(Edited ! Feel free to read. / Song of the chapter -"Maps" by Maroon 5)
It was around 5:20 pm, when I had decided to get ready for the evening out. Me and my mum thought it would be nice to go out for dinner that day since it was Friday and she had a day off from work. I rummaged through my wardrobe, searching my black skirt, whilst I was quietly singing the lyrics to the song, which was playing. I had my stereo on to put myself in a good mood. Music kind of helps always, so why not. Finally I felt the soft thick material of my black skirt beneath my finger tips and quickly pulled it out of the mess of my clothing. I slipped on the skirt above my white tights and tucked my white shirt under the skirt. My brand new black wedges matched my outfit perfectly and the only thing left to do was my hair. I didn't wear any kind of makeup because I never was a fan of it. I liked to keep myself simple and natural. Once I had brushed my hair, and had a look at myself in the mirror, I sprayed some perfume on my shirt and voilà, I was done. I grabbed my black leather jacket, turned off the music and light and left my room.
"Mum ?" I called her, while I walking down the stairs.
"Yeah ?" She yelled back. The voice came from her room, which means she still hadn't decided which dress she was going to wear. Typical. She takes a whole lot longer than me to get ready. Always has and always will. I turned back and made my way up the stairs again and to my mum's room. I knocked on her door and she told me to come in.
"Take the dark red one" I said to her, indicating to the dress in her left hand. She chuckled and put the other dress back in her wardrobe.
"Thank you" She said and quickly slipped on the dress. It fitted her body in the finest way and she looked breathtaking as always. My mum was a really beautiful woman. I am not saying that because she's my mum but because she honestly is beautiful. Dad would always look at her with adoration and admiration in his eyes. As if she's the most precious thing in the whole world. In moments like this, I totally understand him. I don't always take time to have a good look at my mum and admire her beautiful face or smile. I should do that more often. I should look at her more often. Be aware of how wonderful my mum is. I want to capture every single detail of her in my head and never forget it. One day she will leave me too. Then I will not have a chance to admire her beauty. I will no longer be able to hug her and take in her motherly scent, which is the most comforting scent in the whole world for me. You know, your mum has just that natural scent that you just love. Every mother's scent is special to their child.
"Black or red ?" Mum asked, holding up two pairs of high heels. I pointed to the black ones and she nodded, putting them on.
"If dad would have seen you right now, he would have stood right here and looked at you all lovingly" The words came out of my mouth without intention. I was surprised at what I had said since I didn't like to talk about my dad with anyone. Especially my mum. I looked her in the eyes to see how she would react to it. She froze for a moment but then let out an almost inaudible sigh and ran her hands down her hips, smoothing out her dress. Her eyes fell to the floor and a small sad smile spread on her lips
"Mhm" She mumbled, "That's something he did." The sadness in her voice made my chest tighten and that familiar stinging pain in my heart increase.
"He always said that red looked good on me" She quietly laughed a little, looking up at me again with a half smile, "I miss his voice." I took in a sharp breath and pulled my mum into a hug, trying my best to hold back the feelings and most importantly my tears. I didn't wanna fall into an emotional state right now. I didn't wanna ruin our evening. Mum worked a lot to be able to make sure we both could live a decent life without anything missing. I know she more worked so much for me rather than herself. She just didn't say it like that to me. Never would she want me to know that she worked her rump off so that I would not be different from the other teenagers my age. But I do know it. I always kept that my little secret because I knew it would upset her deeply and I didn't want that. It's hard to act like it's normal or that I don't notice that she always stays longer at work to earn some extra money. We stayed in each others arms for a while before I pulled away and took my mum's face in my hands.
"Mum, I miss him too." I whispered and she nodded her head lightly. I kissed her forehead and she smiled at me.
"It's okay Destiny. I am so glad to still have our beautiful daughter" She said and this time I smiled at her.
"And I am glad to have my mother with me" I said. I let her go and she turned back to getting ready. The little moment we just had was pushed beside and we acted like nothing had happened. Everything was back to normal.Of course only how far our "normal" was normal. I straightened her hair, while she searched the golden watch I had bought her last Mothers-day in her jewelry box. Around 15 minutes later we were good to go. In the car we chatted about random things and the time passed by a lot faster that way. Half an hour later we arrived at the posh restaurant on the left side of the river Thames. Usually we do not go to such restaurants like this. We are more comfortable with a small cafe or a pizzeria, but this restaurant has the best dessert ever. Me and my mum are a big fan of their Crème Brûlée. It tastes amazing. It's our absolute favourite. So once in a while we grant ourselves an expensive meal in here. A young man, probably a few years older than me, guided us to our table and handed us the menus. Mum and I ordered our food and then were left alone to wait. We were seated at a table next to the window with a perfect view on the river. We didn't have always luck to reserve a table at the window because they were always already taken. But sometimes we were lucky enough to catch the last table like this time.
"The view is breathtaking as always, huh ?" My mum said, looking out the window. I turned my head to the side and let my eyes soak in the beautiful scenery.
"Yeah" I mumbled more to myself. It was already dark outside even though it was only a little after 6 pm. Disadvantages of autumn.
"Cassandra called me the other day. Did I tell you that already ?" She asked and I turned my attention away from the river and directed it on my mum.
"No you didn't" I replied and she nodded. Cassandra is my mum's older sister and therefore my aunt. She's really nice but also a little annoying. She asks too many questions and often forgets to think about what she's going to say which leads to endless awkward and sometimes even shocking situations. For example, she says things that you should not say to a person, who lost her/his dad and obviously does not want to be reminded of his loss constantly. I have to accept the fact how she just is, I guess. Ultimately she is my mum's sister and I know that she would not want me to hate her or something.
"Well, she said she would like to take you on a trip to Brighton with her" She said. I raised an eyebrow and gave mum a suspicious look.
"Aunt Cassandra ?" I questioned.
"Yeah, she said she did not want to go alone. You know her boyfriend left her last month and she has no one else over there in Bristol. She asked me to come too, but you know that my working schedule doesn't allow me to have a week off hun. I thought it would be a change for you. We never went to Brighton. I believe that you will like it there and you would be out of London for awhile, which is not such a bad idea, right ?" She asked. Hm, a week with aunt Cassandra in Brighton. Let me think about it. No thanks.
"I don't know mum" I said. I could not exactly tell her that I would not endure a whole week alone with her sister, so a "I don't know" should be enough for the start. I would like to go to Brighton though. I haven't been to a beach in a freaking long time. I know that I won't be able to go swimming since it's almost winter and it's freezing outside, but a walk along the beach would not be too bad. Aunt Cassandra does not say those things on purpose with the intention to hurt me or anger me. She just says whatever is on her mind. She's one of those people, who are too honest. Way too honest. I know she cannot change the way she is, but I also cannot hear her out 24/7.
"Oh come on Destiny. She also said you could bring a friend with you. She told me that she would book two rooms in the hotel and you could share it with a friend" Mum told me. I thought about it for a few seconds. If Grace could come with me, it would be alright.
"Hmm, I will think about it. I gotta talk with Grace first" I explained to mum and she nodded.
"I am sure it will be fun. Give it a go" She said and soon enough the same waiter came with our full plates of delicacy. He placed the plates in front of us and told us that he would bring our drinks right away. A minute later or so he was back with our drinks.
"Enjoy your meal" He said politely. We thanked him and he left. Mum and I exchanged mischievous smirks and began to stuff the food hungrily in our mouths. The incredible sensation in my mouth made me moan in satisfaction. How can food be this good ? Gosh. I was almost done with my steak and I was already full, but no matter how full I felt I was going to eat everything on my plate. It would be just wrong to not eat this piece of perfection. I cut another small piece and stuffed it in my mouth.
"Mhm" I mumbled.
"I am about to explode but I will definitely eat this" Mum said, eyeing her own plate.
"Me too" I agreed with her. When we were done eating, we decided to take a break before we ordered our dessert. We did not wanna throw up in front of everyone, so it's only logical. Mum sipped on her coke, whilst I leaned back in my seat and looked around the restaurant. If you're wondering why my mum is not sipping on a glass of red wine, mum never drank alcohol and she never will. One of her number one priorities is to never consume any alcohol. I think that's admirable. I want to follow her lead and never drink as well, even though I believe that's a little hard in our generation nowadays. You never know, if someone mixed something in your drink at some party. But hey that would not be a problem for me because I never go to parties. The first reason is: I hate to be surrounded by drunk people, who I also hate. The second reason is: I never am invited to parties. Third reason: I never felt comfortable in a crowd of people. So yeah.
