Guilty Lovers

His words place me in disbelief, "You planted all of them?" I take a sharp gasp, "The university let you do this to their building?"

He mindlessly pouts his lips while shrugs his shoulders, "They don't care, so I don't care."

His perspective draws a chuckle out of my lips, "You really like plants, don't you?"

There, a blissful smile appears on his face, "Yes. I love them more than books." he answered.

Indeed, I can see why he chooses to stay in this garden instead of the other places.

Giving me a curious peep, the boy asks me, "Do you have anything that you are fond of?"

I take myself a few seconds to ponder his question through. However, "No. There is nothing I am especially fond of." in honesty I confess, "But I figure I do hate humans."

"We can be friends then." he there gives the other bench a quick glimpse and says, "My friends can share my benches."

In delight I walk to the empty bench and sit on it. I lie down like how he does, just to discover what he has been watching. I lie down and look up, warmth spreads across my eyelids, forcing me to squint my eyes.

It is the way I am squinting that makes me see clearer when a small flock of birds enters my sight. Look, the birds, I have found them in the same shade of blue as Luca's eyes.

I have seen his eyes now, I wonder what is, "Your name." with my gaze remaining at the sky, I ask, "It would be nice to know the name of a friend."

There, my words draw a soft chuckle from his lips, "Luca." he then mentions, "Luca Haynes."

In return, I introduce myself to him, "I am Aletris Averell." 

Trying to be certain, Luca tilts his head again, "Averell Shipwright Industry?"

Although I feel rather reluctant to admit, I nod in honesty.

Then, I fetch a subtle smile from him. He claims, "You should be looking at the ocean, not the sky."

According to his logic, I suppose he comes from a family with an aeronautical background. As the hurtless idea flashes across my mind, his name now suddenly rings a bell——

I have heard about the second son of the Haynes Family, Leoluca Haynes, one of the descendants of the Haynes Aerocraft.

Unlike his elder siblings, instead of expertising aeronautical knowledge, Leoluca chose to pursue botany studies.

The rumour of him being delisted from the successors of Haynes Aerocraft started ever since. While his absence in the important social events for the past few years makes it even more convincing.

Looking at the garden Luca planted, I think I am able to understand him a little——How can this not be better than the pressure his family business and the social events brought him?

I close my eyes, I slowly take an inhale as I let the breezes of the fall caress my face. I can listen to the rustling of the leaves, I can smell the fresh scent of the dews and florals…

When I once again open up my eyes, I can see the clear blue sky that is painted in the same shade of azure as Luca's eyes, "I like the sky better, at least from now on." I said.

This is the serenity that Luca has always been indulging, this is what I have been searching for the whole day… I think I am falling in love with this place. 

"Can I come again?" a question blurted out my lips before I knew it.

As luck has it, Luca answers without hesitation, "Of course, whenever you wish to. From now on, this is our secret garden."

Secret garden… That sounds magical. Perhaps I have now found a thing that I am fond of.

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In the corner next to the barista counter, the gramophone record plays. The sunset unevenly paints the sky orange, whilst the warm sunlight penetrates through the window, printing the structured frames and the leaves of the hanging plants over the broad wooden tables.

At the last table in the corner I sit. Listening to the slow music, I rest my head on the warm window, I look out of it in listlessness. I have the perfect seat for the appealing scenery at the perfect hour, yet I feel regret for not being able to appreciate the appealing evening scenery.

I lay my palm over the brown apron I tie around my waist, covering my lower abdomen that has not been feeling well for the whole day. Although it does not burn anymore, the circle that appears on it concerns me.

I have not had the time to take a close look at it since I left the washroom with Oliver. I wonder how it has become… The burning happened again after I was brought to the student council room after all.

Monday is always the day with the least customers among the week. All of them are well served, I obtained permission from Grace for me to take a break, and so I am now sitting in the corner.

Grace Young is the lady who owns this coffee house, she is in her early thirties, engaged to a decent gentleman. She is beautiful, diligent, and indeed filial piety.

The coffee house, Owen's Coffee, was named after her father who passed away three years ago. Now, she runs the coffee house with the assistance of two young baristas——Me, and another boy named Isaac.

"Aletris."

There, a slight movement draws my attention from the other side of the table back to reality. When I pick up my senses again, I see Grace taking a seat opposite to me.

She puts up a genial smile for me even though she sounds concerned, "Are you feeling fine? You can go now if you wish to, I have Isaac here." moreover, "Monday is not a hectic one, you know that."

Grace's ginger hair looks so conspicuous under the orange sky, they look just like the blooming poppies in flaming red we planted in front of the coffee house.

When she fixes her glimpse on me, I can see her periwinkle green eyes bending into crescents, they shimmer in the evening sunlight, making her look ravishing.

She is a rather attractive lady, not only for the exquisite appearance she has. The cordial, leniency, and compassion she has in her makes her even more charming and admirable.

She is caring even for her employees, she always looks out for Isaac and I, that even a stomach ache is about to concern her to some extent.

Therefore, hoping not to startle her, I put up a soft smile as I say, "Thank you, Grace, but I am fine."

However, even though I think my smile looks quite natural and my words sound convincing enough, the behaviour of my hand claims a dubious glare from her.

She leans forward to the table and squints at my face, "Did you have coffee with an empty stomach again?" mildly she reproaches, "As I always said, you really should stop skipping meals, Aletris."

Hearing her sounding like a mother, a soft chuckle escapes my lips——Of course, referring to the imagination of mine, in which my mother is still alive.

Figuring that if I can live in my mother's presence, I will not want to worry her even for just a minute. For that, I put up a firm smile as I tell her, "Please don't worry, nothing is wrong. I promise."

A second of hesitation later, the tension Grace built gradually collapses. Simultaneously as she stands up, she gives me a mischievous wink, "You know you can always come to me when you feel the urge to." she said.

After she obtains a nod from me, she walks away from the table and returns to the barista counter.

Grace looks after even a part time employee like me… How I wish such a caring and loving person to be my family.

"Here."

Meanwhile, before I see it, I hear a voice come from my side. When I turn my head, I see Isaac standing next to the table with his hand gripping a grey mug.

In silence, he locks his glare at me… He has no idea about it, but his icy grey eyes always seem so algid to me. His beige undercut and his expressionless face makes it even worse.

Isaac Hudson, an undergraduate like me, studying in an institute majors in performing arts. We work for Grace as part-time baristas, we report to duty every day after classes until eight to nine at night, sometimes eleven.

However sadly, although I have been working together with Isaac for two years now, except for the fact that he is only a year younger yet a lot taller than me, I figure I really don't know much about him.

He is rather quiet, he does not talk much, neither to the customers nor me. Though he does not seem like a shy person or an autistic, he may just be feeling less prone to act amiably towards people he cares less about, unlike Grace.