LO$ER=LO♡ER

Chapter 22

Amara had just finished helping a customer, smiling and wishing them a good day. They returned the comment, leaving the cafe. Jisoo came back behind the counter after helping a customer at a table. She watched as Amara was refilling the cups for the coffee machine. She noticed that her friend seemed a bit off. She actually noticed she's been like this for a while now. For about a month and a half. She also had picked up on the fact her friend seemed depressed and lonely. She hadn't asked about it, though. She figured Amara would tell her when she was ready. But, she hasn't said a single word. It was making Jisoo worried about her. So, she decided to finally bring it up.

"Are you feeling okay? You've been looking depressed for the last month," she said as she started refilling the cups for the tea station.

The question caught her friend off guard. Amara stopped what she was doing and looked at her friend and coworker, surprised.

"I have?" she wondered, her surprise being replaced with a frown.

"You have. Is everything okay? Nothing bad happened, did it?" Jisoo asked, looking over, her face full of worry and concern.

Amara looked back to the cups, putting the last few in the stack. It took her a few long seconds to answer the question,

"I'm fine, just... I'm having a bit of an emotional rollercoaster at the moment," she sighed, throwing away the plastic from the cups.

Jisoo finished hers and did the same. She put a gentle hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"If you need to talk about anything, maybe need somebody to listen, I'm always here for you," her words made her friend give a sad, small smile.

"I wouldn't want to burden you. You have your own problems, I don't need to be adding to them," Amara mumbled, frowning again.

"That's silly talk. You could never burden me. Listen, we've been friends and coworkers for almost 3 years now. I want you to be able to confide in me. I want you to feel like you can tell me anything, without fear of judgement," Jisoo tells her, rubbing her back gently.

"Thank you, Jisoo. That means a lot," Amara said softly, her smile returning and looking relieved.

"Of course, it's my job as a friend. I'll support you in anything, no matter what it is," Jisoo continued with a smile.

She was so sweet and caring. It was very comforting. It made Amara feel like she could tell her anything. Maybe she should tell her. She wouldn't say everything. Just the part about getting pregnant. That should be fine, right?

"Pregnant?" Jisoo said in surprise, her eyes wide and her mouth open slightly.

She got a nod from the other woman. "Have you told the one that caused it?" she wondered.

That one had to be answered carefully. "I tried. But, he wanted nothing to do with the news. A few weeks later, after hearing nothing from him, he had the nerve to show up at a cafe I was at. Yelled at me to get an abortion in the middle of it," Aries sighed sadly.

Jisoo gasped, covering her mouth. "What an asshole! That's a dick move! Who tells a woman to get an abortion, in a public setting? Ugh, what a douchebag!" she claimed, tsking and rolling her eyes.

Amara gave a very small half smile, nodding her head. Jisoo frowned and reached across the table, taking her friend's hands in hers.

"Listen, you got this. You can do it. And you said you have a friend group that's helping you. You have them and you have me to help you through all of this. I'll be here with you, every step of the way. And I'm sure they will be too," Jisoo said, giving her friend a smile.

Amara looked at her and smiled softly. She gently squeezed her hands. "Thank you, Jisoo. I really appreciate this, I do. You're the best," she said,

"Of course I am! This is me we're talking about!" she said, giggling. It made Amara giggle too. She was smiling genuinely for the time in weeks.

She felt a little better and felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest. She felt like she could deal with this a bit longer. It was like there was a faint light at the end of the tunnel, with it being Jisoo and the rest of her friends. She felt like she might sleep better tonight after this.