounts instead.

He checked the number he had on the paper in his pocket. It was the same number.

      Ken: momsie cha’s grandson, right? sorry if my lola bothered you

      xxx: it’s okay. momsie made sure i texted

Ken smiled a little. Turned out he wasn’t the only one with a meddling grandmother.

      xxx: and your lola gave me a chick so i thought i should say thanks for that

Ken groaned. Oh no. He turned to his grandmother.

“Lola, did you give Momsie Cha’s grandson a chick?”

Lola Aya was busy with her Bingo cards, but she beamed upon hearing him.

“See? Lola told you Cullen will text. He seemed like a nice, obedient boy.”

“Not the point, Lola. Did you give him a chick?”

“Yes.” Lola Aya grinned smugly. She raised an arm. “Oh, and Bingo!”

Ken groaned.

While Ken’s mother had been the one to give him his nickname Ken, Lola Aya had been the one to start calling him chicken. It had become such an ongoing theme in Ken and his grandmother’s relationship that ever since he’d been a kid, Lola had crocheted little chickens for him. Ken had never really outgrown it—he loved them—but his grandmother had the embarrassing habit of bringing along little crocheted chicks and handing them out to people, and even telling them about her grandson, her chicken. It was embarrassing.

      Ken: omg please forget that

      xxx: it was cute. and it’s nice to meet you Felip. or should i call you chicken? hahaha

Ken internally sighed.

      Felip: Felip is from my late grandfather’s name and chicken is a childhood nickname from lola 

      xxx: Felip is a nice name and chicken is cute

He paused. He was bored and there was no harm in being friendly. Plus Lola would get mad if he was rude to Momsie’s grandson.

       Felip: you’re Cullen right? that name sounds nicer

      Cullen: yes. Momsie calls me that
      Cullen: i guess we’re both close to our grandmothers. nice to meet you

      Felip: what else did my lola tell you aside from my childhood nickname

      Cullen: that you're her favorite, you work for an architecture firm, and take her to bingo
      Cullen: what did momsie tell your lola about me?

      Felip: that you had a nice car and worked with computers
      Felip: but i’m surprised you’d text a crazy chicken lady’s grandson

      Cullen: your lola seems nice and the chicken is cute. it’s even in an egg. she also has one that had a ribbon

      Felip: she crochets all kinds, but the egg chicks and the chicks with the flower crown are her favorites
      Felip: if she gave you one of those that must mean she really liked you

There was a long pause. Ken took that to mean that Cullen was finally weirded out. He sighed. For a moment, he thought he had finally met someone interesting.

“Chicken, I think Lola’s Bingo marker is empty,” Lola Aya said, shaking the marker with a frown.

Ken reached inside his backpack. “I brought you extras. What color do you want?”

“Red, just like your chicken hair.”

Ken grabbed some of the red markers. When he got Lola settled in again, he noticed his phone had a notification.

      Cullen: i like your lola, but it’s not her she wants me to like
      Cullen: do you want to get to know each other?

Oh. 

Ken bit his lip. Well.

This was interesting.

At some point, Ken had assumed that the mysterious Cullen would eventually lose interest and stop texting him, but they were still talking nonstop two weeks later. 

Cullen’s days off were usually on weekdays, while Ken was only available on weekends, so they hadn’t met in person yet. But Lola Aya, during her days over at Wild Strawberry, had already seen Cullen a few times since. It was a bit frustrating, even though Ken was honestly nervous about meeting the guy in person.

Because Cullen was close to perfect. 

He was smart, sweet, and funny. He and Ken had a similar sense of humor and they seemed to have matching tastes in stuff like clothes and music. He seemed genuinely interested in Ken’s hobbies, work, and family. They texted each other first thing in the morning until late at night. He was also a bit flirty? Maybe? Ken wasn’t stupid. He knew when someone was putting on the moves, but he didn’t want to assume anything either.

The fact that he called Ken by his real name, Felip, still took some getting used to, but it had become awkward to correct Cullen because Lola Aya called Ken by that name too, aside from chicken.

