If this ficlet seems familiar to you, well, it's because it's been posted before. But it got deleted for reasons stated in my bio (please check it out if you're curious). This is going to act as a side-project while I tackle my other fics. (Lord, save me from the dreaded homework...)
I've made a couple of changes. The chapters are longer, scenes are altered and added, and (hopefully) the overall revamped version is better. My fingers are crossed! Hehe...
This chapter is especially dedicated to the people who had wanted a return of BCMLAL. The motivation really helped. So thank you!
BLACK COFFEES, MOCHA LATTES, AND LOVE
PART ONE: Ugh! Life is the pits and it just got a whole lot worse...
18-year-old Cagalli Yula Athha was mad. Very, VERY mad. And when she was mad, the murderous I'll-kick-your-butt-if-you-so-much-as-breathe-in-my-direction look on her face was enough to scare off even the bravest of hearts. All the passersby who intended to live to a ripe old age of sixty with their heads still attached to their bodies gulped and went out of their way to make room for the passing of this enraged woman.
She was a petite blond, with a temper quick to rise and hard to appease. Dressed in a jacket and jeans, she looked very much like a male. Only her more 'feminine curves' saved her from being mistaken from the opposite sex. And if someone DID make the unfortunate mistake of calling her a 'guy' in her face...well, let's just say he'd better build himself a sarcophagus and embalm himself to hide his horribly scarred face.
But I digress. Cagalli stormed her way down the streets and into her favorite coffee bar, Café Romeo. Her golden-brown eyes blazed as she remembered the incident that had caused her to become so stressed and irritable...
O-o-O
"I don't like it."
Now why wasn't she surprised?
She'd been receiving the same response over and over again for the last few weeks. Like a broken tape recorder—except three times more annoying.
Cagalli knew she should have been used to it by now. She KNEW she should be. But as you well know, 'knowing' it and 'feeling' it are two completely different things.
Her mother, Rosalind Athha was sitting at her desk, reading her manuscripts. A frown graced her features as she perused the pages. She was the almighty head of the famous Cupid Romance book publication company and she demanded only the best for her customers.
Cagalli, despite her rather tomboyish attitude, was a romantic at heart and very imaginative. She was one of the best authors in Japan and she had that special flair of making a love story come alive in the reader's mind. This talent of hers had made her a much sought after author in the romance genre.
Lately though her mother found fault in every draft she had written. And it frustrated Cagalli to no end because she couldn't understand the reason why.
"It's too...I don't know...it doesn't have that 'feeling'. Your earlier novels had spunk and feel and emotion, but now..." Rosalind placed the rejected manuscripts aside. "...now I don't feel for the characters. If you know what I mean."
Cagalli's eyes narrowed and she snatched the manuscripts from the desk. "No, I don't. And if you don't like my stories, then fine! I'll take it elsewhere where people would actually appreciate my work!"
She stomped out of the building, hands clenched into fists as she made her way to where she was now...
O-o-O
"Damn it! I hate my life!" Cagalli grumbled to herself. "I wish I knew exactly what's wrong with my manuscripts. It's so frustrating..."
Too caught up in her unpleasant thoughts, she accidentally bumped into the back of a tall, dark-haired man who was placing his order. "Oops. Excuse me, sir," she muttered absently and moved aside to the next register.
"Hello and welcome to Café Romeo. May I take your order, please?"
Cagalli blinked when she found herself looking at a too-familiar looking face. "D-Dearka Elthman, is that you?" she demanded in surprise.
The blond opposite her side of the counter nodded his head. He was Cagalli's friend and classmate since they slave away in the same university. "Yep, I'm working here now. I got a part-time job to get that dream car of mine. You know, that beautiful red Honda..." Dearka drooled slightly at the mouth as an image of a shiny red car popped up in his mind.
Cagalli smirked. "Of course, you want a new car to impress the girl of your dreams, Mir—"
"SHH! Not so loud!" Dearka exclaimed and clamped a hand over her mouth. He looked from left to right suspiciously and when he thought it was safe, leaned closer to hiss, "Do you want everyone else to know about my crush? It could potentially destroy my reputation! Plus, Milly might never go out with me!"
Cagalli pushed his hand away with a laugh. "Whatever. You're too paranoid. Miriallia will never fall for a guy just because he has a fancy car. It's the thought that counts."
