Duke choked on his coffee as he stared at the gorgeous woman in front of him. What? Someone breaking up with him? That was a first. It was usually the other way around. He usually broke hearts. His heart never got broken. Not that his heart was broken or anything, of course. Serenity stood up and cleared her throat, dropping a couple of dollars upon the table top.
"That should be enough to take care of my coffee. See you around." She stated curtly, before walking away from their table.
"Serenity wait, really. I have to... you have to talk to me." He sounded desperate, which surprised Rayne. Her heartstrings tugged at the pitiful tone of his voice.
"I have got to go. I've got a meeting with the Make-a-Wish foundation." And with that, she disappeared. Rayne turned back forward, her eyes shifting from Serenity's back to Duke's hurt green ones. The hurt suddenly disappeared and turned into anger. Rayne's eyes widened, unable to say a word.
"You were listening the whole time." He accused, before stalking away.
"And that's what happened. Tea, I feel awful." Rayne said, burying her head between her hands as she stared at the liquid in front of her. Condensation slid down the cold glass as the strong smell of lime wafted around them. The two women sat around a circular table inside of a small restaurant that they frequented.
"Rae, you've never felt horrible about anything before." Tea commented, crossing her long legs before taking a sip from her drink. "Especially not your writing. Isn't that the whole reason you went into gossip writing anyways? I specifically remember in high school when you said that you didn't care about pissing anyone off." Tea had been there for Rayne, ever since she moved from the states to Japan. She had been there for the long relationship Duke and Rayne shared, through her cheating, through the countless pints of ice cream, and through the countless amount of tears spilled. Rayne considered the pretty brunette one of her best friends, someone who she could rely on no matter what the circumstances were.
"You should've seen his face. Oh, god. He was devastated when she ended things, though. I couldn't. I can't write anything about it." Rayne said, using the pads of her fingers to massage her temples in a circular motion. "Damn, damn, damn," she cursed quietly under her breath.
"Could it be that you still have feelings for him?" Tea asked, immediately going into her interview mode. She worked as a newscaster for a successful news station, and frequently interviewed people for her job. Rayne shifted awkwardly under her gaze, disliking the feeling of being thrust into the hot seat.
"Of course not." The words hung between them as the silence turned awkward. "You know everything he's done. You're subscribed to my blog and you get my magazines delivered to your house every freaking week. He's an asshole and a whore that objectifies women. I just hate the thought of him actually having a heart now. On second thought, I'm going to publish that. I mean, finally that girl has gotten off her ass to break up with him. The public deserves to know. Good for her!" Rayne insisted, leaning back in her chair. Tea raised her eyebrow at her friend before a smirk started to pull at the edges of her lips.
"...You're full of shit." At this, the writer grinned, the bright smile lighting up her features.
"Isn't that the truth?" She laughed before taking a sip from her drink. "Have you ever had this stuff? It's new on the menu. It's a cold lime tea. It's really great. I think I might have to update the drink of the month on my blog."
"Let me try!" Tea said, slipping her straw into the glass and taking a sip. Her mouth puckered as she shook her head. "Sour. Not my thing."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's good to me. How's Yugi?"
"Oh, he's adorable. He finally moved in!" Tea beamed. She'd been dating Yugi for a long time now, and they recently felt like they needed to take things to the next level. Namely, him moving into her apartment.
"Congratulations! Finally," Rayne teased, resting her chin on her propped up hand.
"How's... what's his name?"
"...I don't even remember his name. Nor do I care. He didn't last very long."
"...Don't you think you're being kind of hypocritical? Judging Duke the way you are, and... well, acting the way you are?" Tea mentioned, her brown eyes gazing up at her friend. Rayne looked slightly offended, as she thought for a moment.
"Well, I guess you're right… except I'm not a famous actor with a reputation to ruin. I'm just a lowly writer. Nobody gives a fuck about who I am, and what I do." Rayne sounded defensive, before glancing down at her phone.
"Whatever, Rae," Tea started, rolling her eyes at the other woman. "Do you feel like hitting the bars tonight, at all? I've been busy with Yugi moving in, and you've been busy with work. I don't think we've been out. I want to go dancing!" Tea insisted, as the raven-haired woman sipped at her drink, deep in thought. She didn't feel like going out at all, but... hell, why not?