Ken was so happy that he felt as if something was probably going to go wrong sooner or later. Lola kept saying Cullen was handsome and charming, but she called Ken good-looking on a regular basis, and Ken was pretty sure there was nothing nice about his brown skin, wonky smile, squinty eyes, and weird laugh. And there was something different about being compatible with someone through a screen and finding someone physically attractive.

What if Cullen liked him through a phone, but wouldn’t like him once he saw him?

Lola, on the other hand, didn’t care. She was smug. After that first week, she was already telling everyone about how she had found her chicken a boyfriend.

“Cullen isn’t my boyfriend, Lola,” Ken protested. He glared at his best friend, Maverick, who was snickering like an idiot. “Lola, stop saying that.”

They weren’t at the office that Wednesday because their building had to be fumigated, but they were still working from home and had set up their laptops in the living room. Ken had finished his work early, while Maverick was being a procrastinator.

“I already gave you an opportunity, Felip, and yet you aren’t doing anything with it.” Lola Aya sighed. She headed for the kitchen, slapping Ken on the back of the head as she passed.

Ken yelped. “Hey! What did I do?” 

Maverick laughed louder, only to stop when Ken kicked his shin and then when Lola Aya slapped him on the back of the head, too.

A few minutes later, Lola Aya came back with her cellphone in hand. 

“Here is your opportunity.”

Ken looked at her, confused. “Opportunity for what?”

“Go to Wild Strawberry and buy Lola a cake. I want a strawberry one,” she ordered.

“At least the cake is soft enough for Lola’s dentures,” Maverick commented, only to get slapped on the back of the head again.

“Go. Go.” Lola made shooing motions at them.

Ken adored her, but sometimes she was so weird. 

“Well… okay then. Come on, Mav.”

Now that Ken thought about it, he didn’t mind going to Wild Strawberry. It wasn’t his Lola’s usual days at the cafe, so her friend Momsie Cha wasn’t there, and by extension her grandson, Cullen. But it would still be nice to visit Stell and the cafe.

      Cullen: how’s work from home?

      Felip: boring but i’m going out. lola asked me to buy something

      Cullen: are you taking your scooter?

      Felip: there’s nothing wrong with my scooter!

      Cullen: it’s dangerous
      Cullen: if i was there we’d be taking my car

      Felip: i’m always careful
      Felip: but i’m with Mav. we’re taking his car

      Cullen: your best friend right? and he has a gf?

      Felip: yeah?

      Cullen: next time when i’m free, i’ll drive you

Ken tried really hard not to blush.

      Felip: how about you? how is that favor that friend of yours asked for?

      Cullen: i’m just taking a break. we're not done.
      Cullen: text me okay? i'll be busy, but at least i’ll know what you're up to 

      Felip: chill man. it's just an errand to buy cake
      Felip: you're always so worried. you won't get work done if you're distracted

      Cullen: i like being distracted by you
      Cullen: but i'm always thinking about you anyway

Ken rubbed his red face. Ugh, this man.

About half an hour later, they were at Wild Strawberry. There were a lot of customers in line, so it took them a while to get to the counter.

“Hey, Denise—oh.” Ken stopped. Instead of the cafe’s usual cashier, Denise, a new face was behind the cash register.

The guy in front of him was dressed in one of the staff aprons. He had fair skin, a cute nose, a sharp jaw, and really pretty eyes. Also, he had purple hair. 

He was really, really handsome.

“Hi, what can I get you?” the guy asked. His voice was soft and soothing.

“Are you new here?” Ken blurted out. “Ah, sorry. It’s just that, we know all of Wild Strawberry’s staff and you’re new.”

The other male smiled. “I’m a friend of Stell’s. I’m helping out today because a couple of private parties booked reservations at the same time,” he replied politely. 

“Yeah, you guys sure are busy,” Maverick commented.

“So, your order?” the purple-haired guy asked.

“A large strawberry cake and two coffees,” Ken said, rattling off his and Maverick’s orders.

“Okay, we’ll get on that,” the guy said, smiling. Ken was oddly reminded of a cute bunny.

