.+. [ᴏʟᴅ] || ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ .+.

.+. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 5 .+.

.+. MADELEINE'S POV .+.

I watched as Espresso's eyes widen in shock. I smiled sincerely at him, letting out a soft chuckle doing so. He stared at me for a few minutes until he spoke.

"..B..utter..?" he muttered out. I took both of his hands, holding them from across the table. "Yes, Essie?"

What seemed to be tears welled up in his eyes as he slowly smiled back at me. "I've missed you so much..." He pulled away one of his hands to wipe his eyes. "You have... no idea how much I needed you.. for the past few years, I felt like I had lost one who had truly cared for me.."

He sat in silence for a moment, he smile fading. "I though you'd left me. For good. And we'd never see each other again..."

I let go of his hands and cupped his face. "Essie, I would never leave you forever. I made a promise." I sighed, staring into his beautiful eyes as he stared back at mine.

"It wasn't even my choice to leave or not. I've always had hope that I'd see you again someday. And now I've finally found you." I smiled at him. A faint blush started to appear on his face.

"Butter, don't leave me again.. please.." He whispered. "I won't, Espresso. I'll always stay by your side and protect you. Even if it means losing my own life. I promise this time." I replied to him, lifting his hand and kissing his knuckles.

He blushed and looked away for a second, then turned to face me, crossing his arms. "Don't you dare say that again. I can't risk losing you again...!" He shook his head and drifted his gaze to the side rather than looking at me.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Essie. But I don't want you to get hurt. You have no idea how much you mean to me." I responded to him. Espresso mumbled something quietly and then blushed a little.

Gosh, he was so cute! I am blessed by the Divine that I am able to see him again. I smiled happily as Espresso looked at me, slightly tilting his head with a curious expression.

Soon after, a familiar leafy haired cookie came to our table with our drinks. "Oh, hello, Espresso! Hello, Madeleine!" Herb greeted us in a bright tone as he set down our drinks for us. Espresso immediately pulled his hands away from mine, setting them on his lap.

"Greetings, Herb! I didn't expect you to be working here. How are you, my friend?" I said, taking a small sip of my frappuccino. "I just applied for this job a while ago hehe! My work hours are at noon and the evenings. How are you and Espresso?"

"We're doing fine, thank you." Espresso replied, in a calm voice. "How's Vampire and Sparkling?"

"They're doing fine. We've been trying to get Vampire to stop drinking as much, but it's no use. Either way, I still love the both of them!" Herb looked over at another table and nodded at them.

"It was nice talking to you two! I must go serve the other costumers now. Goodbye! Have fun together!" Herb waved at us and then headed to the other tables. I smiled and waved back, then turned to look at Espresso.

Espresso was drinking his coffee and looking out the window. I admired him from across the table, his hair was so fluffy-looking and he looked absolutely stunning. He suddenly turned from the window and stood up from the table.

"Maddie, let's take a walk around the kingdom..." He held his coffee closer to his chest and looked at the window. I picked up my frappe and stood up as well. Wait- Did he just...? I felt my cheeks warming up a little.

"Espresso, did you just call me 'Maddie'?" I asked him, my voice showing a little bit of excitement. I watched as his eyes widened and his face flushed.

"Shut up, Madeleine. That was an accident okay?! Don't get any ideas. Let's go." Espresso walked out of the café as I followed behind him.

"Essie... Is it alright if I hangout with you again tomorrow after I finish my duties?" I looked at him nervously, expecting him to say no. He looked as if he was thinking for a moment.

"...I don't mind. As long as you don't interrupt me from my studies, I suppose." He looked away and took a long sip of his coffee. I smiled, knowing that he enjoyed my company as he once did when he was younger.

I had always liked Espresso since I was little, but I was scared that if he found out, he might not want to be friends anymore. Plus, I had started building that mindset since my father was homophobic. I was afraid everyone wouldn't accept me for who I was. What if Espresso hates me even more if he found out..?

I let out a sigh and smiled at everyone that I passed by. Be perfect, Madeleine. Keep smiling. I felt Espresso tug on my arm and pointed towards a park. I looked over to see Latte kissing Raspberry's cheek with then laughing together.

"There's Latte with her girlfriend." He laughed lightly. Man, his laugh is so cute. He rarely ever laughs or smiles now that he's older..

"Madeleine, shall we go say hi to them?" He looked up at me. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight as I stared back at him. "Sure! Let us go to the park!"

Espresso and I headed towards Latte and Raspberry, who were giggling and giving each other small kisses. They didn't seem to notice us.

"Hello, Latte." Espresso spoke, which had scared the two females. "Ess! I didn't see you haha!" She let go of Raspberry's hands, blushing and then looked at me. "Oh, hello, Madeleine!" Raspberry waved at me and smiled. I smile back.

"Latte, I see you've finally found yourself a girlfriend." Espresso poked Latte jokingly while Latte was completely flustered.

"I knew you've had a crush on her!" Espresso said, teasing his half sister, who was a blushing mess at this point. Raspberry chuckled. "Espresso, stop teasing Latte! We both know very well that you li- HMpHmH!!"

He suddenly ran over to Raspberry and covered her mouth. He shook his head and looked at me. Raspberry seemed to have gotten his message while Latte burst out laughing.

"What's so funny? What are you guys talking about?" I asked bewildered. I wonder who Essie likes?

Latte stopped laughing and smiled at me "It's nothing you need to worry about, Mads! I'm sure Ess will tell you when he feels comfortable." Raspberry nodded in agreement as Espresso sighed, blushing a little.

"Alright, I think I should head home now." Espresso grabbed his now empty coffee cup and threw it away in the trash nearby. "I'm coming with you, Espresso." Latte said, holding Raspberry's hands.

Me, Latte, and Raspberry followed Espresso to his house chatting and sharing laughs along the way. It felt good to know that Espresso had a half sister who was lesbian and he didn't mind at all. In fact, he supported it too.

It made me feel better and more relaxed about my own sexuality, but I didn't know how to tell Espresso I had liked him. So, I just decided to stay quiet about it for now.

Maybe, just maybe, there was a small chance that he might just like me back.

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new chapter woohoo! If yall got a notif that I published chapter 5 earlier today, I accidentally fell asleep while writing it and somehow published it so ignore that😭💀
I also updated the cover of the book! Yay! I might redo it since I don't like it but ig I'll just have to stick to that for now. Hope yall are enjoying this so far!!💞

1252 Words.