Chapter 1
Her voice is the whisper of windswept trees
Putting my troubled mind at ease
Her eyes are lit with a new star's aura
I long to be close to my dear-
"What are you drawing, Helia?"
The question made him snap his notebook shut so fast, the sound echoed around the cafe. He looked up to say something to Timmy to salvage how guilty he must have looked, but his gaze travelled beyond his spectacled friend that was sitting in front of him to the barista that stood at the counter. She stared back at him, her green doe eyes widened in surprise and her tan cheeks tinted pink, startled by the sudden noise that came from the table cafe nook that was usually occupied by her most well-behaved customers.
Her gaze flickered to Timmy who had twisted his torso to follow Helia's eyes, before she quickly turned her attention back to counting bills. Helia let out a sigh of relief and relaxed into his chair, as Timmy turned back around to smirk at him.
"I was just sketching." He muttered, opening his notebook but quickly flipping to an empty page before Timmy could catch a glimpse of the highly detailed drawing he'd whipped up of the barista along with the short poem he'd scribbled at the bottom.
"Really?" Timmy asked smugly, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms. Helia glared at his friend, who'd developed the annoying habit of picking on him whenever he took short breaks from coding on his laptop. It was worse now that Helia was no longer in his usual snappy mood since he was done with his project that he'd been working on for months, giving the computer science major the liberty to tease as he pleased without fearing that the ex martial artist would put his money where his mouth was when he threatened to pour his tea all over Timmy's computer.
"Sketching who?"
"Who said I'm sketching someone?"
"Since you keep looking up from your notebook, I can only assume it's either me, my girlfriend or-" Timmy cocked his head back, gesturing towards the counter. "-a certain barista."
"Keep your voice down." Helia whispered harshly, his eyes darting to the counter to make sure she hadn't heard Timmy, but she just turned on her heels and headed into the kitchen seemingly oblivious to being mentioned in their conversation.
"So, that confirms it then." Timmy grinned, and Helia shook his head, deciding a vow of silence would probably save him from embarrassing himself further.
"You should give it to her." Tecna spoke up from where she sat beside Timmy without lifting her head from her own computer.
"What?" He broke his vow of silence to question his friend who couldn't possibly be suggesting what he thought she was.
"The drawings. And, the poems."
Helia slowly closed his notebook again, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Or, you could just write your number on the napkin. I've read that that's how people ask out baristas in cafes."
"That won't be necessary."
"So, you're just planning to go up to her and ask her then?"
"I-" Helia found himself at a loss for words as he tried to keep up with Tecna who was admittedly one of the wittiest people he'd ever met. Despite her no-nonsense tone, he knew she was in on the joke with Timmy.
"Just ask her out!" Timmy chimed in oh so helpfully.
"Just drop the subject." Helia admitted defeat, to which the couple exchanged a triumphant grin with each other. "Please."
"We're just trying to help, Helia. You've been crushing on her ever since you found this cafe like five months ago." Timmy pointed out the obvious, which Helia would rather die than admit out loud.
He remembered the day they stumbled into this hipster cafe, he remembered it very well.
Helia had just signed on with his patron who'd offered to sponsor his exhibition. Mr. Zerja, who was well-known for putting struggling artists on the map, had been very specific in what he wanted to see in the artworks Helia wanted to create. And, it had left him stressed and anxious about making something that'd be good enough and worth all the money that'd go into the exhibition. Zerja was more hands-on than Helia had expected, so much so that he'd even made him quit his job at the library so that he could focus on his art full-time.
Lost and desperate for inspiration, Helia had dragged Musa, his friend from high school who was a musician and understood his struggle better than anyone, along to help him look for something — ianything/i — that would pull him out of his mental block and to motivate him to paint again. They wandered into parts of town that they hadn't visited before, and they had wandered very far from the apartment he shared with Timmy before they chanced upon the Magix Cafe.
At first, the huge unicorn on the signage had been jarring, but they decided to give it a chance since they were thirsty after all. They entered the cafe, and as the windchimes at the door sang Helia had immediately fallen in love with the place.
Everything about it was whimsical, from the wisteria hanging from the ceilings to the fairytale castle and dragons and witches painted on the wall. Somehow the cafe managed to bring so many different parts of fantasy and brought it to life in this small space without it looking too…childish. It was like stepping into the storybooks he'd read as a child, when he would sneak into the library during class and hide behind the shelves so no one could catch him as he lost himself in those stories. His taste for literature had matured as he grew up, but no matter how many genres of books he'd read, there was nothing that could compare to the nostalgic classics.
His mind had started spinning, in a good way, as he looked around the cafe. Helia had been so caught up in trying to take in all the different artwork on the walls that he hadn't noticed that the barista at the counter had been waiting for him to either find a seat or place his order. Musa had to nudge him out of his trance, but just when he'd managed to tear his eyes away from the hyper-realistic dragon painting, his gaze landed on the girl behind the counter, and Helia had fallen into another trance.
A trance he had yet to wake up from.