The guy walked off to get the orders and Maverick suddenly started snickering. Ken elbowed him.

“Shut up, Maverick.”

It took a few minutes, but the cute guy eventually came back with Ken’s orders.

Ken immediately sipped his drink and sighed. This place had the best coffee.

“Thank you,” he said.

“No problem,” the guy replied. He ran a hand through his hair. “Er, uh, what’s your name?”

“I’m Ken. Nice to meet you…”

“Josh.”

Ken grinned. “See you around, Josh. Thanks. Nice hair, by the way.”

“Yours, too. Red is my favorite color.”

Josh smiled, like a really, cute bunny, and they waved at each other.

Ken and Maverick exited the cafe, both of them sighing in relief when they passed through the crushing crowd of people.

“Whew. Good thing the cake is safe,” Ken said, checking on the box.

“That Josh guy is cute, Kenken,” Maverick commented as they walked back to his car. “He seemed really interested. I’m surprised you didn’t try your luck with him.”

Ken thought back to the male. Honestly, he was Ken’s type, but…

“He’s really cute, but I’m not interested like that.”

Maverick grinned. “Oh, because you already have Cullen, eh?”

Ken elbowed him. “Whatever. Come on, let’s go back.”

      Ken: lola’s been acting weird since you dropped me off at home
      Ken: i think she’s mad at me

      Maverick: your lola’s never been mad at you, not really

      Ken: she asked me if anything happened at the cafe
      Ken: when i sad no, she slapped me on the back of the head twice
      Ken: she’s been on her phone all night and cursing in bisaya

      Maverick: lola aya’s weird
      Maverick: but i guess you got that from her

      Ken: fuck you

      Felip: lola’s acting weird

      Cullen: yours too? mine keeps looking at me like i did something wrong

      Felip: maybe that’s why they’re friends

      Cullen: momsie asked me something tho and i agree with her

      Felip: what is it?

      Cullen: when are you free to meet?
      Cullen: i really want to see you in person Felip

Ken looked at his phone. He didn’t reply that night.

Ken didn’t know if he wanted to meet Cullen in person. Okay, that was wrong. He wanted to meet him, desperately so, but he was terrified. He didn’t want to meet Cullen only to lose him in a second. Because what if he and Cullen met and the sparks they had over the phone didn’t translate well in real life? 

Maybe if he had seen Cullen’s photo beforehand… Because anybody who said the physical part didn’t matter was wrong. It still mattered, even a small part, and while Ken felt as if Cullen wasn’t that shallow, he didn’t want to give the guy reasons to run once he saw what Ken looked like. 

Or maybe if they had managed to exchange photos of one another… But just like the way Ken had been too shy to correct Cullen’s use of his real name, he hadn’t found the time to ask for a photo. Even looking up his name online didn’t help because Ken himself didn’t use his real name or his photo on his social media. Who could say if Cullen wasn’t the same?

Honestly, maybe this relationship was better through the phone than off of it.

      Cullen: Felip are you mad?

      Felip: i’m not mad

      Cullen: you didn’t answer me
      Cullen: about whether or not you wanted to meet?
      Cullen: when are you free?

Ken bit his lip, sighing.

      Felip: i don’t know, i still have work 

      Cullen: i’ll skip work to see you when you’re free

      Felip: you don’t have to

Cullen didn’t reply for a few moments.

      Cullen: Felip, if you’re not interested, you can just tell me
      Cullen: i won’t be mad

Ken yelped and mashed his fingers on the screen.

      Felip: waadishtu
      Felip: waittt! it’s not liek htat!

      Cullen: then what is it?

Ken bit his lip. He felt panic welling up in his gut. 

But if he didn’t say something now, then when?

      Felip: what if it ruins everything and we dont like each other in person and you dont want to see me ever again but i like texting you and i really want to see you because i like you but i dont know what to d o

Ken took a deep breath.

      Felip: what if we meet and we’re not compatible?
      Felip: i dont want to lose this

There was a long pause and Ken tossed himself back on his bed, feeling anxious. When his phone buzzed, he had to take a few deep breaths before he checked it.

