(Listening to Mine by Bazzi) 

"So, its official?" Key asked his cousin, not letting the younger to place herself yet on the stool. He tapped the table twice, still waiting for her to open , in serious look. 

When she caught the stare from Key, Amber snapped in perplexed tone, "What?" 

"Don't pretend you llama-face, with that all lovey-dovey and new romantic scenes, you bet I'm an idiot?" he scoffed annoyingly before raising his right hand, signalling the waitress to come over their table.

"Oops, your ex is coming," told Key, flinching as he began to regret for calling the wrong waitress. 

Amber spinned around immediately, taking a glance at the girl and then turned back to her previous position- muttering to Key that she doesn't mind anymore. 

"Her sister owns this place, Kibum. Why would I run from her again? Besides, Minah's older sister is very nice to me, nothing have to do with her, and our past," said Amber while scrolling through her phone screen. 

But when Minah reached the table, was shut off and Key held himself from laughing. 

"Good morning," the long hair greeted them with her famous eye smile. 

"Hi Minah," Key replied. "Hot chocolate, with extra chocolate syrup and... peanut butter crepe," 

She jolted down the order inside the notebook and turned to Amber. "And you, must be iced coffee, preferred less sugar and double cheese burger with extra ketchup," she guessed, earning a fake grin from Key. 

"Wow," he interrupted, glancing to see Amber's calm expression. "Is she correct, buddy? You would like to have all of those?" 

"Yeah," Amber snorted shortly, giving Minah a small nod which made the latter's face glow up-delighted. "Thank you, Minah," 

"Okay, is that all?" 

Key and Amber coincidently nodded their head respectively, making Minah to chuckle before bowed in manner and excused herself. 

"I suppose you had really move on," Key said, pursuing his lips while eyeing the cousin sister suspiciously. "And I'll take yes for my previous question about you and that Krystal girl," 

"What?" Amber frowned, putting down her phone afterwards. 

"Ooh... that..." she paused, "Nothing official, we're just... in close relationship, not more than that," 

Key's face changed flat, "The hell? Close relationship is such a stupid phrase to describe you guys! Amber Josephine Liu, if she's here, she would run away, crying!" 

"Why?" 

"Arghhhhh," Key messed up his own hair, breathed in frustration. "Dumb ," 

Then, finally Amber had understand what he had meant and voiced out,

"I'm not taking anything for granted, Key. I'd said I love her, but... maybe she sees me as friend since she didn't declare what she feels about me," 

"Yet," Key intruded. "She didn't declare yet to you doesn't mean she has no feeling... Oh come on, Ber! You're not new to this thing, right? You're well-experienced and all set up to have a brand new fresh love!" 

"Slow down your volume, idiot. Don't embarass yourself, please," Amber warned, puffing. 

"Listen, I'd made a wish, for you to be with Krystal, to have your own happy ending. You're her Romeo and she's your Juliette, and I am the William Shakespeare," 

"You are so stupid and unfit to be Sir William Shakespeare," 

"Oh, none of that matters," Key furthered, neglecting Amber's unimpressed reaction, "Who the hell cares??? Its been like what, more than 7 years you're going through single phrase and punished yourself from being in loved again???" 

"8 years," Amber corrected him, pretended what he said was not really important for that moment. 

"Amber!" Key stressed out, "Look at me!" 

The soft guy forced the boyish to face up and he said, "What's holding you? You'd always carry around the stories of Krystal, this and that, pretty and so damn beautiful, and what's now?" Key lifted his right eyebrow. 

"I... confessed," finally she muttered, breathed in weakly. 

"Good!" it was Key's excited voice but she stopped him immediately, disapproved. "No Key, it was just a confession. I'm not sure either she has feelings for me or not... She didn't say anything," 

"Don't you try to figure it out? Girl's mind sometimes, is easy to read, Ber. The confession is the first step, you're doing great and next, you just need to wait a bit more. But, don't give up on her, keep trying to win her heart. As your best friend, I have faith on you, Amber. You deserve true happiness," 

The younger just looked at her cousin blankly before deciding to defend herself. 

"I'm... not sure... She's kind, nice and always out of expectation. At first, I suppose she's that type of typical girl, looking at me with all narrow minded, which, mostly girls does," 

"Then?" 

"Then she's turned out to be the different girl that I'd expected. I thought, liking and admiring her beauty is something common I share with other people since she's so beautiful. Maybe I like her for being pretty, that's all. I tried to accept my attraction to her is temporary, its going to end sooner than I think. However, I missed the expectation, totally, Key. She's beyond my league, no words can describe how much I like her," explained Amber as she flashed a smile at the end.  

Key replied with his proud smirk, nodding vigorously. "I agree with your statement, cousin. And... do you want to know why you're in denial, although deeply down- there inside your heart, you know she's taking it slowly day by day?" 

"Hmm, what is it genius KeySpeare?" Amber chuckled. 

"Because you're still scared. Scared of anything that will happen in future," told Key as he changed to serious speech. "We're friends since I can't even remember, buddy. I'm capable of predicting what's going on based on the look of your face, I know it all- you can't hide. Sorry to say this out loud, but you and Minah are over and the wall you built long ago after the split can't be broken easily, Amber. I know you've tried to get rid of those pain by building more and more walls. A wall to keep a distance from the girl you like, a wall as reminder for you to realize who you are, a wall to stop you from admitting your true feelings and a wall to your own world. I can see when you develop feelings for her, one of those walls collapsed," then he continued, sounded gentle and caring, "You can't break all the walls in one time but you still can climb over to peek what's over there, beyond them. Please Amber, consider yourself, you need her love too, its not enough if you keep saying you're fine although by loving her secretly," 

"I think you'd already delivered this speech," Amber said, trying to escape herself. 

"AMBER!" 

She apologized immediately upon seeing the intense expression from her cousin-brother. 

"I mean everything I've said, Ber," Key muttered, releasing a small sigh. "Look back what you've done in these past years, are you happy? Are you satisfied? Are you living the life which you'd always wanted? Amber, please, you're not getting young anymore. You're growing, so you need to move forward," 

"The truth," Amber said, as she sighed too. Staring into the man's eyes, she can clearly see his sinceritiness. Raising her fist up, the boyish smiled, "Thanks for the speech, buddy. I don't know about Krystal, but sure thing, you really love me, right?" 

"No argument on that," Key replied, bumping his first together with Amber. He glanced at the counter and continued, "You're brave, Amber. You had difficult times, dealing with the girl over there and with all the humiliations, you'd fought for what you think were right, although, she denied everything you've done for her. The world may be against you, except me, but they don't know how strong you are," 

"You're exaggering stuff, Key. I'm not that strong..." 

"Oh yes, you are. I bet if I'm in your place, I don't know what should I do, Ber," 

"Well, I wish you're not in place," 

Taking another stare in her eyes, Key said again, "Just be honest with me, Amber. You're everything now is Krystal, isn't it? Not her," he referred to the small figure, who was walking to them with tray on her hands- full of food.
Again, Amber spinned around her body and able to see Minah was coming closer. She shifted back to her current position, having a moment to think.  

"I can't lie about that, bro. Maybe... Krystal is my present and future, and... she's... my past," just when she finished her words, Minah greeted them, putting the tray and served all the food on the table. Amber, slowly getting on what the guy had uttered, lit up her own face, gretting back the girl she had loved and gave her gratitude for the service. 
 

Finally, after a long time, Key was able to smile wide- much satisfied. 

***