Counting Down The Days To Go

“So everything is cool between the two of you now?” Mike asked me as we strolled along a narrow street on a Friday afternoon. School had just let out and we were walking over to a small café for some coffee.

“Yupp. And I’m happy that we are back to normal. It’s funny how all this started in the first place,” I scoffed.

“Oh yeah! Amanda thought that you and I were hooking up,” He said with a smile on his face.

“Exactly. How absurd is that?” I asked him although I was thinking the exact opposite. Yes, I still have a crush on Mike and a big one at that. At first I thought it was just a puppy dog love kind of thing but after hanging out with Mike this past few weeks, I think I am falling harder and harder for him. Of course, no one but Chanel knows about it.

“Why would you think that it’s absurd?” He asked, turning to face me.

“Huh? Well, I mean…I don’t think you go for girls like me. And there are like tons of other girls out there and…we hang out a lot. But…but that doesn’t mean w-we like each other,” I said with difficulty.

Mike seemed to be pondering over what I had just said.

“Well. Why would you think that I won’t go for you?” Mike asked gently.

I tilted my head down and concentrated on the sidewalk. There was a million reasons that would support my statement. My thighs are too big. My hips are too big. My eyes are too far apart. Yada yada yada. Face it, Mike was a perfect guy and I wasn’t a perfect girl. We would be a wrong match.

To answer Mike’s question, I just shrugged. “I don’t know,” I mumbled out.

“Look at me,” Mike said, forcing my chin up with his finger. “You don’t know how wrong you are.”

With that, he let go of my chin and opened the door of the café. I was startled at the fact that we reached the place already. I guess I wasn’t really taking note of my surroundings today.

I entered the café and breathed in the smell of freshly baked buns and coffee. The smell created homely feel to the cafe and it made me feel at ease, just like how one would feel at a grandmother’s house. The cafe sold the usual stuff like cupcakes, buns, coffee, cakes and other delicacies that you might eat for tea. I just loved coming here. Mike and I discovered this place when we passed down this street a while ago.

“The usual?” Mike asked me.

“Yupp. Blueberry muffin and coffee with two sugars. I’d go find a place to sit,” I said.

He nodded and I walked off to look for our usual seat. It was empty, thank god. It was my favorite seat in the whole café and Mike and I usually sat there. It was right beside a window and in a corner of the shop. I liked to observe people through the window as they walk down the street and just wonder about their lives and their thoughts.

I sat down on the comfortable mahogany chair and hugged the red cushion to my chest. I was feeling kind of hungry and I couldn’t wait for the food to come. Glancing out of the window, I saw huge, gray clouds shutting out the sunlight. I suppose it was going to rain? Duh. People started running around just as the first few raindrops began to fell. They were sparse yet big, fat raindrops. Lightning flashed across the sky and raindrops began to fall faster. Wow. It amazes me how weather can change in just a few minutes. The weather was fine when Mike and I were walking here just now. I hoped the rain would stop soon as we had no ride and no umbrella.

“You like the rain?” Mike’s voice startled me out from my thoughts.

“I think rain is cool but I am not particularly fond of it when I have no way to go home without being drenched in the rain. How are we going to go home in this weather?” I asked glumly.

“Damn. My dad just had to choose today to get my car serviced. I suppose you don’t have a Hello Kitty umbrella by chance?” Mike asked me with a crooked grin.

“Hello Kitty? NO! Why would I own something Hello Kitty-ish?” I asked, unintentionally raising my voice.

“Dude, chill. I was just kidding around with you. So I take it that you don’t like Hello Kitty and you don’t have an umbrella either? I don’t have one too. What are we going to do?”

“Why don’t we enjoy our food first? Then we figure a way out later?” I asked.

Mike nodded and I resumed watching people scurry by. Some of them had umbrellas while the unfortunate ones were running around with any form of shield over their heads. It’s funny how when it rains, people just try to cover their head. Like, aren’t the shoes or the clothes more important? Weird.

Watching the raindrops roll down the glass window, I began to remember a song called When It Rains by Paramore. It was a pretty song.

“What are you thinking about?” Mike said, breaking the silence.

“Huh? Oh nothing. I was looking at the raindrops and I just thought about this song called When It Rains by Paramore. Do you know that song?” I asked, in an attempt to make some conversation. Don’t get me wrong, hanging out with Mike was fun. But after all this hanging out with him, I realized that he didn’t really like to talk. Most of the time, we would be enveloped in a comfortable silence.

“I’ve never heard it. Could you sing it for me?,” He asked with a glint in his eyes.

A simple request, but a difficult task at the same time. Sing? What? Crystal doesn’t do singing.

“What?” I asked.

“Sing that song for me, please?” Mike pleaded with a cute pout plastered on his face. I cracked up after seeing that pout.

“That pout looks good on you,” I said with a fresh burst of giggles.

“Oh, come on don’t change the subject. Sing it for me please,” He whined.

“No.”

“Please?”

“Nope.”

“I thought we were friends.”

“We are.”

“Friends sing for friends, you know.”

“No they don’t. That’s a ridiculous excuse,” I said with an eye roll.

“Come on Crystie. Please? I just want to hear this amazing song.”

“My amazing voice would totally ruin it,” I said.

“Please?”

“Alright,” I said with a huff. It was no use arguing with that boy. He wins almost every time with the whining and the pleading.

“Yes!” Mike said, doing a little victory dance thing with his hands.

“Only the chorus,” I said.

“Only the chorus,” Mike agreed with a nod.

“And oh, oh, how could you do it?
Oh I, I never saw it coming.
Oh, oh, I need an ending.
So why can't you stay
Just long enough to explain?

And when it rains,
Will you always find an escape?
Just running away,
From all of the ones who love you,
From everything.
You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole
And you'll sleep 'til May
And you'll say that you don't want to see the sun anymore,” I stopped and breathed in a huge gulp of air. I was enjoying myself so much that I continued on to sing the verse after the chorus. I kept my eyes on the window pane while I was singing though. I couldn’t look at those enchanting green eyes that belonged to you know who because if I did, I wouldn’t have been able to sing.

“That was amazing. You sound a lot like her too,” Mike said with a few claps.

“Her?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah. That singer from Para-,” With that, Mike clamped his mouth with his hand.

“You mean you heard that song before? I thought you said you have never heard it before and you wanted me to sing cos’ you wanted to hear how it sounds like! You-,” I said, embarrassed and a little angry that I was cheated like that.

“Sshh. I admit it. I just wanted to hear you sing, alright? Now, have a blueberry muffin and drink some coffee. Your throat must be parched with all that singing.”

I gave him a murderous glare and gobbled down my food. I could feel a blush creeping on to my face too. How could I be so gullible?

Looking up, I saw Mike smiling at me.

“You’re not angry, are you?” Mike said.

I shrugged. Angry? A little bit. Embarrassed? Definitely.

“Aww. Don’t be. I wasn’t kidding when I said you have an amazing voice,” He said, reaching out to touch my hand. The touch sent electric jolts down my spine and I shivered.

Oh well. At least it was Mike that I sang for.



here's the song: