In which Mia Monroe's boyfriend is in love with another guy, and Demeter Story-Ohara proves to be the perfect shoulder to cry on.
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When the curly-haired girl walks into Snow Halation for the first time, all Demeter can think is, Gosh dang, she's pretty.
The thing is, Demeter is done with pretty girls. She's done with their soft hair and their bright smiles and their deft hands. She's done with their happy giggles and their button noses and their fuzzy warmth. She's done with how they're so, so pretty, and how they always seem to dump her because she's not pretty enough for them---in so many different ways.
She should be done with pretty girls, but there is something about this specific pretty girl that loops a lasso around her broken heart and flies her to the moon.
Strangely, the pretty girl is not so pretty that people would drop their cardboard-cup coffee on the freshly-cleaned floor just to stare at her. She's a melanin goddess in the most subtle ways, in the golden glow of her coffee-bean skin, in the pillow-soft curls of her ebony hair, in the chubby curves of her petite body. She is pretty, but she's the kind of pretty that could easily fade into a crowd, and that thought comforts Demeter, because maybe this pretty girl wouldn't be too pretty to be with her.
Then the girl walks up to the counter, and Demeter suddenly forgets how to speak.
Hi, you're really pretty and I am a hopeless lesbian who doesn't exactly do so well with pretty girls, is what she almost says, but of course, she catches her tongue in time, because wow, wouldn't that be embarrassing. So she steels her nerves, clears her throat, and what pops out of her mouth instead is, "Hi, welcome to Chilli's, what can I get for you today?" and the moment the sentence has left her lips, Demeter instantly regrets that six-month stint in Chilli's last year.
The pretty girl stops. Stares at her like she's grown two heads.
Demeter drops her head down on the counter. "Sorry," she apologises, hoping this girl won't turn out to be a mini-Karen-in-disguise. "Rough day." She's lying. It really hasn't been a rough day, especially since it's eleven on a Saturday morning and business usually only starts to get tough by noon. But it's easier to say that than admitting she sucks at chatting with pretty girls.
The girl laughs, dimples instantly poking indents in her chubby cheeks. She's got a beautiful smile---bright, warm, as comforting as hot chocolate on a cold day. Demeter can see the whole universe in her dark eyes, and damn it, these are exactly the kind of girls she'd sworn to never fall for again. "It's totally fine," the girl giggles. "It was actually pretty funny. I hope your day gets better, though."
It's already better now that you're here, Demeter wants to say, but she manages to rein herself back in, because she's tall and gangly and awkward and she's already embarrassed herself enough today. "Thanks. So what's it going to be?"
The girl tilts her head, and there's something weirdly familiar about the way she thinks. Heck, there's something weirdly familiar about the girl herself, now that Demeter's getting a closer look at her. There's something intimate about the kinks in her hair, the slope of her nose, the shape of her eyes.
"Toffeenut Caramel Swirl, please," the girl says. Now that Demeter thinks about it, she's pretty sure she's heard her voice before. If only I could remember where...
When the girl reaches into the pocket of her jeans, Demeter decides it's as good a time as any to strike up a conversation---after all, it's barely past eleven, and the noon crowd hasn't flooded the place yet. "Do you come here often?" she questions, leaning forward as much as she can and resting her elbows on the counter in an attempt at hiding the striped pin on her apron. She resists the urge to straighten her glasses and pat down her already-perfect hair.
The pretty girl laughs. She's got a nice laugh. It feels like a warm summer breeze, like daisies in an emerald field, like dandelion puffs riding on the wind. "No, this is my first time here."
"Well, then, I do hope you won't be disappointed." Demeter eases herself off the counter. "Cup or cone?"
"Cup, please."
"Sacrilege. Ice cream should be eaten with a cone." Demeter wills herself to shut up, but she can't help it---she wants to converse more with this girl, to figure out why she looks so familiar.
The girl pouts, and Demeter gets the strange urge to reach out and poke her dimples. "But I like it in a cup."
"Shame." Demeter wrinkles her nose. She's running out of things to say. Must as well just go for it and hope she doesn't think I'm a creep. "You look kind of familiar."
The girl chuckles, and Demeter wishes she could bottle up that beautiful laugh. "That's funny. You look kind of familiar too. What's your name? Maybe it'll ring a bell."
