Cup of Crime

Chapter 4 : Stalking and Watching

"Babe? Are you here?" a young man with dark blue highlights called out through the door of the art room.

"Just a minute Brad, I'm almost done!"

Corry's face flushed red hearing his boyfriend's pet name for him being yelled out in broad daylight. The few remaining classmates that were still busy with their work chuckled and giggled. Embarrassed, the paint brush in his hand froze as he pondered his next stroke. It was only when the top of his ears turned back to their normal colour did Corry moved. Retracting the paint brush he was holding, he switched it out for another one dipped in different coloured paint and dabbed it onto his painting. With those final splashes of paint, the purple haired man was done and just in time as his loving boyfriend suddenly embraced him from behind.

Caught in Brad's suffocating bear hug, an embarrassed Corry quickly freed himself but not before Brad whispered a request into his ear.

"You. Me. My place, now?"

Corry who had just escaped his boyfriend's hold had returned to being a blushing mess. He shrunk his neck into his scarf in an attempt to hide his beet red face. Brad was too shameless, the uni student thought. And although Corry was successfully seduced by his charm and straightforwardness, he still had to decline the horny man's offer.

"Sorry. Not today, I visiting my brother."

"Okay. But tomorrow, you're all mine," Brad stepped forward and raised his lover's chin, teasing a kiss.

"Right!" Corry blew a kiss before sprinting off. "I'm going now!"

Brad who was left alone in the art room didn't chase after his boyfriend. Instead, he took a look around and at the painting made by the art major students. Staring at his lover's painting behind him, he carefully tranced the side of the painting on the easel with his finger. It was beautiful, as beautiful as the man who painted it, he thought before leaving.

A short walk later, Brad arrived at the bus stop just outside his university. Hiding behind the wall of the stop, he avoided his boyfriend's gaze as he followed him onto the bus. Though Brad knew Corry had been to visit his brother a couple times and cmne back safe and unscathed, he still couldn't let go of the worry in his heart. He'll regret it for the rest of his life if he let something happen to his lover's pretty face. But no matter how he persuaded in the past, Corry was determine to go.

In the crowded city bus, Brad lowered his head and hid his face among the standing crowd on the bus. The city buses were always overcrowded around late afternoon so it wasn't difficult for Brad to sneak around unnoticed. The bus drove for a good half an hour before arriving at his and Corry's stop. Brad allowed his boyfriend to get off first and walk a distance before he tailed the purple haired man from behind.

Keeping a safe distance from Corry, Brad ducked behind every alleyway along the way in order to hide in case his boyfriend suddenly turned around. Brad had a guilty conscious, he really didn't Corry to know he was there.

Walking along the streets of the 'Crime Zone', Corry's feet were lighter after a couple back and forth the past week. But as he got off the city bus, a chill went down his spine as he felt a pair of burning eyes on him. His sixth sense had been enhanced with his repeated trips into the the most dangerous district. The feeling didn't disappear as he walked deeper into the district. The eyes were burning a hole into the back of his head but everytime Corry turned around, he didn't see a soul and couldn't find the source of his uneasiness. It was then his instinct kicked in, prompting him to dash towards his brother's cafe.

Arriving at the cafe, Corry watched as the delivery truck that had just delivered the kitchen appliances and furnitures drive away. Piled up on the street, the furnitures were being slowly moved in by Howard. Seeing his busy brother, Corry immediately jumped into action and helped him out.

After dealing with the tables and chairs, all that was left was the hard to move kitchen appliances. There was noway for the two brothers to safely transport everything without some extra help. So the two took the chance to rest up and brainstorm a plan.

Meanwhile, Brad who was hiding behind the closest alleyway looked at his boyfriend's pitiful face. It was as cute as it was distressing, which only made his face turn red. As the man with blue highlights continued to admire Corry from afar, he failed to notice the man approaching his direction.

The man was one Howard met on the first day in the 'Crime Zone'. His assetic hadn't change as he was once again dawning his collared dress shirt and black leather briefcase. The man was bored, only giving the suspicious looking Brad a glance before walking past him and going about his day. The days lately had been so boring, maybe he should pick up one of his old hobbies, he thought.

The next person to pass by the suspicious looking Brad was Danny who was pushing a dolly cart. After seeing the struggles of the cafe owner and his little helper, the errand boys' heart moved. Leaving NJ behind to continue watching, Danny left to the gang captains' office building to borrow a cart and save the day. Directly ignoring the suspicious Brad, the errand boy took initiative to lend the two brothers a helping hand along with NJ.

Half an hour later, the kitchen was fully installed and equiped while the main floor of the cafe had the tables and chairs set ready for service. Now all that was left to do was for Corry to show his hand in some final decorating. Excited to see the his vision of the cafe come to life, little brother Corry got to work. Taking out the custom cups and mugs he sent there a couple of days before, he placed them on the display racks on the wall behind the counter. Then, he proceeded to grab the trophies upstairs he arranged them in a line along the back counter behind the front one. Finally, putting to coffee maker he temporarily put in the kitchen a distance away from the trophies plus a tip jar next to the cash register. And with that final touch, the cafe was fully renovated.

"And done!" Corry exclaimed.

"As in done. Done?" NJ asked.

"Yup!" Corry clapped his hands happily. "By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves, have we? Name's Corry, Howey's little brother!"

NJ raised his brow in a curious manner while Danny stiffen his laughter. Howard who was annoyed by their reaction clicked his tongue and gave them a deathly glare.

"I'm NJ and he's Danny! We're your brot--" NJ turned to look at Howard who made gesture of zipping his mouth.

"They live around here, sometimes they come over to help," Howard answered for them. "Speaking of which, it's getting dark, you guys should head back home."

"So... no dinner for helping you out?"

"I should have known," Howard let out an amused sigh before heading out the door towards the minimart.

Seeing Howard who left the cafe, Brad hid deeper into the alleyway. But he didn't stay for long as he saw his boyfriend passing him by and heading back. Once again Brad followed behind Corry, careful not to let him know he was there. Though still oblivious to the man following behind him, Corry who felt the eerie atmosphere of the 'Crime Zone' still walked at full speed. At the bus stop, Corry paced around impatiently as he waited for the 7 o'clock bus to arrive. As he waited, though he was already out of the 'Crime Zone', the feeling he got when he first came into the district returned making his heart raced, the feeling of being watched. It was only when he got on the city bus did he finally let out the breath he had been holding and relaxed. Visiting his brother was going to take years off his life, he thought then chuckled.

A distance away from the bus stop, Brad watched as the bus his boyfriend was on leave and drove in the direction of their university. When he was sure the vehicle was far away enough, he came out of his little hiding spot and waited for the next bus that would come an hour later.

Meanwhile, Howard who has purchased the necessary ingredients for dinner came back to his cafe to find his brother gone. Asking the two gang members who were obediently sitting at a table, the cafe owner found that Corry had gone back. After knowing his brother's whereabouts, Howard proceeded to head into the kitchen and make dinner to the two gluttonous errand boys.

Boiling a pot of water and heating a pan, the ambidextrous Howard began preping the various ingredients. While his right hand chopped the spices, his left hand threw a box of pasta into the boiling water to cook before turning to make tomato paste. Frying the tomato paste with the spices he chopped into a sauce, Howard soon came out if the kitchen with three plates of spaghetti with tomato sauce. Smelling the sweet aroma, the two errands boys wolf down their dinner like the reincarnation of straving ghosts.