I know he said I shouldn't bring anything for the picnic but how could I not? I wasn't going to let him do all the work! As charming as he was, I'd feel like such a slob just sitting pretty while he arranged the delicacies he cooked. Were they going to be delicacies? I wasn't sure if Evie could cook so well, the last thing he came close to was the confetti cake we made together. Well, I did most of the instructions, he was the muscle man.
Focus on the mission!
It was about four hours to the picnic and an idea popped into my head. I wanted to bring muffins and other things I thought he'd like. It took a while to look for a shop that sold what I needed, the usual bakery I went to were all overly sweet for his taste, so I asked Abel and he told me of a coffee shop where they sold pastries as well.
Would he like me to do this? Gee, I hoped so, I was sweating buckets racing to the coffee shop. Abel offered to take me but I knew he'd be seeing Ramona soon and didn't want to be a bother. Spotting the lovely outside garden and patio, I knew this was the place Abel described. The sign on top of the small shop read 'Coffee-Treats'
The shop had an exterior of mostly brown bricks which were oddly aesthetically pleasing, the roof was a smart roof with a small rooftop. They were a few people outside, serving clients on the patio when I walked past. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the glass door, cool air brushing my skin and the strong scent of coffee thick in the air.
Seeing as it was still morning, the crowd was at the minimum, if I could have a quick guess I'd say they were just opening not too long ago. Good. I didn't have to feel awkward waltzing in here while thinking of what to get Evie for our picnic date. Well...it was a date, right? I mean, I hope it was.
"Alright, first things first. Cake!" I whispered to myself, giggling when I realised how loud it was. What cake did Evie like? I knew he wasn't a sweet mouth because the last time when we made the confetti cake he ruled it too sweet. To be honest? It wasn't even sweet enough for me, but I wasn't going to tell him that and look like a child gulping down sugary treats. Hehe.
Searching for a cake which wouldn't overload his tastebuds, I settled on a coffee cake with coffee shreds on it. Pointing over to the cake, I smiled victoriously.
"I ordered that already." A voice snapped when I was about to order, my body flinched at the sharp tone. Hesitantly, I glanced to the side, seeing who owned the voice. It was a woman, she was a bit higher off the ground than me and had dark skin as well. My shoulders relaxed when I noticed this. Even though I grew up here, I didn't see people of my skin colour other than in the neighbourhood and just a bit outside, it made me feel rather self-conscious.
"Hi! I...I'm sure they have some more."
She smirked.
"I ordered all of it."
"What?!" How could she order all of it? Was she going to gulp it all down? Standing my ground, I crossed my hands against my chest while knitting my eyebrows. "You can't!" The lady chuckled, tilting her head. Those subtle movements reminded me of Evie.
"I can't?"
"Please! I need just one, could you spare one? It's for me and my boy- I mean, my best friend! We're having a picnic and-" Did I just call Everest my best friend? I felt a tad bit guilty towards Darrick, he'd been with me longer, shaking my head, I focused on the woman who hadn't stopped smirking. Her expression taunted me.
"You and your boyfriend slash best friend?" The girl mocked, covering her lips as she snickered. "Gee, you're easily flustered, you know. I was just kidding, I only ordered five." She waved, walking over to the counter. I don't know why, but I followed her. "Do you know how many are left?"
She shrugged, "About a hundred? I don't know."
I nodded, phew.
"Oh, my name is Amelia." After taking her order, she turned towards me with a blank expression. "And?" The woman asked, I would have thought she was pulling my leg again but her expression begged to differ. "This is the part where you tell me your name."
She smirked, again.
"Binta."
Binta? I hadn't heard that name before. "That's a nice name." Binta shrugged, maybe she'd heard that before, but it was a nice name. In an odd way, it suited her.
Binta was plump on her lower side but had a slimmer upper body. Her face seemed too intimidating when she wasn't smirking - perhaps, even more, when she was. Her hair was curled and rested at the top of her head without coming down. She rose a questioning eyebrow. "Are you done checking me out?" She teased. Waving my hands in my face, I laughed it off.
"Oh, sorry about that. It was rude of me." I didn't realise I was blatantly staring at her, my cheeks heated in embarrassment. "I'm kidding, again. Learn to take a joke, Amelia." Her hand cupped my shoulder, shaking me lightly.