"I'm Demeter." Demeter is not one to pass up a chance to say her name. She freaking loves her name. It's feminine and powerful and unique and she absolutely adores it, because it's everything she's ever wanted, and she especially loves how it rolls off her tongue with ease nowadays---how after years of practice, Demeter feels almost too comfortable, as if she'd had it from the very start.
The girl's brow furrows. "I don't think I know a Demeter." Then the bright, happy smile is back, spread across her face like a metaphor painted over blank canvas. "I'm Mia. Mia Monroe, if that'll help."
At that, Demeter's heart drops into her heels, and the hand that had been reaching for the ice cream scoop instantly halts in midair, because damn it, of all things, the pretty girl in the ice cream shop just has to be her old crush from middle school. Her crush before pink, before dresses, before Demeter.
"Hi, Mia. It's nice to meet you. I think we must have mistaken each other for someone else," Demeter mumbles weakly, because there is absolutely no way to tell her childhood crush that she'd never known a Demeter, but once upon a time, she'd known a Darren instead.
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It doesn't take long for Demeter's middle school feelings to come back full force. All it takes is three weeks of Mia's soon-frequent visits to Snow Halation, and she's completely hooked. Even though she's a hundred percent sure Mia still doesn't know they've been friends before, they click so fast she's not entirely sure why Mia appears to be convinced they've never met.
Or maybe Demeter just doesn't give her acting skills enough credit.
Which is why it's on an ironically sunny day that Mia drops the bombshell.
"He's been a bit distant lately," she admits, chubby fingers still wrapped around the pink-striped straw in her root-beer float.
Demeter looks up from her phone. She's sitting opposite Mia, out of uniform for the first time. And although Mia's been frequenting Snow Halation for a while, this is the first Demeter's heard of a he.
Stay calm, she tells herself. Maybe she's talking about an estranged family member or something. It might not be a boyfriend. It doesn't have to be a boyfriend. She subconsciously bunches up a handful of her skirt into a fist. It can't be a boyfriend, because it's too good a day for Mia to have a boyfriend. The sun is shining, the melanin goddess in Mia is especially prominent today, and Demeter has already developed the fattest crush on her friend for the second time.
"Who?" Demeter asks, trying to sound as disinterested as possible. Not a boyfriend, not a boyfriend, not a---
"My boyfriend," Mia sighs.
Gosh darn it.
"What makes you say that?" Demeter questions, pretending to be extremely interested in the vanilla ice cream cone in her hand.
"His ex moved to our school." Mia rests her elbow on the table, palm cupping her chin gently. Her midnight eyes are unbelievably sad, and Demeter wishes she could kiss that sadness away.
"I'm sure she's not as good as you," Demeter instantly reassures. Because you're perfect in every way and I really want to kiss you on the lips, but she doesn't say that.
"He."
"What?"
"Jeong-Soon's ex is a guy," Mia explains. "One of the most dickish guys I've ever met in my life."
Demeter doesn't hear the second part. All she focuses on is the name of Mia's boyfriend---Jeong-Soon. She decides she doesn't quite like it and mentally decides to keep calling him Mia's boyfriend in her head. "He's not just using you as a beard, is he?"
Mia shakes her head, fingers still twisting her straw. "No! He insisted he wasn't. And, well, Jeong-Soon can't lie to save his life, so..." She shrugs. "But I don't care whether his ex is a guy or a girl or a non-binary person or whatever. What I care about is that the guy is a huge asshole. He told Jeong-Soon to fuck off and insulted everyone in our music class on his first day. Completely unprovoked."
Demeter sucks in a deep breath through her teeth. "Sounds like one messy breakup."
"Jeong-Soon claims they never even dated." Mia shrugs again, but this time, the movement carries a strange heaviness to it. "Not that my boyfriend's past love life is any of my business, but I'm just...worried, you know. He seems pretty...hung up on the guy still."
And I'm pretty hung up on you. Still. Not that it matters right now. Because you're talking about your boyfriend---who appears to like another guy---with the girl who has a huge crush on you. Great. Everything is fine. "What makes you say that?"
Mia's straw is so mangled by now that Demeter's really not sure how she's going to be able to drink through it. "It's just the way Jeong-Soon looks at him, I guess. Like..." She bites her lip. "Like his whole world revolves around him. He never looks at me like that, and we've already been dating for a year."