"And since when did YOU become an expert on the multifaceted mind of a female? You never even had a boyfriend yourself!" he scoffed.
She scowled darkly. "I could have hanged you at the highest lamppost for that comment, but I'll let it pass because I need your body undamaged to get me my latte."
The tanned blond paused, noticing how tired and harassed she looked, and smiled sympathetically. "You're having a tough time, huh?"
She nodded and sighed. "Life is currently the pits. So I come here to unwind. I'd like a mocha latte please."
"Alright, just wait a sec."
When both Cagalli and the dark-haired man's drinks were placed on the side counter, she quickly grabbed her latte and followed the guy out of the café. As she walked to the left while he walked to the right, she took a big swallow of her drink...
And got the shock of her life!
Her amber eyes rounded and she spat the latte out of her mouth.
"What in blazes—this isn't my latte!' She ripped the lid off and stared at the dark, gleaming liquid inside. Her jaw fell open. "How the heck did I end up getting BLACK COFFEE?"
She made an about-face and marched on back to the coffee bar, ready to throttle Dearka and give him a piece of her mind about his lousy efficiency, when she suddenly noticed the dark-haired man heading to the parking lot.
And then it hit her!
I remember now...he and I had our drinks at the same counter and we grabbed the drinks at the same time...which means we must have grabbed each other's drinks by accident!
"EXCUSE ME, SIR! EXCUSE MEEEEEEEEE!" Cagalli yelled as she sprinted after the stranger, waving one hand while carefully holding up the caffeinated drink. "Hey, sir!"
But he was still walking further and further away. Cagalli quickened her pace and hollered even louder, "Hey, you stupid jerk! I'M TALKING TO YOU SO DON'T IGNORE ME!"
He still didn't stop. Oh, jeez. Either the man was hearing-impaired, or he was enjoying himself too much as he took a gulp of her mocha latte while having a leisurely stroll down the street.
"Hey YOU, that's MY LATTE, you BASTARD!" Cagalli growled as she finally caught up with him.
The man finally glanced behind him, bright green eyes widening in surprise.
For a moment, all Cagalli could do was stare helplessly into those eyes. She'd never seen such beautiful green eyes in her life!
Of course, Cagalli's staring didn't help her physical wellbeing, because her velocity became too much for her to handle and her sneakers screeched as she ran smack into a wall.
BAM!
She slowly fell backwards and landed flat on her back.
"Err...Miss, are you alright?" The emerald-eyed man asked, feeling concern for the blond woman as he bent down to offer his hand.
Cagalli's tension, already stretched to its limit, was now reaching breaking point. Tears of frustration prickled at the corners of her eyes. We can now safely conclude that any minute now, heads would roll...and let's thank our lucky stars that it wouldn't be ours.
"Miss?"
Now, let's take a sneak peak into Cagalli's overly frustrated mind as she gazes into the man's green eyes.
First thought: Oh, damn. This sucks. I hate this god-forsaken day, I hate this world, I hate black coffees, and I HATE THAT GREEN-EYED MAN!
Second thought: Calm down, Cagalli. Calm down. Manslaughter is still considered a crime here and jail isn't a very comfortable place to stay in...
And finally: Wow! This guy is GORGEOUS!
There was no denying it. He had a face that was positively to die for. Tall and lean, he had wavy blue-black hair and was blessed with thick-lashed, vivid green eyes that could make any girl drown in them helplessly. He was dressed in a dark blue turtleneck sweater and jeans and a pair of tennis shoes.
Forget gorgeous. He was HOT.
But of course, a hot face would mean absolutely nothing in the long run once Cagalli's fist pummels into it.
A vein began throbbing in her temple. I can't believe this. I work my butt off day and night, slaving for hard-earned cash, and it all went down the drain—or rather the THROAT of this latte-stealing loser!
"Miss, are you alright?" he asked again when Cagalli still didn't respond. The half-empty latte he drank had been thrown into the nearby trash disposal.
She was as still as a mannequin, staring at his face, and then at the latte in the garbage bin.
The green-eyed man looked down worriedly at the girl who had knocked herself against the wall. Was she injured? Why wasn't she responding? Perhaps he should call a physician...
At last she spoke, "You...drank...my...latte..."
