September 30th
The events of last night plagued her mind, wondering if the decision to ask him out for a friendly cup of coffee in the morning was inappropriate. They just met yesterday and she was already hitting up her neighbor like they were friends already. Acquaintances is the ideal word to describe the current scenario, and she's fine with keeping it that way. She never had many friends in the first place.
Scarlett checked the weather for the morning to see that it wouldstill be chilly with fast winds until noon. She dressed appropriately for the occasion based on Mother Nature's mood and layered a shirt and thick hoodie over some leggings. Comfort over fashion for today. "It's almost time..." She noticed the time and hurried to her mirror to check her appearance.
She wasn't a shabby looking person. She assumed herself to be quite average looking. "Let's fix this face up..." She muttered and grabbed her makeup to cover her dark circles. Her skin wasn't blemished at the moment with the exception of the darkness below her eyes. She used her beauty blender and swiped the concealer in the sections, blending it with light dabs on her skin. Scarlett didn't like to over complicate getting ready for an event, but appearing decent was always important to her. She quickly brushed through her long hair, carefully dividing it up into three sections and braided it neatly, laying the thick pleat down her back once it was done. Her glasses lay on top of her nose, the big frame sculpting her face out in a flattering way. She made it a bucket listto get Lasik when she's rich so wearing contacts and glasses wouldn't hassle her any longer. She double checked her appearance once more before going to slide her shoes on, her keys, walletand phone in her hoodie pocket.
Scarlett was ready to go now and opened the door, stepping out to see her neighbor step out at the same time. She had a moment to stare up at him, their eyes locking when he finished locking his door. Vash grinned, his pale cheeks coloring a rose pink that complimented his beauty mark. "Good morning, Scarlett!" He said happily, taking a stride towards her.
She nodded at his greeting and locked her door, tucking her key back into her pocket. "Good morning. Ready to check out the cafe?" She asked, tilting her head back to see the tall man fully. He was dressed in that same red trench coat, but it was accompanied with knee high buckled boots that elongated his lanky form. Not to mention, she finally noticed the different detailing of his left arm. The red sleeve stopped midway to his elbow to create a long array of dark buckles on a tightsleeve all the way down to the tip of his fingers like a glove. It's not something you'd see everyday for a coat, but she considered it to be a genuine design for him.
Vash bobbed his head eagerly, but didn't ask about her wandering eyes. He knew that his coat was a unique one, but it wastailored for him specifically.
"Do they sell donuts??" He asked.
"Yeah, they've pretty much got anything you could think of that a typical bakery has for their menu." She replied, her braid bouncing on her shoulder as they walked down the steps together. Vash grinned the whole way down, the neighbors walking outand into the cafe next door.
On the way over, she had noticed that the sun was out and it cast a bright light into the streets of South Main. She basked in the light for a moment before seeing Vash scurry to the door first and open it for her, "Milady!" He said in his cheerful tone.
Scarlett scoffed at his cheesiness, "Very chivalrous of you, Vash." But, she walked through the door with a small smile, going straight for the counter with abounce to her step.
The smile she showed didn't escape his eyes and he just followed her in like a lost puppy. "Chivalry will never be dead! There's nothing wrong with opening doors for a lady!"
She rolled her eyes, stridingto the counter to see Kallie there. The young girl smiled at her regular customer, but a few seconds later her eyes wandered up and widened in shock. Scarlett raised a brow, but forgot she had Vash along for the morning excursion. She raised a hand to indicate the man behind her to explain, "Oh, Kallie, this is my new neighbor. I'm just showing him to this place since he likes sweets and might frequent this place often." Scarlett explained simply.
"Hello there!" Vash waved from his spot beside the petite woman, his friendly nature surrounding him always. "The name's Vash! Nice to meet you." He introduced to the teenager with utmost politeness.
Kallie seemed flustered when she responded, cuing a confused crinkle of the brow from Scarlett. "N-Nice to meet you too! Uhm, what would you two like to orderthis morning?" She asked in a skittish way.
Scarlett didn't want to embarrass the usually chill girland said her order. "I'll take the vanilla latte and how about a cinnamon scone for this morning?"
After typing it into the computer, Kallie looked to Vash, her face looking as if it was sun-kissed. "And you, sir?"
"I'll taaaakkeee... your honeylatte and three powdered donuts!" He declared after reading the menu carefully. He wasn't joking about liking donuts if he would order three at once.
Kallie clicked the order in and said the total amount to be about ten dollars. Scarlett reached for her wallet, but Vash was faster and handed the young cashier a ten dollar bill. "Keep the change." He told her.
Scarlett didn't object to him paying and ushered him to follow her to her usual spot. The cafe wasn't busy this Friday morning despite the nearby schools being off for a teacher conference event. It was just the two of them and a handful of other customers. Scarlett sat in her corner seat, Vash now across from her and was twisting his head on his shoulders to see the details of the cafe. It wasn't too long until their orders arrived and were placed in front of them. She sipped her latte as Vash made a comment.
"This place is nice! I see why you come here so often." He said, his gaze focusing back on her after a few minutes of curious examination. He picked up his own drink, bringing it to his lips for a sip. "So... did you rest after last night?"
"Just a little. The bed was cozy enough to spare me a few hours of sleep. Did you sleep at all?"
"Hmm, I did fall asleep after getting more items put away." He said with a nod, leaning back into his seat to see the detailed vines on the nearby windowsill. He situated his cup back onto the table after another gulp. "Not too much left to unpack, thank goodness. It's making me regret bringing lots of stuff here."
Scarlett hummed to herself as a fond memory popped up."I remember when I first moved into this spot. I didn't have much, so the process was quick and easy. You on the other handhad a fair amount of boxes out in the hall."
The edge of his lip twitched up as he quipped back at her, arms crossed in a stubborn yet jesting manner at her slight tease."Hey, I managed to get them all inside by myself in half an hour! I'm a Big Boy and Big Boy's don't need help carrying boxes."
She let out abrief laugh at his pleasant reaction, her smile forming on her lips as he played out this bubbly and lighthearted side. Scarlett found it veryendearing that she couldn't resist talking to him. There were plenty of people in this world to speak with and he was one out of the many billions that somehow boosted herconfidence to not be anxious. "Is that so? Then do tell me why a Big Boy like you moved this kind of place? I know I asked last night, but isn't there a specific reason? We all come to this city for something."
He was facing her appropriately when she asked, his lively demeanor slowly deflating into a reflective reflectionas he thought about it for a hot moment. Vash wondered how he could go about this topic since he tried to avoid his excusesto be here. Everyone he encountered didn't bother to ask, yet she did. "Let me ask you this: What did you say this city's nickname is?"
His inquisitivity stopped Scarlett in her tracks, sparing a moment to premeditate the reasoning behind the question that had an obvious answer. She touched a sore spot for him and it was obvious, the smile on her face degrading into a fine line. Her head dipped to view the small cup of coffee in front of her, her thick braid swinging at the motion.'Damnit, I fucked it up.'
"The Big City of Dreams, isn't that what they call it nowadays?" She asked, her eyes never leaving her fingers that lay upon the rim of her half finished coffee cup. The young man nodded in agreement at the infamous name of the city they lived in, his head turned to view the large buildings that towered around the small Cafe on South Main.
"That's what it's called!... but I don't think everyone in this city has dreams to aspire living up to."
"What makes you say that?" His tone had the odd familiarity that sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't shake off the crawling sensation that was sent over her skin, now left pondering deeply as he continued to explain.
"We live in our dreams at night or for the gain of others during the day, but never do we ever dream for ourselves."
His approach about this subject put her on edge, the crawling sensation going up her arms as he carried on, "Last night, when I asked you why you ended up here, I wondered why you spoke about college in a negative way. I asked if you knew what you wanted for yourself here... and your response is simply the same as mine!" His serious tone shifted back to the same bubbliness he typically put out for others to see, Scarlett now a bit taken aback by his change in mood. Though, his high pitchdidn't last. "You don't have a dream, and I don't have one either. I came merely to experience life in a grand city with no plan in mind! However, your mother seems to be the reason why you've come here, right? You didn't speak fondly of her forcing you into a university with no clue what to do. In your words, you said that you came to get a degree because it was enforced on society. Now for me... aren't we the same if I simplify it to be because everyone dreams to live in a large, famous city once in their life?"
"... I guess we are the same in that aspect, that we really don't know what we're doing." She replied with a cold sweat forming on her neck, "But I also asked you a question that pertains to this city as well. I asked if you were a dreamer, and you interpreted it as in literal dreaming at night. I-I suppose we touched on a personal subject and I do apologize--" She quickly looked up, now seeing his neutral yet understanding smileon his face. Scarlett cleared her throat anxiously, realizing that what she thought of him earlier was said too soon. She seemed to confide in him because they were simply too alike, finding the calm in their storm to be the eye that viewed the same ideology of how they're living their lives right now."But while we're being brutally honest... I think we both came to the city for the same reason."
His blue-green eyes glinted in doubt, yet his words held longing hope in them.Where was she going with this? "Are we really the same?"
Scarlett sighed as she shook her head with the same amused grin as his. "Yeah, I think so. I can tell from that look in your eyes-- because I have the same lookin mine."
Truthfully, Vash was sweating bullets at this deep ass conversation. He didn't try to make it serious, it accidentally became this way! He just wanted to avoid his background for coming here, thinking he'dalready learned why his actions always ended with consequences. But as soon as he thought that, Scarlett said the most inspiring thing he's heard from her, his spooked insecurity disintegrating with her calming words that swam with their storm:The same storm they were swimming in for such a long time.
"You and I-- we aren't dreamers. Isn't that kinda funny to think of it like that? Wedon't have any aspirations or goals in life. We're just here because we ended up here by whatever fate the Gods have given us. And, is there really a good antonymfor the word dreamer? What should we really call ourselves, the ones who are trying to find out what they desire in life? This city's name is exceedingly ironic and bogus since everyone who comes to stay here wants to solve that mystery!The Big City of Dreamers? I thinkThe Big City of Survivorsis more suitable for us. We literallywork jobs and fight tooth and nail to survive, but what the hell am I saying? Do Isound crazy yet? I don't think anything I said to you made any sense at all!" She said in full embarrassment, her eyes wavering with uncertainty. Her cheeks were red from the minute she began to deduce their comparable perceptions of life and it was embarrassing her to the core of her soul.She spat that whole speech out without too much of a pause, her heart unknowinglyopening up to this man whom she met yesterday by chance.
Vash's smile reached his hopeful eyes; the organ beating in his chest slowed to a soft, meditative reverb."I think we're both crazy." He admitted in a quiet whisper, a blush arising to his skin as an unforeseen epiphany hit him. Their coffees were cold at this point, but their hearts were warming up to each other as they understood the bitterness in life to be their only reality;that they weren't isolated in this sea of unshakabledoubt. To him, and to her-- they thought they were sailing these turbulent waters all alone. Yet, here they were, talking as if they've been friends for years and came to drown out the bitterness in life with sweetened coffees and pastries to bare those struggles together.
Scarlett let out a choked laugh, her heart so perplexed by the positive outcome of their negativeconversation starter. She combed a hand through the crown of her hair, letting her fingers dance with the individual strands as she spared him a genuine smile. "Gosh, I'm so sorry for that. I just, I'ma little overwhelmed by the shit that comes out of my mouth."
"You're quite profound, actually."
She paused at his compliment for her weird tendency to babble as if she knew what she was talking about, the fingers sliding away from her scalp as she saw him chuckling at her astonished gaze. And at that juncture, she didn't feel too stupid for saying that ridiculousness because she laughed with him.
"How about we talk about something else now so we don't embarrass ourselves further? Lighten the mood a little.And, I think my coffee is cold." Scarlett sighed out, raising her cup to her lips now. The cold liquid streamed down her throat, soothing her from the heat of her laughs.
"That's fine with me. I gotta eat these donuts before they go stale!" Vash exclaimed in a shy yet high spirited tone. The two of them became so bashful from the conversation that they avoided making eye contact for the rest of the morning, but were much more playful and friendlierin the close interaction. He seemed to bounce back to his happy and overzealous attitude and Scarlett didn't think of it to be as annoyinganymore.