I was looking at some guy, who faced away from me. I did not specifically look at him, it was just randomly. I could only see his back. He was a waiter. When I was about to look away he turned to the side and I saw half of his face. I wished I never had seen it. My eyes popped out and I froze. Oh my goodness, this cannot be true. The waiter was Conor. Conor ! How can he be a waiter ? Why the hell does he have to work here out of all the places !?
"Hey what's wrong ?" Mum's voice snapped me out. Did I make it so obvious that I was utterly shocked ? Judging by the puzzled expression on my mum's face, yes.
"Huh ? Uh nothing. Nothing..." I muttered and she looked behind her back to see what I was looking at. As she couldn't see anything
"Are you sure ? You looked like you have seen a ghost" She said. I shook my head no and tried to keep myself calm. When my eyes searched for him again, he wasn't there anymore. Mum was still skeptically eyeing me so I just concentrated on the view outside again to keep myself from looking around.
Alright so let's let that sink in. I just saw Conor in his waiter clothes. Since when is he a waiter ? I would not be shocked to see another boy from my school as a waiter in some restaurant. Perhaps I would be pissed to see him but nothing more. The fact that it was Conor was the thing that surprised me. I don't know if I am being judgmental, but I somehow assumed that Conor was rich. I mean Ashley is a rich spoiled brat, she would not date someone a class lower from her. But maybe she would after all. I did see how she looked at Conor. Maybe she did not care that he wasn't rich. He could be an exception. But maybe Conor was rich. It's possible that he's here to help out a friend. I did not recognize any other waiter or waitress but it's still a possibility, right ? Or maybe this is even his dad's restaurant and he is helping out for the day... but why would he work in here if it's his dad's restaurant ? I am sure he has better things to do than this. He probably would not want someone he knows to see him in his waiter clothes. But Conor seems like a humble person. He maybe would not even care or be ashamed of it. So many questions were swirling through my head that I did not notice that my mum was talking to me.
"What did you say ?" I asked. She stopped mid sentence and frowned.
"What's wrong Destiny ?" She questioned.
"Nothing mum. I was just in thoughts" I explained and she mumbled an okay, not so convinced.
"I asked if I should order our desserts now" She repeated her question.
"Yeah sure" I said. Mum called over a waiter, who thankfully did not happen to be Conor. She gave him our orders and the waiter left, telling us that he would be back in a few minutes. I tried to unobtrusively look out for Conor, but he was not in sight. Did he see me and then escaped so that I would not see him ? So he must be embarrassed about it. But why ? Because his dad is making him work in here ? Or because he has to work in here to earn money ? Nah. Why would he have to work to earn money ? It's not like he is that poor. I guess it's rather the first one. He works here because he is either helping out a friend or his dad or some family member is owning this place and making him work here. Or it has a whole different reason than my assumptions. Ugh, I have no freaking clue. This boy is more mysterious than I thought.
"Ah our desserts are on their way" Mum said, looking in the direction of the waiter. I turned my head to the right and my eyes widened for the second time this evening. Oh my freaking god, Conor is the waiter, who is putting our desserts on a tablet. He did not look in our direction yet and I started to panic. So he did not see me yet, but he will really soon. And not just from afar but he will actually come to our table and serve us our food ! I don't want him to see me. Neither do I want to embarrass him. I need to get away from here. As soon as possible and preferably unnoticeable.
"Erm mum, I need to go to the toilet real quick" I said to her, "I definitely shouldn't have drunk the whole glass of coke." I added, chuckling to not be conspicuous.
"Okay" She shrugged. She thankfully did not look like she found it somehow strange. So I quickly got up, and straightly walked to the back of the restaurant, my head turned to the right side so that if he happened to look my way, he would not see my face and therefore don't recognize me. I normally do not clothe so girly and fancy so my clothes will not look familiar to him. At the small floor with the two doors for the restrooms for each gender. I stood there next to the wall, peering to our table. I could only see Conor's back. He was setting down my plate and saying something to my mum. Mum laughed about what he had said and they talked for a minute or so until he excused himself and left the table. I sighed in relief when he was out of sight again. I actually did use the restroom before I went back to our table, making sure Conor was not around.