He looked confused for a moment, and then he smiled. "Oh, so that must be why it didn't taste like my usual java. For a moment there I thought my taste buds must have suffered from a malfunction—" He was about to make an apology and add that he would buy her another latte, when Cagalli's anger instincts kicked into gear.
Let the nuclear explosion begin.
"You JERK! Do you have ANY IDEA what you've just WASTED?" All of Cagalli's pent-up frustration and fury blew open and directed itself at the green-eyed man. "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU'VE JUST WASTED! My MONEY, my TIME, my—Ugh! What am I doing wasting MORE of my money, time and life standing here talking to LOSERS like YOU! I'm LEAVING!" She turned her back on him altogether and took a step forward.
"H-Hey, miss? What about my coffee?" he asked innocently.
Her face darkened.
Bad move.
"Oh, I forgot. Here's your coffee." She smiled oh-so-sweetly, and that dangerous smile should have made a very clear warning for the poor man that he should RUN FOR HIS LIFE while he still could.
But, of course, who could blame him for being ignorant?
With calm, deliberate steps, Cagalli walked up to him and dumped the cup of dark liquid over his head in one quick move. It splashed down and soaked him from head to foot. "I hope it tasted as GOOD as MY LATTE! Have a nice life, you JERK!" With a huff she stormed away, leaving the green-eyed man standing there in amazement.
He blinked, looked down at his coffee-drenched clothes, then sighed. "All I wanted was my Sunday Java...was that so hard to ask?"
Hmm. Don't push your luck, buddy.
First off, allow her to state that she absolutely DESPISED evening teas.
That's right. Cagalli hated playing tea party with a passion—almost as much as she HATED black coffees.
So what the heck was she doing standing on her friend Lacus's Hello Kitty welcome mat, attending a (God forbid) evening tea session?
It was simple, really. She had promised her good friend she would come and have tea with her today. And Cagalli Yula Athha always kept her promises—no matter how vile or awful it was. (Should anyone DARE think otherwise, she promises to give them a good kick where the sun don't shine, thus proving the validity of her claim.)
Now, the second thing she had to state: she absolutely DESPISED being late.
But she was officially half an hour behind schedule thanks to that green-eyed jerk she'd met earlier. (May the bastard dig himself a hole, pour his yucky-tasting black coffee into it and DROWN himself in the black poison he so enjoys drinking. Grr...)
Obviously she wasn't in a very 'happy-happy-joy-joy' mood, but she was hoping it would improve with Lacus Clyne's calming influence.
She knocked on the front door and waited.
A moment later, a young woman with long pink tresses and sky blue eyes opened the door and smiled cheerfully. (For your general information, this lovely lady's name is Lacus Clyne, eighteen, and possibly one of the sweetest, most generous human being that ever walked the planet. Mess with her, and you mess with a pissed off Cagalli. This is just a friendly warning.)
"Ah, you're finally here! Please come on in and have tea with us," she said.
Lacus's innocent invitation held no special meaning—until the last word, that is.
"Us...?" Cagalli repeated with raised eyebrows.
From behind the pink-haired woman, she could make out the outline of a familiar figure sitting on a couch...a horrendously familiar-looking figure with emerald green eyes and inky-black hair.
Cagalli's jaw dropped wide open.
No way.
She blinked, hoping that it was her vision problem. Yes, it was all an optical illusion. Her hysterical mind must be suffering from such intense anxiety that it was playing tricks on her.
Alas, her hope was quickly flushed down the toilet. After she blinked approximately 246 times, he still sat there, alive and breathing...mocking her with his existence.
Cagalli groaned.
Oh, this is just great. Her day just kept getting better and better. Please note the sarcasm.
"What are YOU doing HERE, you JERK!"
Lacus sweat dropped. "Err...I suppose...you two have met before?"
"Oh YES, we have!" Cagalli glared toxic fumes and radioactive waves at the green-eyed man. "What the heck is HE doing here? He's contaminating my breathing space as we speak!"
Lacus smiled. "Oh, let me introduce my guest to you. He is my childhood friend, Athrun Zala...He's dropping by for a brief visit today from Britain. It's been ages since we've last seen each other, so I'm hoping we can get better acquainted now." She gently pushed the eye-twitching Cagalli into the lounge. "Why don't you sit down and wait while I make tea? It'll only take a minute."