"I hope your boyfriend likes the coffee cake." She said with a smile, my head snapped towards her, my heart jumping. Boyfriend? "He's not my boyfriend! I mean, not yet?" Ah, if I didn't stop, I'd begin to ramble again. Nervously, my hand went to scratch my neck. Binta hummed, pointing up, "Yet. You hoping he pops the question?" She teased with a grin.
Gosh, my palms were getting sweaty. It wouldn't be bad if Evie popped the question during our picnic, was he going to? My head was heated at the thought. His girlfriend. I hadn't thought much about it but now that I was, my tummy was doing flips on the spot. Did he want me to be his girlfriend? I knew he said something between those lines but...ah good Lord, I was thinking too much about this.
Blinking back to reality, I noticed Binta was still there, staring at me with an amused expression. "You know what? Don't answer that, I already know it's a yes."
Ah...I was way too obvious, wasn't I?
Blushing, I nodded to her question. "T-that doesn't mean I'd be disappointed if he doesn't." The last thing I wanted was for him to feel pressured to do so, I wanted to take things slow, I'd never had a boyfriend before, but I'm sure he'd had plenty. Thinking of another woman hugging and kissing him made my tummy swirl in a way I didn't like.
Gosh, I was not going to get jealous of his past. I was his present.
My head was hot.
Really hot.
Look at me putting myself as his present, ah, gosh. I was making this worse for myself. "A-Anyways." I chuckled, trying to shrug off the obvious silence. Binta slapped her hand to her lips, her shoulders heaving.
"You're so adorable!" She said, bursting out in laughter. The way she laughed made me flustered, my rambling was adorable. Evie said the same. Narrowing my eyes, I puffed my cheeks. Should I be offended or glad? I didn't even know. "I see what your man sees in you. Ah, you're so easily flustered, it's cute." She continued, wiping her eyes.
"Amelia, right? Give me your number, you just earned a new friend." Binta stretched out her hand, looking at her palm, I quickly rummaged through my bag, getting my phone. A new friend! My lips betrayed me and stretched into a silly smile.
Binta put her number in, "Text me alright? I'd love to hear how the date goes. And if he pops the question." She whispered the ending with a wink. My cheeks flushed.
"O-okay. I will. Bye Binta." She waved, sashaying away with a bag full of five coffee cakes. I found myself smiling while she walked out of the coffee shop.
Pulling out my phone, I checked if Evie was online. He was. This made my insides heat up, what was he doing right now? Was he at home or at my brother's mechanic shop? Would he mind me dropping you off at the mechanic shop after this? I mean, just to peek behind the curtains that are. I hadn't seen him in a while - and by a while, I meant a few days.
Pursing my lips, I decided I'd be surprising him today, hopefully, he was at the mechanic shop or I'd have to make up an excuse of just wanting to see Abel - which he'd tease me for big-time knowing it's a lie.
Ordering the coffee cake, I ordered a few more treats. The picnic was going to be tomorrow, so I could just heat up the cake on my way there. Giggling to myself, I thanked the cashier after paying, skipping out of the store. What was the picnic going to be like? What were we going to talk about? I wanted to know more about him. I hardly had stories.
"Should I just order a taxi?" I muttered to myself, shuffling to find my phone. Ah...perhaps I should have ordered it before and not stood outside holding a bag of treats. Huffing in frustration, I began to pick out the nearest driver to me until a car rolled over and stopped a few feet from me.
Trying to ignore it, I began to fumble with my phone, but when I heard the car door slam, I flinched. "Need a ride?" The voice was familiar, so I looked up, a breath of relief escaping me. The figure moved closer to me, his body blocking the sun from my view so I would stop squinting.
"P-Preston! Hi! Uh, what are you doing here?" I was surprised to see him here, I hardly saw him outside the bakery. Seeing as it was Saturday, our shift started at 12. Preston grinned, crossing his arms against his chest. He wore a baby blue polo with a pair of loose jeans. His blonde hair was curled on top of his head, strands coming down to his face. He ran a hand through it, ruffling it back into position.
"I just dropped my friend off at hers, I'd be heading to work soon, but I decided to drive around for a while." He explained calmly, tilting his head. "You, Lia?" Preston asked with a grin.
The nickname reminded me of Evie, and I blushed.
"I came to pick up some pastries for tomorrow."
"What's happening tomorrow?" I knew he'd ask that, trying not to seem awkward, I played with the hem of my shirt. "A picnic..." My voice trailed off. Preston didn't press further, which I was thankful for. Though he had a knowing smirk form on his lips, "Okay." He muttered under his breath.
"So, you need a ride home? Work doesn't start for another three hours." It was still 9 o'clock in the morning, work didn't start till noon which I was grateful for. About to agree to his question, I pursed my lips. Perhaps I could sneak a peak at Evie before heading home...would Preston want to give me a ride twice?
"About that...I want to head to my brother's mechanic shop first." He arched a brow, "Oh, your brother owns one of those?" He seemed intrigued. Smiling, I nodded. Alright fine, starting with my brother was a bit sneaky of me, knowing I wasn't interested in seeing him, heck, he wasn't even around today! At least not until noon. He and Ramona were going to hang out for a bit. How cute.
"Could you give me a ride there? I promise I'll be as quick as possible! Then you could take me home. Please....?" Putting on my best pout, I gazed his way. Preston chuckled, "I'm sure that'll work on your older man friend." He teased, mocking my outed lips. Huffing, I crossed my arms.
"But since I'm in a good mood today, sure." My eyes widened at his acceptance, "Thank you, thank you!" Clapping my hands in joy, he laughed. "Come on, sunshine. Let's go."
His car was a black Mercedes, the inside was fancier than I expected. It was scented of fresh leaves, the seat was covered in dark black leather and the dashboard was clothed in black fur. Soft violin tunes are played by the speaker of the car. "Aren't you a fancy man?" I teased, buckling up. He grinned, closing the door while adjusting himself on the seat.
"This is my baby, Cheryl." He hit the dashboard proudly. "Cheryl? That sounds...never mind." I giggled into my palms. Preston gasped, reversing out of Coffee Treats. "You did not just think that."
"Think what?" I tried to stifle my laugh, was he reading my mind? "I knew it, you'd think so too. Blossom teased me about it sounding like a stripper's alias. His words dissolved the strength I had to hold my laugh, I burst out into laughter, my eyes feeling watery.
"You can't blame me, Preston! Out of all names? Cheryl?"
Preston scoffed, making me laugh harder.
"And what's wrong with Cheryl? It's a precious name! So is my baby!" His reasoning made me giggle. "I'm sure it is." I heaved, wiping my tears. Preston pursed his lips as if stopping himself from smiling. "You're lucky your laugh is contagious." He teased, giving me a sideways look. Biting my lip, I tried to stop the fits of giggles. "I didn't mean to make Cheryl sad. Sorry, Cheryl." Preston glared at me, his lips squeezing in a pout.
"I can practically swim in that sarcasm." He commented, rolling his eyes playfully.
We talked some more while I gave him directions to Evie's workplace - I mean, my big brother's mechanic workshop. Hehe. Along the way, he told me more about himself. He had an elder sister who recently got married, and a baby brother - I wonder why he called the boy a bay, he was just a few years younger than me. Preston also worked at a restaurant before coming to the bakery, he emphasised how draining the place was.
Preston was an interesting person to talk to, the conversations were light and flowed easily. When I teased him about having a girlfriend, he grinned, saying the friend he dropped off was the one he had his eye on. Her name was Wendy. The way he smiled when talking about her made me blush about it. Was this how Everest spoke about me? Did I make his heart flutter too?
"This it?" He parked at the shop. Perking up, I nodded. Everest said he was going to be working early today because he needed to fix a client's car. I had to restrain myself from spoiling my surprise appearance, admittedly, I missed him.
"Don't spend too much time now, okay?" I nodded, "You won't even realise I'm gone." I said in a hurry, stepping out of the car. "Sure!" He called out as I closed the door to the car. Staring at the entrance, I took a deep breath. When was the last time I saw him? Why was I nervous?
"Ah, get a grip, Amelia." I tried psyching myself up.
"I told you, I'm fixing the car already." I heard a family voice snap, heels clacking behind me, the voice made me tense up. I knew that harsh tone from anywhere. "I'll see you in a bit, Tom." Hesitantly, I turned around to see the woman.
It was the woman in the white jumpsuit before, the one who scolded me. My heart began to hit faster. I had to apologise again, even if I was angry, I felt little when compared to her. It wasn't her fault for being mad that day. Clearing my throat, I moved to meet her, my feet almost going on their own. She stopped in her tracks, giving me a stank look.
"Oh. What are the odds? It's the clumsy girl of before." She muttered to herself. I forced out a smile. "Uh, I just wanted to apologise about before." It was good to be kind to people, I didn't want to hold a grudge like Evie said. The woman scoffed.
