"One venti white chocolate mocha, extra whip, one tall soy Sugar Plum Fairy, and two raspberry cheesecake?" Yassen asked. The customer gave confirmation. "That'll be-"

Yassen's phone - which, technically, he was not supposed to have on him at work, but had anyways since Alex was on mission in northern Russia and he couldn't be there - rang in his pocket. The ringtone and caller ID were Alex's.

"Uh, £10.19," Yassen said, distantly. He answered the call. "Princess?"

"Yassen, hi." Alex's voice sounded - just a little strange.

"Alex, is everything alright?" Yassen asked.

Alex made a sound between a cough and a laugh. "Y. Yeah. Yassen - I love you."

"I - love you too, Alex."

"No, I mean - yeah." Alex laughed again. "Yeah. But I meant - I love you, Yassen. Okay? You know that? You know that I… I love you?"

Yassen, by now more than concerned, took the last customer's money and handed them their order, and signalled to his manager that he was taking a break. "Of course I know you love me, Alex," he said. "Please, Alex. What is this-?"

"You've got the... prettiest eyes," Alex said, suddenly and then coughed again. "Yassen- please talk to me. Don't... don't ask, just - talk."

Yassen took a breath and looked out the window of the store, into the holiday traffic. "It's afternoon, here. Almost Christmas. The sky is cloudy, but all the streets and shops are well-lit to make up for it, so it's very cheery. Still, you've been gone a few days now, and I miss you. I bought your Christmas gift yesterday. I hope you like it; I saw it and thought of you. I think of you a lot, but-"

"Thank you." Alex sighed. "Yassen, I love you. I'm sure I'd… love anything you-"

There was suddenly a very loud noise on Alex's end, and then silence.

Yassen left his phone on the windowsill by his table and left the shop without speaking to anyone. On the sidewalk out front, hands in his pockets, he looked up at the sky, gaze distant - seeing things far away, in colder, dismaler places.

"Goodbye, Alex."

two more minutes, just give me

two more minutes

let me look into your eyes for two more minutes

tell my lies for two more minutes

please

just two more minutes

give me two more minutes before i die