(Originally made 3rd July 2023)
Latte wasn't dumb. In fact, she would argue she was the exact opposite. But apparently in the eyes of her best friend, Espresso Cookie, she must be the dumbest person alive as he continued to refuse that he is pining for the one and only lavish and rich man; Madeleine Cookie.
He must've thought that she's dumb enough to not notice the longing looks from across the room, the yearning sighs Espresso let's out, the loving paragraphs he tells her. To be honest, she's been very good at tuning them all out until now.
But today, today is her last straw. As she watched Espresso reluctantly talk to Madeleine, an obviously fake sneer planted on his face as Madeleine was all over him like some sort of puppy. Their two auras were complete opposites yet they fit together like destined puzzle pieces. But too bad they're too blind to see their feelings that they enjoy hiding so much.
That's why Latte has to be their glasses. The glasses of truth.
♡
Espresso knew when something was wrong, and from the second he saw that vanilla-haired, blue eyed, sword wielding, cape-swinging man from across the room of his office, he knew he would be the worst mistake Espresso will ever make.
Did he care? Yes.
...No.
Look, if it's just one time that your eyes float to him like metals to magnets, that's a coincidence. If it's a second time that you're lying in bed (fully dressed and sleep deprived) and imagine those stupid muscles snuggling you into a deep slumber, it's an accident. If it's three times you're imagining the feel of his lips on yours... maybe you are torturing yourself with this guy on purpose.
But no matter, Espresso thought as he walked through the halls of his office building, as long as he doesn't see him or make any eye contact with him, there will be a 99.9% he will not think of Madeleine Cookie.
As he opened the hard wooden door of his office, his mind immediately disregarded the previous comment.
There, in his office, a curious Madeleine Cookie carefully poked at some beakers full of scorching hot coffee. He inspected them heavily as he brought the beaker up to his nose and took an experimental sniff of the thick liquid. Espresso snapped out of his gaze as he angrily pulled the other away from his desk full of coffee.
"What in the name of Earthbread are you doing?!" Espresso asked, anger filling his voice. He snatched away the beaker from the other's hand who greeted him with an apologetic but joyful smile.
"Espresso Cookie!" He barked gleefully like a foolish puppy. Espresso couldn't help but roll his eyes at Madeleine's adorable personality.
Espresso pulled his body away from the other, trying his best to seem cold even though the other felt so warm. Like a comforting fireplace on a frosty winter's night. Espresso inspected the beaker, trying to preserve the contents inside. He sighed as he realised everything was the same.
"Coffee..." Madeleine stated as he looked over Espresso's shoulder. He jumped in surprise, "Interesting."
Espresso rolled his eyes at Madeleine's lack of words. He carefully placed the beaker at its rightful place as he tried to ignore Madeleine's hypnotising aura of sugar.
"Never knew." Espresso responded sarcastically, "That's why I've dedicated my whole life studying it." He flung open his drawer as he navigated his overflowing notebook.
"Wow, that's so smart of you!" Madeleine gushed lovingly. Espresso flushed maroon at the sudden praise from his hated crush, "And look at your notebook! It's practically overflowing, rich with knowledge and-"
"What do you want, Madeleine?" Espresso interrupted. He was trying to sound annoyed by Madeleine's love for him, but in reality, he never wanted him to stop. He was hungry for his love. He craved it so bad.
"Well..." Madeleine suddenly grew silent as he looked around the room, his face a bright shade of red. Espresso looked at the boiling coffee, supposing it is quite hot in the room. He blew out the flame. They stood there in silence for a few minutes.
"Well?" Espresso said through gritted teeth. Espresso didn't mind the silence, it was just that he was losing confidence by the second and was beginning to feel lightheaded for multiple reasons.
Madeleine reached into his back pocket and pulled out a deep brown pencil with a carved coffee bean by the rubber side. The rubber itself was covered and held by a golden metal and looked rather new. In fact, the whole pencil looked unused.
"Latte came to my house yesterday." Madeleine explained as he carefully held the pencil. Espresso carefully nodded as if to say to continue, "she said you left this at a table you two were reading at."
Espresso checked the pencil again. He was rather suspicious of that alibi. First off, if that was his pencil, he would think it would be more used. Rather beaten up. But this one was pristine. Absolutely clean. And if Latte gave this to Madeleine, why didn't she give it herself?
Then again, Espresso was extremely sleep deprived the past few days and everything around him is usually scattered and scrambled once he actually gets some form of rest. So it could be possible that this was his pencil or Madeleine was lying and was giving him someone else's pencil.
Either way, he's not passing down a free pencil.
"Right." He said hesitantly, holding the pencil as if it were to explode. The pencil was smooth to the touch but Madeleine's hands (or fingertips) were rough and calloused with such a gentle touch.
Espresso imagined what it would be like to have those hands on the cave of his neck, on his rose tinted cheeks. Maybe they would smell of cinnamon and powdered sugar when Espresso dug his nose into those careful hands. Maybe they would stroke his hair so delicately or travel down his body, silk meeting stone, as they wrap around his waist and-
"Espresso?" Madeleine carefully shook the other cookie out of his daydream. Espresso quickly swallowed his spit down his throat as he looked at the other. Madeleine had a confused look on his face as those blue eyes taunted Espresso. He growled silently, "Are you okay?"
"I would be if you weren't here!" Espresso responded rather angrily as he looked away, he leaned on the table looking away from the blinding Cookie in front of him. Madeleine Cookie looked at him strangely and Espresso's heart almost stopped as he saw him walk closer.
But not before tripping onto Espresso.
The weak wooden table shook as the cookie fell onto the other, two pairs of hands meeting on the wooden surface. Espresso could feel Madeleine's breath on his face as their noses were so close to touching.
And, oh god, Madeleine was better than Espresso ever imagined.
Madeleine's hands felt so much thicker than Espresso's as he pinned them down the roughness of the wood. They were a fine contrast to Espresso's smooth, slim hands. Espresso wanted to memorise every single bump and wrinkle in those hands. Each journey and story. Espresso didn't know how those hands could tell such a mesmerising tale.
And Madeleine's scent. Espresso could write so many descriptive paragraphs and novels about that addictive scent. It was like a fine wine, it became better the more you left it out. And Espresso had left it out for long enough as he lavished in the clean smell of shampoo that lingered in Madeleine's hair. Or that sweet, sugary scent that was sure to give Espresso a cavity as he continued to breathe in the delicious aura of the man in front of him.
Espresso inspected every single detail of Madeleine's face. How his pale blonde hair hangs down from his head like a silky veil and how his skin was flawless with so many scars. He wanted to touch them. He wanted to study them like coffee magic.
But this study would only be for him.
They stayed untouched silence for a while, simply just trying to solve the puzzle of what just happened. Madeleine's whole face morphed into something more disturbed as the final piece found its place.
"AGH!" Madeleine quickly reacted as he took a large step back away from the scene. His face was a bright red. At the same time, Espresso finally realised the issue and squirmed onto the table with a disgusted look on his face, horrified at his previous thoughts. A red flush flooded his face too.
"Oh-" Madeleine stuttered, embarrassed, "Sorry about that Espresso."
Why are you sorry, a small part of Espresso's mind taunted, You put me in a daze better than any coffee.
He shunned the feelings down deeper into his head.
Espresso suddenly remembered that he should be disturbed and not disappointed by the rush of the fall. He quickly changed his distracted face to one of a grimace, trying to show clear anger in his face. However, he still couldn't contain his blush.
Espresso tried to grab words from his head that were logical enough to be a reaction.
"Just..." Espresso growled with an uncomfortable blush on his face, "Get out!" He screamed as he shoved the large man out of the comically small doorway to his office. At least, he made it look small.
