Short Story: Bayside
Everything seemed to be in order. The sea breeze was cooling off the bayside restaurant's outside, while the airconditioning worked extra hard to keep it cold inside. The lights were dim, as I had instructed.
"This place sure has nice ambiance, Joe."
"It's my mom's restaurant, and she has a flair in decorating. By the way, who's the lucky girl anyway, Ken?"
We continued walking around the table. Everything had been set for one romantic evening. Flowers decorated the table. Roses and Lilacs, to be specific. A perfect table set for two, champagne on the side if she decides to drink to the joyous night. Candles at the center, flickering, providing what faint light they can contribute to the dim lighting around the place, set for a quiet and tranquil evening.
"Hmmm? Oh, her? A blockmate."
"The girl you were talking about?"
"Yup."
"Lucky girl. Imagine, to dine in a restaurant like this..."
"Stop flattering your family restaurant, Joe. By the way, if you wanna smoke, light it up later, okay? I want the table to be perfect."
Joe pocketed the pack inside his shirt pocket. "Sure, bud."
"Thanks again. I won't forget this."
"Nothing but the best for a friend of my best friend. You look spiffy, by the way. Reminds me of the prom."
"Oh, this? This isn't anything special." Both of us paced away from the table.
"Oh yeah? Like that table back there?"
I looked back. "Well, not really..."
A few silent paces. I looked at my watch.
"Oh, she's here."
The door opened. A girl with a long, blue dress walked in. Her hair bounced along with every enthusiastic step she took. She turned to look at me. When her gaze turned to me, I saw the deep brown hue of her eyes sparkle along with the flickering candles.
"Ken! Thank you, thank you!"
"Haha. Nothing but the best for you, remember?"
"Thanks, really. It's perfect... Thanks for this night."
"No problem."
"... May?" A man wearing a black suit walked in.
"Oh! Here you are! Meet my friend..." Several arrows shot through the tranquil air and hit me. "... Ken. He's the one who made this whole thing possible."
"Ah, thanks dude. Any friend of May's is a friend of mine." He extended his hand. I held an acid-covered glove with a vice's grip within my grip.
"It's perfect! See!" Her words faded out as both of them walked to the table we prepared earlier.
"... I suppose you'll let me have my smoke now?"
"Sure Joe, c'mon. I have a few beer bottles waiting for me at the counter, right?"
"Sure dude, free of charge."
The bar was empty at this time. After all, today's a holiday. I went through all the trouble of decorating the whole place... for her.
"Bummer, huh?" Joe handed me a bottle. I poured myself a glass and drank it.
"You can't imagine."
"Actually, I can. You put up a good face you know. I didn't even notice that you were holding it back."
"Yeah." A tear rolled down. "Well, I gave her the best scenario I could think of."
"Ah, the power of a writer's imagination. Mind you, you were really brilliant in spiffing up that table."
"Nah. I just listened to her talk of the ideal confession she had in mind. And if your mom hadn't helped us out, those flowers would have died the moment I bought 'em." Another glass of beer for me.
Joe just sat there, puffing out smoke. "You know, I swear that you two would make a good couple."
"You're just biased." Third glass. "She's happier with him. What can I do?"
"Let her be happy with the guy she loves. Martyr." He took a bottle of coke from the fridge and opened it up.
"You smoke but you don't drink?" Fourth glass.
"You don't even know your drinking limit yet. It's that painful, huh?"
"Yup." About two bottles. "That's enough for tonight, I suppose... I don't wanna get drunk and all that shit."
"Look at that." He gestured towards the table May and her date were sitting in. "So sweet, isn't it? Makes me wanna hurl."
"You were always the anti-romance guy in class. Guess it still sticks until now huh? I don't wanna look at that. Too painful."
"Then why do you go through all this trouble for her?"
I took out a bottle of coke from the ref. "... Coz... I love her. Plain and simple. So I'll let her go off with him... She'll be happier that way."
"What about you?"
"Hmm? Me? I don't care anymore."
"Really now..."
I opened the coke bottle and poured some in a glass. "Yeah, I don't care anymore... I suppose that's what we were meant to be... Just friends."
"Doesn't it hurt for you to see her happy with another man?"
I drank the glass straight. No major feat since it is, after all, just carbonated water. "Yeah. Painful. So painful that you'll want to die because of it..."
Everything was silent for a few seconds, save for the fizzle of softdrinks. Then, the violinists played their song.
"You know..." I looked at the table, to see them hold each other's hand... "This pain... is nothing, really.... It'll really hurt at first... But..." I grasped another glass of coke. "... It's like torture. You'll learn to be numb to it. Right now, the pain is unbearable..."
The couple kissed.
"... But eventually you won't mind it at all."
A tear rolled down my cheek. I didn't mind... After all, this was her night, not mine.
"You okay, dude?"
"Yeah, Joe. Alright."
"Don't you think it's your turn to be selfish, Ken?"
"No. This is my curse, you know."
"Whatever you say, dude."
"Yeah, whatever. I'm going home, tell her that I need to do something for tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure."
I laid down my glass, which was still half-filled with coke, and walked out of the place. I had no idea that it was raining outside. My suit was getting wet. But I didn't mind... Not like I'd be wearing it anytime soon anyway.
I stood for a few minutes in the rain. It's amazing. An hour ago, when preparations were finished, I saw a beautiful sunset outside. All I saw, at this moment, was grey clouds, and a crying heaven.
"This place sure has nice ambiance, Joe."
"It's my mom's restaurant, and she has a flair in decorating. By the way, who's the lucky girl anyway, Ken?"
We continued walking around the table. Everything had been set for one romantic evening. Flowers decorated the table. Roses and Lilacs, to be specific. A perfect table set for two, champagne on the side if she decides to drink to the joyous night. Candles at the center, flickering, providing what faint light they can contribute to the dim lighting around the place, set for a quiet and tranquil evening.
"Hmmm? Oh, her? A blockmate."
"The girl you were talking about?"
"Yup."
"Lucky girl. Imagine, to dine in a restaurant like this..."
"Stop flattering your family restaurant, Joe. By the way, if you wanna smoke, light it up later, okay? I want the table to be perfect."
Joe pocketed the pack inside his shirt pocket. "Sure, bud."
"Thanks again. I won't forget this."
"Nothing but the best for a friend of my best friend. You look spiffy, by the way. Reminds me of the prom."
"Oh, this? This isn't anything special." Both of us paced away from the table.
"Oh yeah? Like that table back there?"
I looked back. "Well, not really..."
A few silent paces. I looked at my watch.
"Oh, she's here."
The door opened. A girl with a long, blue dress walked in. Her hair bounced along with every enthusiastic step she took. She turned to look at me. When her gaze turned to me, I saw the deep brown hue of her eyes sparkle along with the flickering candles.
"Ken! Thank you, thank you!"
"Haha. Nothing but the best for you, remember?"
"Thanks, really. It's perfect... Thanks for this night."
"No problem."
"... May?" A man wearing a black suit walked in.
"Oh! Here you are! Meet my friend..." Several arrows shot through the tranquil air and hit me. "... Ken. He's the one who made this whole thing possible."
"Ah, thanks dude. Any friend of May's is a friend of mine." He extended his hand. I held an acid-covered glove with a vice's grip within my grip.
"It's perfect! See!" Her words faded out as both of them walked to the table we prepared earlier.
"... I suppose you'll let me have my smoke now?"
"Sure Joe, c'mon. I have a few beer bottles waiting for me at the counter, right?"
"Sure dude, free of charge."
The bar was empty at this time. After all, today's a holiday. I went through all the trouble of decorating the whole place... for her.
"Bummer, huh?" Joe handed me a bottle. I poured myself a glass and drank it.
"You can't imagine."
"Actually, I can. You put up a good face you know. I didn't even notice that you were holding it back."
"Yeah." A tear rolled down. "Well, I gave her the best scenario I could think of."
"Ah, the power of a writer's imagination. Mind you, you were really brilliant in spiffing up that table."
"Nah. I just listened to her talk of the ideal confession she had in mind. And if your mom hadn't helped us out, those flowers would have died the moment I bought 'em." Another glass of beer for me.
Joe just sat there, puffing out smoke. "You know, I swear that you two would make a good couple."
"You're just biased." Third glass. "She's happier with him. What can I do?"
"Let her be happy with the guy she loves. Martyr." He took a bottle of coke from the fridge and opened it up.
"You smoke but you don't drink?" Fourth glass.
"You don't even know your drinking limit yet. It's that painful, huh?"
"Yup." About two bottles. "That's enough for tonight, I suppose... I don't wanna get drunk and all that shit."
"Look at that." He gestured towards the table May and her date were sitting in. "So sweet, isn't it? Makes me wanna hurl."
"You were always the anti-romance guy in class. Guess it still sticks until now huh? I don't wanna look at that. Too painful."
"Then why do you go through all this trouble for her?"
I took out a bottle of coke from the ref. "... Coz... I love her. Plain and simple. So I'll let her go off with him... She'll be happier that way."
"What about you?"
"Hmm? Me? I don't care anymore."
"Really now..."
I opened the coke bottle and poured some in a glass. "Yeah, I don't care anymore... I suppose that's what we were meant to be... Just friends."
"Doesn't it hurt for you to see her happy with another man?"
I drank the glass straight. No major feat since it is, after all, just carbonated water. "Yeah. Painful. So painful that you'll want to die because of it..."
Everything was silent for a few seconds, save for the fizzle of softdrinks. Then, the violinists played their song.
"You know..." I looked at the table, to see them hold each other's hand... "This pain... is nothing, really.... It'll really hurt at first... But..." I grasped another glass of coke. "... It's like torture. You'll learn to be numb to it. Right now, the pain is unbearable..."
The couple kissed.
"... But eventually you won't mind it at all."
A tear rolled down my cheek. I didn't mind... After all, this was her night, not mine.
"You okay, dude?"
"Yeah, Joe. Alright."
"Don't you think it's your turn to be selfish, Ken?"
"No. This is my curse, you know."
"Whatever you say, dude."
"Yeah, whatever. I'm going home, tell her that I need to do something for tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure."
I laid down my glass, which was still half-filled with coke, and walked out of the place. I had no idea that it was raining outside. My suit was getting wet. But I didn't mind... Not like I'd be wearing it anytime soon anyway.
I stood for a few minutes in the rain. It's amazing. An hour ago, when preparations were finished, I saw a beautiful sunset outside. All I saw, at this moment, was grey clouds, and a crying heaven.