Clover

chapter fifty part-two: nevaeh in wonderland

🎼Begin Again - Taylor Swift (TV)
BEFORE she knew it, it was 3:30pm, and Nevaeh was inundated with stew and enough Pão de queijos to last a lifetime. She thanked them all and was once again ushered out into Ember's car, barely being given the time to blink.

They arrived just before four, so the pair of them sat waiting in Ember's car to kill the rest of the time. Nevaeh felt it appropriate to interrogate her friend's absence for the past two hours.

"Where the hell were you?"

"Helping your boyfriend pull off this genius plan, bonita. You're welcome."

Nevaeh frowned, shaking her head.

"Genius plan? Ember, I don't want anything big-"

"Trust him, Ayah. Please?"

Pausing, Nevaeh looked over at Ember. Seeing that disheartened look on her friend's face was enough to clamp Nevaeh's mouth shut.

"I do. I do."

Nodding, Ember whipped out her phone and began rapidly texting until a phone call from - Isaiah? - overtook the screen. She glanced at Nevaeh and decided to speak to him in Portuguese to prevent her from understanding what the fuck was going on.

Screw Isaiah for being fluent in Portuguese.

Grumbling, Nevaeh glanced at the time on her phone. She'd been flashing her phone on a lot today, just to ogle at her lock-screen. The image never failed to make her smile, the thought of his own enough to send shivers running up her arms. Her happiness was inexplicably tangled with his, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Ember-"

Nevaeh was cut off by a phone call. She glanced at the caller ID; Felicity Bennett. Her best friend hushed Isaiah on the other end of the phone and quirked an eyebrow at Nevaeh, gesturing at her to answer it.

"Happy birthday Ayah - sorry it's so late, we've had an incredibly hectic few days and I just got off the phone with your brother."

"That's okay Felicity. Thank you."

The end call sound reverberated around the car. Nevaeh threw her best friend a questioning look, but the girl merely grinned in response.

"How's your day been? Jetting around with that lovely boyfriend of yours?"

"Not yet no, but I hear he has something big planned."

"How exciting! Oh that's just delightful dear, you deserve nothing less."

"Thank you Mrs Bennett."

"Oh, nonsense, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Felicity. You're basically my own, you don't need to be so formal, sweetheart."

"Sorry, Felicity."

"That's better. Well, I better cut to the chase, a certain Brazilian bombshell has just made me aware that you have a commitment at 4."

Nevaeh shot Ember a look and she merely winked, waving her phone screen in front of her face. It was 3:55pm. They didn't have long. Nevaeh's heart rate picked up.

"Ember should have an envelope on her, if she listened to what I told her."

Glancing at Ember again, her best friend grinned and handed Nevaeh the envelope.

"Okay, open it lovely."

Silently, Nevaeh's thumb teased the lip out of the place it was tucked and she slid the sheet of paper out of the envelope. Unfolding it with shaky hands, her eyes drank in the words on the page.