forum Romance, anyone? (one on one)(closed but stalkers are welcome)

Started December 16, 2020 by @cryptic-glitch

tune

"What's your favorite flavor of tea?" Orion asked, looking at him sideways.

"I like green tea. I'm basic, I know!" He put his hands up in defense as Orion shot him a funny look. "I just find it soothing. But usually I'm more of a berry smoothie type of person."

"No judgment here. I'm not a huge fruit person, however. Here we are." Orion stopped in front of a storefront, the sign on the door reading 'Sakura Bubble Tea.'

"Oh, Lillian and Harley go here all the time," Thomas informed as the duo approached the small little cafe. "They kept telling me I needed to try it sometime, but I never got the chance. Glad I finally get to go here." The man opened the door and held it open for Orion to walk through.

"Thank you." She stepped up to the counter and said, "黒糖ミルクバブルティーをください," to the barista at the counter. The barista nodded and scribbled something down on a piece of paper.

Thomas quirked an eyebrow when Orion unexpectedly began speaking in a different language. "You're bilingual?" He asked, slight jealousy lacing his smooth voice.

Orion flushed. "I was a foreign exchange student in middle school. My parents thought it would help with my social anxiety."

"That's awesome! The only time I've been out of the country was when Kara got us lost on a camping trip and we somehow would up in Canada." Thomas furrowed his eyebrows ar the memory. "I still have no idea what happened but it was an adventure I'll never forget."

The barista asked for Thomas's order and he responded with a raspberry green tea smoothie. The man handed the barista his card and she gave him two drinks in return. "Thank you!" Thomas offered a small nod and led Orion to a small table in the back of the cafe.

"Not really. It sort of traumatized me. All I really got was some limited Japanese skills." She stabbed her straw through the seal on the top of the bubble tea. "Do you like it?" Orion asked, pointing at his drink.

"Oh, dang sorry about that." Thomas took a long sip of his drink. "And yeah, it's really good!"

"Now. I'm not good at small talk. So I'm going to leave that to you. You seem to be able to ask good questions." Orion sat back in her chair.

"Hmmm… What do you do for a living?" Thomas pondered for a little bit before asking the question.

"I'm a maid, actually. I do some article writing on the side," Orion said. "What about you?"

"I'm a biologist actually. I'm working at this company that isn't the most reliable but it pays good." He laughed and took another long sip of his drink. "That's where I met Kara, Lillian, and Harley. Marco practically adopted all of us a few years back… Dang, it had to be like 4, 5 years ago? Kara was only 11, I was 23. Marco, he gave us all a job and made sure that we were doing alright and stuff. Lillian and Harley have left Marco Corps but Kara and I are still with him.

"That's nice. I wish I had friends like that." She chewed on a tapioca bubble. "Do you have any pets?"

"Yeah!" Thomas's eyes lit up at the question. "We have two cats, both tabbies. One's orange and heavy and likes to sit on people, and the other one's a dark grey and she thinks she rules the world. The orange one is Sonto and the grey one is Fiona. Harley also has a snake named Umlaut, and Kara has a tarantula that she named Mittens."

"I do like snakes. I had one once but Clefairy ate him when I went to work." She smiled a little about Thomas and his cats. He clearly loved them.

"Oh," Thomas laughed when Orion told him of Clefairy eating her snake. "That's unfortunate." He ran a hand through his dark close-cut hair and sighed. He took another long sip of his drink, only to realize that it was empty. "Dang," He groaned, shaking the empty smoothie cup. He stood up and looked over to the counter. "I'm gonna get me another drink, you want anything?"

"Some water would be nice, thank you." She watched him walk away, thinking. He seemed perfect. There had to be something, something that would make her not like him. He was nice, he was handsome. She swirled her straw around in her tea.

"Alright," Thomas smiled and walked over to the counter. He reordered his drink and a water for Orion and waiting by the counter for the drinks to finish up. He looked over at Orion who looked deep in thought. She looked up and they made eye contact. Thomas smiled and the barista handed him the drinks.

"Here's your water, Orion." Thomas handed her the clear cup filled with ice water and took a sip of his own raspberry smoothie.

"Thank you." She watched him silently, scrutinizing him carefully. "I can't quite figure you out, Thomas."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? He asked, sitting back down in his chair.

"You just seem so good. There has to be something." She pulled on her hair, looking at her lap.

"Oh," Thomas gave a small laugh. "Yeah. I wasn't always this great though. When I was a baby, my parents left me with my grandpa to go travel the world. They… They never gave back." Thomas looked at his drink and stirred it with his straw. "My grandpa, he was amazing and all, but… I guess it was just the idea that I was abandoned by my parents that irked me. I was a pretty violent kid. I got into a lot of trouble and stuff. Gangs and alcohol. And then… um." He stopped and sighed. "Five years ago, my grandpa died and that was really my breaking point. I was about to do some drastic stuff… I don't wanna get into detail. But- uh, this man. Marco Grizzley. He found me on the streets and offered me a job. I took it and started working for him. I went on random trips to swampy areas to collect data from these mutated creatures Marco had discovered. I mean, it was great but y'know I was still mad at the world.

'And then Kara came along a few months later. She was only 11 at the time. She ran away from home after witnessing somebody kill her mother on the streets. She was just this small little ball of anger and hate… A bomb waiting to go off. I saw myself in her and… I couldn't let her go through what I did. So Kara and I became good friends and eventually I became her legal guardian. So yeah. Ha." Thomas looked up with a sad smile. "Sorry for just dropping that all on you."

"There it is." Orion pointed at him. "That makes me feel a lot better. Not to belittle what you went through. But. I'm glad you aren't a pristine psychopath."