Café

"I remember
when you walked through that door
sat down in that chair
the times that we shared
but you ain't here"

-- "Cafe" by BIGBANG

we sat side-by-side at the cafe counter as the typhoon rain poured onto the city streets. you ordered an iced coffee and, ignoring my protests, paid for my black tea. our relationship straddled the line between strangers and acquaintances, but somehow it didn't matter. in the three hours we shared, we talked about our lives in ways that felt as natural as chatter among childhood friends.

fate is a tricky bastard. i knew that i might never see you again. i was leaving for the States the next day, while you were moving to another country by the end of the month. yet our lives had inexplicably collided, not just once but twice. the fact that you lived walking distance away from me in this vast city was almost too much of a coincidence.

it's a pity, perhaps. maybe things would have been different between us if we had met sooner. or perhaps nothing would have changed. all i know is that since we parted ways this evening, the bittersweet taste in my mouth won't go away.