hearing damage | YELLOWJACKETS

twenty-nine.

Turner, Taylor, Galen | 2021
Cape May, New Jersey

Talia sat in a restaurant waiting patiently for Lottie to arrive. She'd gone through every emotion that there possibly was as she sat and waited. Talia had already thought ahead and if things went bad, she'd just buy a cake and eat it alone as she cried listening to every sad Mariah Carey song there was.

Taissa had been kind enough to keep Charlie since she told her sister that she was going on a "blind date." It was a lie but if Taissa knew that Talia was going out with Lottie then she might have Talia committed so she had no choice.

Talia was playing Candy Crush on her phone, her leg shaking nervously as she swiped on the screen and tried her best to believe that she wasn't being stood up that, this wasn't an entirely bad idea, and that she and her friends weren't being blackmailed.

Talia had been checking the door every five seconds, but she managed to extend that time to a full ten seconds.

She looked up, just as Lottie entered the restaurant and went to speak to the hostess. Talia quickly clicked her phone off and began fixing her hair and straightening her posture as the hostess pointed Lottie in Talia's direction. Talia watched as Lottie smiled at the hostess before making her way over to her.

"Talia. Hi."

"Hi," Talia says with a smile as she stands from her seat. She and Lottie stared at one another before letting out a nervous laugh and the two of them embraced one another. Talia had intended for the hug to last a second, but Lottie had other plans as she held Talia close for a moment longer.

They sit down in their seats and Talia looks around, "I hope you don't mind the restaurant. I tried to pick something that had diversity on the menu."

"No, it's perfect," Lottie responds.

"Okay good," Talia says.

The two of them steal shy glances at one another and both of them let out a shy laugh.

"So how have you been?" Lottie asks.

"Oh, um I've been well I suppose. My book is being made into a movie and Charlie's seventh birthday is coming up. She's really interested in Taylor Swift, so I think that's going to be the theme of the party."

"Oh, congratulations on your movie," Lottie says, "Any idea of who will be playing me?"

Talia lets out a nervous laugh, "Actually there's an actress we have our eyes on that we think will be perfect for the role. Her name is Josephine Sanders. She's not a big name but she was in the vampire show and we think she'll be perfect."

"I'll just have to look this Josephine up then," Lottie says with a smile and Talia lets out a shy laugh.

Truthfully, Talia had never been the nervous one in the relationship. She didn't understand why she felt so nervous now. It was just Lottie.

"So how have you been?" Talia asks.

"I've been well. Better since running into you," Lottie says. Talia watches as Lottie breaks their eye contact and shifts nervously in her seat, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

"We only have to talk about what you're comfortable with," Talia responds, "I just – I feel like it's my fault your parents sent you away."

"It's not," Lottie responds quickly, "Please do not blame yourself for that."

"But I do. If I'd only left you alone-"

"I would have been worse off without you," Lottie tells her, "I needed you when we got back. I didn't care what my parents thought I just – I needed you."