Greeting and salutations! I hope you all enjoyed the update. Thanks for all the comments and don't get ahead of yourselves and try spoiling who the coffee guy is. Patience, my lovely readers.
Love Eden
Nat fiddled nervously with the cuff of his shirt, unbuttoning and rebuttoning the small pearl like bead. The line for coffee was longer than normal, being the weekend and all. Haggard looking adults aimlessly shuffled forward, closer to the counter. But Nat was not pay attention to the people in line. His eyes were on the boy making a cappuccino for a half-asleep house wife. At first, the boy's hair looked so dark it had to be black. But, when the light from the large bay windows fell over the café, the chin length strands had a purple hue to it. It was like looking at a raven in the sunlight. The sight never stopped to take Nat's breath away.
Suddenly, Nat was at the front of the line.
"Good morning!" The bubbly cashier beamed. "Would you like to try an iced caramel macchiato?"
Nat was caught off guard. "Um yeah, I'll have one of those."
"What size and would you like whipped cream?"
Nodding, Nat looked at the boy again, who was steaming milk. "Large please."
Nat paid and shuffled over to the end of counter, and closer to the barista. The raven-haired boy's gaze drifted up from his work and landed on Nat. A glimmer of recognition flashed across his brown eyes that made Nat's heart flutter. The barista boy remembered him.
"You like extra whipped cream, right?" The barista asked with a small smile.
The name tag on his shirt read 'Rave'. This was the first time he had seen a name tag on him. They must have just given it to him today. Now Nat knew his name and what a fitting name for the boy.
"Yes, I do." Nat smiled. "How did you remember that?"
Rave snorted, which Nat found rather charming. " I've picked up few things here and there. You are up here like every other day and frown whenever Becka skimps on the whipped cream."
Rave went back to artfully making Nat's drink. There was a technique in making an iced caramel macchiato and it was interesting to watch. Rave swirled the fluffy toping and capped it with a domed lid.
"Here you go… Nat." Rave said, handing over his cup.
"How did you know my name?" Nat asked, shocked.
Turning the cup, Nat saw his name scrawled on the cup in black sharpie. His face burned in embarrassment. He felt stupid.
"Thanks," Nat muttered, taking his drink and fleeing back to where Kevin was sitting.
The ginger glanced up from the magazine Nat had left and was startled to see a flustered Nat staring at his drink.
"Yo, you okay?" Kevin asked.
Nat shook his head, not looking up from the cup. The whipped cream poked out of the large hole at the top meant for the straw. It was almost over flowing. But Nat hadn't even taken a sip of it yet.
"Did coffee guy reject you again?"
"Rave… his name is Rave." Nat said, finally looking up from the drink. "Isn't it such a wonderful name?"
Kevin laughed at Nat's star struck expression. He had seen Nat flirt with countless people with all the suave in the world, smooth as silk phrases just rolled off his tongue. People tripped over themselves to talk to Nat. His personality and looks drew people like moths to a street lamp. But to see him so tripped up over one guy was entertaining to say the least.
"Have you asked for his number yet?"
Nat made a strangled noise. "Of course not! That might work on some random floosy but he's… he's different. This will be a slow game- Hey where are you going?!"
While Nat was talking, Kevin stood up and walked back over coffee counter. The line was gone now and Rave was cleaning and restocking. Kevin said something to Rave, who smiled and even laughed. They chatted for a little longer before Kevin walked back to the table.
"What did you say to him? What did he say back? Why did he laugh?" Nat asked frazzled.
Kevin held up his hands at the onslaught of questions. "Dude, one question at a time. I was just inviting Rave to movie night tomorrow. He's shift ends around the same time so he will be here anyways. It seems like he is a fan of musicals."
Nat sat stunned until it dawned on him what Kevin had done for him. Tomorrow, Nat will get to spend time with Rave without a counter separating them. It was a gift from Kevin, a way of getting closer to the raven-haired boy that so captivated him.
With the documentary finally over, Edd sat in silence, thinking of all the information he had attained. Knowledge always made him happy, one of the few things that still made him happy. It was just under swimming on that list. Now, he just sat in the happiness of science.
There was a knock at the door that disturbed the silence. Edd sat completely still. Maybe they would go away if they thought no one was here. After a pause, another knock came.
