I looked down at the bouquet of lilies that Pablo had handed over to me - white star shaped flowers with pink streaks running from the stamens like spilled ink. I felt my cheeks heat up and I hoped it didn't show. I looked at them as if I'd never seen flowers before, and it seemed to bother Darren. He didn't leave yet. Instead he watched me with his eyebrows slightly furrowed, arms folded over his chest. Once I realised how suspicious all of this must seem to him, I collected myself.
"So nice to have a friend like that. Bring her to the cafe, I'll make a special birthday treat for you. Chocolate fondue? Yes, yes?" The chef offered cheerfully.
"I'm sure Sarah would love that. You really should bring her over while she's in town, Thalia." Darren added, rather sarcastically.
"Maybe I will." I replied confidently. Darren was obviously picking up some things but I still couldn't falter.
He blew out a small sigh. "Just make sure Sarah isn't using you. Don't be too nice to people. They might see it as an opportunity to take advantage of you."
"I'm eighteen years old. I think I know what I'm doing." I sounded more defensive than I intended.
"I'm just saying." He lifted his shoulders a little. "You've changed since-" He paused abruptly.
"I think you should work on yourself before you point the finger at someone else." I retorted.
"As someone you've known for practically your whole life, I think I have the right to give you some genuine advice when I'm seeing all sorts of wrong right infront of me."
"What is that supposed to mean? There is nothing wrong. I'm perfectly fine, everyone else is fine and I don't need your advice." He was being so hypocritical and it was really getting on my nerves.
"Alright kids, break it up!" Pablo interfered, finally coming in between us as he waved his hands in the air. "Let the girl have other friends! Not nice to be too possessive. Sarah seems like a nice girl." He said to Darren.
"Fine, whatever." Darren muttered as he strode to the kitchen door. "But don't think I won't intervene when I get the chance." He warned before stomping out, the doors left swinging violently from the impact of his push. Who was he to say these things to me? I wasn't a child and I knew what I was doing. What Harry and I had was none of his business, it had nothing to do with him and he should leave us be if he knew what was good for him.
The way I had reacted to all of this was a complete give away of my relationship with Harry. If anything, I'd confirmed it. My heart thudded fiercely at the realisation. I hadn't been this furious in a while, it was strange. I usually wasn't like this. Maybe Darren was right about one thing - I had changed.
Brushing off the stressful thoughts, I read a little note in the small card that was attached to the bouquet. Harry had written as Sarah, rather humorously if I might add, and he had told me to meet him at the far end of Wilderose street at midnight. I appreciated his effort to get in touch with me, and my nerves were alight with excitement.
I forced Darren out of my mind and continued work just until it was time to meet up with Harry. I wouldn't stay with Harry for the night, it'd be a stupid thing to do at a time like this. I'd just have a chat with him somewhere private. I'd tell him of things that happened today, like how it turned out to be my birthday, how my mother had acted rather strangely with me, and of course my little argument with Darren. He would make me feel better about it all.
I was wiping the filth off the front counter when all of a sudden, I felt the energy being drained from my body. I found myself tired, exhausted actually. Mentally, emotionally and physically. I pulled a stool and perched on it. A girl of my age shouldn't be this way, getting tired all the time, always feeling sick. But then a girl of my age shouldn't go through what I was going through.
"Go home." The manager said as she lazily fumbled with the buttons on the cash register. This was the first time Gretchen was being sort of nice, but I couldn't go home. I was going to meet Harry and it would be difficult to find an excuse to leave again if I went home.
The man sitting in a dark corner made me feel all the more uneasy with his fixed stare. He had been here for more than two hours now, flipping through a newspaper all the while like he had all the time in the world. He had only ordered one cup of coffee. A feeling of annoyance bubbled in me and I shot him back a glare. He still wouldn't look away.
His hair was shaved on the sides but there was an oddly shaped patch of it right on top of his head and his yellow-tinged eyes radiated menace. I quickly looked away, getting a bad feeling. I began to breathe harder when the man suddenly stood up, his tall frame moving towards the counter. I regretted reacting to his gawking, I should've just left him.
