Do you believe in life after love?

I can feel something inside me say

I really don't think you're strong enough, no

Holy Molly.....

Renata gaped at the moving stage blaring through 7th Street while recording it on her phone. She's definitely going to upload it later. Tina was slamming the stage in that butterfly fairy costume, singing her heart out to Cher's song 'Believe'. Never had it ever crossed Renata's mind that Tina had the guts to perform at this huge event. She thought Tina was just joking last year. Damn, she lost $100 on the bet.

"How was my singing, ReyRey?" Tina's echoing voice through the speakers was answered by crazy hollers all around her. Mark grabbed Tina's waist to help her get off the sparkly platform.

"That was spectacular, Pinky," Renata said as she hugged Tina and kissed her on the cheek."You could have told me about your little concert, Tina..... I should have brought you a bouquet or something. Here's your $100."

"Ay, Dios Mío! You remember our little bet, miel. Mark, mi amor, could you buy us two Venti iced Cappucinos? " Tina kissed Mark while handing him the money.

"With cinnamon syrup?" Mark's gruff voice was indeed the opposite of Tina's honeyed high-pitched.

"Mine yes, Hazelnut for ReyRey." After reluctant goodbyes, as if he was going to war, Mark finally left them.

The festival was a roaring success, drawing thousands of people to the streets to demand more visibility for overlooked LGBTQ+ groups. Renata and the exhausted Tina were sitting on a bench, avoiding the crowd while hiding from the blazing sun. As an Asian, the sun was Renata's skin's enemy; her collections of sunblock creams could prove it.

"Now spill, ReyRey." Tina started to interrogate her as she fanned her neck with her hands.

Renata acted as if nothing was going on when she replied, "What?"

"Oh, come on, your long, crumpled face looked like it had been bulldozed by Grandma's vacuum.Something must have happened between Friday night and Saturday. Spill, Renata Tan. "

"God, was it that obvious?"

"It's written all over your forehead. Dios Mio, don't tell me you get back with Jules!!" Tina clasped her hands over her lips and gasped exaggeratedly, "Arrrggg..... Ay, I knew it.... I knew it... He finally picked up his ball...."

"OK, calm down, pinky. Nobody picks up some balls, nor do I get back with him. In fact, it has nothing to do with Jules. Why are you even so enthusiastic about me with him? " Before Tina got other absurd ideas, Renata told her about Morano and Noah. As she listened to Renata's rambling, her face got as blank as a dead fish.

"Wha.... That's.... Are you..... This is "The Noah", right? Your high-school boyfriend? " Tina shook her head, obviously confused.

"Yeah, that one and only."

"How on earth did he and Morano get to know each other?"

Renata shrugged her shoulders, "I'm as puzzled as you are, pinky. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened yesterday for the whole day, I didn't even get any rest last night."

"Well, that explains your panda eyes. I thought Jules kept you wide awake and wore you out."

"Tina~...."

"Right.... Right..... Sorry. But there's nothing we could do, for now; we don't know what Noah meant by saying that. He could be persecuting your father at this very moment. So I think, to hell with him. Don't sweat your ass, miel. I promise you, you won't face anything alone. You got me. " Tina hugged Renata and patted her back, assuring her that everything would be alright.

As their surroundings got busier, Mark was back, not only with coffee in hand and cookies, but he also brought Jules.

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"Mark~, thank you for the coffee, mi amor. Hi, Jules. Long time no see. You should come sooner, you missed my performance."

"I saw you for a while at the beginning. You were good." Jules smiled his million-dollar smile, dazzling perfect white teeth on that picturesque handsome face of his. "Hi, Rena. How are you? It's rare to see you in the club lately. Everything OK? "

"Yeah, been busy with the store. There is this important event in a few weeks, so... you know...." Renata shrugged her shoulders. It's always awkward when those green eyes stare intently at her.

"Shall we continue while having lunch? Mi tummy is rumbling, literally. I think I will faint any moment now. Where do you think we should go, Jules? " Tina leaned her body on Mark while she put her wrist on her forehead. She was such a drama queen.

"There's a good MexiPino cafeteria I know. Their Lechón is incredible, among other dishes. Can you handle spice?"

"I may be Dominican, but I assure you that I can hold my spice quite well. Lead the way, Chef." Renata rolled her eyes; Tina would regret this soon.

------------------------

Two sombrero hats caught her attention the first time Renata walked into the cafeteria. Then, the piles of roasted pork on full display made her stomach protest. The little eating place was a typical mom-and-dad cafeteria, with the owner being a Mexican while his wife was from the Philippines. Their food was delicious but spicy. Renata was having a bit of trouble downing the dishes, even though she loved spicy food.

"Yeey, you did it, pinky. Another mango colada smoothie? " Renata patted her tissue to wipe the neverending sweat and tears from Tina's face. Apparently, Mark had ordered another glass of the cold drink for her; how thoughtful.

"You will need to brush your teeth after this, honey. You've been consuming too many sugary things today. Don't want your teeth to get rotten, do we?" Mark, Tina's partner, patted her back.