Finally pushing him out, Espresso quickly slammed the hard spruce door, the sound echoing the room. Espresso didn't know he couldn't get any hotter, but it felt like he was being boiled alive by his own feelings. He buried his face in his hands as he leaned against the door. He could still feel Madeleine's hands ghosting his palms. A single question played on loop in his brain.
What the hell was that?!
♡
Madeleine stood stunned outside of Espresso's door. He seemed to freeze as he recalled every touch and breath in that moment.
He recalled what his hands felt like on Espresso's hands. They felt fragile, like glass. As if Espresso would break from one little touch. As if he was tense and ready to attack. But all Madeleine wanted to do was comfort him, hug him, be with him.
But that was wrong. Espresso hated him. So no matter how rich and silky his scent was, or how his hair was like a swirl of beautiful cotton and how Madeleine wanted to spend the rest of his days pampering him and relishing in his design, he knew that it wouldn't be right.
However, this didn't stop him from overheating at the sheer thought of the experience. The drug of unrequited love was painful, but absolutely addictive.
He roughly ran his hands through his blonde hair before reluctantly walking away from the door, rushing down the hall in a quick speed walk.
His brain shouted at him like endless self deprecating reporters, pushing him down. His thoughts had never been so loud before as if they were screaming in his face.
While his brain threw insult after insult at him, he didn't realise the person in front of him until after he bumped into them.
Crashing out of his spiral of worry, he looked up at the person in front of him, an apology ready on his lips, but then disappearing as he looked at a rather frazzled Latte as she straightened her hat and ran her hands through her hair.
His eyes widened, "Latte! My apologies, dear!" Madeleine said in a happily apologetic voice. Latte looked up at him and seemed to pause, her face stuck on the same expression. After a few seconds pass, she smiles a smile of bottled sunshine.
"Madeleine!" Latte reciprocated, "No, don't worry! It's fine!" She beamed harder as she looked at Madeleine, it almost looked forced.
"Oh, alright." Madeleine responded awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck. They stood there is a sugary silence before Latte spoke up.
"Well, um," she laughed, the tension around her thick, "I should probably get going."
Madeleine hummed as she waved a goodbye at him as she walked past him. His eyes flicked over at her.
"Are you free tonight?" Madeleine said suddenly, the tension breaking like glass. He turned to Latte who was completely still before slowly turning to him with a glare of confusion and concern.
They stand silently in a whole new tension, one of sweaty palms and tense muscles. Madeleine felt his heart doing a whole marathon around his lungs as they felt like shrivelled paper bags.
Madeleine had little to no idea where or why that came out of his mouth. He had just suddenly come up with the idea that maybe Latte would be a good enough distraction from Espresso. She was close enough to the man he was oh so infatuated with. And Madeleine would take what he could get.
Though he knew it wasn't right.
Latte's face shifted through all the 5 stages of grief. She stayed on a furrowed brow for a while before suddenly becoming warm, a stark constrast to her mood only a few minutes ago. She beamed and turned her whole body towards him. From this angle, Madeleine could see how she stood so proudly.
"Yes!" She shouted cheerfully. Oh god, she's excited for their date. Madeleine is a terrible person. He asked out such a lovely girl just to get over some guy. He's the worst person ever.
Madeleine looked at her dumbly for a few seconds before the power turned back on in his mind, he tried his best to muster up a confident smile though his feelings being practically the opposite.
"Cool! I know a restaurant a few minutes away." Madeleine explained, smiling way too hard, he tilted his head, "How about 6:30?"
Latte opened her eyes as they stared right into his. He reminded himself this was the closest thing to Espresso he could get, trying to cheer himself up but instead bringing himself down farther into the deep end.
She took feverish steps closer to him, shy and timid. Carefully, she placed her whole hand high up on his arm, almost touching his shoulder. She smiled harder at him, but her smile was smooth.
