Rainbow

One of the few things that could calm the complex constitution that bore the core of his exhausted soul was the taste of a good Spanish Latte. His addiction to caffeine has started with those late nights of both studying and writing mixed with the sessions of intense overthinking that plagued his volatile psyche. Coffee had been one of his fundamental commodities that ground his head into the world of the living and let him take a deep breath therefore going forth with the joke of reality that would be upon him.

Even though it was half past 2 in the afternoon, the café that's a couple of blocks away from his house was fairly empty; a spot that used to be packed by college students that required caffeine and office workers that needed that fix of bitter sweetness to help them on their daily grind is now seemingly rather bare and empty. sounds of soft rain that fell outside may have contributed to the number of patrons, but still it was a nice aesthetic for the meantime.

By this point, Josh stopped thinking due to the head splitting pain that was brewing in his head; the coffee or the exhaustion from the early morning escapade of his escape from reality is slowly weighing down upon his fragile body.

The stories of the past was something he was comfortable sharing, however the memories were still fresh and so were the scars from the past that he desperately tried to avoid. Exhausted and fatigued from the entire ordeal of the week of his return, this coffee really has given him one of his moments of peace and respite despite it all.

The sting of caffeine and last night's nicotine has made the rush of his adrenaline extend past a new dawn that cracked at the first signs of light. Despite the hearty evening's rest from the previous scenario that transposed in the twilight scene. No matter how hard he tried to rationalize everything, a migraine only awaited him the more he tried to think of it.

The girl wanted to meet him once more, this time much earlier than before; but still late where no soul can be found wandering the city. The hour of lost souls, when the clock strikes midnight, where the sleepless finally sleep in this unsleeping city of shattered hopes and dreams; where the youth has finally lost their meaning.

He smiled to himself while grasping one side of his face with his open hand, the drops of rain outside providing a decent excuse to once again try and escape this reality he had found himself into.

Yet the scent of her lavender perfume against the backdrop of the starry sky, her golden blonde hair swaying in the evening breeze as her conflicting smile both seemed fake and genuine at the same time causing confusion in his already confused brain. The bewildering attitude of this strange girl from this strange world that he called his past which has caught up to him presently. Every single thought would make him return to that bridge beside the mysterious girl who seemed adamant on trying to change a person with unchanging ways; an unstoppable force has met an immovable object and nobody knows how this would blow over.

"Here you go sir."

The voice of the waitress that delivered him a single slice of a creamy strawberry pie was enough to pull him out of his jumbled psyche, with a nod and a thanks she finally left him alone once more to ponder on the girl that was seemingly filled with nothing but wonder.

A single bite yielded the perfect amount of sweet sourness that was perfectly paired with a tinge of honey drizzle atop. A secret not many knew, but his liking to strawberry was caused by the woman who had almost left him dead and broken. Her persistence on having at least a single strawberry flavored snack has caused Josh to develop this sort of habit to indulge himself in strawberries. He didn't hate it necessarily, after all he did like strawberries before; though not even he knows if she had tarnished the taste of strawberry for him forever.

Unpack and Unravel. Two directives that were important on the list of activities that were in his mind. To start settling down back to this hometown of his and slowly regain what he had lost in the years that he was away. Too much time had passed to truly contort to the lifestyle of the city in the province, but it's enough to remedy the isolating loneliness that he had experienced in the Capital City.

Finishing his coffee and pie, he left a rather large bill underneath the plate. It was a sign of thanks; that waitress was his first proper welcome to the city beside the bizarre interaction that occurred last night.

He sighed slightly as the thought slowly got to him.

The girl's challenge. It lingered in his mind more often than others.

Josh left the cafe with thanks and as he stared at the now clear and somewhat cloudless sky, a small rainbow appeared in the distance. Hands in his pockets and head high up in the air, for the first time in weeks he finally felt so at ease and at peace with himself.

Without direction, he walked.

Without purpose, he thought.

Without worries, he fought.

An enemy unbeknownst to most.

himself.

The offer still stands, a chance to gamble his life once more. To throw himself willingly in the battlefield that he just recently got out of. A chance to give his life meaning and purpose in the middle of all these bizarre things that keep occurring in his eventful life.

He chuckled,

"What's the worst that could happen?"