It's nearing 5am. I sit here with the intensity of a nocturnal animal looking out for prey as my eyes adjust to scan the darkened room. My ears prick skywards to capture the hum of the air-conditioner and any other sounds coming from inside the room. My hand sweeps to the side of me to brush aside the thin curtains veiling the outside from the in. It's nearly light out as the night gives way to a slate gray sky with the orangey fizz of street lights permeating a glow onto the pavement below. And at that moment, the scent of of him intoxicates my senses as I crane my neck to smell the collar of the buttoned down shirt that I'm wearing.

...

My fingers trace along the rim of the glass as I sat there inside the cafe. I'm drinking my usual, something that I don't even need to bother ordering yet somehow magically appears on my table, set down in front of me by waitresses passing by. The cafe wasn't full, it was only 5pm afterall -- only groups of friends from table to table having an early supper or a late afternoon snack. I feel comfortable here - a safe haven, perhaps that's why I chose to meet here.

The incessant Chinese chatter from the people around me begin to drown out my thoughts and for a brief moment, I forget why I'm actually here. From inside the cafe I see the skies giving way to a hint of darkness. I can see the outside perfectly clear because the cafe has those funny windows that you can see out from but can't see in from.

I glanced down at my watch and when my eyes flickered upwards after noticing he's 5 minutes late, I saw the single gleam from a motorcycle's headlight. The rider, masked in a dark shiny helmut on a matching black machine. From the way the windows were situated, I couldn't see his face, only from his torso down. A lean, long, lithe body walking towards the entrance.

...

There he lies only a mere 8 feet away.

Under the rumpled sheets and blankets, I make out the striking contrast of dark hair against the snow white linen sheets. I can barely make out the limbs and the contours of his back as he laid there on his stomach, slowly breathing a methodical rhythm. Each breath becoming a beat to the music inside my head.

C. That's who he is.

...

Orange juice, he tells the waitress. He then looks at my face and searches for something. And we began to speak without words. I sat there sipping my drink while he gulps down his with an unimaginable thirst. I watch as his adam's apple move up and down with every swallow, like the fine inner workings of machinery.

What can I tell you about C. He reminded me of Oda Yuji, a Japanese actor famous for his role in Tokyo Love Story, when I first saw him. He was tall and tanned with smooth skin that reminded me of pictures of the desert sand that stretches for miles and miles. How we came to be at this cafe together is unimportant, I already know all the details about him that's necessary for me to be here.

...

He stirs in his sleep and props up on one arm.

What are you doing sitting over there?

I look over at him, my eyes dark and shadowed from the previous several hours. My beestung lips feel dry, coarse and my throat parched. I can barely eek out an answer. He motions me to his side on the bed and unconscious of my own movement, I lie down next to him as his arms envelop around me in a protective embrace. I listen to his rhythmic breathing matching in tune with the pulse of his heart.

And yet, I still cannot sleep.

...

Both of his hands readjusts the helmut on my head and gives me a smile before telling me to climb on. Cautiously, I lumbered onto the roaring machine that's spewing forth a cacophony of sounds and fumes. He instructs me to wrap my arms around his body and I do so, welcoming the heat of two bodies meshing into one and gingerly, my head comes to a rest on his back.

I glanced back as the motorcycle took on life and began moving forward. I saw the mirrored windows of the cafe winking back at me as it began to get smaller and smaller, its lights twinkling under the purple indigo skies. I wonder what we looked like from the view inside the cafe? More questions convoluted my mind as I try to brush them away. Without giving it another thought, my head tilted to its side again and rested it on his back once more.

:::

I'm out.