Love, On Read (MxM)

Chapter 12: Traitor

A/N: i didn't edit but here ya go <3 Honestly most of Olivia's songs on the Sour album could apply as the title here XD

Chapter 12: Traitor

Ollie's POV

The drive to the coffee shop wasn't as awkward as I had expected, and surprisingly enough, Haruto didn't mind me blasting Conan and Olivia songs through his car's speakers. As I remembered the events of high school through the power of their lyrics, Haruto drummed his fingers against the steering wheel to the instrumentals.

"So you do like their music."

He tilted his head before humming. "Of course I do. They're genius writers and it's very catchy."

"You said it was too angsty and sad."

He let out a laugh before pulling into the employee parking in the back of the cafe. "Well they wrote it during their angsty teen phase. But it makes it relatable that way."

"Teen Ollie would've enjoyed the fuck out of these if they had been released then. Probably would've fallen into a full emo phase. Dyed hair and all."

"That's hard to imagine," he remarked before opening the car door. "Come on, let's get your cold brew before you consider ruining that nice hair of yours."

I rolled my eyes as the bell to the cafe door chimed. Janice and Mi-young working the counter. He gestured to the table before saying, "I'll make your drink, make yourself cozy in your corner."

Per usual, nobody paid any mind to Haruto as he strolled behind the counter, whipping up a cold brew and his drink. Haruto worked fast when he wanted and it wasn't long before he came back with the drinks, and some pieces of cake to the table.

"I hope you paid for those."

He shrugged with a smirk on his face. "Maybe."

"Haruto."

"I'll take it out of my check, don't worry."

I hummed in disbelief but took the piece of pound cake. With the cold brew washing the taste of the bad coffee and memories of the mall out of mind, I finally felt at ease. The soft sounds of the cafe made it easier to enjoy Haruto's company again.

"Anyways, what would you like to do? Youtube? Chat? Listen to some playlists?" Haruto sipped on what looked to be a chai latte.

My shoulders scrunched up at the questions, not sure what would be best. After all, we did those things normally here anyways. "Uh, you decide."

He pursed his lips, pondering what to say, the slight dimple on his cheek visible. "Well, I'd say chat, but I don't wanna bore you to death."

"You couldn't bore me," I muttered, feeling my face flush. Was that too forward to say? "What...what was high school like for you?"

"Me? Kinda boring, I guess," he drawled. "I did track and field as you know already. I was more of an academic kid I guess, really strived for good grades as opposed to a social life."

"Really? I pegged you for a popular kid. You're so extroverted."

He shrugged. "Well, I hung out with a lot of kids, mostly the smart crowd, and the buddies from track. But for a while I struggled to adjust I guess? We moved out of a predominantly Asian community into a more suburban area right before high school. Being half Japanese and half Brazilian put me in a weird spot in a way. Which is dumb, cause Spanish and Portuguese are totally different."

"Caucasian neighborhood?"

He nodded. "Well, sort of. From the Chinatown area, my mom and I moved back with my dad, in a more hispanic neighborhood. Now it's more inclusive, but back then, my dad was one of the few who spoke Portuguese. We learned spanglish together to blend in, but it was hard to adapt to the culture. I was used to speaking Japanese and some Chinese, and eating Asian dishes to having literal mixed plates of food. Having gyoza to pastels, or having feijoadas instead of oden. Sometimes I'd have it all on the same plate."