Jules knocked Mark's upper arm as he said, "Jeesh, dude, leave your dentist's coat outside, will you? Besides, I have prepared a delicious dessert for us. I guarantee you guys will gobble them up in no time." The owners immediately went to the kitchen when Jules winked at him.

"You're such an ass, dude. Don't come to me if your teeth fall off. Uh... what is that slick mountain?" Mark was totally horrified at the ginormous oncoming dessert for their table. How could he not, it's all the dentist's nightmares rolled into one giant mountain. Waffles, with lots of honey, butter, nuts, fruits, and vanilla ice cream, served on a wide platter, completely intimidate them.

Renata blinked her eyes in disbelief, "Holy mother muffin, how are we going to eat .... that?"

Jules had already picked up his plate and started digging his archeological site with his spoon, while Renata still admired the sight in front of her. "Just dig around. Be careful though, the ice will melt soon and everything will collapse. Here, take mine first, Rena. " Jules took her empty plate and replaced it with his full plate.

"Thanks, Jules. This is epic." Renata started to eat the waffle when she realized that the taste of the waffle was nostalgic.

"ReyRey, this waffle tastes similar to your mom's. How ever did you manage this, Jules? Your plan was to eat this waffle in the first place, yes?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Tina. Let's eat first before everything melts."

Tearing up, Renata expresses her gratitude to Jules with a kiss on his cheek. " Thanks a lot, Jules. How could you remember my mom's waffle taste? I think you've only eaten it once or twice in the past."

He smiles at Renata "The perk of being a good chef is that we tend to remember various tastes in our life. Next time you are coming to my restaurant, I will whip one out for you or as many as you want. I learned the recipe recently."

"Sure, I would love to." Renata grinned at Jules.

------------------------

As much as Mark complained about eating sweets, he was the one who ate the most. He and his sweet tooth. After everyone had talked about everything that had happened recently and cleared the table, Tina-Mark excused themselves and left Jules to walk Renata home.

"How is your restaurant nowadays, Jules?" Renata and Jules strolled down the pedestrian lane side-by-side. She instinctively looked up as the lamp posts near her started to shine. It was late afternoon already.

"It's been a pain in the ass, like usual. Sometimes I wonder if I will turn into another Ramsay anytime soon. Just a few days ago, I barked at one of my waitresses, making her sob, and I didn't feel guilty at all. Maybe my conscience has been eaten by dogs. "

Renata tried to hold her grin until she cringed. "It couldn't be that bad. What did she do to make the stoic Jullian Donahue lose his cool?"

Jules scrunched his face as if in pain, or disgust. "Tardy, an idiot, and unfortunately I couldn't file a report for being sexually harassed."

"What??? She's a sex offender? Why did you accept her?"

"Nooo. I often found her ogling ogling me. It's quite uncomfortable, you know. I admit I'm better-looking than the average guy around, but that doesn't mean I enjoy being stared at blatantly. Seriously, she lacks decency. And that fucking idiot couldn't get any orders right. She carries around a note with her!!!!"

Renata openly laughed out loud. "Then why do you still keep her?"

"She's pretty, it's good for our sales."

"God, you're such a pig. You probably should bang her to help her get out of her trance." They finally arrived in front of her apartment door.

"No thanks, I don't piss where I eat. That's not my work ethic. You, on the other hand, can keep me out of my funk mood." Jules grabbed her hand and pinned her to the door, hugging her instantly.

"Jullian....."

"What..." His lips caressed her ears deliciously.

"We are not lovers anymore, remember?" She closed her eyes, trying to find her better judgment despite enjoying his touch.

"Are we not? We still sleep together on one occasion, or two. Hmmm....?" His hand squeezed her round bottom as he kissed her from her ear to her sensitive neck crook, initiating goosebumps all over her body.

"Jules... they were...mmmphh...." His lips silenced her; the sweet vanilla from the waffle almost wiped away her wise senses. She pushed him gently for much-needed air. "They were... our lapse of judgment. We both agreed that we were scratching each other's itches, no strings attached. "

"You make it too hard, woman. Why can't we just have fun without thinking about society's standards? I don't want to regret my decision to break up with you. " Deeply sighing, he pressed his forehead to hers.

"You are not ready to be tied down in a relationship or commitment, Jules. I'm not talking about marriage, you know this, just a romantic partnership in general. You're a free spirit, and that's alright. Your spontaneity is one of many reasons why I was attracted to you in the first place. " She gave a light peck and released herself from his hug before opening the door.

"Damn you, woman. I guess this is my cue to back the fuck off. Go on, get inside, before I take you here."

Renata giggled as she bid her goodbye before she closed her door on him.

Steadying her breath and pounding heartbeat, Renata pressed her back against the door. Various photographs greeted her every time she came home.

One foot behind the other, she slipped off one shoe and then another. Her Jimmy Choos would appreciate it if she took a little more care of them and didn't throw them in the shoe closet like a broom. Tired of walking, sitting, eating, and being alone, Renata plunged her body onto her purple-padded French chaise lounge chair. Her gaze flew onto a portrait of three hanging on the wall. Her parents hugged her from behind on their front porch, reminding her that everything was easy when they were still around.