Vanilla

Epilogue

"Well, I could make it a whole minute before that." His smile was professionally charming. Almost uncharacteristic of the very person he was only two years ago, swimming in the sea of new and novel. "I don't see how it is a problem."

He took his leave after a polite bow of his head, heading out the door and further down the hallway for the benches that lined the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked upon the statue garden. Meeting the gaze of several other students clad in their academic gowns, he was, by habit, able to pick out those on deliberate procrastination—wandering outside the waiting room to mingle around despite having had their lunches. A single glace their way was enough to convey a chilling message. Those of the graduating batch made the split-second, clever decision not to linger. The general movement had caused a decent stir amongst the others gathered outside the waiting room; and it was upon the turning of heads that the graduating batch's valedictorian recognized key figures who played significant, if not critical, roles throughout his academic journey.

"Nillie?" The girl three years his senior came towards him with open arms and at an alarming speed. This, he'd had to brace himself for. "Baby, please don't tell me you chose the pair of glasses you're wearing. Oh but whoever did your hair has good taste... maybe En should try that someday."

"It's not gonna suit people like me, Layla," Chen was much taller—shoulders, perhaps even broader—than he last remembered him to be. "And there's nothing wrong with his glasses."

They exchanged a round of greetings before jumping straight to the matter at hand: his much-anticipated valedictorian speech. After all, it was the main reason they'd returned in the first place. Layla Tenner was not the kind of person who had the luxury of time to attend graduation ceremonies every year when she had, upon her graduation, been offered a sous chef position at a world-renowned, Japanese-French rooftop dining experience in New York. Chen on the other hand, had been reluctant to settle on a specific plan in mind, which therefore somehow necessitated the many internships he'd completed before finally deciding, instead, to be furthering his patisserie studies back in Shanghai.

"Well, I must... admittedly, I wasn't expecting either of you to be here, let alone the both of you. At the same time, I mean. The—so you... there were flights, yes? Well of course there were, no one could possibly walk their way from... from halfway across the planet."

Chen laughed. "You don't seem thrilled. Guess I'm booking the first flight back." At once, the bespectacled bean was scrambling.

"No, no. Of course not. I mean, I am thrilled. It has been so long and I... I've heard how well all of you have been doing and... so I assume you're expecting a speech of great standard and I don't quite know what to feel about that, you see." He glanced down at the boxed lunch in his hands and noticed the ticking time. "That's all."

"We aren't here to put pressure on you, Nillie," Layla patted the space next to her and he obliged, snapping the lunchbox open and appreciating whoever designed the menu for it before tasting each component. "The reason why anyone would fly oceans across to see you is because you're special. And you so rightfully deserve the achievements you'd worked so hard for in school and today is... is the day us and other people celebrate that! So yes, we're here to um, send you off."

"That sounds both moving and um, not quite as reassuring, that is, about the term 'sending me off' um as though—"

"It kinda is a warzone," Chen had, in his years after graduation, developed an odd inclination towards likening his daily life to chaos and bloodshed. "But I'm not gonna be the one planting ideas in your head. You probably hear from Cox how bad it is, anyway."

Vanilla had paused at the name. His gaze slowed to a stop, resting upon a stray grain of cauliflower rice stuck to the back of his spoon. The pandan chicken beside it was incredibly fragrant, splendidly seasoned, perfectly cooked. His gaze returned.