Ineffable ? Joost Klein ?

16.

Customers sat ouside at intimate tables and the display cabinet was being emptied at a rapid rate. Joost made sure to get a space in the queue while suggesting Elke choose something to eat. He watched her as she eyed the savoury and sweet treats, unaware of the multiple envious and admiring stares from the people around her.

Joost knew he was the luckiest man in the bakery when eyes followed Elke back to his side. She leaned close to mumble what she wanted along with her iced drink. Joost lowered his ear to hear her, making Elke's heart hammer in her chest. His blonde hair and fresh smell was even better up-close and Elke resisted stepping away when he straightened up to talk to the cashier.

Sitting outside, the two were situated opposite each other. Elke used her hand to block the sun's glare when it moved through the leaves in the trees above. Joost sat with sunglasses over his eyes, the bright blue never standing a chance at the brightness.

'I used to come here every Thursday after school,' Joost told her, eating his sandwich contently.

'I'm surprised they didn't give you a discount for your loyalty,' Elke said jokingly.

'They probably don't recognise me. I looked very different in highschool.'

As he talked, Joost brought out his phone to search through his camera roll. Elke waited as he scrolled and watched the people that passed on the cobblestone street. She caught movement in the corner of her eye and turned to see Joost holding his phone out to her. She took it, cupped the screen to block the sun and saw an old photo of some familiar faces.

'Oh my god,' Elke put a hand to her mouth that sat agape. 'That's you?'

'That's me; scrawny and pubescent.'

The photo was of Joost, Enzo and Apson. While Apson and Enzo looked as they did now, only younger and with remanents of baby fat, Joost's teenage self hung off their shoulders with a youthful glow. His platinum hair was swept to the side amidst the Justin Bieber/Harry Styles takeover. He was yet to dawn the moustache he currently maintained and his cheeks were hairless. With his tongue out and in a plain grey t-shirt, Joost posed in between his friends.

'Cute,' Elke cooed while handing Joost his phone back. 'It's good to see you kept some of your school friends.'

'We didn't really have anyone else. We weren't the coolest bunch and all three of us dropped out before Year 12.'

'You never finished highschool?'

Joost shook his head and Elke sat surprised. She wouldn't have pinned Joost as the highschool drop-out type. From what she had gathered, Joost was extremely intelligent and had a good head on his shoulders. But after some thought, Elke supposed that going into the mechanic field didn't always need the academic skill or mindset. Joost seemed passionate enough to teach himself about the workings of cars and grew his own knowledge.

That, in itself, was admirable and overshadowed the fact that Joost never finished highschool.

'What about you?' Joost leaned his elbows on the table. 'I bet you were part of the popular group at school.'

'Oh, not really. I was such a dork,' Elke said in embarrassment. 'I was one of those weird kids that enjoyed maths. It's why I went into finance.'

'Hey, it seemed to work out for you,' Joost held his hands up while shrugging. Elke agreed and drank the last of her drink in a loud slurp.

While looking across the table, Joost admired Elke in a new light. She practically glowed in the sun and Joost found himself falling deeper into his infatuation with her. Sitting in his hometown at his favourite bakery was a drastic change from running into her in the hallway or watching her from across the carpark at a car meet.