Electric Impulse: A Bond UnBreakable

Chapter 4 | Saint or Sinner?

"I'll have the strawberry passionfruit tea with mango, kiwi and peach popping boba," Mia, the best little sister a girl could ask for, places her order with our waitress. Satisfied with her choice, she playfully wraps her finger around a juicy coil of hair as she waits for us to order.

"Ohh, girl, wait! Where'd you see that?" Penelope, our lifelong best friend, asks excitedly.

Mia points to the item on Penelope's menu. "Right there."

Penelope looks gleefully at the waitress and points to the menu. "Ohh, yes. I want that!" she exclaims before calmly resting her head on her folded hands. If it wasn't for her gorgeous hazel eyes and luscious black long straight hair, I'd say she looks as content as Chester the cat.

Without ever having picked up the menu, I ride their train. "Make that three."

"Will that be all?" Dressed in a green and white Tea Treat uniform, the waitress, whose name appears to be McKinsey, hurries back to punch in our order and take the next table.

"So, bubble tea? Or is it boba tea?" I ask, gazing at the long line of people waiting to place an order and observing all the busy bodies chatting and drinking various concoctions.

"Latest craze," Mia smiles. "Thanks to ya girl," she points at herself, "who got us in without waiting in line." Mia blows her nails and buffers them on her sleeve. "Yeah!" She leans back with a deep sense of satisfaction.

"Yeah. Thanks so much sis," I reply sarcastically. "So glad we got in to this exclusive," I showcase air quotes, "uhm café and were able to get bo-bo tea."

Penelope laughs. "Well, I've heard about it and I've been dying to try it. So, I appreciate, OK!" she gives Mia an extra girly air high five.

I roll my eyes. "So childish."

"What's gotten into you?" Mia asks, her lip snagged on one side.

I shake her off. "It's nothing."

"Nothing my ass!" Penelope interjects. "You've been sitting there all moldy since we got here." She holds her finger to her nose to block the phantom odor.

"Moldy?!" I huff and roll my eyes again. "It's nothing. OK?"

"It's nothing OK," Mia mimics me with all the affection of a bratty younger sister. She grabs my hand and looks me in the eyes. "Come on. What's up, sis? You know you want to talk about it." She raises her eyebrows as if to prompt me to start talking now.

And she's right. I do want to talk about.

"OK." I close my eyes and take a moment. "It's Phoenix—"

Penelope throws her hands in the air. "Knew it. What he'd do this time?"

"Listen, it's not what he's doing, it's more about what he's not doing." I glance at both of them to see if they catch my drift.

Rather than speak, Penelope looks at me intently and positions her ear to hear me out.

I glance back and forth between them. They stare back at me waiting for me to fill them in.

"OK," I reply, relieved that I don't have to be on defense. "Maybe it's just me or you know maybe I'm not being patient enough, but I hate the way things are going right now." I look down at my belly. "I mean, I'm four months pregnant now. The baby will start to show any minute and I have to go around hiding the fact that Phoenix is the father."

Mia holds up a finger as if she's about to interrupt but thinks for a second and stops short of saying anything. She motions for me to continue.

"The fact that his divorce isn't final, just makes everything worse. If anyone were to find out, especially anyone at work, people will say I'm a homewrecker. Like I'm the reason they're getting divorced. The timing is all bad. And if they don't say it, they will think it and then they'll treat me like shit and going to work will be a nightmare." I wait for their objections. "And not only will my personal life be shit, but my work life will be shit too. And everything will be ruined and Phoenix will leave me cause his reputation will be at stake and I'll get fired and—"