Second Ingredient – Honey
Clank.
There. That's the last of them.
With a sigh, I closed the cupboard and walked back to the table where the cup of coffee stood waiting. I stared at it intently.
"Come on," I said. "Just drink the damn thing already! You're putting it to waste; it's just going to get cold…"
No answer.
"I know you're out there."
Still no answer.
I sighed and reached for the steaming mug, but only to find it cold.
"I was gonna drink that, y'know…"
Another sigh before I lifted my hands off of hers. "What's taking you so long then…"
She smiled at me—that same stupid smile.
I watched the cup be lifted towards her lips before she gave out a yelp and immediately put it down again, fanning her tongue.
"Hot… Hot…" she hissed. I just watched her with disgust, before walking towards my chair and picking up the paper. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her beginning to curse the mug.
"Stop blaming the mug for your stupidity, woman," I told her, fixing my eyes at the print. "What're you going to do if it starts talking back?"
"I would probably be running scared!" she replied, paused, and then continued. "But that's not gonna happen, right Green?"
"'No, of course not' is what I'm supposed to say, but that's the same thing I said back then when someone asked me if ever ghosts re-embodies themselves just so they could appear in front of you, and yet…" I moved my eyes to her direction, getting a full view of her almost transparent self.
"Here you are…"
Blue smiled, making a piece sign at me.
"Pesky Girl…" I mutter before returning my eyes to what I was reading.
"So," she started, attempting to challenge the cup of coffee again. "Daisy-chan left already?"
"Yeah," I replied. "Apparently, she was really supposed to meet Bill downtown to have her first check-up since she found out…" I trailed off, suddenly getting an image of that goof, smiling apologetically at me.
"What's wrong, Green?" she asked. "You're destroying that paper… Not liking the news?"
Oh, I'm not liking the news alright… I can't believe that my future nephew/niece is going the son of that dolt. How can I accept that?!
Blue laughed.
"Green-kun can't seem to accept that he's going to be the uncle of Bill-san's son/daughter, eh?" she teased. "What are you? Jealous? Look, if you were, then why don't you go out and find your own wo—"
"That's not the reason. Not even close…" I turned to another page. "You know I've always been against those two… It has nothing to do with jealousy…"
A certain pain pinched its way out of my chest, making me lightly recoil.
"But why not? I mean, they're cute together! And Bill is obviously taking good care of Daisy…"
They're cute together!
I tried my best to drown out her voice.
He's obviously taking good care of her…
"And, besides, Daisy's old enough to decide things on her own, right? No need for you to…"
"I don't need to hear that from you of all people, Blue," I retorted, turning to another page. "Just finish the damn coffee already. I've got stuff to do."
"You just told Daisy that you're on vacation, so…"
"I only told her that so she'd get off my case…"
"... That is so like you," she sighed, putting down the coffee mug again, leaving it still untouched.
"What?"
"You know… telling lies just so people would leave you alone. So they wouldn't worry… " She smiled again. "You even got me believing you at that time…"
"You remember that and yet you can't remember the reason why you're here?" I turned another page. "Or did some miracle just happen and you finally do remember everything…"
She paused for a short moment before she faced me again with that annoying haughty face of hers.
"It's not sweet enough!" she yelled. "I'm not drinking this!"
I stared at her, pissed.
"If you don't want it, then don't drink it! Simple as that!"
"That's not how you answer to that, Green!" she whined, raising her index finger to make a (literal) point. "You answer by fixing the problem!"
"Isn't that what I'm trying to do here…"
"That's not what I meant!" she whined even more. "Make the coffee sweeter, Green! Make it sweeter!"
She stared at me expectantly, although still wearing that needy face of hers, obviously thinking that I'd fall for it.
"Make it sweeter yourself," I replied, turning to the next page. She answered with another loud whine, her shrill voice filling the whole place. I tried my best ignoring it all; I was well-trained to that, what with spending how many years with this girl when she was still…
"Green!"
"Fine!" I yelled, slamming the newspaper down, and then stomping towards the cupboard where I kept my sugar.
"Uh-uh!" Blue cried behind me. "I don't want sugar! I want honey!"
"H-Honey…?" I turned to face her, but only to see the same needy face from a while ago, still intact. "You're kidding me right?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding here?"
Finding no hope in arguing with her, I moved to another cupboard, took out the jar that was left unopened since goodness-knows-when, went to her seat, and started "making the coffee sweeter".
"So, you really did have honey in this house…?" she asked, undoubtedly surprised. I chose to ignore her, adding a spoonful of honey to her cup and started stirring.
Honestly, what kind of sane person can take anything this sweet?
