-sixteen-

Little Drinks 

One night, she drank with Maki, her friends, seniors, and Daiki. Once per week, after the second orientation, some groups of them kept growing their connections to each other.

"I never thought that you guys keep in touch after school," Daiki asked,

"Actually, we met at Uni' for the first time after she left school," Maki said, surprising Daiki. How can I leave this girl even if I want to?"

"You want to leave me?" Killa asked with a sad, cute face.

"We live in the same apartment, too; maybe that's how we kept bumping into each other. It's a destiny for us to be bff," Maki explained and then Killa was very impressed by her speech, and they drank alcohol together like a couple. "You know, back then, I greatly helped her about you," Maki confessed, and Daiki looked at Killa; she blushed.

"Stop," Killa said,

"In her eyes, have only Daiki, Daiki," Maki teased her again.

"Shut up and drink." Killa put her drink into Maki's mouth.

"Really?"Daiki asked Killa.

"I think you know...I think I made it very clear." She said with her red face, and she swallowed the alcohol in her throat.

On the way back, she started to get used to the environment in this town. She hadn't stopped or paused herself, admiring the surroundings that much before it had been almost half the semester. She had been here for nearly six months. During this period of time, she focused on herself and the people who were all around her instead of something else. Nothing that bothered her like the past. She walked to her apartment alone on the pathway with the darkness that warmed her with the streetlight and the bright moon. She passed the Café and saw her Boss throwing out the trash.

"Boss," Killa called him with a high-pitched voice.

'How she's still out here, it's dark,' Boss thought.

"You work hard, Boss; why don't you go home yet?" Killa asked, and he pointed a finger at the Café.

"Do you sleep at work? that's that's...you don't have a place to stay?" She tried to say it, but he couldn't read her lips because she couldn't even stand properly. And then he decided to use his palms to support her cheeks.

"You are drunk." He said.

"Yes, I'm out with my friends and seniors." She told him while he was holding her. 

"With a pink-haired guy?" He asked.

She was a bit stunned. "How did you know?"

'So yes then,' Boss thought. "You shouldn't be drinking and walking home alone." He said.

"I'm fine,"

"I'll walk you home." Boss said,

"It's okay."

"You stay here," He hesitated whether he should let her wait here or not. 'If she's out here, maybe she will leave...and she can't even stand still,' Boss thought. Then he decided to take her inside the Café by grabbing her wrist. And he took his coat and held her hand. "I'll walk you home," Boss said.

During the walk, they quietly breathed through the air that embraced them. The boss held her hand like Killa was a baby girl who wanted someone to lean on.

'I don't smell her cigarette,' He thought.

"What is it?" Killa asked after she noticed how strange he acted.

"Why don't I smell your cigarette?" Boss said,

"I don't smoke," she said as her eyelids were about to close. "I mean, I smoke only when I'm stressed."

'So that day she was stressed,' He thought. "You shouldn't smoke." Boss said to her, and then suddenly, she stopped walking. 

Instantly, she touched his face to look straight at her face, making him startled. "Hey, boss, why do you hate me?" finally, she asked. "You order me around, don't do that, do that, stay here, don't go, cut your hair, don't cut your hair, why do you hate me so much?" Killa asked with an annoyed face.

"I don't hate you."

"You know, no one ever orders me around like you. Except for my father, but I've never been willing at all, not just once. But why...for you, I'm more than glad," Killa said. I've never been willing, but why does it come to you? My body agrees to do it on its own,' Killa thought.

He was startled by what she said, how honesty she was. "I.." Boss was going to say, but he saw a guy secretly following and peeking at the back. "Let's take you home,"

'Again, again, see?' Killa thought.

"Am I a dog to you?... Woof," Killa asked and made a dog sound.

'Why is she so cute like this?' Boss thought and tried to calm himself down so as not to laugh. "You're not. You look like a cat," he whispered in her ear.

"Meow?" Now she made a cat sound.

'God, what should I do with her?' He thought and put his hand covering his face. Because of the alcohol, Killa's Boss could see this cute side of her.

Killa's Apartment

Killa's boss took her to the front of her room. Before, she put her key in, but the door wasn't locked. 'Hm?' Killa was confused. And then she pushed the door immediately.

Both of them were shocked to see that someone or something had crashed into her room. Killa was going to step inside, but her boss grabbed her wrist to stop her, and then he walked into her room first.

'It's—The past runs after me fast, is it?' Killa thought with emotionlessness. Killa assumed that this scene was caused by the Mafia's revenge on her father. "Thank you for taking me home, but you should go." She almost sobered after seeing the mess.

"Who did this to you?" Boss asked, but she didn't know how to answer, and she wasn't sure that was the one in her mind.

"…rat," she answered, pushing her boss' massive back out of the room.

He stopped himself at the door and turned around. "You can't sleep here." He said. She said nothing back. "Friend?" He suggested,

"I don't know," Then she did the sign as she said, "her house," she continued. Maki moved to be with her girlfriend's house a few days ago.

"You can stay with me." Boss said,

"Ha?" Killa made a shocked voice.

The Café

Killa and Boss both went back to the Café. They got inside the front door. Boss locked and closed it properly and led her to the stairs behind the front section. Killa had seen it before, but she wasn't allowed to take that higher path. But this time, the big man led her by himself. They walked up the stairs in silence.