Musa had stepped forward to the counter to order something for the both of them. Helia had watched from the side as his friend asked about the india music softly playing in the cafe that added to the unique ambience, and listened to the girl reply in the most breathiest, angelic, voice he'd ever heard.
Now, Helia didn't believe in love at first sight.
Yes, he had read thousands of books where the guy meets the girl and the strangers immediately fall in love without knowing a single thing about each other. But, Helia had always found it vain and unrealistic, especially since the moment he lifted his head up from whatever book he was reading, his real world would always slap him in the face. Helia loved stories, but he knew enough about the dark truths of life, even from an early age, to know that that's all they were…Just stories.
Which was why he knew what he felt for the girl, who's name tag on her dark green apron informed him that her name was Flora, was not love.
That didn't mean he wasn't intrigued by her, because he was…He was very intrigued.
From the emeralds that resided in her eyes, the strands made of gold that cascaded through locks of brown hair, the cherry pink lips that stretched into a kind smile to the tattoos on her tanned skin…Helia was an artist, and he knew a masterpiece when he saw one. And, all art had stories behind them.
Helia could never turn away from unfolding a new story.
That was why he'd returned to that cafe almost every day for the past five months since that fateful day. After his early morning runs, he'd shower and head straight for the Magix Cafe which was on the other side of town. Flora only worked on alternate days, but he went everyday either way. He'd work on his journal while he sipped on his tea and occasionally ate breakfast, before he'd head back home to his apartment where he'd spend the rest of the day letting all the ideas he'd gathered at the cafe slip through his fingers as he painted.
Helia had never been more productive in his life than he had been in the past five months, and admittedly more so on the days that Flora worked for some unknown reason. He'd even head back to the cafe some evenings, accompanied by his friends who'd also found the cafe a surprisingly motivating spot. Over time, Musa, Tecna and Timmy had managed to bond with Flora and Bloom, the other barista. The cafe even started playing some of Musa's music that got famous among the customers.
However, Helia tended to keep to himself. He didn't talk much, unless Flora asked him something, which she rarely did since she seemed to get nervous around him. He had a feeling he intimidated her, which hadn't been intended but couldn't be helped. While she never failed to show up in bright outfits and a cheerful smile, Helia's expressionless face and dressing sense that Musa described as 'Gothic Poet' surely made her wary of him.
But, that didn't mean he didn't devour any information that his friends managed to get out of Flora. Musa often complimented her tattoos, and Helia would listen as she told her the story behind them. Timmy would always ask how she managed to figure out so many unique tea blends, and Helia would try to hide how impressed he was while she spoke about how she was studying botany in college. He'd also sometimes just unashamedly stare at her while she discussed with Tecna about her research, until one of his friends would save him from embarrassment.
Which they had annoyingly recently stopped doing.
At least tonight it was just Tecna and Timmy. Helia just had to put up with them for a little longer before they give up on him and return to clicking away on their keyboards. As long as Musa wasn't here, he was safe-
"Hey guys!" The door to the cafe flung open and none other than the person he'd been fearing walked in.
Helia bit back a groan, even though he should be thankful that Musa's entrance had saved him having to deny Timmy's previous statement about his crush on Flora, he had a feeling deep down things were going to get worse tonight.
Bloom came out to take Musa's order, which was her usual black coffee with a powdered donut, and Helia tried not to look too disappointed. She made her way towards their table, a cheeky grin on her face as she settled into the seat next to Helia.
"I sold you seven more tickets for your exhibition!" She pulled out some money and slid it to him. "You're welcome!"
"Thank you, Musa." He gave her an honest smile as he took the money, feeling his chest swell up in gratitude that he had such supportive friends and also in anxiety that the day of the exhibition was getting closer. They'd almost sold out on Zerja's contacts alone, and even though Helia had only five friends to name, said friends managed to sell more tickets than he'd ever expected.
"Don't mention it." She waved him off as she reached over, and on instinct Helia grabbed his notebook off the table. Musa gave him a wicked grin when she picked a grape off of his bowl of fruit salad instead. Suddenly, the gratitude disappeared, knowing what would come next.
But, surprisingly, she didn't comment on his obvious attempt to hide his prized notebook. Musa turned to Tecna and the two of them began chatting away. Timmy was back to working on his laptop, ignoring his friends. Leaving Helia to stare at the three of them suspiciously.
About two months ago, when he'd been in the peak of handling all his artwork, they'd taken pity on him and laid off on the jokes about his crush on the barista. But, the teasing remarks had returned stronger than ever in the past few days since Helia was pretty much done with setting up his exhibition. And, Helia knew something was up. He just did.
While he pondered on what his friends were up to, Flora walked out of the kitchen with Musa's order and came up to their table. Their eyes met for a brief second, she smiled at him, and his mouth went dry just as her cheek turned pink again. She did that a lot around him, but it was probably because it was getting late and it was cold outside. No other reason, none at all.
"Here you go, Musa!" Flora reached over Helia to place the coffee and donut in front of Musa, and he caught a whiff of her vanilla scent. He cleared his throat, forcing his thoughts away from the direction of how good she smelled, and how it made him feel warm all over. Which was a rare occurrence in his cold-blooded body.
"Thanks, Flo!"
"No problem, sweetie, enjoy your evening!" With one last glance at Helia that he pretended not to notice, Flora turned to leave, but Musa called out to her and stopped her in her tracks.
"Hey, Flora, do you have any plans for next saturday?"
What? No, no, no, Musa! Please. Shut. up.
"Uh, nope, none so far." Flora chuckled, playing with the ends of her pigtails as they cascaded down her shoulder. Helia secretly loved when she wore her hair in those low pigtails, he didn't know why. He did, it's because they made her look cute. "Why'd you ask?"
Please don't ask her, Musa. Please.
"Helia's having an art exhibition!"
Fuck you, Musa.
"Oh!" Flora turned to him, her eyes lighting up in a way that made him feel lightheaded. "That's amazing! Congratulations, Helia…"
"Thanks." He muttered, feeling the skin on his neck turn hot when she smiled at him again. Their eyes met, and they held each other's gaze for a little too long.
"So-" Musa interrupted loudly, on purpose, "Do you wanna come?"
Even though Helia had cursed Musa to the nine hells for inviting Flora, his heart was racing as he waited for her answer.
"Of course, I'd love to come!" He let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding in at her reply. "Is it okay if I bring some friends?"
"The more the merrier! How many tickets do you need? I have a few on hand. I can pass them to you now."
Flora made a quick count and asked for seven tickets that Musa conveniently pulled out of her bag and handed over as she told Flora to pay her later. Helia eyed the seven tickets, and then remembered Musa had told him she'd sold seven tickets today before passing him the money. He immediately turned to glare at Musa who subtly winked at him.
"By the way, I love your new tattoo! Did Mirta do this one too?" Musa pointed out the new tattoo Flora had gotten on the arm. It was a sleeve tattoo of a dragonfly with purple and blue wings.
One of the things he lov- liked about Flora were her tattoos. Each of them had a story behind them.
She had colourful daisies on her collarbone, that were almost always exposed in the off-shoulder tops she tended to wear. They were supposed to represent memories of her childhood since they symbolise innocence, a few of which she had shared whenever they'd curiously asked her what it was like to grow up in the countryside and on a farm. Flora also had a small tattoo of a pot of honey and a honeybee on her neck below her ear, honouring her little sister Miele whose name meant honey. She had pink and green fairy wings tattooed on her back, since her younger-self was convinced that one day she'd grow up to be a fairy. And, wrapped around her left calf were tattoos of vines, which she said she'd gotten just because they were pretty.
Not that she'd told him any of this, of course. He'd simply been eavesdropping on her conversations with Musa while he pretended he was busy sketching away in his notebook.
"Thanks, Musa! Mirta's been asking if you want to book an appointment. Don't worry about the money, I can get you a discount."
While the girls chatted about Flora's tattoo artist who happened to also be her best friend, Helia tried to sneak a peek of the butterfly tattoo on Flora's wrist. He'd drawn every single one of her tattoos, except for that one. It was always hidden by the bangles she wore on her wrists that matched the golden hoop earrings she wore everyday without fail. Musa had tried asking about it once, but Flora had brushed it off saying it was nothing big since it was the first tattoo she'd gotten. Helia just knew, somehow, that the butterfly tattoo had to be the one that had the deepest meaning out of all her tattoos. And, Helia desperately wanted to find out what it was.
At some point, Flora had noticed Helia intently watching her. As they seemed to do so often, their eyes met once more. It was times like this that made him wonder if Flora could possibly feel even an inkling of what he felt for her — which he himself was not sure about. He didn't know what he felt for her, only that her smile when she'd greet him as he stepped through the doors in the morning started his days like a second sun. That he could spend forever just hearing her talk about her plants, her projects and her tattoos. That it was these moments when she looked at him, really looked at him, made him feel most alive.
"You've got something to say, Helia?" Musa's voice shook him out of his thoughts.
"Huh?"
There it was, that shit-eating grin on her face which Timmy mirrored. Helia would have loved to smack it off his face if he hadn't turned to pacifism a few years ago.
Flora was blushing again, adorably, and then excused herself. Helia watched sadly as she hurried off. Why couldn't Musa have kept her talking for a little longer.
"You've got it bad, Helia." Timmy clicked his tongue as he shook his head. "You've got it real bad."
Helia glared at his friend before he decided it was time for payback. "Timmy built his dream mansion for Tecna and him in minecraft when he was crushing on her."
For the first time tonight, he'd won and he relished in his victory as he watched Timmy splutter while Tecna hid her blushing face with her laptop. Until Musa turned the tables on him.
"So, you admit it then?"
"What?
"You admit you have a crush on Flora."
"...Shut up."
Musa patted his back, clearly happy about the fact that she'd gotten the upper hand again. "Don't worry about it. Once she sees your art, she will fall in love with you just as hard as you've fallen for her."
Helia didn't argue with that, even though he wanted to. He just hoped it'd be true.