"There," I said, pushing the mug towards her. "Though, I still don't understand how the heck can a ghost take in these much coffee…"
She didn't reply, and started yet another almost endless battle with the beverage, despite it not being anywhere near hot. I chose not react anymore, and left her to her business.
Even if she has been here for almost a week, talking to her still feels absolutely ridiculous.
"Ack, still hot!"
Hot…
I still don't know why she's here. Why did she come back? What could she still probably need here? She should be up there, lying peacefully, leaving us all to continue living without her… We should've been used to her not being here… I should've been, anyway.
And, yet, instead, she's here, and I can see her.
"Honestly, you should be a lot colder by now!"
I can see her…
"Green, do you have any ice on the fridge? I think my tongue's smoldered!"
Why can I see her…?
"Ah! I know! Green, I'm borrowing your desk fan for a sec, okay?"
Why can't anyone else see her…?
"Hah! You may stand firm, coffee, but let's see how strong you'll stand after meeting my friend!"
Why only me…?
"Desk fan, on!"
Why…?
"How you likin' this now, hah? Hah? Hah?"
"You're supposed to be dead…"
She paused, and stared at me.
"Huh, what?"
I sighed, and reached forward to turn the desk fan off.
"Nevermind… It was just a spur of the moment," I said. "Although, I suddenly remembered, did you actually think about what I said last night?"
She went back to her seat, and cradled the mug back to her hands. "I did, but, it's still the same result… I can't remember anything of that day. As a matter of fact, all I got from last night is the fact that I can't remember much from the last few months of my death…" I watched her hands grip more firmly on the mug.
"To be honest, I'm still in shock at the thought that I'm actually dead, to begin with…" Her face suddenly lit up. "What about you, Green? Do you remember anything before that day?"
I flinched.
"Geez, pesky girl, how many times do I have to tell you? We haven't spoken to one another for quite a long time. In fact, the only time I heard of you again was…" Again, I trailed off, the weight of that memory once again piling over my shoulders.
"…was that first day of Summer."
Blue hung her head and smiled. "I see." Then her eyes lit up again.
"Hey, Green?"
I stared up at her. "Yeah?"
"How about Red?"
Another flinch.
"Maybe we can ask him! I mean… I don't remember much but I'm positive that he was there, somehow."
After the third flinch I was trembling. This wasn't the good time to think about this.
It's a good thing Blue is not the type of person who pays attention to details, because if she did, she would've noticed me pouring out cold sweat.
"Green?"
"I…" I started, unaware of whatever I was saying. She leaned forward, an expectant smile on her face.
"I… I think you should finish that before it gets cold…"
The smile disappeared. "Honestly…"
Blue gave out an exasperated sigh before she lifted the coffee cup to give it another sniff. And then, she made a disgusted look.
"Now, what?"
"I really don't drink coffee…"
-m16-
I stared at the untouched cup of coffee, careful not to throw it anywhere, especially towards her.
What kind of slave does she particularly think of me? Filled with anger, I lifted the cup to my lips and drank it all in one gulp, and as soon as I did, I start spitting it all out into the sink.
Just as I expected.
"Disgusting…" I mutter to myself, rinsing my mouth with running water.
How can she take something this sweet?
"Green! Green! Green!" I heard footsteps running out of my room again.
"I will not make you another cup which you are going to waste, Bl—what the?"
She stood in front of me, dripping wet in one of my bathrobes.
"What the heck, Blue?!" I yelled, turning to my back again.
"What's your problem?" she sneered.
"Why are you dripping wet?!"
She looked surprised at that question, as if she just realized that herself.
"Oh, um… Well, I thought I'd take a bath 'coz I feel all sticky and grimy," she reasoned out.
And she had to actually use my bathrobe…
Then her face changed again, and she pulled out my phone.
"Someone called," she announced, showing me the screen. "I tried answering it but…"
I snatched the phone from her hands, not letting her say another word.
"Hey!" she cried.
"Go put on some clothes or something," I replied, brushing past her towards an empty chair. When I was sure she was gone, I checked the record, and—surprise, surprise…
I sighed.
What do you want?
The phone rang immediately.
Why won't you pick up your phone?
I started tapping again.
I was… I thought for a moment.
…dealing with something.
Send.
Ring.
Ah, I see. So, anyway, are you busy? Hoping to get to talk to you later.
"What…?" I bobbed my head to the direction of my room, my door closed. Will she even mind that I…?
Ring.
I stared at my phone again.
Your call. I'll be at the gym this afternoon. We can talk there.
Well, isn't that convenient?
I thought to myself for a moment, and started typing out a response.
Send.
"Blue!" I called. Her muffled voice came in response.
"Hurry up in there! I'm going to take a bath as well!"
"Okay!"
I stared at my phone again.
So that person's back, I see…
Ah, well. Guess there's no escaping this…