Take Two on Love (ON HOLD)

Chapter 6

Surprise, surprise!

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"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"

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The sun shone brightly high over the skyscrapers, making me squint as I looked up at it. It’s warmth comforted me as I sat idle on a café’s terrace seat.

I looked back down at my phone, deciding whether I should be patient and wait for the rest of the group, or be the impatient fiery female I am and call them for the nth time today.

A smile spread across my face as a silvery voice greeted me, his brown hair fell across his face in awkward angles, giving me the idea that he had just woken up.

“Morning, sunshine.” I teased Tyler as he took the seat beside me and handed me a frapuccino – my preferred drink.

He gave me a cute lopsided smile and slid down in his seat, “We already have some of the materials. Didn’t Carter and Nat say they would meet us here?”

I shrugged, “I didn’t expect them to be early.”

Yesterday, we had planned to meet up and pay rations and then split and buy the things needed for the project. We did a rock paper scissors and I got with Tyler and Carter was grouped with Nat. Natasha  and Carter seemed reluctant at first but with my determination and hard work, we got them to agree to come.

We bought a few of the things ahead, since they are taking a life time. We plan to buy the rest when they get here.

A gruff voice shook me out of my trance, mumbling, “Did you wait long?”

“If by long you mean one whole earth orbit around the sun, then no, slightly longer than that.” Tyler mumbled under his breath, brushing a hand through his hair.

I glanced up to see Carter and Natasha a foot step away. Natasha stood timidly in the shadow of Carter, sniffling and looking at her shoes.

“So, what else do we need to get?” Carter inquired, acknowledging the brown paper bag of materials lying on the table.

I jumped up, grabbing the list out of the pocket of my shorts, “I dunno. Uh, colored pens?”

Carter leaned in his eyebrows furrowed, “What’s the estimated amount of pens we might need?” Tyler stifled a laugh and I raised my eyebrow questioningly. Did it matter?

Tyler then sighed aloud, “Im tired and hungry. I didn’t have breakfast. Why is it so early in the morning?”

“It’s like – 10.” I shot back, rolling my eyes.

Carter did something with his face that looked somewhere between a smile and a scowl which made him look totally weird but I think he noticed I was staring at his face so I turned my head.

“Fine. Let’s go somewhere for a bit.” Carter mumbled, annoyed.

I had almost forgotten that she (Natasha) was there until she shuffled forward – still behind Carter – and nuzzled his shoulder.

Tyler frowned then glanced at me, as if asking me the same question I was thinking, “The fuck was that?”

Carter looked at me, his eyes were unusual today, they were cloudy and sad-looking. Natasha glanced up and for the first time today –I saw her eyes, they were slightly red.

Was today a bad day to schedule group shopping?

~~~

I slid into the booth and put down my tray which consisted of a burger, large fries and diet coke. Yeah, diet coke, sue me.

“You’re only getting a drink, Nat?” Tyler asked, glancing at her slightly empty tray.

Natasha frowned and sighed, “I don’t really feel like eating,” She then bit her lip and glanced at Carter, “I mean, I have been gaining some weight.”

I froze in my seat. Mother earth just sent me a message and it consists of three words, “You’re a fatass.” I glanced down to my large fries and burger and looked at her small sized lemonade. I eat like Im pregnant. I already had breakfast and Im still eating?

I glanced at Tyler’s tray to see that he got a box of nuggets, small fries and a medium drink. Oh my hoLY LORD I’M A SHEMAN. I GOBBLE DOWN FOOD FOR GROWN COUCH POTATO MEN LIKE IT IS NOTHING-

I looked at Carter to see him smirking at me, I quickly glanced at his tray to see only a medium order of fries and a glass of water. I hurriedly looked back up at him and hissed. Yes, I hissed at a good-looking boy. I guess I can check that off my bucket list.

Natasha looked at her phone and sulked, sniffling once more. She whispered something to Carter and he looked at her, his eyes full of worry – I had seen this expression on him before, but that was when it was directed to me.

He nodded and looked at his watch, “Well, let’s hurry.”

We walked out of the fast-food place after Carter paid the bill (this took a bit of my determination and hard work too) and we tidied up.

We walked down the street, talking and laughing, occasionally stopping here and there to buy things. I smiled and pointed to a store across the street, “They have the best things there, we should totally check it out!”

Tyler and Carter crossed the street first, hurrying along, obviously tired of shopping with us girls. Just as Natasha was about to cross I yelled, “Dang, my shoe laces are untied.” I bent down hastily.

Natasha waited for me and sighed once more as the light turned red and cars rushed passed the pedestrian lane, granting us no way of passage.

I grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as I ran to the left, away from the other side of the road were Tyler and Carter waited.

“Little detour!” I shouted above the sound of traffic to the boys, “Be there in a sec!”

I turned a corner and pulled Natasha into a restaurant. I pulled her into the bathroom with me, resting my hands on her shoulders.

She shook off my grip and sniffled, pacing around the bathroom, occasionally stopping to breathe harshly.

"Nat, hey, what's wrong?"  I asked. She stopped pacing around and looked directly at the mirror at my reflection.

"What? No, nothing's wrong, everything's just dandy." She replied, but her voice cracked at the end of her lie. She gave me a small smile but it didn’t reach her eyes like it usually did. She bit her lip, choking back a sob. Not less than a minute later she let out a cry, pulling onto the hair at her scalp.

I looked her, and then realized how little I know of her. Yes, we may hang out a lot and tell each other tiny secrets. Yes, we may rely on each other in times of need, but if I really thought about it, I know nothing, except the general details.

I had always pegged her to be kind of girl that had no problems, the “happy-go-lucky” kind of girl.

But then again, a huge smile could hide so much.

I slowly approached her crumbling figure, hesitant at first as if she would run away if I approached too fast. When she was at arm’s reach, I took her in my arms and let her sob into my shirt, not even caring if it left stains.

It made my heart break, to see someone hurting, and not knowing what to do, not knowing the cause of it.

For the next 10 minutes, all I did was mumble “shh’s” and “it’s gonna be alright” and other comforting words, hoping it will calm her down.  It took a while but she spluttered to a stop.

She pulled away from me and quickly wiped her eyes. She looked at her reflection before turning back to me, and looking at my shirt, mumbling, “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“It’s alright, no biggie.” I replied with a small smile. “So do you wanna talk about it?”

She inhaled deeply and gulped, her hands nervously pulling down the hem of her skirt.

“I don’t,” She paused once more to catch her breath,” I – It’s – Today is my boyfriend’s death anniversary.”