The boyfriend sounds a bit dickish too, but who am I to judge? "That doesn't sound good." Bad answer. Very bad answer. "Do you think he's cheating on you?"
Mia chuckles, and it's not her usual sunny laugh. It's casually bitter, like coffee beans ground straight into a cup. "Jeong-Soon wouldn't do that. Even if he would, the guy can't seem to stand him, honestly." She wrinkles her nose, and it's so cute Demeter has to physically restrain herself from professing her love right then and there. "The guy's actually...really weird. He doesn't seem to be able to get along with anyone. He's so..." She shudders. "Angry."
Demeter's free hand crumples itself up in her skirt again, nervously rubbing the rose material between her fingers. "I can't speak much on the issue, since I haven't met the boyfriend or his ex, but if your boyfriend's not giving you the attention you need, I say you dump his ass. You deserve better, Mia." It's just advice. Very unselfish, unbiased advice. Yup. No feelings involved here.
Mia smiles, her mouth crinkling at the corners in such a soft way that Demeter's instantly smitten. The urge to poke Mia's prominent dimples washes over her again, and as usual, she manages to resist it. "He's trying, Demeter. It's just that...well, things haven't been the same since that guy showed up." She stares into the bubbly depths of her root-beer float, as if searching for hints of clairvoyance in the dark brown liquid. "I don't blame Jeong-Soon for still being hung up over his ex---or whatever he wants to call it---but I do wish he'd focus on me instead. After all, we are dating."
You're too good for him, and I've never even met him, Demeter thinks. Honestly, you're too good for everyone. You're too good for me too, but I prefer not to think about that. After all, Mia's a living angel. It should be a fact on Wikipedia---or something like that. "You really like this dude, don't you?"
Mia nods, the galaxy in her eyes clouded with melancholy. "I mean, he's my first serious boyfriend. And he's really sweet. And nice. And friendly. And cute." She giggles, and Demeter's stomach lurches into her shoes. "I mean, what's not to like about him?"
Other than the fact that he's probably emotionally cheating on you? Does that even count as cheating? "Okay," Demeter sighs, trying to tamp down the feelings bubbling in her own gut. "I'd say it's probably too early to really jump to any conclusions---how long has it been since the guy moved to your school, exactly?"
Mia looks down at her lap, root-beer float seemingly forgotten. "One day."
Honestly, screw relationships.
"Your boyfriend's probably...shocked to see the guy. And maybe he's still hung up over him or whatever. But it'll pass." Or maybe it won't. "Just wait and see what happens, I guess. There's not much else you can do right now. Unless you dump him." Fingers crossed, but I know you wouldn't do that.
"Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Demeter." Then Mia smiles at her, and Demeter would be lying if she'd claimed she doesn't feel her heart flutter.
"Are you sure he's not cheating on you?" Demeter presses, and she doesn't quite know why---something in her heart wants to grab Mia and hold her tight, to protect that warm smile from the horrors of the real world, to keep her safe from everything, everyone.
Mia shakes her head, and her eyes are distant again, a million miles away. "He isn't. I'm sure of that."
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"He's cheating on me!"
Demeter barely manages to brace herself before a body's hurtling over the counter and into her arms. A sobbing body, at that. For a moment, the scent of bubblegum fills her nostrils, and she instantly forgets everything---even her own name. Because Mia is soft and warm and fits in her arms perfectly, and she feels like a breath of fresh sea air, a cool spring breeze.
Then crystal salt leaks its way into the front of her apron, and Demeter instantly snaps back to reality.
"Clara!" she yells. "Can you cover for me? I'll be back in ten!"
Her co-worker emerges from the back, bundling butter-blonde waves into a high ponytail. "Come on, Demeter," Clara whines, her deft fingers slipping down to tighten the loose strings of her pink apron and shove her phone into the pocket of her skinny jeans. "You can't just take off with your girlfriend and leave me here."
"It's not like you were doing any work, anyway," Demeter retorts, pulling Mia closer to her. "And she's not my girlfriend." I wish she was.
Clara shoots a dubious glance at the sobbing girl in Demeter's arms. "Sure."
Demeter rolls her eyes. "I'll be back soon."
"Don't take too long!" she hears Clara shout after her, but she ignores her co-worker, instead electing to herd Mia over to one of the empty booths, one hand already working at the ties of her apron. Once she's settled Mia down, she sits opposite her and flings her apron over the seat.
"So. He cheated?" Demeter asks awkwardly.
A resounding sob from Mia is her only answer.
I am so bad at this. I am SO bad at this. Demeter reaches for the tissue box on the table---she's suddenly glad she always takes the time to dump the mandatory tissue holder on every table in the mornings---and slides it over to the crying girl in front of her. "What exactly happened?"
Mia plucks out a tissue and continues crying into it. "He---I heard him---with his friends---" she chokes out between sobs. "Jeong-Soon said he was---dating both me and that guy---at the same time---"
I'm going to kill him. I'm legitimately going to snap his neck. I wish I'd known when he came just now. I would have snapped his neck then. Surprisingly, Demeter hadn't really picked up any bad vibes when Mia had brought her boyfriend into the shop just a few hours before---he'd seemed nice, kind of friendly. Genuine enough, if a little dorky. But she supposes her vibe check had been wrong. It usually is, anyway.
"No wonder he didn't say it back just now," Mia whimpers, still swiping the tissue aggressively across her face.
That's news to Demeter. "Say what back?"
"Just now..." Mia looks down. "I told him I loved him. He didn't say it back. And now I know why."
Demeter instantly pushes herself out of her seat and starts walking towards the door, ignoring the strange glances she's getting from the few customers in the shop.
"Where are you going?" Mia questions, grabbing her arm. At Mia's feather-light touch, Demeter instantly feels a hurricane of butterflies flooding her stomach.
"I'm going to snap his neck," Demeter answers. How dare he? Doesn't he know what a good thing he has right in front of him? What's wrong with him? I'm going to kill him. I'm going to squeeze out a drop of blood out of his sorry ass for every tear Mia shed. That's so dramatic, though. Never mind, he deserves it.
"No!" Mia squeaks. "He didn't---don't kill him!"
"Why not? He deserves it."
"I...I still love him."
Demeter instantly halts in her tracks, slowly turning to stare at her friend. Mia's gazing down at her sneakers, one hand wrapped around herself, one hand clutching Demeter's arm tightly. She looks almost ashamed, and Demeter wishes she could kiss that expression right off her face.
"Mia," she tries instead. "He hurt you."
"I know," Mia sobs, and when Demeter pulls her into a hug, she feels her friend jerking helplessly against her body, controlled by her grief like a fish on a line. "I know."
Demeter wishes she could magically pluck out the right words to say from the sky, but really, she doesn't know what those words are. She's never been good with words---never been good at comforting people, never been good at verbal advice. And in the middle of the ice cream shop, surrounded by the curious gazes of various patrons and hugging the girl who always leaves her tongue-tied to her chest, her throat can't help clogging up.
"Demeterrr!" Clara hollers.
That instantly snaps Demeter out of her speechless daze. She groans under her breath, hoping Mia can't hear her frustration. She'd curse Clara out, but she certainly doesn't exactly want to lose at least ten customers. Instead, she ignores her co-worker, gingerly patting Mia on the back. Let her do some work for once instead of getting paid for scrolling through her Instagram, she thinks.
"What's your plan?" she asks.
Mia shrugs helplessly. "I don't know. Do I have to have one?"
"Are you going to let him get away with it?"
Another shrug. "I don't know, it's just---so---"
"Mia, look at me." When her friend doesn't, Demeter gently pulls away from her. "Look at me," she repeats. Her hand finds its way to Mia's cheek, tenderly cupping her friend's chubby face. When Mia doesn't flinch away, instead opting to lean into her touch, something tugs at the marionette strings of Demeter's heart.
"How do you feel right now?" Demeter enquires.
Mia bites her lower lip, her tear-filled gaze momentarily darting away from Demeter's own emerald one. "Sad, mostly. Betrayed. Kind of angry."
"Tell him that. Actually, show him that. He doesn't deserve to get off scot-free. If he gives a shit about you, he'll care." I'm not sure if he cares about you, though, since he cheated on you, but who am I to judge? "Confront him the moment you see him and let him know exactly what you saw and exactly how you feel about it. If there's even a shred of humanity inside him, he'll apologise, at the very least. If he doesn't...well, you'll truly know what kind of guy he is."
They've somehow made it to one of the booths, except instead of sitting opposite Mia like she usually does, Demeter finds herself next to her.
Mia looks down. "Should I break up with him?" she mumbles to the floor.
