The Coldest Summer

Matcha Love

I weakly text Dalyn to bring anything she thinks I may need as I make my way to the kitchen. I fall into the slippers you always left by the stairs and chuckle to myself. 

It always drove me crazy that you couldn't simply put them by your side of the bed or the front door. Look at me now, leaving them right where you did.

I put on my favorite hoodie of yours, the first of many I ever stole from you, and get out the matcha. I remember thinking I was slick and sipping from your Dunkin Donuts cup on our second date.

"What the heck is this?" I was so mad because I thought it was hot cocoa.

My face must've been the picture of comedy because you just could not hold your laughter. You laughed your infectious laugh until I couldn't help but laugh myself.

"Seriously, why does it taste like I just took a sip of Shrek?" I finally got out.

"Oh my gosh, it's not even bad." you coughed out. "It's a matcha latte. It's a whole lot better cold though."

"I'll leave that all to you," I smiled and picked up my cup.

"You work on a cruise ship and your favorite food is chicken nuggets. I think it's time to broaden your tastebuds altogether."

"I'll have you know, I've tasted plenty of foods and chicken nuggies are just universally impossible to mess up!" I retorted.

"That, I have to agree with." you thought aloud. "Let's make a list of all the foods you've tried in each place you've visited and what you liked the most. We'll see what we can find locally that's similar."

That's how we spent that brisk Sunday afternoon in the park.

You and I wrote down foods from each cuisine we've eaten and what each other should try also. 

Over time, what we couldn't find locally, we set dates to go out of town to try. I soon discovered that I was talking to a foodie and you turned me into a foodie.

Now, as I pour my pastel-colored drink into my favorite mug, I gaze over our map of adventures and the pictures of food from each place. I hear your laughter in each photo and smell the food mingling with your scent and the atmosphere.

My intrusive thoughts are warring with themselves. I don't know whether I want to look at our journal in the Think Box we built or put up a wall and protect our ongoing project.

For now, I sit at our desks and open the laptop. The last video on our Foodie-Toob channel was a video we debated on posting for weeks but did really well. It was the video that brought the most viewers.

That was the video we made a bunch of matcha-infused desserts; donuts, cookies, bars, and popsicles. I've re-watched this one video daily just to smile.

"As always, thank you guys for visiting our channel! Let us know if you'd like to see more videos...

"Like these! We loved making this video. We know it's not our normal content but it was a "Tonne" of fun." you chimed in.

"Wow haha. Tonne of love as always. See you next time" we ended the video blowing kisses with matcha powder, your chin resting on my poofy hair.

My hand meets your pixelated face and I smile harder.

After the cameras went off that day, you turned me around, swiped the remnants of green from your fingertips onto my nose, and licked them.

I gasped and yanked your shirt up to slap my full handprint on your stomach, but you grabbed my wrist a millimeter short and lick my hand too. You grabbed my other wrist in the same hand and drove me back into the fridge.

"Zeph," I giggled, "you're going to turn us into jolly green giants."

"No, mi Vida. You need to be way taller to be considered a giant of any color."

I stood on my tiptoes and smirked. "Am I tall enough now?"

You ducked to kiss my neck. "Not quite but it can be helped," you whispered in my ear.

You met my lips with yours as you picked me up and placed me on the kitchen island. I wrapped my legs around your waist. You continued to kiss me all over my face.

 "What Bebe?"

"Nothing, I'm just enjoying you," your goofy self said.

We got green powder everywhere as we forgot to close the lid after baking.

As we showered, I bathed in your smile and safety.

"I love you Buba," I kissed your sudsy shoulder. You laughed but I was serious. I realized you were my security blanket, my happiness, my world.

My Zephyr Tonne.