Patience
Patience
The younger one looked at his wristwatch. He was running out of time and had to return to school for his last class. He was tired of this staring contest already.
"Ahem!" The older guy cleared his throat. "I called you here because I wanted to ask you for a favour." Leo said.
Jeremy's interest was piqued and he shifted his butt on the seat before he sat up. A favour? What could Leo possible need from him?
"I... am listening." He said, urging him to go on.
"I will be traveling soon."Leo paused.
"Oh-kay?" When Leo didn't say anything else, Jeremy said, "I like strawberry cakes."
Leo looked at him in confusion. "And how is that supposed to concern me?"
"Weren't... you going to get all of us something we liked on your way back? I thought that was why you were telling me." He said with a pout.
Leo sighed in resignation. "This can't do." He muttered to himself. If he spent a longer time with Jeremy, he feared he may go insane.
"Oh.. I guess that isn't it then. What is it?" Jeremy asked.
Leo looked at him for a moment before answering honestly. "I wanted to ask you to look after my sister, but I think that is a bad idea now." He said before standing up.
"Wait! Wait a minute!" Jeremy said desperately and also stood up. He held Leo's arm, stopping him from taking another step.
When Leo looked down at their hands and frowned, Jeremy let go of him quickly.
"You.. want me to look after... Chloe? Really?" He asked in disbelief.
"I almost asked you." Leo corrected with a frown and saw how Jeremy's face lit up.
"So you now trust me with your sister huh?" Jeremy asked with a smug smile before pointing at the seat for Leo to sit down. He liked this conversation. He no longer cared about his class. It could wait for all he cared.
Leo still had an annoyed look on his face but he sat down anyway. He knew if he didn't, this boy may just bug him to the point of entering inside his dream.
Jeremy quickly sat down across him with the smile still on his face.
"How long are you traveling?" He asked.
"I'm going abroad. For two years."
"Ooooh... Wait what? Two years?" Jeremy asked with wide eyes and sat up again.
"That long? Why?"
"Last I checked, it was none of your business." Leo said with an unkind smile.
"Of course it is! I am Mia's friend and deserve to know. Did you...." He inched closer, dragging his body on the table. "Really break up with Mia?"
"CAN YOU stop asking annoying questions?" Leo raised his voice and quickly lowered it when people around the cafe turned towards them.
Jeremy was beyond shocked at his outburst and had even jumped. "You are scary." He said to Leo as he sat back down on his seat.
"I'm glad you know that. I hope this makes you realise I can deal with you if you mess with my sister." Leo raised a cocky brow at him.
"I can also deal with you if you mess with Mia. I'm like a brother to her." Jeremy pointed out with raised shoulders.
"Who do you even think you are? Mia doesn't see you that way."
"Says who?" Jeremy asked defensively.
"She's even older than you. Even Chloe is older than you."
That got Jeremy to shut up and look at him sadly. "You know you didn't have to mention the age thing right? Age is just a number."
"So I probably should introduce you to one of my 27 years old lady friends right?"
"Eww. No! What am I to do with a grandma?" Jeremy asked in disbelief.
"What? Are you trying to say I am a grandpa?" Leo asked in anger before he raised a finger.
"Wait a minute! How did we get here?" He asked rhetorically.
He had come to talk about his sister with this boy so how did they suddenly start bantering in a cafe?
"I will take care of Chloe. You don't have to tell me to. I will look after her." Jeremy said, returning to the main topic.
"I'm no longer sure I trust you with her." Leo said while shaking his head.
"Actually, you should be more unsure about leaving Mia in my care. She may fall in love with me while you are away." He said and winked at Leo.
Leo cringed when he saw the weirdest wink in his entire life but then he remembered what Jeremy had just said and laughed.
"You really think Mia would prefer you to me?" He asked with a tone of disbelief at the sheer absurdity of that statement.
"Look, you have no idea how important I am to Mia. Should we test it?" He asked with a smile.
"How?" Leo found himself asking Jeremy before he could stop. Why did he keep entertaining this persistent little psycho?
Jeremy took out his phone and placed it on the table.
"Take yours out. You call Mia first and hang up before she answers. I'll call her immediately and also hang up. Let's see who she calls back first."
Leo couldn't help laughing at that. "Alright. Let's do it." He said before calling Mia. After 2 rings, he ended the call and Jeremy did same.
Both boys placed their phones on the table and waited for the first one to ring while looking at each other with a smirk.
One phone finally rang after a few seconds and Leo smiled before picking up the phone to show Leo it was Mia who was calling him. Leo could literally see Jeremy's heartbreak on his face.
"Ah! How... how could she be like that? My contact is the first in her call log and she can see I'm not in school, isn't she supposed to be worried that I'm probably sick or something?" He whined.
Leo smiled before picking the call. "I wanted to tell you I love you. Take care baby." He said to Mia before disconnecting the call without giving her a chance to say something.
"So... what were you saying?" Leo asked mockingly and laughed when Jeremy's phone began to ring with a call from Mia. Jeremy ended the call out of annoyance and hissed.
"She's annoying." He muttered.
"You should know your limits. Same thing would have happened had it been Chloe." Leo suddenly had an idea and smiled even more. "You want to try?"
"Whatever! Anyway... let's do it." Jeremy said.
"I like your spirit boy. Be prepared for another heartbreak. So you call first, and I'll call."
Just like the first time, both boys called her and ended the call, then waited for her to call one of them first.
When a phone began to ring, Jeremy sighed in defeat but frowned in confusion when he recognized the ringtone was his.
With wide eyes, he grabbed his phone and checked the caller ID. It was Chloe.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!! Oh my God!!! She called me first. She called me first!!!" He said loud enough for the people at the next street to hear him.
"What?" Leo frowned and tried to take his phone from him to check but Jeremy didn't let him but he turned the phone's screen towards Leo so he could see it.
"She called me first! Yes!!!! I am going to screenshot this and frame it." He stood up and began to laugh while Leo couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.
Jeremy finally answered the call when it was about to stop ringing.
"Hey!" He said excitedly.
"You sound... fine. Why are you calling me and why aren't you in class?" Chloe asked in her usual cold voice.
Jeremy used his hand to cover the speaker and looked at Leo to whisper. "She even knows I am not in class hehehe!"
"Tch! Whatever." Leo said and shook his head while Jeremy continued his call.
"I... just wanted to tell you... you are very beautiful." Jeremy said when he couldn't make up any excuse for why he had called.
Chloe was quiet for a few seconds before scoffing. "How annoying! Get back to class before the lecturer comes in." She said before hanging up on him.
Jeremy wasn't angry. In fact, nothing was going to make him angry for the next 1000 years.
"She called me first." He bragged again to Leo before taking his seat.
Just like the first time, Chloe called Leo next. He looked at his screen with displeasure before silencing it.
"So... as I was saying earlier... I'll be gone for two years so...."
"Heheheh." Jeremy suddenly started laughing again, making Leo wonder what was wrong with him.
"She called me first." Jeremy said with a grin.
Leo closed his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he prayed, but now, he prayed to God for patience.