Lonely Shade of Blue

THREE: The Woman Next Door

Hello! I'm really sorry this took so long. I've been busy :)  This one is lengthy, but I did try to snip it a bit hahaha

Anyway, enjoy and have a great day!

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

THREE

'The woman next door'

Sunday was over way too quickly, and Monday crawled, beginning the week in a frenzy. The Café was hectic as it always was every morning, and the influx of patrons did not cease until it was nearly lunch. As much as Carmen loved what she did, there were days when slaving away in the kitchen was unbearable.

And so it was a welcome and blessed repose when it was time to go home. The nightfall barely brought anyone in (something that happened from time to time), and she had packed up and locked up early, sending Stephanie home a good half hour earlier than their usual closing time. It was such a blessed relief when she walked out of the coffee shop and felt the fresh, cold air against her skin.

Her eyes fell close and she breathed in deeply.

"Hey, neighbor," a familiar voice called (and let's face it, there was only ever one person who called her that), prompting her to open her eyes and meet his gaze.

"Ariel," she greeted amicably, still feeling affected by his little kind (and neighborly) gesture only a day before. "Good evening." She smiled for good measure as she noticed that Sasha was just behind him, circling his feet as she was held back by a leash. She crouched and extended her hand for the dog to sniff. "Hello pretty girl."

The dog was quick to come closer to her and began sniffing her hand, licking at her skin. She giggled at the sensation and then scratched behind Sashsa's ears.

"Sana all ganyan ka-enthusiastic mo i-greet, neighbor," she heard Ariel say and she looked up to raise an eyebrow at him. He grinned. "You're on your way home, na?"

She gave Sasha another pat before she stood up and nodded. "Yes. We closed early because no one was there anyway," she divulged, shrugging as she rubbed her palms against her jeans.

"Slow day?" he asked as they began walking, gently tugging at the leash, trying to pull Sasha up who was now entertaining herself with the dirt.

"It was a busy morning and the crowd dwindled just before lunch. It was almost blissful to breakfree from the kitchen," she said with a laugh, and he laughed with her. "I love that Café but even the things you love doing can exhaust you too."

He nodded in agreement. "That's true. The burn-out, in my opinion, is even worse when it's about something you're passionate about. It takes more to be burnt out about the things you love, but the comeback is hard."

She agreed with that. She'd been there, done that. "I guess, but pag mahal mo, mahal mo talaga," she responded, smiling in melancholy. "Babalik at babalik ka, even when you get tired."

He just smiled at that, and they walked down the now familiar path together in companionable silence. Side by side, step by step with Sasha in tow, they made it closer and closer to their homes. It was surprising, for a lack of better word, that they should feel comfortable enough to do this. It was only a day ago when she had been screaming at his face for the damage to her garden. Now she was here strolling home with him under the stars on the moonlit path.

The breeze tickled her skin and she sighed deeply.

"It's a nice night out tonight," she heard him say, and she turned to him, watching him from an angle. His eyes twinkled with reverence, his nose a nice slope, and his lips pulling up in a mischievous but warm smile. From this side, he actually looked attractive.