A Cup Of Black Coffee

The following morning, after the uneasiness of what he saw the night before had rushed him back to Kenzo’s, Lucius sat at the kitchen island among the remains of the party. He’d barely slept after he returned, the long night feeling like a dream more than anything.Thoughts of confusion raced his mind among the exhaustion, a boxing match over who got priority.

“Morning Lucius.” Kenzo yawned, running his fingers through his blonde hair.

Lucius, unable to fully acknowledge his presence, gave him a half nod before continuing to stare off into nothingness.

“You want some coffee? I need like a triple shot of espresso right now.”

“No thanks…actually yeah yeah I do.”

“You know what lets go out for coffee, get some fresh air. It’s a beautiful day and I need to get out of this place anyways.” Kenzo put down the espresso pods, throwing on a hat to hold back the blonde bangs from his eyes, and headed for the front door.

“You coming?”

***

The cool January breeze whispered through the air, its cool start leaving evidence of a frigid day. It whistled as it conjected through the crevices and spaces of the city, a formidable force set on arriving at its destination. The trees lining the streets lay barren, their leaves long gone, with only the memories of what once was remaining. Shadows from skyscrapers painted the road a muted gray, shrouding the environment with an artificial darkness. New Years Day was in full force, yet it didn’t feel any new than the years before.

As Lucius and Kenzo passed through the doorway of Sunbucks, the caramelized aroma immediately permeated the air, settling the tension just a little bit, just enough. The amber lighting gently illuminated the room, casting warm reflections upon every surface. Concrete pillars paired with pale oak furniture and birch underlighting created an October interior, as if stepping inside a time capsule of a place long gone. The season of autumn perpetually existed there, regardless of the changing world.

“Go have a seat, I’ll get us the usual.” Kenzo walked up to the counter, giving the cashier a friendly smile and ordered their drinks.

Lucius sat at a booth by a window, its surface ornate with sigils representing the stages of the sun as it moved through its endless cycle. The next week was free from school and responsibilities, but he hadn’t put much thought into how to fill his time. Right now, lying around doing nothing didn't sound all that bad.

“Drink up.” Kenzo slid the mugs across the table, taking an opposite seat at the booth. Lucius gave the mug a quick glance, unsure if he even had an appetite for coffee.

“Last night was rough, I definitely had too much. Its all a blur, I can’t even remember anything.”

“You’re dad came by, did you see him?” Lucius recalled his interaction with Mr. Cavalli.

“What he was there?” Kenzo groaned. “I told him to text me before he shows up, I hate how he just keeps on barging in.”

Kenzo’s phone buzzed, hesitant to pick it up in case he somehow conjured up his father’s presence just by speaking of him. Flipping his phone screen up, ANGIE flashed across the screen in bold text. The relief of it not being his father was quickly replaced by the remembrance of their past interaction.

“Oh god is she still mad at me. I told her I’m sorry for skipping her cousin’s bridal shower, family gatherings like that just aren’t my thing.” Kenzo flipped his phone back over, making a mental note to take her on a night out as some form of an apology.

“You guys have been arguing a lot, everything okay?” This exchange of relationship tension had been a common event for Lucius to witness, usually trying his best to stay out of it.

“Yeah we’re fine, this is just what we do. We’re both used to playing this game. What about you though, its been a while since you’ve been in a serious relationship.” Kenzo’s eyes looked fired up with excitement at the idea of setting Lucius up with someone. “Angie knows a lot of girls from her school, we could link you up with some of them.”

Lucius immediately mentally pushed the idea aside, having no interest in repeating past mistakes anytime soon. “I appreciate the offer, but really I’m good. I got too much stuff going on, I can’t waste time on a relationship right now.”

Kenzo leaned back in the booth, a subtle frown graced his lips. “I…know you don’t want to talk about it. But it wasn’t your fault. How could you have known, what were you supposed to do? I…I’m sure L…”

“Don’t say her name.” Lucius gave a firm head shake, unable to look at Kenzo directly. A million memories raced through his head and his heartrate soared into the triple digits, all out of instinct, out of habit. His chest tightened like a malicious hand was squeezing the life out of his heart, a demonic grasp wrapped around his throat. He hands were clenched into a fist under the table, knuckles turning white and finger nails digging into his palms, drawing blood and dripping down.

Kenzo immediately regretted even mentioning it, and his eyes fluttered as he scoured for a new topic to wipe away the last 30 seconds. “Oh right last night. The doorman said you came back pretty late, what happened?”

It briefly crossed Lucius’s mind to tell him everything, the unease that remained with him and the surrealness of what he saw. They had always been transparent with each other, never a need to keep secrets. But no, this time it felt different. It felt like something he needed to figure out on his own.

“I just needed some fresh air, the strobe lights we’re giving me a headache. And you could have done without the smoke machine suffocating the place” Lucius said, telling part of the truth.

Kenzo half smiled, “At this point does anything really surprise you?”

Lucius glanced down at his coffee for the first time since it was brought to him, wrapping his fingers around the matte gray handle. He peered into the dark liquid, just vaguely making out his own reflection, and took his first sip.

“No, nothing does.”