And then nothing notable happened for the next hour.
With his breakfast ingested, Quan watched as his brother took their empty plates to the kitchen sink. He got up from the table and started towards the staircase, stopping as the pictures framed atop of the fireplace caught his attention. It was hard to recall the boy captured within the images; his first basketball game as a freshman just as his feet lifted off the ground to take a jump shot, him and his cabin mates during the fifth grade camping trip, the smug smile on his junior portrait.
"Let's go get some coffee," a firm hand shook his shoulder, startling Quan as he saw that it was only his brother.
"I don't think I can stay awake without it."Quan looked to the side.
"I don't want any."Ryan playfully wrapped his arm around Quan's neck.
"Oh well, dude. I get lonely sometimes," he laughed.
"Plus, you talk to that computer more than you do to me. We're bros!""Fine," Quan knew that trying to say no to Ryan would only make him more persistent.
"Be out front in a few, I'll get my car," Ryan released his hold, skirting between Quan and the fireplace and out of the door.
Within the next few minutes, Quan quickly brushed his hair down and threw on a pair of jeans and a brown tee shirt, wearing a black hoodie over it. He was used to the cold weather during the time of year, and he didn't want to keep Ryan waiting. After telling his mother where they were going, he ran through the door and into the passenger seat of his brother's car, which had been heating up since then. Strapping on the seatbelt, Quan dug into his pockets and pulled out his phone, flipping through the screen as he plugged in his headphones.
"Where to?" Ryan blurted out abruptly as the car revved to life, pulling into the street.
"A coffee place?" Quan replied.
Ryan snickered.
"Thanks, smartass. What coffee place?"If he was the one who wanted to get coffee, why is he asking me where to go? It grated his nerves.
"Starbucks. I don't know.""Of course," Ryan drew a sigh.
"The farthest from home-"Quan snapped a little bit.
"I didn't ask to go with you, you just dragged me along.""Calm down, I'm just messing with you. Christ."It annoyed Quan that he looked like an older version of Ryan, given his taller stature. When they had been the same height, people always mixed the two of their names up; they could've passed as twins, if it were the case. Like him, Ryan had played basketball at the same high school he attended years ago, even being the captain of the team at some point. Though, after high school, Ryan chose to not move on to college, and started fiddling with cars instead. He had said that twelve years in a classroom was enough, and he didn't need to pay tens of thousands of dollars to read more books that had nothing to do with what he liked. Hell, the moment Dan graduated, he went straight into the Marines without a second thought. Even then, Ryan and his mother pushed Quan to be the first in their family to attend college, but to be honest, he felt the same as his brother did.
An absentminded Quan had not realized they had arrived until he heard the door to the driver's seat closing. Awkwardly running after his brother, Quan entered the bustling Starbucks with quiet anxiety.
Why is there so many people?"Guess coffee is a natural remedy to hangovers," Ryan mumbled to Quan, whose right hand pinched the side of his jeans tightly. Blinking uncomfortably, he felt the urge to turn and run out of the Starbucks.
"Let's wait for these lines to clear up..."
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