Boy cheated on her and she's still considering staying with him. Bless her soul. "That's up to you," Demeter manages to force out, because ultimately, it really is up to Mia, and as far as she's concerned, Demeter's just a caring friend in the equation.
Mia's so silent Demeter worries she may have broken her. Finally, she nods. Then she looks up from her sneakers to stare at Demeter with wide, dark eyes. "Thank you for everything, Demeter," she says.
Demeter grits out a smile. She can't bear to see her friend so sad. She especially can't bear to keep calling Mia just her friend. "You're welcome."
"Are you sure we haven't met outside of Snow Halation?" Mia presses. "You just seem so...familiar."
Two girls swinging their legs in the air on a Friday afternoon. Two girls petting stray, ginger-furred kittens in the playground. Two girls copying off each other's homework. A twelve year old's first kiss with a boy who hadn't really been a boy after all.
"No," Demeter replies through clenched teeth, the chains holding her secret down tearing at the seams, an invisible chisel chipping away at the lock and key. "I guess we just get along well. Really well."
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The first time Demeter sees Mia outside of Snow Halation, it's at a library in the pouring rain.
Demeter knows she shouldn't pull over, that she has to get to work in thirty minutes, but she hasn't seen Mia since the whole boyfriend fiasco---which had really turned out to be a big misunderstanding---and she doesn't have her number.
I missed her.
And she's single now.
Hmm.
So pull over she does, the windshield wipers of her black Audi battling ferociously against the heavy deluge. Demeter leans on the horn, mentally kicking herself when Mia jumps several feet into the air, nearly dropping the bag she's holding. Surprise crosses her friend's face, followed by wariness.
Demeter rolls down her window, and the suspicion on Mia's face gives way to relief. "Do you want a ride?" she calls, feeling raindrops pelt her glasses. She ignores them. She's used to it.
Guilt flashes over Mia's expression. "Don't you have work?"
Demeter leans back in her seat, trying to look as casual as possible. "I have time."
"But---"
"You're going to get soaked."
Mia chews on her bottom lip, but nods, walking around the side of the car and sliding into the passenger seat. There's rainwater threaded through her dark curls, and despite the gloominess of the weather outside, her coffee-coloured skin almost seems to glow. "Thank you," she says.
Demeter lifts her hand off the steering wheel to wave it dismissively. "Why were you at the library, anyway?"
"Just...trying to find different ways to entertain myself, I guess." Mia shrugs, looking down at the fingers laced together in her lap. "I went on a technology cleanse. Haven't checked my phone in a week. I was going to head home and finally check it." She shrugs again, yanking a slim phone out of her pocket. "Must as well power it up now."
"Is it about the boyfriend thing?" For the second time in five minutes, Demeter wants to kick herself. That literally sounds so insensitive.
Mia sighs. "Yeah."
Demeter reaches over and impulsively slips her palm into Mia's. She notices the shock that crosses her friend's face and momentarily plans to abort mission, but relief spreads through her body when Mia locks their fingers together instead of pulling away. "I'm sorry," Demeter says.
"I don't know why you are," Mia answers. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Demeter can't help it---she chuckles, a throaty sound that's far from delicate, far from feminine. Normally, that would worry her, but she can't find it in herself to be worried right now. "You know what I mean."
It's there again, at long last---Mia's bright, warm smile, the grin that the sun itself would be jealous of, unfolding over her lips like an origami crane. "I know. I'm just messing with you."
And maybe it's the euphoria of holding hands with Mia Monroe, or the despondent tension bubbling through the air, or the combination of her big mouth and her natural lack of people skills, but Demeter's soon blurting out, "I have something to tell you."
Mia's eyebrows flick up, her smile replaced with a frown. "What is it?"
Mission abort, mission abort, mission abort--- "We did know each other before," Demeter confesses. "Just...you didn't know me like this. You didn't know me as Demeter."
Mia switches her gaze to the window, as if staring at the raindrops making their way down the glass. She doesn't take her hand out of Demeter's, and she doesn't speak for a while. Finally, she says, "I know. You were my first kiss."
Demeter feels like she's been shot. She can't move. She can't talk. Eventually, she manages to stutter out, "Y...you k-knew?"