      Cullen: i feel nervous too
      Cullen: and i’m worrying about the same things you are

      Felip: really?

      Cullen: yes

      Felip: but i really want to see you 

      Cullen: me too. i really really want to
      Cullen: but will it make you feel better if we wait?

      Felip: just a bit? please?

      Cullen: okay, i’ll wait for you.

After that, there was no time for Ken to meet Cullen as he suddenly became swamped with work. They still texted everyday and Ken felt they were growing even closer. He knew he wanted to meet Cullen eventually, but there was nothing wrong with waiting a little more, right?

A week later on a Friday evening, Ken was finally free from work and was relaxing on the couch. Cullen was busy and Ken was waiting for him to reply, so he was killing time scrolling through his social media accounts when Lola Aya walked in.

“Felip, have you talked to Cullen recently?” she asked, sitting down beside him.

Ken almost dropped his phone in surprise. “Um, yes, Lola? Why?”

“When are you two meeting? It’s been more than a month.”

Here they go again with Lola’s meddling.

Lola squinted at him behind her glasses. “Do you not like him? Do you need Lola to find you a new man?”

Ken shook his head. “No! No! I like him, Lola. A lot.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But we’re… we’re waiting for a bit before we meet up.”

“What? Why?”

The affronted look on her face was a bit funny, but Ken was mostly wondering how he ended up explaining his relationship problems to his grandmother.

“Cullen is great, but we don’t know what the other person looks like and we’re just a bit nervous about finally seeing each other and being compatible in person,” he said patiently.

His grandmother just looked even more offended. 

“Lola told you he’s attractive. Are you saying Lola doesn’t know what you kids like nowadays? Or doesn’t know what you like, chicken?”

That was true. Lola Aya sort of knew Ken’s type.

“Well, what if Cullen isn’t going to like me?” Ken asked instead.

It was the wrong thing to say because her eyes flashed angrily at his question. 

“Did he say that? If he said that, I’m going to tell Chacha to—”

“He didn’t! It was just an example!” Ken immediately said, taking her hand and patting it gently. “I’m just saying that he might not.”

Lola looked confused. “But you’re a handsome chicken, the kindest, best, handsomest chicken there is.”

Ken smiled. He loved her, he really, really did. 

“Thank you, Lola. But you’re biased.” He kissed her cheek. “Cullen and I are fine, okay? We’ll get to meet soon. Don’t worry about it.”

His Lola didn’t seem entirely satisfied with that, but she cupped his cheeks and kissed him on the forehead, and that was enough.

That Saturday, Ken found himself walking up the steps of Wild Strawberry. These were the only times he could pick up his grandmother since it was his day off, though today she had insisted on him picking her up earlier than usual, which sometimes happened when she and Momsie Cha got into an argument or if she was feeling sleepy.

Ken was contemplating what his Lola was up to now when he bumped into someone. It was the really cute guy with purple hair.

“Oh, uh, Josh, right?” Ken asked, feeling a bit flustered.

Josh smiled. “Hello, Ken. Nice to see you again.”

“You, too.” Ken smiled shyly. He didn’t think the cute guy would remember him. “Uh, you’re here to help Stell again?”

Josh nodded. “Yeah. He said there’s a private gathering he really needed help with. He kept begging and begging, so I had to switch things around at the last minute.”

“I guess that’s why there’s this sign,” Ken said, motioning to the large ‘RESERVED’ sign on the door of the cafe.

“You’re a frequent customer here?” Josh asked.

Ken nodded. “Yeah, and I’m here to pick up my grandmother. She loves this place.”

“Oh. What’s she like? My grandmother is here too. It’s why I decided to help Stell today, because she’s around,” Josh shared.

Ken pushed open the door.

“My Lola goes here every week on—”

“FELIP!”

Ken jumped at the sound. He noticed that even Josh did.

“What the—Lola! Why are you shouting?”

Lola Aya was seated on her usual spot on one of the fluffy couches at one end of the room. With her was Momsie Cha, with her calm smile, her hair in a neat bun, and a sunny yellow dress.

