Seb held his breath as he entered the coffee shop, as though he were descending into a crypt. Which was ridiculous, of course: with its warm, subdued lighting, relaxed ambient soundtrack, and rich, inviting aromas, the Undergrind Café was probably the least threatening venue on campus. It was a favorite among the academic crowd, its semi-hidden location underneath a downtown bookstore making it a cozy and convenient choice for those looking to escape into their studies.
Or confront their past, in Seb's case. Though maybe 'confront' was too strong a word—he and Sophia had arranged this meeting as a mending exercise, after all, and Sophia wasn't the type to pick a fight in public. At least, she hadn't been when they last met, though there was always the chance that she had changed since high school.
Seb certainly had.
He growled and rubbed his temples while waiting for his order, trying to keep his memories of Chelsea's confession from awakening the Vox. They had already cost him a night of sleep—he couldn't afford for them to interfere further. If Sophia knew that the volunteer he had hypnotized at the variety show was now begging to be his sex slave, well...his former childhood friend probably wouldn't be waiting for him in this café, that was for sure.
Seb took a sip of his coffee, letting the mellow bitterness ground him in the present. He scanned the overstuffed armchairs and pockmarked wooden tables, looking for a familiar dark tangle of hair among the morning crowd. If he was being honest though, he already knew where she would be. The window seats were too sunny and visible, the armchairs and couches too easy to slouch into. There was only one place she would be waiting for him.
There: in the corner booth towards the back of shop. A small, curvy figure with a pair of black-and-pink gaming headphones hanging around her neck, the reflection of her phone screen lighting up her glasses.
Seb swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "H-hey, Soph?" he ventured.
She looked up, the white light vanishing from her spectacles, revealing deep, hazel eyes that felt like they absorbed Seb's gaze as he met hers. She was wearing her favorite violet hoodie, but had neglected to zip it up all the way, offering a shy peek at her heavy breasts underneath, which rose sharply as her breath caught.
"S-seb!" she exclaimed.
And just like that, Seb wasn't standing in the Undergrind Café anymore. He was transported back to a rainy porch in the fall, back in the year that had ended it all...
_______________________________________________
Seb glanced up at the porch roof as the light rain tapped against it, hoping that Mr. Iglesias had fixed the leaks over the summer. He also hoped the large man wasn't home this evening: even though Sophia's father permitted her and Seb to spend time together in private, Seb could almost feel his gaze piercing her bedroom door whenever they closed it. Sometimes, if the two of them had been quiet for too long, Mr. Iglesias would barge in unannounced, giving Seb a heart attack without fail. He could appreciate the intimidating patriarch's caution, but it really wasn't necessary. Seb and Sophia had been having sleepovers since they were kids and, besides, he was too nervous and she was too much of a good church girl to try anything risky.
Not that they wanted to anyway. That wasn't...what they were to each other.
At least...it hadn't been.
The front door flew open, halting that train of thought. With some relief, Seb saw that it was Sophia's mother greeting him this time, her bright smile lighting up the grey evening air.
"Hello, Seb, how are you?" Mrs. Iglesias exclaimed.
"Doing okay, Mrs. Iglesias," Seb answered. "Can I..."
"Oh, of course. Come in, come in," she ushered Seb through the door, practically shoving him deeper into the modest ranch house as she spoke. "Sophia didn't say if you were going to be around for dinner, but I made some extra just in case, so stay as late as you need to! Wouldn't want you two to fall behind on your schoolwork."
"E-eh yeah we're, uh, pretty swamped this year," Seb lied with a nervous chuckle. "Y-you know how Mr. Trapper's classes can be."
"I do, I do. Lovely man. But so hard on you kids! Anyway, Sophia's waiting in her room. Good luck you two!" She bustled away, leaving Seb before the door to Sophia's bedroom.
"Soph?" he called and knocked, only to have the door swing on its hinges, revealing his partner-in-crime seated at her desk. She was completely absorbed in the game on her laptop, the pink lights on her headphones glowing, the chipped controller click-clacking her hand.
Seb had seen her this way before—a bomb could go off and it wouldn't interrupt her flow. He stepped closer to get her attention, only to hesitate when she yawned and stretched luxuriously in her chair. She reached a hand into her bra, scooping her left breast into a more comfortable position before tugging the straps to accommodate, causing her tightly-packed chest to jiggle and bounce. For a brief moment, Seb wondered if she had grown another size, outpacing her family's clothing budget yet again.
Then he realized he was rock hard, standing only a yard away from his best friend.
He quickly swung his backpack in front of his crotch, hoping it would shield her from the unwelcome erection. "Er, Soph!" he called again, waving awkwardly with his free hand. "Sophia!" he reached out and tapped on her desk.
"Wha-?" Sophia whirled around, dropping her controller in the process. "Oh, Seb! You scared me." She scrambled to pick up errant gamepad, only to accidentally bump her desk, toppling several second-hand anime figurines onto the floor as well. "I, uh, sorry I, um, I'm almost done with this boss and I thought I could finish before you, uh—"
"It's okay, really," Seb interrupted. "You can play to a save point if you want, I'll wait."
"Um, it's fine." She blushed. "I can do that any time. We should probably get started before my dad gets home."
"Oh, right." Seb acknowledged, bending down to recover a faded Vegeta from the carpet. "He thinks we're working on a school project together, right?"
Sophia nodded. "Yep. Your secret's safe. You won't have to worry about my mom or dad blabbing to your parents."
"Good. Thanks." Seb handed the figurine back to Sophia, trying to ignore the small tremor that ran through him when her fingers graced his. And...was it his imagination, or did they linger longer than they normally did?
No, he reminded himself as he turned his attention to his backpack, he couldn't start thinking this way. Sophia had been his closest friend since elementary school—he couldn't afford to jeopardize that by swooning over her every move. It would make things too weird. Well, weirder than checking her out while she played video games, anyway.