"So what? You stalked me here?" I was stunned by her deduction. "Huh? No! I...my brother owns the shop and I usually come here." I tried to explain but her expression made it hard to do so. She had such a daunting gaze. "Your brother? That guy of before?"
Huh? Did she know my brother? What were the odds? "So like, you know everyone that works here, right?" She asked, a smile drawing her lips. I tilted my head, humming. "Are you looking for anyone?"
"I don't know if he's around, and I don't have his number anymore." She spoke more to herself. Finally, the woman gazed down at me, her heels giving her more height. I noticed how pretty and poised she was. Her brown hair was packed in a sleek ponytail, the length reaching her waist.
"Everest I mean. Do you know him?"
My heart jerked. Hearing his name from her lips made me feel a kind of way. Did she know Evie? How? He'd never spoken about this woman before. "Oh! Are you a friend of Evie? I mean, of Everest?" She arched an eyebrow as if catching up to my slip of the tongue. "A friend? You could say..." The woman trailed off.
"I guess we're closer than that."
Closer? What did she mean by that? I paused, not controlling the grimace that was forming on my face. "Closer than that?" I repeated, the words foreign on my tongue.
"You seem to know him too." She smirked, and I nodded.
"My name's Florescent. I and Everest were engaged."
The moment she said that it was as though my heart slammed against my rib cage, and my stomach twisted. Did he use to be engaged? How long ago was that? Did he think this was too trivial to be mentioned? I chuckled in disbelief. I knew his favourite colour but not the woman he almost said I do too. I didn't know what to say, my gaze moved everywhere except hers: Everest and this woman - Florescent.
Just then, I heard a footstep jog over to us.
"Baby, what are you doing here?" It was Everest. I couldn't look at him, I kept my eyes fixated on the tarred ground. Florescent giggled, going over to Everest. "I thought to visit-"
Ah, so he called her that too?
"Amelia, are you okay? I said what are you doing here?" Had he noticed me now? Clearing my throat, I tried to force a smile. "Oh, I just wanted to visit you, but, uh, y-you seem to be busy. I can come later, or not. It's totally fine." I was rambling, the words sounded incoherent even to me.
"Hey, hey." He moved towards me but my body flinched away. When I looked up at him, he seemed hurt by my actions. "Amelia." He tried to hold me but I shook my head. I needed an explanation. I was, ranting to him about this woman, not knowing it was his fiancée. Or ex-fiancée.
"Go attend to your client. She's waiting."
Everest sighed, muttering a curse word before glancing over at Florescent who had an innocent look on her face. "When we're you going to tell me?" I tried to hold back my words but I was too curious to do so.
"Baby..."
"Don't call me that." I flinched at my own words, and so did her. His eyes widened, his lips parting to say something but closing back. Everest looked flustered, to say the least, so he knew what I was going on about. Was it even my place to question him? My heart ached, I hated how much it ached right now.
I had told him almost everything about myself, about how my first kiss was with a boy named Jefferson and how Darrick and I were getting more distant because of the kiss. I told him about my life, did he think once to tell me about this? When I felt my cheeks get wet, I knew a tear had dropped. Dang it, I probably look immature right now. I thought to myself, quickly wiping the tear away.
"Amelia, I..."
"You were engaged, but I...I didn't even know and now-I'm sorry. I'm sorry Florescent, you probably have places to be, we can do this later." I rushed, turning my heels to walk away.
He didn't let me.
His hold was strong on my arm, I tugged but I couldn't move. "Please let go." My voice was low, if I raised it anymore, I'd be a crying mess. Why was I crying? Why was I hurt? This was in the past, right?
So why did the woman say they were closer than friends? There were so many questions tormenting my thoughts.
"Lia, please let me explain."
My heart aches. It aches badly.
"Let her go, Simon. You look pathetic right now." Florescent spoke up, his grip loosened on my hand so I used the opportunity to wiggle out of it, not sparing a glance at the both of them. Was I stupid to think this was going smoothly? To think I had found someone as perfect as him? He loved her once, he had to. Did he still love her?
Preston seemed shocked when I barged in with tears in my eyes. "S-Sunshine, what happened in there?"
I wiped my face, "Please take me home, please Preston." I sniffled, not wanting to look out of the window. Of course, he wouldn't come to me, that woman had his attention. Preston didn't question me any longer, he just started the engine, driving off.
My heart aches...I hate this.
-
Super long update for being patient.