Emojis and Food

Chapter 7: Waffles

💖Katy💖

hey, we still on for breakfast?

Actually, I have some online work to do...

I'm sorry.

it's okay!

i can get take out. we can eat at your place.

Don't you have work today too though?

yeah but if i leave early it should be fine

Are you sue?

*sure?

I don't want you to be late

i won't be. it'll be fine. I'll sendyou a link to the

menu, tell me what you want

•••

Xialing panicked as she walked through her apartment. She had sweeped, mopped, and dusted every surface she could. Twice. A candle had been burning in every room, each one's wick stood straight up in a pool of melted wax. Jasmine in the living room, honeysuckle and peach in the hallway, and vanilla-sandalwood in the kitchen. These scents, according to Xialing's late night research two days ago, were associated with love and pining. As much as she didn't want Katy to date her for her sake, she had moments where she just didn't care. She wanted to share more soda-floats with her. She wanted to go out and explore different places to eat with her. She wanted to lick off any specks of sauce that could land on her face after a meal. She wanted to kiss her so hard that her own lipstick stuck on her peony pink lips and stained them a faint red.

Most importantly, right now, she just wanted to make her apartment presentable. She placed her copy of The Sparrow Shack on a stack of other books she had bought with Katy on the coffee table next to her couch, golden tassel bookmark dangling at chapter twenty-one. Not in the middle, but right before, informing that she had read just enough. She lit up one final candle- Rose and Raspberry Mimosa- in the bathroom, hoping to hide the scent of bleach and cleaning supplies. A familiar ring from her doorbell rang through the house. Xialing sped walked to the speaker at the front of the apartment and pulled the large tan phone off of the wall.

"Hey!" Katy said from the entrance of the building. "I'm here!"

"Yeah, I can tell." Xialing laughed but then stopped. Shit- she thought to herself. Was that rude or funny? Katy laughed back and Xialing sighed as she put her hand on her heart.

"Yeah, duh," she said, a smile obvious in her voice. "Just buzz me in dummy," Xialing did so and waited patiently as Katy walked to the elevator and clicked the button to the fifth floor. The doorbell rang and Xialing waited a moment, not wanting to seem like she was waiting outside the door like a puppy awaiting their owner after they leave for work.

"Hey!" Katy said with a smile before hugging Xialing. Xialing caught a whiff of her shampoo- Lavender- before they pulled away from each other. Katy held up a brown paper bag with a logo of a bitten waffle with berries and syrup surrounding it. The words circling the black illustration read 'Saira's Breakfast Spot.' "Ready to eat?"

They walked further into the apartment before Katy stopped and bent down at the coffee table. "Holy shit-" she picked up the book atop a pile of novels. "You got The Sparrow Shack!" Xialing smile, both at Katy's happiness for the book and her own genius to put it there.

"Yeah," she replied. "I decided to get it when you told me how much you liked it. Katy flipped through the pages and stopped where the bookmark was snugly wedged inside. "You got pretty far in... What do you think of Luc and Micah together?"

"Okay," Xialing began to answer. "At first I was iffy because I've never been too big a fan of the rivals-to-lovers trope, but they grew on me!"

"I know right! And-" Katy suddenly pushed her lips together and sucked them inwards.

"What?" Xialing asked. She looked up.

"I almost spoiled it for you..." She said with an ashamed smile. They laughed and Xialing opened her mouth.

"Well, the important thing is, you didn't." Katy unpacked the two white cardboard boxes while Xialing opened the silver fridge door. "What do you want to drink?" She asked. "I have apple juice, orange juice, grape, fruit punch- Oh!" Xialing leaned down to the bottom of the fridge. "I have champagne in case you want to make mimosas." Katy turned around.

"Absolutely." Xialing poured out the orange juice and champagne into two small glass cups and set them next to the take out boxes.

"Hey," she asked. "Do you want to sit in the living room? We can watch a movie while we eat."

"Definitely!" Katy said enthusiastically. They sat across from each other on the couch. Katy cross legged with her box resting on her lap whilst tying her hair in a ponytail with a silky green scrunchie. Xialing sat with one leg bent up and the other dangling off the couch, holding her box in her hand. She took a bite of one of the peaches that sat on top of her yellow-brown waffles. A vanilla-caramel syrup was drizzled over it along with pieces of crumbled candied bacon. She glanced over at Katy, who had chosen a coming-of-age thriller that took place in a cabin in the woods. She offered her a piece of her waffle before she had taken a bite of it. After Katy answered yes, she cut a piece with her silver fork, being sure to get a waffle, the syrup, the bacon, and half of a peach slice. Katy moaned and smiled.

"Why do you always pick the best foods?" she asked. "Like- what's your secret?" Xialing smiled and turned her head away before closing her eyes.

"I'll never tell..." Katy laughed and offered a piece of her own meal. A fluffy pink velvet waffle with diced strawberries, chocolate drizzle, and rainbow sprinkles. Xialing took a bit and leaned her head back. "Now this is really good!" her lips parted, letting the fork slip out. "Do you want to trade? Half of mine for half of yours?"

•••

"I cannot believe that!" Katy said in disbelief. She loosed her hair from the ponytail and dropped the scrunchie next to her.

"Yeah," Xialing agreed. "You're telling me all those kids died because of one dumbass?" they laughed at the stupid character in the film. Katy glanced down at her phone on the coffee table, which buzzed to life with a text from her mother. Her eyes widened and she got up.

"Shit-" she stood up and ran to grab her jacket from the wooden chair in the kitchen. "I've gotta go-I see-" Xialing picked up Katy's phone and handed it to her. "I'll see you later!" she waved goodbye and shut the door before running down the hall to the elevator. Xialing stood still in the now lonely apartment. The laugh track of a 90's sitcom lowly rang from the television as she stared at the couch. The scrunchie. Katy left her viridian scrunchie.

Xialing picked it up and held it close to her nose. Lavender and a bit of something else... She snapped it around her wrist and laid on the couch, dreaming of the girl with long lavender scented hair.