"Of course I knew." Mia turns back to her, and she's smiling just as brightly as before. "You looked too familiar to be a stranger, and I had a hunch. One doesn't just forget their first kiss like it's nothing. Even though we were twelve." She giggles. "When I got home the first time we met, I started looking through my mom's photo gallery. You've changed a lot, Demeter, but it's not too hard to recognise you. You were the only half-Japanese person in middle school, after all."
"I---you knew all this time...and you didn't tell me?"
Mia exhales. "I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. If you weren't comfortable with it, I wasn't going to push you."
"I'm comfortable with telling." Demeter's suddenly acutely aware of her hand, still laced in Mia's soft palm. There's so much sweat running down her face that she's sure her glasses are going to fall off any second. "I just thought...you wouldn't be comfortable with me telling you."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I didn't want you to see me differently."
Mia laughs. "I would never see you any differently, Demeter. Especially not over this. All that matters is that you're happy." Her smile sends butterflies through every nerve in Demeter's body. "And I'm really proud of you. Thank you for telling me."
"I---" Demeter's not sure if she can speak right now without crying. Her chest feels light, and her heart wants to sing. So she knew all along. And she accepts me for who I am. "Thank you, Mia. And...there's another thing I want to tell you."
Mia's grin is relaxed, cheerful. "If it's anything like the other secret, I bet it's good news."
"It's good news if you want it to be," Demeter remarks, her free hand suddenly clammy. "Mia, I like---"
Mia's phone rings.
Mia shoots her an apologetic look and gently pulls their hands apart, reaching for the device on her lap. "Hello?" she mumbles. Then her mouth falls open. "He's what?"
Demeter doesn't hear the rest of the conversation, too busy cursing out the caller in her head. Damn it! I was about to tell her---you know what, never mind, maybe this is a sign of some sort---
"Jeong-Soon has been missing for a week," Mia interjects, her words cutting through Demeter's thoughts. Demeter glances over at her, noting the way her fingers are already dancing over her phone keypad. "His sister's been trying to reach me since he left. I'm going to call him now."
Sonuva---
"Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up..." she hears Mia whisper into the phone. Demeter mentally cusses out Jeong-Soon for what has to be the millionth time. How is it that he somehow manages to be an indirect cockblock even when he's not together with her anymore? Then she immediately chastises herself for thinking that way. He's missing. This is serious.
She tunes out, even when Jeong-Soon picks up, not wanting to hear whatever Mia has to say to him. Demeter only comes back to the world of the living when Mia ends the call and shoves her phone back into her bag. "He needs help," is all she says.
All animosity instantly forgotten, Demeter shoots straight up in her seat. "Right. Where is he?"
Mia bites her lower lip. "In front of our school. But I've bothered you enough, you need to get to work---"
"No. Let's go get him." Demeter quickly calculates the minutes in her head. If Jeong-Soon needs help, he probably needs it fast. And I do have to go to work, still. I don't know where Mia's school is. If I have to waste time driving around to find it, even with directions... "Do you know how to drive?" she asks.
"Yes, but---"
Demeter gestures to the steering wheel. "You want to do the honours?"
Mia gives her a sheepish grin. "I'm so sorry for all the trouble. I don't know what I'd do without you, Demeter. Thank you."
I don't know what I'd do without you, either.
Demeter grins, patting the steering wheel. "Happy to help. Come on, Mia. Let's go pick up your ex."
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Demeter gets to work late, as she'd expected. What makes the dirty glares Harling (who, just her luck, so happens to be the one co-worker she can't stand) gives her worth it is the fact that Mia follows, instantly lighting up Snow Halation with a new kind of sunshine.
"Is she buying anything, or is she the reason you're late?" Harling questions, leaning against the counter, both eyebrows raised irritatingly. Demeter wants to slap him.
Instead, she elects to roll her eyes, because the girl she has a massive crush on is just a few tables away. "We didn't hook up, if that's what you're implying. We're not together, either."
"I know that. But you have a big fat crush on her, don't you?" Harling peers out to where Mia's sitting. "So, is she buying anything or not?"
Demeter ignores his question, swivelling around to gawk at him. "I don't have a crush on her!"
It's Harling's turn to roll his eyes. "It's so obvious, Demeter. Bitch, I stare at my boyfriend the same way. You can't tell me you haven't got the hots for that chick. Now, for the last time, is she buying anything?"
"Yeah. She asked me to choose something for her." Demeter's heart is hammering in her chest. Was it that obvious? Am I really that obvious? First Clara, now Harling...does Mia know? Oh my gosh, does Mia know?