“Hello, Momsie Cha.” Ken greeted, pressing her hand to his forehead. “What’s going on? And don’t shout, Lola. It’s rude.”

Lola Aya just looked confused yet excited. “Chicken, I thought you said you didn’t know Cullen?”

Ken tilted his head at her, just as confused. “Uh, I don’t? What are you talking about?”

Momsie pointed a finger. “Felip, that’s my grandson over there, Cullen.”

Cullen was here?

Ken whipped around. The only person there was Josh. He looked behind him. There was no one else around, only the cafe staff who were peering in from the kitchen area. Even Stell was there… and why was his phone pointed at them?

“Cullen? Where?” Ken asked.

Lola Aya waved her hand. “There. Are you blind, chicken?”

Ken looked at Josh, but at the same time his heart was starting to beat faster, realization slowly dawning on him.

“Um, but Lola, this is—”

Josh stepped forward. He also looked incredibly flustered. “My name is Josh… er, Josh Cullen. Momsie calls me Cullen.”

Ken froze.

Momsie Cha beamed. “I gave him that name. Isn’t that nice, Felip?”

“Felip?” Josh asked weakly, brow furrowing.

“My handsome chicken was named after his grandfather,” Lola Aya said proudly. 

“I… see…” Josh trailed off.

Ken turned to his grandmother.

“Lola, why did you never tell me Cullen—Josh—Momsie Cha’s grandson had purple hair? Don’t you think that’s an important thing to say about him?”

Because if he had known, he would have—or maybe he—they might—what if—

“And you didn’t think to tell me Felip had red hair, Momsie?” Josh added.

Both ladies looked at one another and then at them, confused. 

“Does it matter?” Momsie asked, shrugging her shoulders delicately. “All the kids make their hair into rainbows these days. I didn’t really notice it. It’s just hair. Red hair fits Felip nicely, I think. Isn't that your favorite color, Cullen?”

“Chicken, you put so much color in your hair—blue, brown, green, now you’re red.” Lola Aya scoffed. “And Cullen is a handsome boy with his purple hair, don’t you think?”

“Thanks, I guess,” Ken added.

“Oh, uh, thank you?” Josh murmured.

“You two were taking so long, so we called you both here,” Momsie said, sipping her drink.

Ken ducked his head. If it wasn’t enough to have one grandmother meddling with his life, now he had two?

“I think I need to step out for a moment,” he said.

“Wait. This is—” Josh jerked and reached for him. 

“This is embarrassing—I can’t believe—and I was—and you were—” Ken spluttered.

“What is going on with you two?” Momsie asked, frowning.

“We’re just going to talk outside,” Josh said, immediately grabbing Ken’s hand.

Ken felt like he was going to hyperventilate. His heart was ringing in his ears so he didn’t hear what Josh said to their grandmothers. All he knew was that Josh’s hand was small and warm, and Ken had already seen him in person, and he had actually thought he was a cute bunny, and for a moment—for one moment—maybe Ken had thought Josh was interesting, even if he was already talking to Cullen and then—

Josh led Ken towards the back where there was outside seating and guided Ken gently down on a chair. As Josh was taking his seat across from him, Ken blurted out.

“Did I almost cheat on you… with you?” 

And just like all the other times they had texted and Ken had spoken like an idiot, Josh immediately understood him.

“Since I was also a bit curious about Ken even when I was already very interested in Felip, I think we’re both guilty of that,” Josh admitted, smiling weakly.

Ken opened his mouth, only to close it again.

Very interested?

“This is so weird… I can’t… I don’t…” Ken wriggled nervously.

Josh hummed. “Okay. Obviously we can’t go back to how it was when we were texting and pretend that we hadn’t met in person, so we move forward, okay?”

“Okay,” Ken said quietly.

“First of all, er, is it Felip or Ken?” Josh asked.

“Both? Either? Only Lola calls me Felip,” Ken replied.

“I'll call you Ken, if that's okay?” Josh asked politely. “But it seems like you're Felip to the people who consider you their favorite, so I hope I can keep calling you Felip, too.”