"I'll be there." She replied as she kept her hand there. The touch felt strange to Madeleine like it didn't belong there, but he wouldn't tell her that. He just smiled, pulling himself farther into the quicksand. He let out a quick nod. She giggled, as she traced her hand down his muscles all the way to his hands. The touch almost made him squirm. She gave it a firm squeeze.
"Can't wait." She smirked as she turned, her milky hair following her like strands of silk in the non existent wind in the hallway.
When she left, Madeleine didn't flush. In fact, he felt like what he did was taboo, as if he was cheating. This didn't feel anything like Espresso, he thought guiltily. He was just playing with the feelings of some girl he didn't like like he did Espresso. And not only a girl, a really sweet, sympathetic, and kind girl.
God, he's the worst. Just the worst person ever.
♡
Latte had no interest in Madeleine, she just knew he was watching.
She smirked.
♡
That. Bitch.
Espresso was standing in the midst of two broken test tubs on the stone floor with his shoes covered in thick unmixed coffee, his hands still positioned where the tubes once were. He didn't care for the glass on the floor or the whiplash of the sound, he did not hear what he just heard.
Look, putting a hearing charm on your crush isn't that bad, Espresso reasoned. In fact, that's how Espresso got most of his domestic daydreams. The hearing charm would reveal how Madeleine's laugh was deep and hearty. How the way he comforts people is soft and gentle, like they'd almost break under pressure and he's handling them like an ancient antique. How when he has regular conversations with regular cookies, he speaks in a heroic way but when he's alone with someone he cares about he turns down. Like a volume dial.
And god, how Espresso wished he was one of those people. How he wished Madeleine loved him enough to treat him like that instead of some random girl or in this case;
Latte Cookie.
Anger sped through Espresso's veins as his grip tightened on the broom in his hands that rather aggressively swept up the broken glass and coffee.
It was just so unexpected, is what Espresso would say. It was nowhere near unusual, Espresso would regularly hear Madeleine's cheesy comments to random girls and he would get a thrill of envy in his veins. But what he did to Latte, it was unexpected. Madeleine and Latte never seemed close and the fact Latte accepted it so desperately is what made Espresso's body boil with jealousy.
He wanted to kill her. Espresso knew that it was Madeleine's life but god, how he felt so disgusted by how Madeleine wouldn't even think of his feelings. Does he not feel gross?
Does he not think of Espresso?
The thought made Espresso scratch the table so hard that the nail print was clean on the wooden table. Espresso felt rage pulse through his head.
And the worse part about it was that he couldn't do a single thing about it. That would make him a terrible friend. But god, how he wished he could just place his hands on Madeleine's chest plate and feel the cold metal against his face, or place Madeleine's arm around his waist, or rather flash his gold and silver ring on his finger given to him by the man himself.
...You can tell he's been thinking about this a lot.
His point is, if Madeleine dated him, he would keep him safe. And hey, at least he wouldn't have to flirt with girl after girl.
Because he's sure he'll be enough. Maybe even more.
♡
"Espresso!" Madeleine cheered running to the man who sat silently under a blossoming tree.
"Madeleine Cookie."
Madeleine felt as if a spear pierced through his heart. He was taken aback all the way back to the Republic. He got an insane amount of whiplash from Espresso, who he considered his hypothetical lover, calling him by his full cookie name.
His smile immediately faltered as he stopped in his tracks as he dug through the deepest depths of his brain to try and make a conclusion of what he did wrong.
"Espresso?" Madeleine said more worriedly, a weak smile still plastered on his face trying to redeem himself for something he doesn't even know, "A-are you alright?" He gave out an awkward laugh.
Espresso stayed silent with the same irritation spread out on his face. His brows were furrowed as he looked at the book intensely. His eyes weren't even moving. He was just staring at the page with an unnamed anger.
Oh crap.