Harling snaps his fingers in front of her face. "Stop daydreaming, Demeter. And yes, you are that obvious."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it." Harling rolls his eyes again. It's something Demeter's become quite used to, working with him and his arrogant prick ass. "Look, if you like her, do something about it. Tell her or something. The whole world knows already. I'm sure she knows too, and if she hasn't pushed you away yet, there's probably hope for you."
Demeter pauses over the ice cream scoop she's washing in the sink. "You think?"
"Bold of you to assume I can think." Harling tightens his apron around his waist. "Make a move, for fuck's sakes. If you keep worrying about it, you're never going to even have a chance of getting together with her. If you tell her and she doesn't feel the same way, it's whatever. But if she does, well, then I guess you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Another eye roll. "But then again, I'm gay, so I wouldn't know anything about girls." He straightens his apron. "Now get to work, or we're going to lose what little business we have. And I'd like to keep my job, thank you very much."
Demeter watches as Harling heads to the counter, his words ringing in her head. Make a move. Make a move. Make a move. And then, almost too quickly, she tears a strip off the nearest roll of paper towels, grabs one of the pens they keep near the till, and instantly starts scribbling.
Hey, remember what I wanted to tell you before we were so rudely interrupted? Yeah. I like you. If you like me too, here's my number. And if you don't...well, here's my number anyway, because we're still friends, right?
Heart racing out of her chest, she snatches up a plastic cup and dollops a scoop of Toffeenut Caramel Swirl into it, almost shoving Harling to the floor in her haste. Once she's done, Demeter stuffs the slip of paper into the ice cream and spoons more of the Toffeenut Caramel Swirl over it, effectively hiding it from view.
It's now or never, I guess.
She slips out from behind the counter, ice cream cup perched in her trembling hands. Demeter manages to make her way over to Mia's table without passing out. "Here you go," she says brightly, trying to sound as normal as humanly possible, like she hasn't just stuffed her number into her crush's ice cream.
Mia smiles at her gratefully. "You're the best, Demeter."
Demeter attempts a casual nod. Fails. Hurries back to the safety of the counter, ignoring the strange stare the man Harling's serving is giving her. She watches with bated breath, trying to focus on scooping ice cream as Mia digs her spoon into the creamy, paper-laced mixture. Please don't eat it, please don't eat it, please don't eat it---
Then, to her immense relief and trepidation, Mia yanks a slip of paper off her spoon.
And reaches for her phone.
When Demeter's own phone rings, she finds herself instantly diving for it, rushing to yank it out of her pocket and press Answer. Blatantly ignoring Harling's dirty stare, she mumbles, "Hey, Mia."
"Hey, Demeter." Mia's voice is soft, and sounds oddly...pleased?
Demeter finally gathers the courage to look up, only to be met with Mia's bright grin and warm eyes---right in front of the counter. "I think I like you," Demeter admits, lifting the phone away from her ear, the call forgotten.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Mia asks.
"What is it?" Demeter asks, hardly able to contain her own grin.
Mia's smile could have powered up New York City. "I think I like you too."
writing the bonus chapter over the course of the whole week: ❌
vegetating for a week then speedrunning 6k crappy words in about 3 hours: ✔
sorry there wasn't any update last week! i, um, had stuff to take care of (check my MB for deets). so i took a hiatus. yeah. important thing is that i'm back, i'm doing terribly, this is a horrible bonus chapter, but cock-a-doodle-doo beech, this is what y'alls are getting because i am a chronic disappointment.
also because apparently extreme mental unstableness does not make for very good writing. who woulda thunk.
either way, i hope you guys liked this little bonus chapter! and while i know more people voted for the Jeory sex scene, i decided that i'm going to put that in a separate book reserved for 18+ scenes from my books! (it's called Apodyopsis, and you can find it on my profile! i'll be uploading the Jeory sex scene soon ;P)
this is because i do not want to completely screw over any of my very slim chances of winning the Wattys. and also because i wanna get featured again. and also because i don't want to mark my books as Mature. so yEAH
anygays, make sure to point out any mistakes you see so i have an easier time when i edit, haha. and do let me know what you thought of this little wlw bonus!
thank you so much for all your support, and i love you guys! take care of yourselves, and i'll see you in next week's qna ;)
xoxo, Alex