Ken groaned, rubbing his face. “You really do flirt even in real life.”

Josh chuckled. It was a nice laugh and it made Ken feel warm inside, calming him a little.

“Do you want me to call you Josh? Or Cullen?” he asked.

“Either is fine. I get called both.” Josh shrugged. “So like I was saying, we were nervous about meeting, right? But obviously the physical part isn’t a problem considering the fact that—what did you say—we almost cheated on each other… with each other.”

Ken giggled, which made Josh smile.

God, Josh was so cute, and Ken was seeing it in person.

“I’m trying not to sound like an idiot, but I’m really happy I just made you laugh,” Josh said, lips twitching as he tried not to smile.

Ken placed a hand over his mouth. “God, sorry. I know my laugh sounds awf—”

“It’s cute,” Josh said, only to clam up. He looked so cool and composed, but now that Ken was looking at him, Josh seemed just as nervous as he was. 

It made him feel better, actually, that he wasn't the only one affected by their meeting.

“You’re the cute one. I’m not sure why you’re wasting your time talking to me,” Ken said.

“You're handsome and you're my type and I like talking to you.” Josh shrugged. He placed his open palm on top of the table. “And this is something else we were worried about, right? That we wouldn’t be able to talk in person? But I think we’re doing okay.”

Ken had to agree. “Yeah, we are.”

Because right now Ken could hear Josh’s teasing tone and the rise and fall of his voice, look at the way he smiled and the way the sun hit his face just right, feel his warmth and hold his hand, instead of just imagining him. He could actually hear how Josh would say his name. And he didn’t mind Ken’s laugh, he thought he was cute, and he got along with Ken’s grandmother...

“Anything else?” Josh asked.

“I really kind of want to kiss you,” Ken blurted out.

He immediately felt so embarrassed about it, but he felt like he had to say it. And it was worth it for the way Josh flushed, a bright pink that stained his cheeks and ears which became darker when Ken found the courage to reach out for Josh’s open palm.

Josh squeezed his hand. “Er, well, maybe after a date?” he asked, smiling warmly. “I did say that I’ll skip work to see you if you’re free. Please?”

Ken opened his mouth to reply.

“Say yes, chicken!”

They both jumped and turned, only to see their grandmothers, Stell, and the cafe staff peering through the glass doors. Ken noticed Stell still had his phone pointed at them.

“Lola! / Momsie!”

“Cullen already told our side of the family about you,” Momsie said. “You should really say yes, Felip, darling.”

“What?” Ken turned to Josh, who was glaring lightly at his grandmother.

“I told everyone on our side that my chicken already has a boyfriend,” Lola Aya announced. “That includes the boy who lives down the block who has a crush on him.”

“Who?” Ken was confused, but Josh immediately waved their joint hands.

“Thank you, Lola Aya. Just curious though, who is that guy?”

“Don't worry, Cullen. You're much more handsome. And you have a car, too.”

Ken rubbed his face with his free hand. This was getting ridiculous. He turned to Josh and tugged at his hand.

“You know what, Josh? Let’s just go.”

Josh turned to him. “What?”

Ken nodded and stood up, tugging on Josh’s hand again. “Yes, let’s go, because this is ridiculous and I… I really like you so we should just go out.”

Josh agreed immediately. “Yeah, I’d like that. Stell can take our grandmothers home, it’s the least he can do.”

“I got your back, bro!” Stell called out, grinning.

“My car’s out front.” Josh stood up and pulled out his car keys from his pocket. Ken noticed a familiar crocheted egg chick dangling from his keyring. It felt like there were butterflies in his stomach.

Ken grinned widely. “Let’s go.”

Josh and Ken ran off, hand in hand and giggling like kids. They ran around the corner of the cafe so that they didn’t have to deal with their meddling grandmothers.

“You win, Lola, Momsie!” Ken called out, just before they disappeared around the corner. “Now stop giving other people mine and Cullen's phone numbers!”

Josh stepped back. “Oh, and thanks, Lola Aya! For the chicken toy and your handsome chicken!”

As they left, Ken could hear their grandmothers’ bright laughter.