'So that's what he meant,' Killa thought. Killa realized the meaning of what he tried to say when she asked about his place. Downstairs was the Café, and his house, or where he lived, was upstairs.

Boss: 'You sleep here.'

"What about you?" She did the sign-back and asked at the same time. He pointed at the floor in front of the bedroom. "It's your house. I sleep here. You sleep in your room." She spoke too fast, so Boss didn't catch her words."I sleep here. Boss sleeps in the bedroom." she spoke slowly,

He shook his head, and She just looked at him. He approached her slowly. "I insist," he whispered in her ear,

'Can he stop whispering?' Killa thought.

And then he took the pillow out of his bedroom. 

"Is it really okay if I stay at your place?" Killa asked, worrying. He said nothing, but he put his hand on her head instead.

"If Kwan knows, I think he might kill me," she said,

Boss stared at Killa. "Why do you care about him so much?" he asked.

"Because he..." she paused, 'scary as hell,' she thought,

"Can it be someone else?" Boss asked out of the blue.

"Yes?" She was confused, tilting her head, 'What is he talking about?' Killa thought.

"Can you like someone else, not him?" he made it more clear,

'What?' Killa was shocked.

Then he left the room without waiting for her answer, leaving her wondering.

'Calm down, Eamon...I shouldn't have said that,' Boss thought.

-Flashback-

Another day, Daiki came alone to the Café. Kwan took his order, and Daiki seemed to look for Killa. The employee caught the vibe he got from Daiki. So, he turned to see Killa, who was learning a new recipe with Boss behind him. Then Kwan gave the order to Killa to make coffee for Daiki. Killa noticed Daiki at the table by himself, so she decided to serve a drink by herself.

"Is he pretty?" Kwan asked his Boss, and then Boss turned his face to look at the pink-haired guy with bright skin.

Boss: 'It's your type,'

"Yes, Killa, too," Kwan said. Boss was shocked and looked at them right away. 

Kwan: 'She said she likes the pretty man.' He did the sign language and had an arrogant expression on his face. "She said she likes me," Kwan said. Boss eyes widen.

Boss: 'Does she know that you're gay?' He did the sign and tried to keep his calm.

"Yes, but she said she likes me anyway because I AM TOO PRETTY," Kwan said with a smirk. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not lying. She said she likes me because I'm pretty...and that's her crush. I mean, she used to like that guy." Kwan explained. Boss stayed in silence, including his movement. "She surely falls the pretty man," Kwan said and acted proudly. 

After a little conversation between the Boss and his employee, it made him a little stressed in some way. Boss kept watching her actions closely when a pretty guy came to the Cafe; what would she do? How would she act around Kwan?

-

The morning came up. Killa woke up a little drowsy and had a headache.

'My head..' Killa thought. And then she rubbed her eyes. "...shit," Killa cursed lightly after her sights were clear. 'That's right, I'm in the Boss' room.' Killa thought. 

She decided to get up and left the bedroom, noticing her Boss's big body standing, facing the electric stove. 'He's cooking?' Killa thought. She tried not to let him know that she already got up. So, she was sneaking behind him.

"Come sit. I'll make breakfast." But he did know, and then he did the sign and spoke simultaneously.

Killa said nothing, only nodded.

She said no words; she just tried to remember and reckon what had happened last night and why she had to stay the night at her Boss's place.

"Eat," he turned and made the sign, putting the hangover soup and a bowl of rice for Killa. Then he sat down across from her.

"Thank you, Boss," she said with a bit of embarrassment. 'This scene looks so familiar,' she thought, "Don't you eat?" Killa tried to do the sign.

"I ate already, and that soup is for hangover." He did the sign while speaking lightly and with a deep voice.

She was even more embarrassed. 'Yes, I remembered this scene quite well,' But she felt more red than when she was with Glenn in his room. The situation might be similar, but the vibes were totally different. 'Because of him?' she thought, glancing at the man before her. "I am so sorry for giving you trouble,"

He shook his head. "Do you have school today?"

She nodded, "...yes.. what time is it?" She tried to find a watch in this room. "Jeez, it's almost 1 already? I gotta go." She hurriedly got up and headed to the door.

And then Boss grabbed her wrist instantaneously. "I'll take you," he said,

"It's..." she stuttered,

Boss: 'I'll take you.' he insisted with his steady face. 'So eat first,' He did the sign again, and then she sat down like he had said and ate breakfast so fast.

"Finish," she said and got up quickly. He couldn't help but smile.

"I'll give you a lot of trouble already, Boss. I don't want..." Killa tried to explain.

"Are you gonna wear that to school?" But he interrupted.

"Hm?" She tilted her head and looked down at her own body; she was wearing his big T-shirt with no pants on. Then she started to blush and looked at him, but he didn't show much emotion on his face.

"You can wear mine." He stood up and spoke beside her ear. He walked to his room, and she followed him and pulled his t-shirts down, trying to cover her panties or her cheeky bottom part. He opened the closet and tried to pick a shirt for her, but it was too big. So he picked the T-shirt that was similar to the one she was wearing but with a blue color and gave it to her.

"Thank you," she said as she looked at him so he could see her lips,

Boss didn't say anything, just looked at her reaction. It made him flush a little, but he tried to stay calm since she was sitting, eating her breakfast. After he left the room, he was all red. 

'Why is she so sexy like this?' Boss thought and put his hand covering his face.