Delusional Latte

As the door closes behind him, he's left with nothing but his thoughts. The crucial moments replay in his mind, with each one only adding to his heart rate. The anxiety, the worries, the smiles, and the laughter, each a moment for both of them that would soon be known as the start of something new, whether it was just a new perspective on the delusions formed in times untold or something that would end, this moment mattered to both of them.

"Tsuks! YOU'RE NEVER GONNA BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TODAY!" Ori exclaimed as he spread his arms wide open, jumping into the mountain of plushies on his bed. Staring at the eyes of the doll that he had close to him, almost as if reliving the experience with the plushie. Flashes of time spent alone crumble at the memories of what had just happened.

Did that really just happen?

Did I really just spend the day with a GIRL!!!

"Calm down, Ori, it's not like it's going to happen again," he reassured himself, grasping the plushie's hand, almost as if trying to hold onto the moment.

"I shouldn't get myself worried about it...I'll only end up ruining it later down the line," Ori spoke softly, coaxing himself into a state of mind that he was all too familiar with, a state of mind that a person like him would probably call home.

Before this state of mind could grab a firm hold on him, his phone lit up with life, like a crack in a facade, or in this case, plushies, he reached out to see what could meet him at the other side. A single text message from a number that he had only just recently known shone like a lone star in the pitch-black sky.

Opening the notification, Ori begins to read the message, with each word, the suspense builds; each one only adding to the galaxy of feelings inside of him.

"Would you... like to meet up... for coffee?" Ori reads, his face lighting up with the realisation that this meeting wasn't the only star in the sky. His mind seems to clear, and the anxieties of whether or not he was somewhat normal dissipate.

"How do I reply?" He questions, obviously knowing the message he wants to send, but worries forged from fires of the past block his path. 

What would be the best way to reply?

Do I just say "That would be great!" or is that too casual?

Taking too long would also hurt my chances of being normal...

Guess I'll just go for it...

He squeezes the plush in his arms tighter as his anxiety begins to build with each letter he presses. "I'd love to get coffee! When and where would be best for you?" he types, immediately hitting send and hiding behind his plush.

Hiding with ambition and worry, Ori looks towards his phone and reads the reply...

"IT'S A YES!!!" Ori exclaims, causing an avalanche of Plushies that could have buried someone alive. Having a confirmed second act of this meeting means that all that was left was for time to tick away.

Ori would spend the next week talking to his plushies, making up scenarios so he had an answer to every possible scenario that could ever occur. Whether or not indulging in talking to plushies was a good thing or not, I guess only time would tell.

Ori stood in front of the coffee shop, the smell of coffee filling his lungs, and with each tick of time, anxiety began to build. His eyes aimed at the floor, hoping to avoid eye contact with anyone else, his grip tightened on the plushie attached to his jeans.

Slender black shoes adorned with a flower by the strap of each one crept into his view, and a soft voice spoke out.

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting long?" Hana asks, brushing a finger through the hair that flowed around her head.

"Oh no, you didn't keep me waiting, I just got here! You look lovely today!" Ori replied, cushioning his awkwardness with a compliment, after all, she did draw the eyes of many. Her skirt adorned with flowers, a light blue shirt lay under a hand-sewn jacket. All of which came together with the same earrings she wore at the convention. 

Before Hana could even think of a reply, Ori opened the door of the coffee shop with a smile on his face.

"Ladies first," He said, his eyes shining brightly as if he had just done something he'd longed to do for a while. The two of them enter the coffee shop and order lattes before they sit down and enjoy their time together.

Looking at both of them individually, one would never guess they would end up sharing a table, occasionally glancing into each other's eyes while laughing and telling stories of times long past.

"Say, Ori...Why do you like Tsuks so much?" Hana asks, leaning in as if to get closer to Ori's personal space.

"Hmmm, well, if I had to say one reason, it's probably because she's broken, but still beautiful", Ori replies, obviously aware that the character he had built a world around was indeed a work of fiction.

Leaning back into her seat, Hana seems taken aback by the words that came from his mouth. Her eyes glazed with release, almost as if what he just said was the key to something. 

They say the characters we're drawn to often hold a shard of ourselves. Hana leans on the table, fingers interlaced, leaving only the faintest sliver of space between them. "Do you see a part of yourself inside of Tsuks?" she asks.

Ori, hearing the question, lowers his gaze to the surface of his latte, staring into the faint reflection trembling in the foam. Both of them have been sipping their drinks, indulging in a shared delusion, fully aware of it, yet never once questioning why.

"Do I see a part of myself in Tsuks...?" Ori repeats, still studying the coffee as if the answer were hiding somewhere in the swirl of what he's been consuming.