Cafe Date

My crush invited me to a café.

The café smelled of coffee and melted chocolate, the warm air a sharp contrast to the October chill outside. Asha squeezed her fingers around her cup, more for something to do than for warmth. Across from her, Lucille sat with her chin resting on her hand, watching her.

Asha tried not to squirm under the attention. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it—she liked it too much. Her heart did that stupid skipping thing again. She took a sip of her drink to cover her nerves. It didn’t help. Lucille was still looking at her.

“What?” Asha finally asked, her voice just shy of cracking.

Lucille blinked, then shrugged. “I’m just trying to figure something out.”

Asha’s grip tightened around her cup. The back of her neck was sweating

“Figure what out?”

Lucille curled her lips, considering. “If you’re a vampire.”

Asha choked. “W-what?”

Lucille took a bite of her pastry, completely unfazed. “Well, you’ve got the ears. The teeth. And your whole vibe is very ‘creature of the night.'’”

Asha swallowed hard, resisting the urge to cover her mouth. “Maybe it’s just a really good costume.”

Lucille hummed. “Hm..Maybe.”

Silence stretched between them, and Asha could feel the heat creeping up her neck. She needed to change the subject fast. “S-so, Luci—wait, can I call you Luci?”

Lucille tilted her head, eyes sharp, like she was taking note of every tiny reaction Asha had. “Sure.”

Asha nodded, trying to pretend that being watched by her didn’t make her want to combust. “Cool. Cool, cool… So, uh, what do you like to do? Any hobbies?”

Lucille leaned back, stretching her arms over her head. “I like making weird playlists. And watching really bad horror movies. Like, the ones where the monster is just a guy in a rubber suit.”

Asha laughed before she could stop herself. “That’s… oddly specific.”

Lucille smirked. “Yeah, well. I contain multitudes.”

Asha rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight her smile. “Alright, mystery girl. What’s the worst horror movie you’ve ever seen?”

Lucille thought for a moment, then grinned. “Oh, there’s this one where the vampire sparkles in the sunlight.”

Asha groaned. “Okay, yeah, that one’s bad.”

Lucille pointed at her. “Aha..Knew it. You are a vampire.”

Asha sputtered, face going red. “That—! That wasn’t—!”

Lucille’s laughter was quiet but warm, and Asha found herself laughing too, despite her embarrassment.

Asha took another sip of her drink, hoping it would settle the warmth in her face. It didn’t. Lucille leaned forward suddenly, resting her arms on the table, closer than before.

“So,” she said, eyes glinting with mischief, “if you were a vampire, would you tell me?”

Asha’s breath hitched. Lucille was too close. Or maybe not close enough. Her brain short-circuited somewhere between the teasing smirk and the way the light caught in Lucille’s hazel eyes.

“Uh..,” she managed eloquently.

Lucille grinned. “That’s what I thought.”

Asha groaned, burying her face in her hands. This was going to be a lot.

The bell above the café door chimed, and Asha barely paid it any attention—until she noticed the way Lucille’s expression shifted. Her usual sharp, observant gaze dulled, her shoulders tensed, and she suddenly looked very, very small.

Asha followed her line of sight and saw a girl walking toward them, tall, effortlessly confident, the kind of person who moved like the world bent around her. She had dark lipstick, a sleek ponytail, and an unsettlingly smug look in her eyes as she approached their table.

“Cille?” The girl grinned, stopping just beside them. “Wow. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Lucille didn’t respond. Asha glanced at her, noticing the way her hands curled into fists against her lap.

The girl laughed, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “You look good. Guess you’ve been doing well since… y’know.” She sighed dramatically, as if reminiscing. “We had some good times, huh?”

Asha saw the way Lucille’s breathing changed—shallow, controlled. The way her lips parted like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

The ex didn’t notice. Or maybe she didn’t care. “I was actually just thinking about you the other day,” she continued, voice syrupy sweet. “All those late nights, those long talks... Man, we really had something special, didn’t we? Too bad..”

Asha didn’t know the full story, but she knew enough. She knew Lucille, at least the little she’d seen so far, and she knew what someone wilting in front of her looked like.

She sat up straighter, tilting her head as she regarded the ex. “Huh,” she mused, her voice light but pointed. “That’s funny. You say ‘good times’ like they were mutual.”

The ex’s eyes snapped to Asha, as if just now noticing she was even there. “And you are…?”

Asha gave an easy smile, despite the slight tension in her chest. “Asha.” She took a slow sip of her drink. “You know, the person Luci actually chose to hang out with today.”

Lucille still hadn’t spoken, but Asha felt her shift just slightly—like she was breathing again.

The ex let out a bried laugh, though there was something forced behind it. “Right. Well. I was just being friendly.” Her gaze flicked back to Lucille. “No hard feelings, right Cille?”

Lucille blinked at her, expression unreadable. Then, finally, she moved. A small, deliberate shake of her head.

The ex sighed, as if disappointed, but she clearly wasn’t getting whatever reaction she wanted.

Then the batista called out an order,

"Mocha Frappe to go for.. Saera?"

“Hm. That's me, see you around, then.” She turned and strolled off with her coffee, her presence leaving behind an invisible weight.

The café felt quieter once she was gone. Asha looked back at Lucille, who was staring at her hands, still silent.

“Hey,” Asha said softly.

Lucille’s eyes flicked up.

Asha hesitated, not wanting to push. “You okay?”

Lucille was still for a moment. Then, slowly, she nodded.

Asha nodded with her, as if sealing the answer between them. Then, after a beat, she smirked. “So. Cille, huh?”

Lucille exhaled sharply through her nose. A laugh, just barely there. She rolled her eyes, but there was something grateful in the way she looked at Asha.

She was okay. Maybe not great. Maybe not even good. But she was okay.

"Well, for your information, I am not a vampire, I can go out into the sun." Asha changed the topic back to overcome the awkwardness.

"Whatever you say vampire.. I have my eyes on you.." she pointed at her eyes and then at me.

..Cute..

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