Street Lights || Sim Jake

31 ¦ Feeling Butterflies

Jake:

"Is there something going on between you?" I leaned against the grayish table, choking on my own inhaled air. 

"Excuse me?" "You heard me." Estela's grandmother looked at me kindly and I straightened for a moment before exhaling again. "Stel, usually tells about everyone she meets new or finds interesting. I haven't heard a word from you, though."

I rubbed my hands together as the whole something made me uncomfortable. I barely knew Estela's grandmother and it was rather sudden that she was asking me about a possible relationship. I could understand her, though.

"We are quite good friends. Estela works for my mother." Her abuela nodded hesitantly, watching me skeptically. "So you're close?" 

That tone of voice. I knew it. Estela used the same one when she didn't believe something. I smirked, seeing that even the expression on the little half-Spanish girl's face was similar.

"Friendly, yes." "Tell me. What happened between Heeseung and Stel? She looked anything but pleased when she caught sight of him." Her grandmother sat up a little and held the left half of her chest for a moment. 

"Well you don't have to say anything about it, but maybe you know something." I pushed up a sleeve of my jacket and looked briefly at my sneakers. "Well, I think Estela should explain all this herself-" 

"Did he find out about her feelings and messed up?" A little taken aback, I looked toward the older lady and her smirk reminded me of the little butterfly.

"Come on. I'm her grandmother. I can tell when she breathes in differently." She laughed heartily and then fixed me with her light brown eyes. "Yeah, that's kind of how it went down. I rather kept out of it." 

Silence fell briefly as several voices sounded outside. I turned my head toward the door, trying to understand what the topic of this conversation was. "What's your name, mi hijo?"

Estela's grandma hadn't been able to decipher what it was about outside either and turned her attention back to me. "Jake." She raised an eyebrow and seemed to be waiting for a follow-up. "Sim." 

"Oh, I knew your face looked familiar. Much like your mother. How's Cayetana?" It was so clear that as soon as I would say my last name, she would know my family and I hated it. 

Ever since I was little, it bothered me tremendously. Simply because it shoveled a lot of prejudice onto my plate. Oh, the spoiled brat of the Sims. He's probably never seen coins, but counts all the bills in the evening and throws the money out the window like his father.

I used to hear that all the time, but by now it had died down a bit. Many who knew my mother better also knew that I didn't speak well of my father's actions and to be honest, I hoped that Mom would divorce with him soon. 

However, I could understand why she stayed with him. The restaurant connects them. It's familiar and literally puts food on our table, but at the same time it robbed us of family life.