The Rainbow Patch

Chapter 4

When we broke away, I flushed a deep red. Emily smiled at me. “I knew it. I knew you were gay.”

“I thought you had figured that out by now.” I retorted.

Emily smiled. “Touché.” Just as I was about to say something else, the bell rang. I went to go, but Emily grabbed my hand.

“What are you doing? We gotta get to class! I have math next, and I can't be late!”

“You won’t be late. You’re not going. We’re skipping.” She raised an eyebrow. “Unless, of course, you're not coming?”

I cleared my throat. “I guess math isn't that important.”

Emily grinned. “That’s the spirit. Now c’mon.” She led me towards the back of the school, our feet crunching on the snow. Emily gestured dramatically. “Ta-da!”

I looked at where she was pointing.

“That’s a bush.” I said bluntly.

Emily smirked. “That's what it wants you to think. She pulled it aside to reveal a hole in the fence. “Impressive, isn't it? I accidentally found it during Freshman year.” She ducked through the hole, and I followed her.

From there, she led me through a myriad of side streets until we came upon an old, beaten-up café with a sign above the door that read After the Rain.

I was just about to ask what this place was when a tall guy, who looked to be only a few years older than us burst out of the door and gave Emily a giant hug.

“Emily! I thought we wouldn't be graced with your presence until next week! How are you?” He finally noticed me. “And who's this cutie? Have you finally got back into the dating game?”

I flushed bright red.

Emily sighed. “Chris, this is Johanna. Johanna, this is Chris, the owner of this place, and the biggest drama king I know.”

As if to prove her point, Chris gave an elaborate bow. “Lovely to meet you. But wait a moment-” He checked his phone. “Isn't school still in session? What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're-oh for crying out loud.” He hid his face in his hands. “You promised me you wouldn't skip class anymore!”

Emily smirked. “C’mon, Chris. You and I both know that you've tutored me enough that I could pass exams without studying at all.”

Chris sighed. “But still-”

“I know, I know, I should make friends, and that the absences will look bad on my university application, but who cares? I'm here to have fun.” She marched into the restaurant, and Chris and I followed.

Inside, I was blinded by an explosion of colour. l***q flags and posters lined the walls, and a billboard next to the door advertised events. A few people were sitting at the tables set up around the space. At the far end, a stage was set up.

“This is amazing.” I breathed. Chris grinned.

“Isn't it? Zach and I set it up a few years ago.” As if on que, a dark-haired man around the same age as Chris appeared from behind the counter. He gave Emily a hug, then turned to me.

“Who’s this?” He asked. Chris spoke before I could introduce myself.

“Emily's girlfriend.”

“Chris!” Emily gave him a playful whack on the shoulder.

“Sorry, her ‘friend’.”

I quickly changed the subject. “So, what do you guys do here?” Zach began speaking almost as soon as the question had left my lips.

“Chris and I started it a few years ago, when we were still in university. It was just a small café where our friends used to hang out, but now it's basically a l***q Community Center. We have a book club on Monday, Game night on Tuesday, an art class on Wednesday, cooking classes on Thursday, Movie night on Friday, and live music on Saturday.”

“My band plays a lot here.” Emily added.

“You have a band?” I asked. Before Emily could answer, a group of adults came in and stood by the bar, clearly waiting for someone to come and take their order. Zach and Chris immediately slid behind the counter, flashing friendly smiles and joking with the group. I asked again after we were seated on one of the well-worn couches.

Emily nodded. “Yeah. I'm the guitarist and singer. We're playing here next week. You should come down and check it out. We could make a date out of it or something.” I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “Sure.”