It was a full circle back at Brew Story Café. Right where Kian reunited with his crush after two long years of separation.
Kian never believed in magic, but as he watched Enzo on the stage setting up an old set of drums, which Simone pulled out from the backroom, he confirmed its existence.
Brew Story was once a frequent venue for open mics and Karaoke nights. That ended when Simone's boyfriend cum business partner cheated on him, and he had to look after the expenses of the café all by himself.
Except for today. Today was special. And all because of a charming drummer, Enzo Santiago. When Kian pulled Enzo for a quick kiss before their planned coffee date, his back hit the dust-ridden drums, and the musical instrument ended up on the stage. The stage was the corner of the café created by shifting the tables around.
However, with Enzo behind the drums and his midnight eyes sparkling with the raw energy of music, any corner could turn into a concert stage.
Enzo's attention was on Kian when he ordered their iced latte and settled on the couch facing the stage. It was a beautiful sight to watch Enzo playing the drums with those long fingers clad in silver rings. Ever since Kian confessed his true feelings to the boy, he felt less burdened. It's the freedom he had been craving for years.
He raised his hand, fingers fluttering alongside his stomach as Enzo gave him that devastating, charm-filled grin and then meandered between the tables, coming straight for Kian, raking a hand through his black curls.
"Wish me luck, Kiki. I'm going to play this track for the first time, and you know who I am playing it for." He winked, bending down to whisper into dazed Kian's ear.
"Guess I'm about to find out." Kian licked his lips, then let his eyes roam over the black shirt clinging to Enzo's chest. It was indeed for the best to make a quick detour to his music van and let him get ready for their coffee date. Kian's eyes sparkled when they reached the boy's face. "Also, you don't need luck, just those skilled fingers, and your spirit. The stage is yours, Enz."
Enzo picked up the iced latte, took a big gulp, and before Kian could reach up to wipe the line of sweat on Enzo's upper lip, he stalked back through the tables and finished setting up.
Taking a seat on the stool behind the dusty drums, Enzo adjusted the mic stand. "Hey, everybody. I'm Enzo, and the guy sitting at the front table is Kian. I'm gonna play this track for him and you, is that all right?" He had everyone's attention, followed by applause and weird glances towards Kian. Guess this world is not so short of homophobes after all.
"Yeah, I know he's handsome, guys, but he is off limits. Also, those mesmerizing dimples on his cheeks are only mine to kiss. Anyway, we're gonna play 'Strawberries & Cigarettes' originally by Troye Sivan. This arrangement that I'm playing though, is put together by me. I wish playing it over the soft drum beats will give it as much justice as possible, but this one is for one and only Kian Advani. So, yeah. It's kind of our music. Hope you like it."
There's more applause, and Kian only focused on the encouraging ones, not the ones that made their love unwelcomed in public. It would probably be them against the world, and that's nothing less than epic.
All the voices faded in the background as Enzo began the choppy drum sequence. Kian was giddy with excitement and pride when Enzo finally picked up the beat, and a deep, thunderous rumble vibrated throughout the café. Then he brought in the verse locking gazes with Kian. He realized Enzo was singing that for him, only him. They might be in front of a crowd of a hundred or so people, but they were completely alone when he delivered the lines of the song.
Remember when you taught me fate
Said it'd all be worth the wait
Like that night in the back of the cab
When your fingers walked in my hand
Next day, nothin' on my phone
But I can still smell you on my clothes
Always hoping things would change
But we went right back to your games
With his eyes closed, lips right over the mic, and magical fingers playing the drums, Enzo drowned the entire room with his hypnotizing, gravel-stained timbre.
Watching Enzo perform on stage was an indescribable joy that Kian felt every single time. It was somehow being pulled into his world uninvited, and Kian didn't even mind getting locked away forever for trespassing because it had become his favorite thing now.
The next few minutes were Enzo, capturing the audience with his charm and oh-so-mesmerizing music track. It mostly had drum beats, but every time he sang a line or two, Kian's heart fluttered, wild and untamed.
And even if I run away
Give my heart a holiday
Still strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you
You always leave me wanting more
I can't shake my hunger for
Strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you
Yeah, they always taste like you
You
Long nights, daydreams
With that sugar and smoke rings
Always taste like you
By the time he finished the track, Kian was in tears. Happy tears, again. Shaken to the point of tingling, he found himself standing at the foot of the stage where Enzo was perched on a stool behind his drums, his tongue dry and his heart thumping loudly against his chest.
His soul-deep voice, accompanied by his poetic smile directed towards Kian and Kian alone as he ended the track with an ending clash on the cymbal, had warmth unfurling in Kian's heart.
And staring at his midnight charcoal eyes, Kian finally accepted that not even time or distance could set them apart. Like stars in the constellation, they were always part of the same cosmos, fated to be bound together in a glittery combination.
As if he could read Kian's mind, Enzo leaped off his stool and crushed himself against Kian's chest, the drumsticks hard at the back of his neck, and kissed him deeply, in public, in front of everyone. That's how Enzo loved, wild and without a care in the world. And maybe that's why Kian was so deep in love with the boy. He tangled his hand in Kian's hair at the nape, pulling away from the kiss and resting his forehead against Kian.
