The Necklace (#Wattys 2017)

Chapter 10: Serendipity

She dropped me off at the exact place she had picked me up.

Her name was Ella, she said. Nice to know you, Ella. Thanks. She gave me her card,
"Just in case," she said, " something like this comes up again. Maybe you'll be the one running then!" She smirked, and I slightly grimaced at the thought.

When the cab left, I looked across the street again. How stupid I had been. There was a shop on the other side, and on its mirror, I saw my reflection. Dark and solemn. Pretty damn suspicious of me to just stand there on the street, looking like that.
I found a small cafe, a few blocks away, and I rushed into its washroom, as quick as possible.

I grimaced at my image. It was looking a lot like my old self. My hair was ruffled and on my forehead, and the slight tan was fading away to give away my bright face. Thankfully, the hair color was holding up. But I still had to fix most of my look.

A few minutes with some gel, and a brush, and the slightest touch of foundation(ugh. The things I had to do because of this whole thing.) I was pretty much back to my new self. My hair was teased up, in its perfect shady blonde, my face was accentuated and my lips -not that I did anything-were a shade of pink.
As for the clothes, too many people had seen it to trace the look back to me. I quickly changed into my casuals, a plain, grey t-shirt and a pair of dark denim jeans. Just a swish of some deo to hide the stink from the chase, and I was done.

Commence Part 2.

Now that I was at a cafe, I might as well take a cup of coffee to energize, I thought. I sat at a small table at the edge of the cafe. A small pot holding a fresh rose, sat at the centre, its smell somehow overpowering the coffee's aroma.

"Sir, may I take your order?" I heard a female voice.

"Hmm yeah," My sleep was slowly taking over, I realized as a flipped through the menu. "I'll take.." My head was getting heavier by the minute.

"Just give me what you like, honestly."

My head was still looking into the menu, my eyes fluttering. She walked away, without any acknowledgement. I closed my eyes for a second, when I heard a clatter of spoons. I finally looked up.

She was walking towards me, with a tray in her hand. The spoons were falling from the tray, as she walked clumsily. Then, with a pleading look, she looked at me. Her grayish blue ones, into my green eyes.

Serendipity. In a word.

Since no one seemed to be rushing out to help her, I got up. Tentatively walking towards her, not taking my eyes off. She might disappear, was probably what I was thinking, she could just be a mirage.

But she stood still, her eyes onto me as well.

This was unreal.

I bent down to get the fallen spoons, still looking at her, and taking the differences in.

Her hair was blonde, not brown like I knew. She put slight, and light makeup, not the heavy one I knew. She wore small wedges, not the huge heels I knew her for. And her face, it just seemed brighter and more carefree than ever before.

The irony, of the whole mess.

I carried the spoon back to my table, and I felt her following me. She still couldn't walk straight, and gave small curses every time something spilled or got out of place. Okay, that sure changed. The one I knew was a detail freak, and pretty poised.

But disguises aren't all that hard, I knew. I was living in disguises now.

I sat down, eyes still on her, and she stood across me, and pushed the tray slowly towards me. Oh right, the coffee. I had kinda lost my sleep amidst all this. But still, I looked at my coffee. It was the perfect shade of dark, that was hard to get but I loved. I glanced at her, she was smiling awkwardly, holding the tray to herself.