-I'm okay
Memories of the past flash through the mind, a young boy in high schools gets food all over him by another yet he laughs it off saying
-I'm okay
The young boy stands in the kitchen as his parents ask,
-So how's school been going?
He forces a smile once more
-It's going fine, exams are tough but I'm okay
The memories stop as his mind remains blank as "I'm okay" echoes throughout. In the present day he opens his eyes as he stares at the mirror saying,
-I'm okay right Luca, you're okay
After washing his face he brews a cup of coffee as he stands outside his balcony,
-It's been 2 months now since I started university here in Japan and it's been a month since that day
Remembering the past, a bar filled with people chatting away time, a table with eight new undergraduates one month into their school year, a bulky young man under the influence of alcohol speaks to his fellow classmate with a glass of water,
-Hey, come on man, we came all the way here and you're sat on your ass drinking water?
The classmate with water just laughs it off,
-I can't hold my alcohol really well, so I'd just be a bother for everyone
The bulky friend becomes annoyed and retorts,
-You're no freaking fun, every single time bro, no wonder Alice cheated on your dumbass
Silence fills the air as he looks at Alice to his side in disbelief and back at the bulky one, but he continues his rambles,
-Not like I blame her, all you ever do is follow her around like some leach, we only ever invited you into this group cause of her anyway, you really piss me off just get out of here Luca
Luca looks around to the others, but they all avoid his gaze including Alice, with a heavy heart he swallows his pride and gets up and leaves.
Luca slowly walks by the sidewalk on his way home, he keeps mumbling to himself,
-It's fine, I'm fine, it'll be okay it might just be the alcohol talking
His mumbles are interrupted by a message from Alice saying,
-Let's end things here, it's better for the both of us
At that moment he doesn't even cry, he makes his way near a bridge as his mind grows silent and the world empty as he stares into the water emptily while gripping the rails slowly leaning forward. He hesitates for a bit as he hears footsteps approaching as a can of coffee is handed to him
-The rails are cold at this hour you know
She stood a few feet away, her posture relaxed but not careless. Her hair was up in a messy bun, dark as ink with strands of green catching the lamp light like moss in moonlight. A few loose pieces framed her face, brushing her cheeks. She wore a long cardigan over her casual clothes, and thin-rimmed glasses slid slightly down her nose as she looked at him.
In one hand, she held a small can of coffee, fresh from a vending machine. She held it out toward him without a word. At that moment he reached out and grabbed it giving a simple nod as a thank you,
-Whenever I'm sad, coffee always seemed to cheer me up, coffee, the sight of the moon and the cool night breeze, would be a waste to jump on a night like this don't you think
Luca takes a glance at her and then looks up at the sky, she smiles and then asks
-So mister stranger, are you okay?
Luca perplexed twirls his finger across the rim of the can and replies,
-I don't know, time will tell
And so the memory ends and we return to present Luca who is on his balcony reminiscing,
-After all that time and after meeting her I went back to my bad habits again didn't I, wait what was her name
He takes a sip of his coffee as he stands there confused,
-I didn't ask for her name or her number DAMN IT
Our confused protagonist is left sulking from his lack of proper social skills. After a moment of sulking he turns on his pc and some notifications catch his attention.
-Hmm oh yeah I haven't really spent much time with these guys since I started hanging out with Alice and the others, it's been like uhh three or four months maybe. Should I leave there too, maybe I was a bother there as well
As he has thoughts of leaving the social media group, he notices a group voice call and freaks out as he joins accidentally. The user Klaus speaks up and asks
-Huh who joined, wait is that you Luca, how've you been dude?
Embarrassed and shy Luca speaks up,
-Hi guys it's been a while haha
A user named Nero joins in the conversation,
-It's been ages bro where've you been, you been missing out man
Rina's user lights up,
-LUCAAAA HELLOOOOOOOO oh my goodness how are you little man, I missed you so much
Jane remains muted but types in the chat,
-Welcome back, want to run a few bosses with me like back then, I'll carry don't worry
Lastly Astra joins in,
-Last we heard, you were preparing to go to university in Japan right?
A spur of emotions rose up from within him as he started shedding tears of joy,
-I missed the hell out of you guys! I'm sorry I've been gone so long, I messed up big time I'm sorry don't kick me out
They panic as they try to calm Luca down, Rina speaks up assuring him,
-The heck made you think we'd kick you out silly, we're like family here aren't we
They all agree in unison as Luca stops crying,
-Thank you guys, seriously thank you
After their heart felt reunion they spent the weekend together catching up and playing games. As nighttime came, Luca would slowly think of the classes he's missed for the past two weeks and would then ask his friends for their input.
-Say guys I need some advice, for a while now I've been skipping class, heck I only started this class to be with my ex which yeah kinda stupid, I don't really enjoy it at all and now it's weird, what do I do?
Klaus answers swiftly,
-Either drop out or switch to something you want to do, simple right?
The other four agree with Klaus as Astra ends it up with,
-Don't forget it's your decision, your life, your future, do what it is you want over there at your uni, not for a girl's sake but your own. Out of curiosity though, have you thought of any other classes?
Luca takes his time as he thinks about the question as images of his past flash before him, now confident in his decision on campus next week he starts up the transfer and on Wednesday he begins with the graphics design students.
Class goes by smoothly and he can't help but smile as he leaves, a young man with a cap watches Luca leave as he stands there confused.
Normally Luca would spend his time with his friends after class but since the breakup he's cut ties with them and now walks around aimlessly. After a few minutes he finds a coffee shop and awkwardly steps in and takes a seat facing a window,
-This place is nice, I like it here
Footsteps are heard as Luca is sat there relaxing, the waitress pokes his cheek as Luca turns to his left and sees a familiar face.
-There she was, the one from the bridge, I wouldn't be able to forget her if I tried, her hair flowing past her shoulder instead of a bun, the dark circles around her eyes, makeup maybe or exhaustion, regardless I could only stare at her endlessly.
As Luca's inner dialogue ends she smiles and asks,
-So then bridge boy, what can I get you?
Luca still star struck can only reply,
-Coffee.