"You took so long" Mum said, when I sat down.
"Oh yeah. Sorry but there are only two toilets and they were both full so I had to wait until one of the both ladies came out" I lied and mum nodded understanding. I started to chew on a piece of sweetness and soon enough I was no longer thinking about Conor but enjoying my dessert.
"The waiter was so nice" My mum suddenly said. Oh wow. So she thinks that he is nice too. Maybe I really am wrong about him and he truly is nice. That's quiet possible. But I won't believe it until I am 100 % convinced. Even when he is nice, it will not change anything except of the way I will think about him. Nothing more, nothing less. It doesn't matter.
"Oh really" I said, trying to sound interested even though I clearly wasn't at all. I just want to eat in silence and not talk about that confusing guy.
"Yeah, it's nice to know that some young people still have manners and are polite" She told me, shoving another piece of her Crème Brûlée in her mouth with her fork.
"I am not so sure that people like that are left" I muttered under my breath.
"What ?" Mum asked.
"I said, yeah that's true" I lied. The evening went on and half an hour later we made our way back home. I did not see Conor again that evening, for which I was really thankful. I made a note in my mind to do some research about the Conor being a waiter thing. It should not be in my interest, I know, but I was curious. I wanted to know. Never have been I interested in someone else's life, but I was growing a strange interest in Conor's. I don't know what the reason is, but I blame it on Ashley. I wanna know how he really is because I wanna find out if he is a boy, who fits next to Ashley. I also wanna know that hidden face of Ashley, which how it seems does exist after all. She keeps a lot of secrets too. I am sure of it. It's weird that Conor doesn't like Ashley's group of friends. It's weird that he came to sit with me without worrying that the others saw him with a person like me. It's just weird that I saw him in a restaurant working as a waiter. I want answers. A clearer picture of him in my head. Even a clearer picture of Ashley in my head.
At night I tried my best to fall asleep, but I simply couldn't sleep. I refused to even though I wanted to. Sometimes this just happens. I can't sleep because I am afraid to have a nightmare about the day my dad died. I have that a lot. It was worse in the past. Now I only have those nightmares or sometimes flashbacks once or twice a month. So I indolently sat in my bed with my laptop on my thighs, the bottom of it hot like fire. I had to change my position every 20th minute so it would not burn my skin. I hate and love the warmth of my laptop. It's kind of comforting and annoying at the same time. Anyway. I googled the restaurant's name and clicked on the first result. I wanted to do some research anyway, so why not now. It was the website of the restaurant. There were a few pictures and a short text about it welcomed me. The address and etc. were listed afterwards. On the left sidebar were a few options like:
Home
Menu
More Pictures
More Information
I clicked on More Information and a long text about the construction of the restaurant and of course about the owner came up. I read the text until I found the name of the owner, well rather owners:
John & Heather Crichton.
Hm. Crichton is not Conor's last name. It's Maynard. So it cannot be his dad or mum. Maybe it's his aunt's ? Or his grandparents' from his mother's side ? Who knows. But maybe no family member of his owns that restaurant. It's definitely not from his parents. That's for sure. But maybe his parents divorced and his mum married another man and now her last name is Crichton and Conor's is still Maynard. I have no clue. Everything could be possible. I need more information. Tomorrow I am going to call Grace over and talk to her about this. She sure will get some more information. She's not like me and actually has other friends too, so she has a few sources, which will finally be useful. I shut the laptop and put it away, sinking into my comforters. Against 5 am, 4 hours after I had put my laptop away, I no longer could force myself to stay awake. I fell asleep in less than 3 minutes and found myself drifting into a tight sleep without nightmares.
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Authors Note :
Chapter six :) Hope you liked it all. Please be so nice to vote and comment on this chapter if you liked it. Feedback never was a bad thing :) Oh and if you were just too lazy to press the play button on the video on the right sidebar then do it now ! The song is so freaking awesome. I totally love it and have been listening to it for 3 weeks straight ! XD
>This chapter was edited and changed on the 15th October<