Night and Day

Chapter 21: Bonnie

I wondered if Nathan was in on the plot, and then I silently kicked myself. I wondered if I was slowly going mad.

Darren brushed past me, and I stepped back in response. I could see him jotting down an order now. He had spelt sausage as "sawsuge" but I did not bother to correct him. For now, he relied on his looks, and his prowess on guitar. He could not be bothered with proper punctuation. Our criticism was wasted on him.

I took to sketching while I waited for a customer to arrive. I was focused on the fine lines of a bird's feather when Darren brushed past me again.

"I'm sorry," he said. He did not sound remorseful. "I'm just all over the place today."

"Do you need help?" Veronica asked. "You must be quite busy."

"No, I'm fine." Darren rewarded her with one of his bright grins. Unconsciously, he tossed his hair back. "I've got it all covered."

Veronica smiled. "Okay. Just let me know."

"Sure." Darren continued to strut about. He paused beside me. "That's pretty."

I closed my book quickly. "Yes. Thanks. But I should really get back to work."

Darren rushed over to the sink. "I'll do these. You keep drawing."

"No," I stammered, running over to the sink. "You've got other things to do. I don't want to be an inconvenience. I can draw at home."

"It's really no trouble," Darren muttered. He sounded almost frustrated now.

"I thought you were all over the place." Veronica was staring at him now.

For once I was grateful for Veronica's sharp tongue. Darren was becoming increasingly irritating. I was reminded of a helicopter; I could not find a moment of peace!

"I thought so, but I get through things."

At that, I had to snort. I wondered then what Veronica saw in him.

"Are you okay?" Darren asked, genuinely confused. He had missed my laughter.

"Yes, I'm fine. It was just a cough."

"You really do work too hard," Darren observed. Nathan had said something similar, but I put it out of my mind.

"I only try my best." The helicopter went fwap-fwap above my head.

"It's okay to relax." Darren was leaning against a counter now, as if to emphasize the point. I did not bother telling him that the boss was annoyed; I had overheard her conversing with her husband, complaining that Darren was slow.

"I could use some help," Veronica called, smirking.

Darren seemed to repress a sigh. "Sure. What do you need?"

For the second time that day, I was grateful to Veronica. Returning to the dishes, I allowed my thoughts to be scrubbed clean as the plate between my hands. It was only for a day, but I already missed Nathan. How could I have suspected him? Nathan did not wear a mask; he was honest. Darren was the fool here. He was the one who threw up a façade, strolling along all the while as a peacock might. Nathan was Nathan, and there were no coloured feathers in his tail.

When I left that day, I found that I was tired-more tired than usual. I was dragging my feet when I exited through the back, heading for my bus stop with my head hanging. What waited for me took my breath away, though, and I was instantly awake.

Silhouetted against the late sun, Nathan was there. His smile-or what I could see of it-seemed to gleam, but that was hardly what impressed me. My attention was instead focused on the radiant red car parked behind him. With a retractable hood (which was now down) and slick, tan seats, she was a beauty. Her wheel was a dark red and she purred as a content cat might when it has found its prey.