"I take it you loved the track?" Enzo asked, whispering in his ear.
Kian could only nod and pull away from his embrace reluctantly so that they could finally enjoy their coffee date without caring about anything else.
***
The night air was tepid, the streets quieting down as they weaved through the road to the residential streets that surrounded it.
Thoughts of separation were pressing into Kian's mind. The fact that they were heading to Enzo's tour bus, and soon he would be saying goodbye to Kian, caved his heart just a little bit with every step they took. Thoughts about how long he would have to wait to be with his lover again, fearing if he ever even would.
Enzo chased those thoughts away as he veered towards the playground and jumped through the low fencing. Before Kian could warn him about the guard doing the rounds, Enzo was back but with a daisy. "Come here."
"Am I your girlfriend now?" Kian joked with a smirk as Enzo slid the stem behind Kian's ear and smiled sweetly at him.
"No, you're my boyfriend now." He held Kian's face in his palms and brushed his thumbs over his cold cheeks, his eyes sparkling under the moonlight. "You better not be freaking out."
Kian blinked at him, visibly shocked and feeling like a 16-year-old nerd all over again with colored cheeks. "Boyfriend?"
"You don't want to be boyfriends?" Enzo frowned, wetting his lips and looking nervous, his breaths coming fast. "I agree it's all too sudden and mostly random, but this thing between us is important to me. I can't even tell you how much I have been trying to fight myself over it for the past two years. I think I can't see with someone else the way you're with me. So, yeah. I want to make this official, bind our hearts together."
Kian soaked in every single word coming out of Enzo's mouth or probably his heart and felt them fade the ache in his own heart, which never seemed to go away no matter how close he held Enzo. It was always so bittersweet. But isn't that exactly how true love feels?
After a moment of silently looking up at Enzo with his heart pounding against his chest, Kian tipped Enzo's chin up, his breathing sharp and choppy as his eyes coasted into Enzo's. "There's nothing in this world I want more than being a permanent part of your life, Enz. You've no idea how much I want to be your boyfriend. So, my answer is yes. Yes, I want us to be boyfriends."
"You kind of scared me for a second there," Enzo chuckled, taking a step closer to Kian, the tip of their shoes touching, and just stared into Kian's eyes. The fire in his gaze told him how serious this was for the boy. "You know, I always felt we have a strong connection since the day I met you, Kiki. There were moments when your dimpled smile popped in front of my eyes while I kissed one of my many girlfriends, and I hid them in the darkest corner of my heart. I thought it was a side effect of us being best friends and inseparable. But now, when I think about it, I was into you all along. I was just so stupid."
"No, you're not stupid," Kian murmured, his eyes already turning glassy due to Kian's confession. "You're just dumb."
They both laughed at that. But soon, the laughter died out, and all that remained was harsh breathing and the sultry night breeze filtering through their hair. Enzo reached first, his lips a passionate whisper against Kian's trembling ones, and they kissed a silent promise of togetherness. "You know that I will come back to you, right?"
"Yes, or maybe this time I will come to you. Either way, we will always find our way back to each other no matter the time and the distance." Kian breathed right across Enzo's lips. "This is not a goodbye, Enz. I promise you that."
"It better not be." Enzo winked, and Kian had to pinch his lips to keep from smiling like a lovesick guy. He did anyway. Enzo and his flirtatious wink was his undoing. "You should know I'm a very clingy lover. Not letting my boyfriend slip away that easily. Especially when I hadn't had my fill of him."
Kian reached up and brushed his fingers over Enzo's cheek. "Good. I haven't had my fill of you either, and I'm sure I would never have enough of you and not crave more."
They rested their foreheads against each other, and the rest of the world faded around them. Only their heartbeats and calm breathing seemed to assert their existence on the ground. It felt almost like they were in their own little Utopia.
"We should probably head to your tour bus. Your band must be waiting for you, and if we don't make it on time, they'll leave you behind." Kian mumbled, brushing away some curls falling over Enzo's brows.
Enzo smiled his playful smirk back in place. "And wouldn't you like that?"
Maybe, they'd end up together in the end, or they wouldn't. But for Kian, all that mattered was acceptance. Enzo brought that with his return, and it now belonged to Kian. They had come a long way to where they were now, and that in itself was a gift, a gift he would cherish for a lifetime.
"I would like that." Kian smiled, tugging the curls at the back of Enzo's neck. "But I would love to see you chase your stars."
***
Author's Note: If I could describe this chapter in one word it would be "Love" and yes this is probably one of my favorite chapters in this story. Earlier I had planned to finish 'Crush' in a ten part short story but we've come a long way since then. There's only an epilogue and a bonus chapter left, so please be on this journey a little longer. (Also, this chapter is very, very unedited but I promise to come back and fix those punctuations and any absurdity once I mark this story complete)
Hello there! If you are enjoying it so far, let me know your thoughts about the story.
Thank you so much for reading. Please add your comments and votes.