“My god, have you been taking those again?”

Mom startled me, causing me to spill the pack of antacids on the dining table. I looked at her in disbelief before noticing her stern look. Trying to force an innocent smile, I scratched my head like an idiot.

“I thought you don’t need it anymore.”

“Well, I did,” I shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s just back, that’s all.”

It was a month later after what happened with Maria. My mom and I met up to have a family lunch in a restaurant not far from my apartment. We were waiting for Akira, my brother, to show up. He was running really late. Classic Akira. Not really worrying about that, she focused on this particular interrogation. She collected the antacids to the bottle they were in.

“What about the other pills?”

“The PPIs? Yes, those too.”

“You want me to cry? Answer properly or I’ll call your father here. If your reflux is back, then—”

“I’m fine. Doctor Burke said that everything is fine. It’s just the reflux.”

“Don’t lie. You want me to call Dr. Burke right now?”

“I told you. Wait.” I opened my sling bag and took the receipt I got from a doctor appointment two weeks ago. I put it on the table, showing it to my mother. “See? Now let’s not disturb the shrink in the middle of a saturday morning. He’s probably golfing somewhere with his assistant.”

My mom took the receipt and nodded in confirmation. “I swear to god, Sota.”

“I’m fine, mother,” I patted her shoulder before getting up to escape her death stare. I walked to the window looking outside from the private room Akira booked for us. “Let’s just focus on how late Akira is.”

“Leave him be. He needs to pick up his girlfriend from Twelfth.”

“So that’s why we’re eating in such an expensive place. He got himself a rich girlfriend. Where did he even meet her?”

“Don’t act like we aren’t,” mom was definitely offended by that off-hand comment. I liked teasing her like that. “He met her at work, he said.”

“The law firm?”

“No, coffee shop. Remember that place he owns with a few of his friends?”

“That place on Fifth? The one on the mountains?”

“Riverside. You’ve never been there, have you?”

“Um— I’m busy?” I let an awkward grin out. She was spot on, though. I have never visited that place even once. “Sounded nice. Riverside coffee shop at Fifth.”

I gazed out at the scenery. Have I told you? It was the year 2038 Anno Domini. I was living in a city called Crystalline, a city state that’s part of the European Empire. It was basically a series of huge plates suspended around three huge pillars where the massive elevators were in. Luxen above the ground and Phantom below, on the surface. Our city was basically this massive walled city based on a giant crater powered by a crystallized meteorite.

We were on the Seventh, the residential and education sector. Akira’s girlfriend lived on Twelfth, one of the higher ones where government officials and rich people lived. The coffee shop was on Fifth, the one with farms and artificial hills and rivers. That was where livestocks were produced.

A coffee shop on a hill beside a river at Fifth sector would definitely be famous for its view. If the sunset was visible from there, that would be a gold mine. My mind wandered a little bit. A coffee shop at Fifth, why does it sound familiar? My brain was once again playing games on me.

With that the pain came back, reminding me that I haven’t taken the medicine yet. I walked back to the table and reached the bottle. At the same time, the door casually opened, revealing Akira and a girl standing behind him.

Doesn’t the pain make sense now? My brain poked my back repeatedly. It was saying something. What was the opposite of waterfall, again? Right, fountain. The acid in my stomach shot up to my throat. It stung like hell. My body reacted without any pause the moment I saw her but I still managed to hold it back. 

The gentle, cheerful, yet polite manner; the short brown hair that glimmered with the sunlight; the crystal clear amber eyes that stared deep into your very soul; the quirky hairpin that matched everything poorly—Maria was there, bowing immediately to my mother despite not being Japanese. As she stood back up, her eyes widened, noticing me there.

“Sota? Why are you here?”

“I mean,” dumbfounded by everything, I could only point at Akira while showing the sincerest smile I have ever shown. “I am his brother.”

“Um— surprise?” Akira shrugged and laughed it out. I could see the mischievous grin on his face. The only thing that came out of me was a huge laugh. I couldn’t find the time to stop that irony until my mom stopped me for being rude. Lunch? Right, it went on.

“So where did you two meet?”

“At work, mum. I told you.”

“Not you. Them!” My mother broke the ice the moment we started eating.

“We study at the same university, ma’am he’s technically my junior of two years.”

“We just hangout often.”

“Pretty much best friends, aren’t we, Sota?”

That cheerful statement caught me off guard. Mom and Akira stared at me. Those eyes were scarily suspicious. Expected for a quick response, I couldn’t even think of what to say. We hung out virtually a few times every week.

“Yes, people of the press, I have someone I can call a best friend now.”

With that, relief came to their faces. My mom immediately put her arms around my shoulders, hugging me tight. Akira, who was in front of me, joined in by ruffling my already messy dark hair proudly. Maria wasn’t sure of what’s happening but she looked happy. ‘I’ll tell you later,’ was what I mouthed to her.