"You." His low voice sounded as his presence shadowed over me. What did he want?
I gathered up the courage and peered up at him, keeping a straight face. "What do you want?" My voice came out small.
"You're that Baby Doll aren't you? One of Richard's virgins?" A lump grew in my throat, my eyes peeling wide with fear. This wasn't over. It was haunting me, it would haunt me forever. Now that I knew that this man was in some way connected to Richard, I found myself terrified of him. I felt small in my seat, unable to say a single word, hoping somebody would take care of this for me. I thought of Harry.
"What did you just say?" Gretchen asked, coming over to us.
The man did not look at her, he kept his gaze on me. "You are." He assumed. "Just so you know, he's lost his shit. He's got people looking for you." My heart thundered, my chest tightening. My contract was over, I had nothing to do with Richard anymore. Harry had ended it for me. Why couldn't they just leave me alone? What more could they possibly take from me? My stomach churned at the possibility that I would be taken back there to face my nightmares once more.
"I'm one of those people." He said, and I froze. "But I'm off duty right now."
"What's going on here? I'm the manager of this cafe and I demand an explanation." Gretchen stepped in, beefy arms crossed over her chest. "Did you just call her a Baby Doll? They're call girls or something of that sort, am I right? You've just called this young girl a hooker and that's not okay." Gretchen was standing up for me, which was a surprise. But I didn't want her involved in this, I didn't want word to get out that I had actually been a Baby Doll. It would jeopardise my new job, my new life, everything I had just built up to start over.
The man didn't say another word. In seconds, he was out the door. The jingling of the bell blared in my ears, and I felt a headache coming on. I sat still, paralysed with fear. Thoughts whizzed everywhere.
"Would you tell me why that man was pestering you like that? Did you not give him a refill for his coffee? Were you rude to him?" Gretchen asked so many questions, my head was pounding.
"No." I murmured.
"No? That's all you're going to give me?" She pressed on. "Why are you so scared of him? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
Not a ghost, a devil.
Harry's POV
I glanced at my watch for the third time in a minute. Multicoloured lights flared in my vision, bodies swayed to the terrible music blasting from the speakers I idly stood beside. I hadn't had a single sip of alcohol tonight because I would have to drive later on. Had Thalia gotten the lilies? More importantly had she gotten the message?
What if that Darren guy she worked with followed her? What if she somehow messed up the whole story we'd thought of? No, she could handle this, I told myself. Naive yes, but Thalia was a smart girl. I tilted my head down once more to check the time.
12:08.
This was the perfect time to get going. I'd told her to come out to the main street at 12.30 but I should get there early so she wouldn't have to wait for me. The area wasn't the cleanest and I didn't want her wandering about for too long at this time.
"Yes, yes we all know you've got a thousand dollar watch. You can stop showing off now." Right then I got a whiff of a sharp stench of alcohol and I snapped my head toward the source.
"Dance with me." Kaylee said above the music, her arms snaking around my shoulders. No doubt her dad would throw a fit if he saw her right now. His perfect little princess was intoxicated, clad in a white mini dress which was really a poor excuse for wearing clothes and was practically shoving her breasts at me. "Come on, Harry. You know you want to." She hissed into my ear.
"Live a little, man! You've been standing there all night!" Jonah called out from the crowd of sweaty people grinding against one another.
"I actually have to leave now." I responded, removing Kaylee's hand from my hair. It prickled where her fingers gripped. I hated her long, sharp polished fingernails with passion.
"Seriously? It's barely twelve!" She fussed as she stumbled a step away from me.
"It's past twelve. And you better get your ass back home too. You're wasted and I don't want your dad blaming me for it." I told her. Her dad and I had a history. He was the reason Kaylee and I split the first time. He blamed me for her rebellious antics then, thinking I was the one influencing her when we were both thrust into this world of money and parties together at the same time, so we went through the rebellious stage together. If anything, she had been the one who influenced me. Her never-ending pleas for me to sleep with her still rang in my ears every now and then. She had sex with a guy four years older than her when she was just twelve, just after the town's mathematics tournament which she won. But it was a one time thing, as the guy was long gone after a while. Later, when she met me, her goal was set on having me sleep with her. She showed as much zeal to this and she did to her academics, so of course I conformed. We were only fourteen when we began our trysts.