This was about him holding his hand, wasn't it? Oh god, he knew Espresso would hate him. In fact, he wouldn't even be shocked if he despised him! He deserves to be treated so terribly. He felt his heart strain as he grew stiff and tense as he waited with sweaty palms for a flicker of a reaction from Espresso.
Espresso shut his heavy book with a loud thud, making Madeleine flinch slightly. He finally looked up at Madeleine, and his eyes felt like they were powered with the fire from hell. Madeleine felt hotter than he was in the oven. Sweat practically shone off his face.
"I am." He said, his voice prickly like needles. Madeleine felt his chest tighten so hard that all of the air in his lungs got pushed out in one go, making him hack and cough violently. But still, Espresso looked at him with an irritated grimace.
Madeleine shivered as he felt Espresso's stare cut through his chest, he tried to smile, "A-are you sure?" He tried to laugh but instead let out a terrified whimper.
Espresso only hummed in response as he pushed past Madeleine's shoulder, making him stumble harder than he should. As Madeleine stabilised himself, he looked behind him just to see Espresso practically gliding away in a fast speed walk.
How does he still look so flawless when he's seething, Madeleine thought helplessly. He leaned against the tree, stressed and worried. He fiddled with a strand of his hair.
He tried to remind himself that, no. It shouldn't matter to him if Espresso is mad. He's probably mad at something else entirely. It's not fair that Madeleine is feeling so much sympathy for someone who doesn't even like him.
But on the other hand, he just wants to see Espresso happy. Or just okay. He wants to please him. To make him smile. He wants to be the reason Espresso wants to get up, go to work, and just smile everyday. He wants to be there for him.
But he can't do that if Espresso doesn't like that. And there's nothing worse than meddling with Espresso's feelings for his own selfish needs.
So for now, he should just leave Espresso alone. It'd make Espresso happy.
Yeah. That's the only thing he can do. There's no more time for slip ups. He's on thin ice.
♡
Latte knew what she did wasn't smart. But at the same time, it wasn't all that dumb. She knew how easily jealous Espresso gets whenever Madeleine so much as looks at another cookie. And she also knows about his little listening secret.
Look, Latte has little to no interest in Madeleine. And she knew he didn't either. He was totally head over heels for Espresso. And so was Espresso. But they don't want to ruin the perfectly good 'hatred' they have for eachother. Well, for Espresso at least. Latte has no idea why Madeleine is such a chicken.
Speaking of Madeleine, Latte sees the worried look on the cookie's face as he walks down the hallway, scratching the back of his neck.
She was walking to Espresso's office just behind Madeleine. She wanted to see how he was doing and how good he is at acting like everything is okay after she literally asked out his biggest crush.
But she wouldn't mind adding a bit of salt to the wound.
Quickly, she rushed to Madeleine, almost tackling him as she gripped firmly onto his muscle. She could feel him tense. As he slightly stumbled back from the impact.
He turned to her, defensive at first, then became awkward as he smiled at her. She practically looked up at him with a smile that could only be replicated with bottled sunshine. She could see the guilt spreading on his face. Not for him, but for her.
"Hey Madeleine!" She said sweetly, really extending Madeleine's name. He smiled tightly.
"Hello Latte, my dear!" He said, obviously confused on what he's saying. She tried her best not to start rolling on the floor laughing at the nickname, instead she painted her face with a sweet and surprised expression.
"Madeleine!" She teased as she laughed, subtlety leading him to Espresso's door, "Buy me dinner first!"
Latte smirked as she saw him try to force a smile on his face, "I will!" He joked as he hid his cringe behind a smile, "At 6:30!"
Latte laughed as she pushed open Espresso's unnecessarily heavy door, the door thudding loudly as it hit the wall, making their presence known as they laughed together.
"Ah, Latte, you're here. Now's a good time to tell you-" Espresso froze as he looked at Madeleine, his sullen expression immediately turning sour as he furrowed his brow at Madeleine, who looked at the other like a question that needed solving. Latte knew it would stay like this until one of them spoke which would never happen. So she decided to rip the bandaid off immediately.
"Hey Espresso!" She smiled purely, "I hope you don't mind that I have Madeleine with me!" Madeleine chuckled lightly but his voice was hard as stones.
Espresso glared at Madeleine harshly, he turned to Latte, plastering on a fake smile.
"Of course!" He said through gritted teeth, "Anytime." His smile faltered into an annoyed expression with clenched teeth. He clenched his fist around his coat as he turned around to his desk, taking a deep breath.
She grinned as Madeleine stood there, paralysed that he was in the same room as Espresso who may or may not be absolutely pissed at him.
"Great! Thanks so much!" She beamed as she let go of Madeleine's arm, "Stay here, dear! I'll just discuss something with Espresso."
Latte could obviously see Espresso tense at the nickname so subtly dropped on purpose as she elegantly walked over next to Espresso. She placed her hands on the table and could see Espresso's nails dig into the wood, leaving small dents on the surface.
She looked at him innocently, knowing it'll make him go absolutely insane. He picked up a test tube from the holder, his hands shaking like he was stuck in a whirling snowstorm. She put on her best oblivious smile as she treated herself to begin shaking the bubbling test tubes of coffee, quickly sneaking glances at the boy next her, checking for any hint of a reaction in his tense face. Her only response came a few minutes into the awkward silence.
"So," He began weakly, his voice breaking halfway into the word. She turned to him and thought his face might break by how uncomfortably happy he looked, "'Dear', huh?"
She giggled and mentally patted herself on the back as she watched Espresso's face falter into an agitated expression then recover to the same fake smile. She turned to him as she moved her hand telling him to come closer. He leaned forward.
"You won't believe it." She stated, her voice filled with excitement, "He asked me out first!" she said with a ginormous grin on her face. She snickered as Espresso tried to smile back but only managing to make his already fake smile look harsher. She's sure her voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to him. He sighed.
"Eugh." he responded sarcastically, feigning disinterest in their very interesting conversation, "Don't make me puke, Latte." She could see him smile at himself.
She laughed, "Don't be so mean, Espresso!" She teased at him, hitting him lightly. She tucked her silky white hair behind her ear, "It's... thoughtful."
He hummed in agreement, "Never thought that Madeleine could ever be thoughtful." She smiled. Not because of the joke, but rather, knowing that Espresso is lying through his teeth. She knows how much he stays up thinking about the other cookie.
"Well," She shrugged with a darling smile. She placed the tube back in the holder, "I think he's changed. Maybe better somehow?" she hinted. She gave a smug smirk as she saw Espresso expertly hide a heavy maroon blush on his cheeks. He chuckled deeply.
"Tell me something more believable if you're gonna lie." He joked as he genuinely laughed. She could see how light he became from the banter, like a huge stone was taken off his shoulder. He was still tense, but he seemed more calm now that they've talked more.
"Latte!" The mood shifted intensely as Madeleine interrupted in the background. The two cookies turned to the other man, Latte couldn't help but let out a weird mix between and chuckle and exhale as Madeleine stood with mock confidence, yet looked so weak. She tilted her head as if to say she was listening, "I should be going." he laughed as he pointed to the door, rubbing the back of his neck.
Latte smiled at him as she waved goodbye, she looked over at Espresso as he only stared blankly back at Madeleine. No expression, no emotion, like his mind was somewhere in the distance or maybe on some other planet entirely. His eyes were just staring blankly at Madeleine, who seemed to squirm under his watch. Latte nudged Espresso lightly with her hip, reminding him to wave back at Madeleine (aka hypothetical husband) so that Madeleine would get out of his dumb spiral of this lover's quarrel
Espresso blinked thoroughly before looking at Latte, frazzled. She pointed at Madeleine. He turned his head to the other and hesitated as his hands moved ever so slightly, almost cautious of his decision. Like he was going to fall in love with Madeleine all over again, but honestly, Latte knew that he was already head over heels for man. Just too scared to admit it. And he knew that too. All to well.