What? And kill a whole 60 seconds making small talk with HIM? Have you lost your freaking MIND? Cagalli opened her mouth to voice out her protest but Lacus had already disappeared into the kitchen.
Silence.
Cagalli and Athrun looked at each other.
Glare.
Stare.
Glare.
Stare.
Glare.
Stare.
A total of fifteen seconds was wasted on their little ogling game.
Finally, Athrun sighed and took the initiative. "If your mother ever taught you any social graces, then please take your seat and wait for your tea instead of standing there and glowering at me as if you'd like to skin me alive, Miss..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, I don't think I've gotten your name. What IS your name by the way?"
Her lips twisted in disgust. "What a delightful question! You STEAL my latte, caused me to run into a WALL, and now you expect me to cheerfully and willingly give you my name? Hah! Not in this lifetime, buddy."
"Ah...that latte...Well, if you must know, lattes are not on my top favorite drinks. So I did not 'steal' it on purpose."
"Of course. Just like how black coffee taste absolutely disgusting to my refined tastes and I didn't steal yours!"
Athrun clapped his hands. "Splendid! Then we both agree the other didn't steal each other's drinks. It was all an innocent case of accidental drink swap."
"Yeah, I totally agree...If you haven't drunk it all and given it BACK to me in the end!"
"But YOU threw my coffee at me," he pointed out.
"So? I would have given it back if YOU haven't drunk all of mine and thrown it into the garbage disposal!" she snarled.
His green eyes twinkled. "Well, you certainly didn't expect me to pollute our Mother Earth by throwing it on the ground, now did you?"
Cagalli silently fumed. Here was a very intelligent man who had a ready supply of witty rebuttals in stock. Definitely not to be underestimated...
"So, what's your name?" he suddenly asked.
...Also irritatingly persistent. "I told you, I don't give my name to total strangers who steal lattes for a living!" she snapped.
"Ah yes. But it's polite to give the other your name when you know his."
"Mr. Zala, burglars, rapists and thieves are also shown daily on national television about their escape or capture. Their wanted names are given on the small screen to alert us about them, so we know their names but they don't know ours. In the end, it's polite only when it's necessary."
"Brilliant deduction...and a good thing too! They might stalk us in our sleep and murder us."
Cagalli felt like pulling her hair out. "Ugh! I'd like to murder YOU!"
"Then simply give me your name and I won't torture you anymore," Athrun smirked.
She scowled and folded her arms over her chest. "I'll tell you alright...the day hell freezes over, elephants grow wings and koalas go on a homicidal rampage."
He smiled serenely. "I look forward to that day."
At this point, you could actually hear her jaw clench together as she drilled death glares into his ribcage. Did that man have ANY idea how damn CLOSE he was to having his mutilated corpse dumped into a pond full of bloodthirsty piranhas? And who could blame her for those detrimental thoughts of homicide? He was driving her NUTS!
She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Cagalli, repeat after me. Killing people is not healthy. Killing people is bad. But killing Zala...?
...Actually, it wasn't such a bad idea. But where could she find a butcher knife?
"Cagalli, Athrun, I have your teas!" Lacus strolled into the living room with a bright grin, holding a cup of tea in each of her delicate hands. She seemed completely unaware of the high, almost throat-strangling tension in the air as she handed them their respective teas.
Athrun accepted it first and drank the lukewarm tea. "Thank you, Lacus. If I remember well, you always did make the best teas and you still do."
I'll bet my esophagus you feed that line to every woman who gives you tea. Cagalli rolled her eyes as she sat two sofas AWAY from Athrun Zala.
The pink-haired woman blushed prettily. "Oh, thank you, Athrun. Still as charming as ever, I see."
The blond inwardly gagged. Charming? HIM! What are you comparing him to? A rattlesnake preparing to attack or a panther that's waiting to stalk its prey...?
Not wanting to spend a second longer with the green-eyed latte-stealing man (lest she went ahead with her tempting butcher knife plan...), Cagalli consumed her tea in one big swallow and stood up. "Oh, look at the time. It's getting late and I've got to run. Thanks for the tea, Lacus." As you can guess, she didn't bother to bid Athrun farewell and quickly escaped the house.
Lacus blinked. "Eh? What's gotten into her?"
Athrun simply smiled as he sipped his tea again.