"No I don't know what Double D's up to why would I?", Nat asked during their weekly phone call.
"Man you need to help me out, I thought I saw him last week, just check on facebook dumbass!" Kevin grunted.
It was lunchbreak and he had grabbed one of the cafés cheese sandwiches but he wasn't hungry anymore, talking about this made him sick. Above all it just reminded him that Edd sadly enough had unfriend him on facebook. He was the kind of person who unfriended people if he didn't talked to them, that made kind of sense. If you didn't talked why bother about each other's life? Put to Kevin, it was an agonizing token that Edd had cut him of… but maybe it was for the better.
"Where do he live, that's a great start?!"
"Shut up just like two seconds I'm on it… Still in Oxford it seems", Nat sighed and Kevin heard a big yawn. "But he hasn't updated his profile in ages… I'm not sure, didn't he get a master degree last year?"
"Well I don't know that's why I'm asking you, if he starts to pop up here I'll go crazy!", Kevin gestured widely and shoved his lunch away. "I mean like…"
"It's probably nothing, you're mistaken chillax dude" Nat yawn again and Kevin could hear his computer chair spin around with a squalling noise. "Stop freaking out, you said you where over him show it If you want me to believe ya"
"Why do you have to be right?", Kevin sighed and glanced at the clock, working time.
"Because I'm the smartest person you know, a genius a matter of fact!", Nat laughed.
Second smartest. "I need to go, more coffee to serve…"
"Grind those beans well my friend, bye!"
Kevin hung up and put his cellphone in his pocket. Nat was right nothing was wrong at all, and why would Kevin even bother if Double D was here in New York city, it was nothing. He tied his apron and threw is uneaten lunch in the garbage can on his way out from their lunchroom/office. This time during the day it was a good amount of customers. A pleasant sound of chatter trailed around the room. Their café was kind of a hot spot for students at the New York University, center of Manhattan and they had good quality coffee for a fair price. Alice was the tattooed kind of hipster and had designed her café accordingly. Smokey greyish walls and sturdy oak tables. Single lightbulbs hung from the ceiling and she had made al paintings that dressed the room. It was a cozy relaxing spring in a city that never slept. Kevin washed his hands and dried them on a towel, the bell rang.
"One moment", Kevin said before he spun around to their register. "Good day, sir, what can I…"
Kevin tried not to gasp but there he were. He hadn't imagine that purple coat and old tube hat. Double D stood with his nose inside a book, his big blue eyes eagerly scanning each page. Kevin's heart began do thump and he bit his lips. Yeah the guy had grown taller and thinner, his pale skin made him look like a porcelain doll.
"I would like to order one organic hot chocolate and…", the guy quieted when he saw Kevin, he got so chocked he dropped his book that fell onto the floor with a load bang. "Oh dear!"
He disappeared behind the counter while fetching his book. And Kevin just stood there like an idiot and ran his hand over his face. Oh my god oh my god!
"Hi", Kevin said when Double D showed up again.
"Good day, Kevin", Double D mumbled and wiped the dirt of his book with a tissue.
"What brings you to the Big Apple?", Kevin began and fiddled with the register to fix Sockheads order.
"Work", Edd said very short and sucked in his lip.
"Oh okay, cool", Kevin nodded. "Long time no see"
"Four and a half year", Double D sighed and his eyes began to flicker.
Kevin smiled softly. "Do you want something more other than chocolate?"
"Your Christmas bagel", Edd murmured, he didn't even want to look at Kevin
"Sit down and no need to pay, my treat", Kevin continued to babble.
"Certainly not", Edd gasped and laid some money on the counter. "I can handle myself, thank you"
Kevin was just about to say something but Edd turned around and sat down at one of the tables by the windows and flung his book open and continued to read. Kevin soaked his lips and tried not to smile while making Double D's order. This was unbelievable, Kevin shouldn't be so happy about this but he were. And Double D was still cute like a kitty and a cupcake combined. Okay keep your cool now, bro, don't ruin things because of your fat head…
Kevin didn't ask about permission to do this but he didn't care. He placed the tray with the cup of chocolate and the bagel in front of Double D and sat down in the green armchair opposite to the quite guy. Double D looked a little weary with slightly dark shadows under his eyes, tiered of long nights studying Kevin thought.
"Why're you here Double D?", Kevin said and gestured towards him.
"I informed you, work", Double D sighed and placed a bookmark between the pages and shut the book hard with a loud thomp. "I'll lecture at New York University, My PhD degree requires that sort of commitment"
"PhD degree?!", Kevin gasped. "Oh my, how… you are so young"
"I'm well aware of that fact, and so are everyone else" Double D said and sighed again before he dug around in his bag for a hand sanitizer, he hadn't change at all on the germ part.
"Why New York?", Kevin couldn't stop questioning him.
