Phrase XI

Kai noticed the leaves scattered across the campus walk.
He felt a sense of kinship with them.

The morning wind was throwing Kai around as much as the leaves.

He breathed out a cloud of fog, and zipped his hoodie higher.

October had arrived like a hail storm.
Midterms.
Masked parties.
Group presentations.


Kai just wanted to sleep.


He thought about their project meetings.

At least the meetings have been... fine...

I guess...

Eli was always on time.
Isaac did the spreadsheet.
Luca showed up.

Their group chat had settled into a rhythm of links and update pings.
Nothing friendly.
Or personal.
Or hostile.

Luca hadn't snapped at him in over a week.
No—almost a month.
Even if Kai hadn't noticed until now.


Kai stepped into the café through the staff door.
The scent of cinnamon hit him harder than usual.
And the smell of burnt toast was back.

Great...

He rubbed his hands together.

His shift wasn't for another ten minutes.
It felt easier to be here than anywhere else.


Behind the counter, the lights were half on.

He could hear the low gurgle of the sink, and the soft scrape of metal on ceramic. Luca was already prepping the bar.

Kai set his bag down quietly and went to grab his apron.

They had gotten good at that part—
moving around each other.
Passing pitchers.
Swapping shifts.

Not talking.


Kai felt something loosen in his chest.

Today might be good...

He tied his apron and stepped behind the bar.

The shift was about to start.

Kai's hair stuck to his forehead.
His hands smelled like mocha and sanitizer.

"Four shots, no whip!" he called, sliding a drink up.

No response.

Luca was already halfway through another order, sleeves rolled high.
His hands were moving fast.

They hadn't spoken much, but they moved—barely brushing, always forward.

"Wrong lid," Luca muttered as Kai reached for the caramel drizzle.

"What?"

Luca didn't look up. "Wrong. Lid."

Kai blinked, then noticed.

Damn it.

"You could've said something sooner."

"I did."

Kai didn't answer.

A customer called from the far side, "Hey, is this decaf?"

Luca turned. "No. It's not."

"Then I didn't order it."

Luca looked at Kai.
Kai looked back.

Luca said nothing.
He went back to tamping.

Kai exhaled through his nose.

The rest of the rush blurred.

By the time the door stopped chiming, Kai's apron was damp with sweat.

Silence crept back into the café.


Kai reached for the rag. He started wiping down the bar.
Luca stood by the sink, rinsing pitchers.

Steam hissed one last time.
Then peaceful quiet.

Kai muttered, "We should've split the bar."

Luca didn't respond.

The rush was over, but the mess wasn't.
Milk pitchers filled the sink.
Stray napkins clung to the counter.

Kai grabbed a rag and started wiping the edge of the counter.
Luca was rinsing something in the back corner.

The faucet hissed.
Then silence.
Then another hiss.

It's quiet...

Kai flicked a straw wrapper off the edge.
It missed the bin—He just left it.

Luca walked past him once, silently dropping off a pitcher
Kai kept wiping.

He was tired of it.
The rhythm. The silence.

The way Luca only spoke when necessary.
Even then, it was barely above a mutter.

Kai tossed the rag on the bar. "I'll take trash."

Luca said, "Cool."

Kai grabbed the bin and hauled it to the back.
He tied the bag too tight—

The plastic snapped.

He cursed under his breath and left to get another one.

By the time Kai made it back, Luca had already restocked the syrups.
He was already setting up the grinder for the afternoon.

Kai felt his teeth grind.

"You know," he said, "This whole silent treatment thing's getting kind of old."

Luca didn't look over. "Wasn't aware I was giving you the silent treatment."

"Right," Kai said, grabbing the broom. "Just your normal, sparkling personality."

Dry espresso grounds scattered as he swept. He moved faster than necessary.

Behind him, he heard the milk fridge door slam.
Not hard, but loud enough to echo.

Kai turned. "Okay, seriously—what's your deal?"

Luca looked at him, brow barely raised. "What are you talking about?"

Kai dropped the broom against the counter. "You've been weird for weeks."

Luca shrugged. "You're imagining things."

"No, I'm really not," Kai said, stepping forward. "You barely talk. You vanish after every meeting. You treat me like—"

Kai stopped himself.

Luca didn't answer.
Kai shook his head.

"Look, I get that you're not the social type or whatever, but this would be easier if the person I was working with was—"

He stopped himself.

Then let the words slip anyway.

"—if the person I was working with acted like a fucking human!"

Luca's expression dropped.
He didn't blink.

It came out sharper than Kai meant.
Snappy.
Rude.

Kai blinked. "Wait—I didn't mean—"

Luca remained still.

He had one hand at his side.
One rested on the counter.
His knuckles were white against the laminate.

"Wait—I'm sorry—!"

Luca turned.
His face was unreadable.

Kai's mouth stayed silent but open.

Luca walked away, one steady step after another.
Past the grinder.
Past Kai.

Kai reached a hand out slightly. "Luca—"

Luca went into the back room.
The door clicked shut behind him.


Kai stood there, mouth half-open.

He looked around at the empty café.
The half-cleaned counter.
The broom still leaning against the edge.

Kai covered his face with a heavy slap.

Kai was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
The shadows of faling leaves danced across it.
Orange streetlight flickered with the wind.

Outside, someone yelled "Happy Halloween!"
Laughter echoed.
A car honked.

Kai rolled over.
The bedsheets tangled around his legs.
His pillow felt too warm, then too cold.

He sighed and stared at his phone.
No messages.
No notifications.
Nothing from the group chat.

Did we even have a meeting today?

He stared ahead.

Was Luca there...?

He didn't say anything if he was.

Or maybe he left early?

Kai flipped onto his back, pressing his palms to his face.

Two weeks had passed since that shift.
Luca hadn't said more than three words to him since.

Not even a snarky comment.

He'd even moved seats again in class.
Farther now.

Should I try to apologize?

Kai exhaled through his teeth.

Probably not...

Outside, someone shouted again.
A bottle clinked against pavement.

Inside, everything stayed still.

Kai took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes.