'Remembrance Cafe' was vibrant, brimming with a feeling of vitality, with customers coming and going, some lingering inside a little longer to enjoy a conversation in the beautiful and relaxing environment.
Thanks to that vibrancy, Alex's small corner was quiet, but not lifeless.
His head was lowered to the phone in his hand, while only his fingers were moving over the screen. He had made himself more comfortable at some point, having raised his feet to cross them on the table in the middle of the sofas forming the small corner.
He had a cup in front of him, with its content looking not to be coffee. He paused his game, and leaned forward to take a sip of the drink when right then, a group of young men the same age as him arrived, one of them shattering the quiet with a loud, resonant voice:
"ALEX, YOU SNEAKY BASTARD! I HEARD YOU WENT ON A TRIP TO ENJOY YOURSELF ALONE THIS WEEKEND! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU!"
"Pfft…"
Alex spat out his drink out of surprise. He lowered his feet and took his eyes away from the screen of his phone where all his focus had been to glare at the entrance of the cafe.
Seeing the cause of the disturbance, his shock turned into anger which manifested through a sneer as he counterattacked with just as much sharpness as the opponent, if not more:
"Tyler, you coward! I heard you still didn't have the gut to ask Kim out this weekend. Have you stopped stalking her yet?"
The one named Tyler, whose brown hair was an even deeper shade than Alex's, almost black even, like his fitting v-necked t-shirt and his pants, immediately withered like a flower that encountered winter. He turned his face to the side, nursing the pain of the arrow that had penetrated too deep.
Beside him, the leaner young man with dirty blond hair and in a white shirt with rolled up sleeves laughed silently. He waved at the crowd in the cafe to apologize for the disturbance before pulling his stockier friend, at least compared to him, toward the corner Alex was occupying.
Alex rolled his eyes, and took a tissue to wipe his mouth, before cleaning the table, showing no desire to care for the new arrivals.
Tyler was pushed deeper into the sofa opposite Alex without offering any resistance. The blond sat beside him, and asked with a smile:
"What do you mean he is stalking Kim? I didn't hear anything about that."
Alex raised his eyes to the blond full of interest at the gossip, then gave Tyler a sidelong glance before he sneered:
"I heard that a certain someone is always following Kim on social networks. What is that if not stalking?"
"Hahahaha…"
The blond looked at Tyler, and laughed as he saw a blush climb up the latter's face. The contrast the delicate look created on the thick-eyebrowed face only made him laugh harder.
Tyler clenched his fists, then glared at the blond:
"Laugh all you want, Lance. The day you have a crush on someone, let me see if you will still be able to laugh."
Lance stopped laughing, and waved his hand dismissively:
"Hah, not interested. It is good being able to play anytime and anywhere. I don't want to become a monk like you and Gawain."
Alex put the dirty tissues in his hand to the side, and looked at Tyler. He observed him, then shook his head:
"Gawain is also a monk, but Tyler is worse than him. At least Gawain is content the way he is, while Tyler is suffering."
"You…"
Seeing everyone seemingly against him, Tyler wanted to rise to the challenge, only to deflate. He lowered his head, but muttered in a voice that the two others around the table could hear:
"How long do you think you will be able to play for? Sooner or later, you will have to find someone. At least, I am making my own choice."
Alex looked at his friend. Without a word, he stood up to go to the counter, taking the trash with him.
Lance looked at his back, then turned back to look at Tyler. He shook his head:
"You can speak for us, but not for Alex. Who in his family can force that guy to start a relationship and get married? He is not like us poor people. Moreover, after Rose…"
Lance lost his amusement and stifled a sigh. Then he shook his head, leaving the words uncompleted while at the same time picking Tyler's curiosity.
"Who is Rose?"
Lance waved the question off, his reply shutting down the possibility of any further inquiry:
"Someone there is no need to talk about."
Tyler was intrigued, but as a good friend, he put away his curiosity.
Right then, Alex returned with two glasses of water in his hands, which he put before his two friends. Lance looked at the glass in front of him, frustration coming to fill his eyes.
He turned to Alex with his teeth gritted:
"Everytime we come here, you only offer us water. Being so stingy while being so rich, don't you feel ashamed at all?"
Alex casually sat down while countering:
"You say I'm rich. Have you ever seen me working? If you want something, order it yourself. And remember to pay."
Tyler stifled a laugh, while Lance tried to crack his teeth. He picked up the glass with anger, and drained the water inside with vengeance while never moving his glare away from Alex.
Unfortunately, the latter's focus was already back to his phone and the game he had been playing before they arrived.
Lance looked at Tyler, and felt annoyed when he saw the latter enjoying the spectacle. He rolled his eyes, and calmed down, knowing he would only face defeat if he kept trying to make Alex feel something like shame.
He breathed in, then stopped paying attention to his two friends. He raised his hand to order another drink which was not water, and when it arrived, he looked at Alex:
"Won't you at least ask why we came?"
Alex did not even raise his eyes from the game, as he replied disinterestedly:
"Is there any reason other than the fact that you two are idlers with nothing to do?"