Café Rouge

Chapter 14: Goodnight kisses

Chapter 14

The shift in their equilibrium is definitely a noticeable one. Both are entering unknown territory that extends from the agreed upon acquaintances, even past the unspoken friend boundary.

In the more relaxing atmosphere though, Lola's forced to reflect on her previous life, her heart aching to see her friends and her father. Although, she has only a few people she can really call her friends, they're close and as loyal as ever. Which is why, she can only imagine how crazy they must be going without her contact. Just as she's going crazy not speaking to them.
As much as she understands that it is for her safety that she can't keep ties with them, she needs to. They keep her grounded and these days she just feels like a balloon, floating about lost with no purpose. At the Café she knew her purpose-run the café and look after her dad but here with Carlos, she has no idea of her direction. Is she just going to forever remain Carlos's 'friend'? Someone he just posses to keep his conscience at bay? Or wait for one of his family members to kill her?

It hangs heavy in her but Lola doesn't want to bring it up. Not when things are going so smoothly.
Time. She's not going anywhere-clearly-and neither is Café Rouge, so she may as well wait a little longer to solidify her relationship with Carlos before asking him favours.

That evening she's finishing wiping the countertops when he enters holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Going to visit Valentina?" she asks glancing up and smiling at the white daisies.
Huh, she wonders if when she passes away someone would care enough to bring flowers to her grave.
Carlos's step halters before he calmly places the flowers on the countertop and smiles.
"No, these...these are for you," he quietly admits.

They're not roses, or lilies or anything spectacular like that but the white daises are beautiful in their own understated way and for some reason they just seemed ideal for Lola.

Lola blinks in shock at him, her jaw dropping before a wide beaming grin spreads over her face.
"You bought me flowers?" she gasps, picking them up and directing her beam at him.
However she can see it makes him uncomfortable as he shifts his weight on his feet, so her grin dims. Not too much, but enough to have him face her again without a frown on his beautiful lips.

"Well...I-I saw them on the way back from work and they were on sale so..."mutters Carlos, a hand loosening at his tie as a means of having something to do with his jittering hands.
"They're beautiful," replies Lola, her index finger stroking the soft petals of the gorgeous flowers before stating in realisation, "we don't have a vase."

"Oh," is Carlos's brilliant answer to that problem.

They stand in silence, each trying to think of a solution to their predicament. Finally it's Carlos who breaks the quiet.
"Just put it in one of the water bottle's for now," he shrugs.
It's a temporary fix and tomorrow he'll have to go out and buy a vase.

As he's washing up for dinner, Lola takes the largest bottle with the widest screw top and plants the daises into it. It's not exactly elegant or picture perfect but there is a charming quality to it that has Lola smiling. She places the 'vase' on the countertop, a pretty sight for them to look at while they eat.

Dinner passes by peacefully and in comfortable silence. And that night, Carlos retires to his study, working on the Castellano accounts as Lola sits watching TV. Although his father has an accountant that manages the money from the business, Carlos is tasked with overseeing it all, as naturally, his father does not place all his faith in the employees. After all there is no loyalty among thieves and what more are they but crooks? And liars. And murders.
He can't stare at the accounts any more, disguised expertly to avoid the IRS and stop the FBI having any real evidence. For now they hang only as a minor concern, with no leads, and that is definitely all thanks to Alberto's paranoia. Carlos wonders what would happen if he ever did go to the FBI with all the information he has. It would all finally be shut down but then what would happen to his family? No, stupid idea. Stupid, stupid idea. He can't do that, he won't.