"Take me home then." Kaylee requested, struggling to balance herself. "No one else is going to."
"You came here with Brenda-"
"Dylan took her home." She said. "I'm all dizzy. Please?"
I would only waste time arguing with her. I guided Kaylee out of the building through the back door, and she slung her arms around me so she wouldn't fall. The clogging of her impossibly high heels was loud and frustrating. I removed her arms from me as I dug into my pockets to find my keys. Right then, her ankle buckled under her weight and I quickly caught her just as she was about to fall. Road gravel in her face wouldn't be a very pretty look, especially with the White Event coming up tomorrow. Kaylee gave me a lazy grin, failing at the attempted enticement, before I helped her slip into the car.
Her perfume filled the car with such thickness I was worried it would stay. I ignited the engine and the first thing I looked at was the digital clock, it was more accurate than my watch. 12:15.
I couldn't be there early, but I would try to make it on time. I looked over at the disruption, and she smiled at me as she undid her hair, the black tresses falling to her shoulders. "You know, I'm so glad I came back to Fleese. These are my people." She said drunkenly as I drove. "This is where I belong."
My gaze went back and forth from the road to the clock. Would Thalia even come?
"This is where you belong, too. And you're right, we shouldn't move to Paris." Kaylee rested her hand on my thigh.
"You should move to Paris." I told her. Paris was all she'd been talking about since we were kids. She dreamed that her aspiration to be a successful entrepreneur would be fulfilled there. And I would finally get a peace of mind if she left.
"I'm not going anywhere without you." She slurred.
"Kaylee, we've been through this. We're not together."
"But we are. We're going to be attending all these fancy events together, just like how our daddies want, how I want. And I know you want it too. You're just confused-" She was cut off when her head hit the car window as I swerved the car. It wasn't intentional, but I didn't regret it. She was drunk right now and there was really no point in countering the things the was saying so I remained silent as she went on and on.
"Why are you driving so fast?" She finally asked after minutes of lumbering about in her seat.
"I told you to buckle up." I said.
"You didn't answer my question." She muttered. I didn't respond. "Where are you going after this?" She asked, and I still didn't respond. I checked the time again. 12:20.
"I hope you haven't been lying about that little bitch again." Kaylee just wouldn't stop speaking. I repressed the urge to shut her up myself. "But I trust you now. You know what's good for you now, you're over that whole phase. But I want us to be the way we were before. Before she came along. Do you remember that?"
"You weren't even here. You were gone for years." I said, bringing the car to a halt infront of her complex. Lights beamed from every corner, automated steel gates enclosing it like royalty lived in there.
"I know, I regret that. My parents wanted me to see the world outside of Fleese. But I regret that, Harry. I regret ever leaving you." She rambled as she slightly lifted herself off the seat and slid her hands inside her dress.
"What are you doing?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"These are really uncomfortable." Her panties were pulled down and slumped at her ankles. "Ugh... help?" She lifted her legs, waiting for my aid.
"Goodnight, Kaylee." I turned away, unbothered. I knew what she was trying to do. I hadn't had sex with her in such a long time, years if I wasn't mistaken and it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
She seemed fazed but she was too wasted to do anything about it. "Walk me inside." She demanded, chucking the discarded panties to the foot placement.
"Pick that up." I said firmly, and hesitantly, she did and tucked it in her purse. If Thalia ever saw these, she would never trust me again. "And that guard will escort you inside, princess." I told her derisively.
The security guard in uniform was already at the door, reaching to open it. "I'll see you tomorrow at the Event then. I'm so glad things are going in the right direction. I love you." Kaylee purred, kissing me on the cheek before stumbling out the car.
I made sure Kaylee got into the building safely by watching for a while. Her father knew she was with me tonight and if anything went wrong, it'll be on me. I couldn't risk that.
I checked the time. It was 12:40. Shit.