Jay volunteered to work a short shift that morning, so he went home to relax for a few hours, then refreshed, and headed to his cubicle job. He spent most of the shift looking at the clock, waiting until it was time to actually socialize again, to do something interesting. He thought about how Aspen was blushing when he pinched his ear, and what he looked like. He would be the first man he could show his feelings to. Jay took another call.
(sorry i was at church :P)
"You're not evil or scary. You're actually really nice," Aspen replied without hesitation, pouring the coffee into the cup. "Whipped cream?"
"Sure.", she replied. "You think I'm nice? I try to be, but sometimes people make me so mad." Oyoyo felt like she had a real friend. She hadn't felt that way ever since Lily died.
"People are absolute idiots sometimes. I have to be nice to everyone every day, but for once I feel like I can actually be genuinely honest with you. It's people like you that actually make me want to stay here."
Oyoyo couldn't put words into how she felt. "It's people like you who remind me there are good people out there. Sometimes it seems like everyone is judging and prejudice." She never thought she would talk like that to someone she meet at the coffee shop.
"You too. Here's your coffee, and here's a doughnut just 'cause I feel generous again." Aspen laughed and began to wash the countertop, more out of habit and obsession than necessity.
"Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me", Oyoyo said. "Maybe sometime we could hang out. You could bring that other wolf."
Aspen blushed slightly and set the creamer back in the fridge. "Of course!! I'd love to." (should we timeskip again? :P)
(probably best to timeskip)
"Ok, Maybe we should meet here tomorrow. How 'bout 9 o'clock?", Oyoyo said.
"Deal."
(timeskip to tonight cuz Beastie wanted to do a thing and i had a plot idea that involves you here and him since he's asleep him not being there)
(do you want me to pretend he's at the shop or wait until he is online?)
(no he's supposed to meet me and you just decide to crash there for the day but he isn't showing up and won't answer my calls)
(ok)
Oyoyo was excited to meet Aspen at the coffee shop. It was like she finally had friends again. She wore the necklace Lily gave her before her death for good luck. "You really are looking after me, Lily.", Oyoyo muttered to herself before entering the coffee shop.
Ring…
Ring…
Ring…
"You've reached Jay! I can't come to the phone at the moment, so please leave your name and number."
Beep!!!
Aspen hung up his phone for the 5th time and collapsed back into his barstool, tears springing up in the corners of his eyes and streaming through his fur to plop onto the countertop. "He led me on…"
Oyoyo entered the coffee shop and the first thing she sees is Aspen with collapsed on the barstool with tears in his eyes. "Are you alright?", she asks.
"Oh?" Aspen exclaimed, shocked. He quickly stood and wiped the tears from his eyes, plastering a smile to his face and opening the cash register, pretending to count his earnings. "I'm fine, just closing up."
"Your not fine. You have tears in your eyes.", Oyoyo said sternly. "You can tell me anything you know."
Aspen sat back down and remained silent for a few minutes before replying. "No one cares I exist. I thought Jay would be different, and he stood me up. Now I have no dinner plans. On top of that, I got evicted from my apartment, my Land Rover just broke down, and no matter how much I try to reconnect with my parents they just flat-out ignore me. It's like there's nothing to actually hope for anymore. I have nothing. Nobody would care if I just left in the middle of the night, if they would even notice at all." He turned to face Oyoyo, tears pouring down his face once again like blood from an open wound. "Except for you, and I only met you yesterday. I'm worthless! I may as well be in the dumpster out back with yesterday's sandwiches I spent 3 hours making. No one even cares enough that I do spend 3 hours a day making stupid deli wraps that no one ever buys anyway!! What's the point anymore?"
"Y'know what?, Come with me", Oyoyo said. "I'm gonna take you to see the new Black Panther movie. Tickets are on me. Will that make you feel better?" She had no idea what she was doing, but she would do just abut anything at the moment to make Aspen happy, even for a moment.
"Wh-what? Umm, okay. Sure." Aspen locked the moneybox and gave himself one last sweeping glance across the cafe before turning back to her, jaw set in resignation. "Okay, let's go then."
Oyoyo just wanted to make Aspen happy. She wondered how weird it was to take someone she just meet the day before to the movies. She decided she was just desperate for friends, because secretly…she felt like Aspen did about his life.
Aspen watched Oyoyo with newfound respect. Maybe people weren't all bad after all.
"Do you want me to take you? I only own a motorcycle, but it would be good exercise to walk there.", Oyoyo asked. She was actually looking forward to the movie. Oyoyo really hoped they could be friends.
"M-motorcycle!?" Aspen stammered. He'd broken his wrist on his stepfather's motorcycle. They were terrifying.
"We can walk if you like", Oyoyo said. She wondered if Aspen was afraid of motorcycles. Truth be told, she was a little anxious about driving cars. Her only true friend had died in a car crash and she vowed she would never drive a car. She opened her wings and a devilish smile spread across her face. "Or we could fly?"