She stared at him as she waited patiently for him to wave back after he went through a whole inner war with himself, and finally, he brought his hand up slightly and gently waved at Madeleine. No smile on his face, but he looked a bit aghast. Like he just realised something.
Latte knew Madeleine was fiercely fighting to not smile at Espresso's extremely adorable reaction, and was utterly failing as he smiled wholesomely at the physical response from Espresso. He walked out with a confident wave and a whole new wave of energy as he had a huge grin obvious on his face. Espresso turned to her, his voice quiet.
"He's head over heels for you." He practically whispered, turning back to the table. They stood there, alone in the laboratory.
Latte hummed.
"We'll see."
♡
Espresso had spent the rest of the day after Latte's visit doing nothing. He knew he was sulking. But god, that made nothing better. Just thinking about Madeleine and Latte doing anything together left a disgusting taste in his mouth. He tried to distract himself, but when you imagine your crush and your best friend having the time of their lives together, it's hard to get your mind off that.
He was far from productive as he pathetically held up two tubes, then immediately forgot what he wanted to do. He groaned angrily as he took off his Bunsen Burner to fall down onto his couch that was practically imprinted with the shape of him. He always took refuge in this couch whenever it was the early morning and needed a quick power nap, that was anything but. He laid uncomfortably on the couch as he felt his jacket collar dig into his neck. He pulled it off and tossed it onto the floor.
He rested his head on the armrest as he perfectly fit onto the couch, taking his time to really rest on the soft cushions. He fixed his shoulders around as he closed his eyes. Maybe taking a nap would carefully push away his worries. It's never worked before, but who said it wouldn't work now? When he really needed it?
...
God, who was he kidding? The only way Espresso could get this off his mind was a miraculous action of divine intervention and...
Coffee, he concluded with a helpless sigh.
Getting up from the least restful rest he has ever had, he stretched and his bones crackled like the sound of breaking egg shells. Yup, definitely not normal. He stood up onto his feet and felt as if he was going to fall back again as he tried to regain his balance. Standing up as straight as he could, he stepped over his fallen coat over to one of the many mugs scattered on his desk. He took one by the handle and carelessly emptied the liquids into the sink, he could only make failures anyway.
Turning a handle on the machine, the coffee bubbled and steamed through the many connected pipes as he placed the mug underneath the tap. As it finished brewing, it poured out dark brown coffee into the mug, which he desperately took a sip out of as he waited for the hot liquid to magically remove every thought from his mind.
However, it seemed to do the exact opposite as he tasted small hints of something sweeter than the espresso itself. It almost tasted like creamer, maybe sugar or cream? But something in the bitter coffee tasted much more sweet, much more like vanilla.
Vanilla.
He remembered back to Madeleine as he felt his heart pump liquid guilt through his veins, making them feel like they're being pulled like ropes. How he just wanted to grab the man by the collar and pull him into a deep hug and never let go. How he smelt like bottled sweetness.
Embarrassed by his thoughts, he turned the machine off and pushed the coffee away. Looking at it made him feel more sick. He suddenly had no appetite for coffee, or anything right now. He turned to the clock. It taunted him as the impossibly thin hands read 9:32. He placed his hand on his forehead, pulling back his hair. His clothes felt unbearable on his body. He thought back to Madeleine and Latte, their date must be over by now. They probably had the time of their lives, not even thinking of Espresso's wellbeing once.
♡
The date went terribly in Madeleine's opinion. He couldn't stop thinking of Espresso. The food they ate was terrible, the drive there was awkward and stiff, and honestly, walking home with Latte felt like an extra punishment.
They walked beside each other, a strange silent spell over them, both too scared to say anything. It was the dead of night and the only light was the silver moon and the fluorescent street lights lighting up the rest of the isolated street.
The only sound that could be heard was their footsteps in the dead of night, the array of homes beside them asleep as their curtains were tightly shut. Madeleine felt as if all the air around him had disappeared as he stood next to Latte, who walked carefree in her satin dress. She seemed to like the date, which only made it more painful for Madeleine as he realised that he absolutely hated the date.
And to be honest, he hated Latte.
Not really. But he hated her in a romantic way. Nothing she did made him feel any sort of spark between them. No banter, no teasing, no conversations longer than a few words that were exchanged but never received. She was nothing like Espresso. Espresso was so much more. Being with Latte felt like being with a friend.
And there was nothing more to it for him. It was a friendship, no feelings other than a mutual liking for each other.
But Latte seemed so happy. She was so calm and collected. Unlike him, he was a mess everywhere as he tried to do everything in his power to feel something between them. But there was nothing, she kept on wittily avoiding his flirty comments and gestures. And after a while, he decided it might be making her uncomfortable, so he just stopped. And in his belief, everything went down from there.
He still gets the reminder of the red wine incident whenever he stares at the giant red path staining Latte's torso.
The two continue to walk in silence, Madeleine pondering and picking on everything he did wrong and Latte who was walking next to him, carefree. In fact, Madeleine was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't even realise when Latte turned her head to him.
"You alright?" She asked politely as they continued walking down the street. A lie was about to erupt from his mouth, assuring her he was fine. But he wasn't. He really wasn't.
"I don't know." He responded back. His voice was hushed as he stayed looking ahead of him. His skin felt cold yet burned at the same time. He clenched onto the buttons of his trench coat.
Latte paused as they continued walking.
"That date was terrible." She admitted, though there was a smile in her voice. Madeleine finally turned to her, blood running cold.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again as he tried to think of a plausible response.
"It was?" He questioned, though he definitely knew that it was a really horrible date.
Latte seemed to look out onto the street ahead of them, though it was a neighbourhood for miles on end. The lights gave her face a heavenly glow in the night's shadows.
"It was." She confirmed with a grin, "But, it was nice."
"It was?!" Madeleine whispered with a surprised tone. Latte laughed cheerfully, like this was some sort of joke to her.
"Yeah!" She said breathily as she tried to regain her composure, "I had fun!"
Madeleine looked at her like she had gone absolutely crazy, "Really?" He asked, amazed by her reaction, "But your dress, and the food-"
"That doesn't matter to me." She interrupted with a joyful smile, "I had fun, this was fun. And..."
She paused as she turned around, looking around at her surroundings. She urged him closer so that his ear was almost pressed up against her face.
"I don't really like you that much anyway."
Madeleine let out a sigh of relief much louder than he needed to as he felt all the air around him rush through his lungs. He swiftly looked at Latte, expecting at least a bit of hurt on her face, but she stared at him with a smile. As if she was expecting that reaction.
"I..." He began to speak, feeling much more free with his words than he did when the date started, "feel the same way."
"Good." She responded, turning on her heel to face her house. Madeleine was caught off guard, he wondered how they got here so quickly.
They stayed in a comfortable silence as Latte opened her gate. She turned to him.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Madeleine." She grinned. He grinned back.
"See you then, Latte." He responded, the same mood in his tone. He turned around to begin leaving, but stopped as he turned his head back to Latte, who was attempting to unlock her door.
Madeleine heard the creak of the door, and finally turned his whole body to her.
"Latte!" He shouted. His echo pierced through the empty street. Time froze as she spun around, turning to him, heels in her hand. Her snowy white hair was messy.
"I..."
He stopped and swallowed.
"I like... I love Espresso Cookie."
The warm smile on her face was all the understanding he needed as he glared into her brown eyes. They were nothing like Espresso's, but that's what he wanted. They were still warm and comforting in the dead silence of the night. Her eyes crinkled from smiling.
"I know."