Do Overs

eleven.

"5 minutes left, everybody ready?" Aubrey asked, to which everyone confirmed.

"Just to clarify Aubrey, you want samples of everything on the menu for the guests to try?"
Julianna asked again, for the hundredth time.

"Yes Mrs Dean, but it's cool if you did something else. You are head chef after all" Aubrey reassured her.

"Mom, everyone's going to love whatever you do" Camilla put her hands around her mom in an affectionate nature.

Julianna had always been fond of Aubrey, but she'd had a new found respect for him since he had asked her for her blessing to propose to Camilla.

*5 months earlier*

Aubrey knocked on Julianna's door, feeling somewhat anxious and nervous. He wasn't sure how to approach this conversation with Julianna, she was fairly stern but quite understanding at the same time.

"Morning Mrs Dean" Aubrey said as Julianna opened the door.

"Morning, Aubrey. Camilla isn't here, you know?" She laughed. "And stop calling me Mrs Dean, It's Julianna"

"Sorry" he smiled awkwardly. "I know Camilla isn't here, I came to see you" he chuckled.

"Oh, come in then" she beckoned, allowing him to follow her into the kitchen where she was cooking, as usual. "How can I be of assistance?"

Aubrey chuckled slightly, he found it funny how Julianna switched her Jamaican accent on and off depending on who she was talking to.

"I hope you don't think this is too fast for me and Camilla but-"

"Oh God, she's pregnant isn't she?" Julianna looked up to the sky. "Lord, I know I asked for this but not now-"

"Uh, no she's not pregnant" Aubrey smiled. "But, I would like to propose to her and I wanted your blessing"

"Aubrey" she grinned. "Of course you have my blessing!"

"Thank you, I'd like to show you the ring, if that's alright?" Aubrey pulled the ring box out of his pocket and held it open to show Julianna.

"Wow, this ring is amazing" Julianna held it up. "She's going to love this"

"I hope so" Aubrey nodded.

"She loves you, a lot. If I'm honest, at one point I thought she loved you more than she loves herself. But I realise you love her a lot too. I give my blessing and I wish you both nothing but happiness" Julianna spoke.

"Thank you so much, Julianna. That means a lot" Aubrey smiled.

*

Aubrey and Camilla's friends and family had done a lot to make sure word about Frings grand opening had spread. Because of this, Frings had been swamped with a load of people it seemed like the whole of a Toronto- well Canada had come out to support. Aubrey's father Dennis had come into town, along with Camilla's grandmother from Jamaica.

"I'm so proud of you" Julianna smiled at Camilla.

"Thank you mom"

"Even though mi hate this cold place, I had to come for you" Camilla's grandmother, Joyce hugged Camilla.

"Thank you grandma, I'm glad you came into town"

Aubrey was approaching Camilla and her family, with his mother and father to introduce his father to Camilla and to allow Camilla to introduce her grandmother to him.

"C, baby, this is my father, Dennis" Aubrey spoke, allowing Dennis to shake Camilla's hand.

"Nice to meet you" Camilla smiled.

"You're even prettier than the pictures" Dennis chuckled. "I'm a hugger, bring it on in" he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you" Camilla laughed.

"Y'all should really be proud of this" Dennis looked around, smiling.

"Aubrey, this is my grandma, Joyce" Camilla said, watching her grandmother shake Aubrey's hand.

"My God, you are tall" Joyce looked at Aubrey. "Nice to me you, I keep hearing your name so it's nice to put a face to the name. You're very handsome too"

"Thank you" Aubrey chuckled.

Once everyone was acquainted, Aubrey and Camilla both went off to socialise with the people that had come out to support.

Aubrey was then stopped by a familiar face.

"Drizzy, look I know I'm the last person you wanna-"

"Kam? What the fuck are you doing here?" Aubrey grew angry.

"I just came to warn you, LD knows everything and he's ready" Kam spoke.

"You snitched, again?" Aubrey asked out of shock.

"No nigga, look, we both in trouble. If he realises that I basically gave you the drop, I'm a dead man"

"And that relates to me how?"

"Because if he kills me, he'll kill you"

"You want me to be grateful that my snitch, snitched to me?"

"I'm just telling you to watch your back, I gotta be watching mine. It's only a matter of time before he finds out"

"Finds out what?" Aubrey queried, in case Kameron knew about the money.

"That I told you, he'll probably want to do something"

"There's a difference between you and I, Kameron. You get treated like a little bitch by LD and you allow it. I'm not fearing nobody but God" Aubrey raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want no war-"

"Save all the sappy shit, fuck you doing here?" Baka interrupted, pushing Kameron backwards.

"Came to let you niggas know that LD knows everything"

"Bullshit, you'd be dead by now. LD is a hoe ass nigga and he won't be having a little pussy like you that knows all his secrets, roaming around on the streets" Baka clenched his fist.

"You don't know shit, I don't know nothing about LD" Kameron spoke. "If you niggas don't wanna believe me, that's fine but I'm just saying, watch your back"

"Fuck outta here" Aubrey chuckled, walking away with Baka.

"If you didn't realise, that was your cue to exit" Baka turned around to say.