"Because Oxford University lend me out because… Pardon Kevin but don't you think this conversation as rather odd?" Double D eyed him with great care.
"Odd?"
"We haven't communicated in four years and, I don't know I'm just feel a little bit overwhelmed to see you again", Double D took a zip from his chocolate and looked out the window.
"The same", Kevin sighed. "Well how long will you be here?"
"Six months", Double D mumbled.
"Do you have somewhere to live?", Kevin tilted his head and observed Double D, it felt like he was an illusion that would disappear right in front of him, it was too good to be true.
"Eddy's place, upper east side", Edd took the knife and fork and began to eat the raisin bagel with chestnut stuffing and cranberry sauce. "It's narrow but manageable"
How could that Shrimp afford a flat there?! Kevin himself lived in Brooklyn and it was alright but expensive, he could pay the rent but he didn't earn enough to save anything. And how come Kevin hadn't seen that stupid jerk if he now lived here? Idiotic… calm down and don't get mad over something that stupid. Kevin took a deep breath and pulled himself together. He had that coming because karma was a bitch.
"Well you can always come to my place", Kevin smiled wittily but the glare Edd gave him wasn't funny at al. "Dude it was a joke… come on"
"Oh I silly me, I forgot, everything is a joke to you", Edd proclaimed and rolled his eyes. "Don't you have responsibilities and work to do?"
You blew it you idiot! Kevin scratched the back of his head. What could he say? I have but I don't care because I want to catch up with you? No, that sounded so idiotic and was nothing Edd needed to hear right now. Everything ended with a shrug and Kevin rose from the armchair and looked down at the floor. He hoped his ashamed inner didn't reflected his outside. He felt like a dog with his tail between the legs.
"I'm sorry man, I thought everything were cool between us", Kevin muttered and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Kevin, it's cool between us but not according to the terms you using", Edd yearned and shook his head. "We are completely strangers nowadays"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we have to be strangers, right?", Kevin said and rose an eyebrow. If that was the game Double D wanted to play, sure. Kevin could do cool, his whole attitude circulated around that word. "Well I have to work, I won't bother you again, bye"
Kevin couldn't concentrate while Edd sat there with his book, completely shut off from the real world. It felt like high school all over again when he had to remind himself to not rest his eyes upon Edd. He accidently dropped hot milk over his hand when he was about to do latte art, the hot liquid burnt him so bad that he needed to take care of it right away. He bit his tongue and whimpered quietly and rushed out to their lunchroom. When he came out again from smearing aloe Vera on his wound, the dork was gone. The seat was empty and it was like he never had been there, except for the half eaten bagel and the empty cup on the mint green tray. That had been his one chance to take Double D back in his life again, but as always Kevin ruined it. But he didn't judge Double D at all because he understood very well why he didn't even want to be around him anymore. If Kevin had a hard time to not judge himself then how did Double D feel about him?
Kevin sighed and massaged his burnt hand when he took the tray away. This was useless, Kevin had to let this go. He thought the break up was an ended chapter and that he had moved on, that was the greatest lie he had told himself.
"That was him, right, The boy?", Alice said and smiled when she entered their washing room. "Double D? Should I be mad that you sat down and talked to him during work hour?"
"Sorry won't happen again", Kevin muttered and leaved the tray with all other dirty dish and began the funny shore, cleaning it.
"I'll call the boss, oh wait", she laughed at her own joke and blew some of her green hair away from her eyes. "I'm the boss… oh did he leave half of my bagel, such insult!"
"I feel sorry for your boyfriend if you take uneaten food as an insult", Kevin smiled and glanced at her. "What do you do, force feed him?"
"No need to, he is a well-trained boy who do as he told", She smiled and began to heave al of the remains in the trashcan, but when she came to Double D's tray she hesitated and picked up the receipt and eyed it. "Hey something is written on the receipt… I think it's for you…"
In two seconds Kevin threw the plate and kitchen brush back in the soapy water and rushed towards her and grabbed the little piece of paper. His fingers soaked it and made Double D's neat handwriting smudgy but you could still read his little note.
I'm willing to give you a second chance to participate in my life
here is my number / Eddward
"Ohh you smiling, I have never seen you smile so bright, it was that good huh?", she laughed.
Kevin shook his head and shoved the little note with Edd's new number in his pocket. "No, whatever… gosh that guy must be so desperate…"Kevin waved nonchalant with his hand and continued to clean the dishes.
"Okay if you say so Kev", Alice flung her hands in the air and walked out from the dish room.
When she was gone Kevin couldn't resist making a little victory gesture and he managed to shout a low nearly audible noise. In some way Kevin had convinced Double D to give him another chance. It was too good to be true. Well maybe this December could be a great month after al. Kevin began to work again and he didn't even notice that he whistled in sync with the Christmas songs on the radio.
I changed from Harvard to Oxford University*