"Edd?"
It was Lily. Edd jumped off his bed and opened the door. Lily, in her usually oversized attire, stood just outside the door. Her hair was pulled back into a messy braid.
"How did you get out of the ward?" Edd asked, looking around the hallway to see if any of the nurses were around.
Lily shrugged. "Andre likes to leave a side door propped open so he can slip out for smoke breaks. Some of the kids know about it and take turns slipping out to go to the cafe or even outside to walk around. You never know how refreshing just stepping outside without a person watching you like a hawk."
"Fair point," Edd said. "Then, shall we take a walk? My roommate should be returning soon with that loud friend of his. I would rather not be here when that happens. I do not need a migraine that comes with those two boys."
Holding his arm out to Lily, she linked arms with Edd and they headed towards the elevators. None of the nurses that they came across gave them a second glance. Edd was known among the staff and they just assumed a friend had finally come to visit him. A few whispered that they looked like a good couple. Edd tried not to smirk at their remarks. Adults always loved to pair people together, matchmaking children into 'good couples.' It disgusted him, honestly.
"Your furrowing your eyebrows." Lily said quietly as they waited for the elevator. "They are just talking nonsense. There's no need to get wrinkles over them."
Edd grunted. "Let's just get out of here for a while. I need some fresh air."
The trip down was quiet and comfortable. Lily seemed to understand how unnecessary small talk was to Edd. It was a rare quality that he found endearing. Marie would definitely like Lily. Maybe he could introduce them after he got out of here.
What a nice thought but most likely won't happen. Edd thought glumly as he walked out the front door.
The sunlight felt good on his skin. It had been a while since Edd had been outside, not since he was brought here in the first place. He would have done some terrible things to gain access to a pool. A nice swim would set his mind right and a true moment of peace.
Lily walked a little in front of Edd as they strolled through the small garden on the hospital premises. It was well maintained. Edd had seen the gardeners working but his rooms view did not give him a full view of the garden. It was as lovely as he imaged it.
"When are you getting out of here?" Lily asked, looking a rose bush.
That question took Edd by surprise. It took a moment for him to form an answer.
"Hopefully, I will be out of here soon. There are just a few things to get in order then I will be on my way home." Edd said, partly honest.
Lily looked up at him with knowing eyes. "Being a minor, you need to be signed out by your parents. You don't seem as messed up as everyone else here. Hell, I think you are one of the highest functioning screw heads here so I don't understand how you haven't convinced you folks to get you out of here."
Without realizing it, Lily had hit a hot button issue. No one talked about his parents, not even Marie. She even knew that questioning his relationship with his parents was taboo affair. The honesty that Lily presented seemed squash the rage that usually came up at the mention of his mother and father. For the first time in his life, Edd felt like he could talk without being judged.
"The staff have been unable to get in contact with them. They are most likely off on some holy medical mission in some jungle, thinking nothing of their son. I do not need them anyways. I have been alone since middle school. Even if the hospital could reach them, they would just send one of their associates to come get me out and send a sternly worded email tell me how they are disappointed in me. My funds would be cut for a little while but that would be all."
Lily didn't even flinch. "Why don't you just tell the doc about it? Well, not all of it. That could spark a longer stay. It might get you out of here faster knowing that your parents won't be able to come in to sign you out."
"I already thought of that but I do not think Dr. Mendez will release me knowing I will be left alone again. With that last incidence, he has this notion that I will try again, even though I was not trying to kill myself." Edd said, rubbing his forehead. "He is what will keep me in here if I was even to tell a fraction of the truth. What medical professional would be sane enough to let an underage, possibly suicidal high schooler leave?"
That was the truth which burned Edd up on the inside. Even though he had never needed his parents, other than for money, he needed them to get out of here and resume his normal life. The longer he was away from school, the harder it was to explain his absence. He would have damage control to deal with when he got back.
Edd let out a sigh. "But rest assured, I will get out of here. It will just take careful planning on my part. For now, I need to toe the line. And if you do not mind, I would like to not talk about this anymore. Shall we continue our walk?"
Yay for new characters! I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. And don't worry, there will be more Nat/Rave interactions soon. I really enjoy that pairing and this will be my first time writing for them.
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