Nelson was taking too long. He went to check out the coffee shop Delilah recommended to us yesterday and fetch us some coffee and breakfast on the way. But an hour and some already passed, and he was still not back. Based on Delilah's explanation, the Café was just a few-minute-walk from here, so he was supposed to be back already. I was fucking addicted to my morning coffee, and being left high and dry like this, and to top it off in the morning right before my job, was making me irritated more and more with each extra minute passing by. The worst of all was that fucking Nelson knew this, so he better had a good reason for his delay.
I was just pulling out my mobile phone, ready to call him and chew him out, when he appeared in the doorway, a cup of coffee in one hand, a small paper bag in the other, and a stupid smile plastered on his face. My irritation got even worse after seeing that face.
"Where the hell were you for so long, you fucker?" I growled, just barely suppressing the urge to slam my fist on the table. If he was going to be so late, he should have let Delilah take care of it as she wanted to. But it wouldn't be Nels if he didn't decide he had to see the miraculous shop himself and fetch it himself.
"Calm down, bear. I just met some old friends by chance, and we kind of forgot about the time when we were chatting. Don't be mad, I bought you something special as a compensation for the wait. You'll love it!" He placed the coffee and the bag in front of me as if it was some kind of a treasure, and sat down in one of the chairs placed in front of my working desk, looking at me with a smug expression on his face. He was just asking to be punched.
"Do you seriously think you are going to buy me with sweets? And don't call me a bear or I will kill you. I don't look like a fucking bear!"
I was sick and tired of this nickname! There was not even a reason for him to call me that. There was no story behind it which would explain the nickname. Not to mention I sure as hell didn't look like one. I was tall and muscular, yes, but I wasn't unusually big, not to mention hairy. Jesus! If I didn't know he was capable and successful at his work, I would wonder how he managed to get into his position without help from one of the higher-ups. He came across as stupid and irresponsible, definitely not material for a CFO. Behaving recklessly, at times worse than a kid, wasn't a trait typical for a grown-up man with such a good position.
"But you look like one with your all-time-present frown and grumbling when you are angry or pissed off. Just like a bear. You know what? Drink the coffee and eat something before we will get into this conversation. You are just low on sugar right now that's why you are so angry. Get your dose and calm down." Smiling, he leaned against the headrest and closed his eyes.
Clenching my fists, the need to punch him was stronger than ever before, but he was right. Which drove me mad even more. Snatching the coffee with too much a force and spilling some on the table, I hissed at the wasted pick-me-up drink. Taking a sip, I had to moan at the liquid sugary taste the coffee provided. It was as delicious as yesterday. Drinking almost half of it, I placed it back on the table and grabbed the brown bag to see the miracle he took such a long time to bring.
"I wanted to buy some sweet bread with chocolate-nut filling, but I met an owner of the café and he chose this, said you will appreciate it much more than my choice," he said with his eyes still closed. I frowned at that, sizing him up, but turning my eyes back to the paper bag when I saw the stupid grin that slowly curved his lips.
Why would a total stranger know what I would appreciate more than my best friend? That didn't make any sense.
"Why the hell did you listen to him? I swear if it's something disgusting," I grumbled, already thinking up ways to repay Nels this amazing service.
"Shut up and look inside. I'm sure you will love it."
With a mind full of doubts, I opened the bag and took out a small white box, surprised it was quite heavy. Opening it, my eyes widened when I realized what exactly I was looking at. Long forgotten memories flooding my mind like a tsunami, I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips. It was a cake. A perfect chocolate cheesecake with, no doubt about that, strawberry jam under the thin layer of pure dark chocolate topping, coconut frosting, and pieces of sugar-coated almonds on top of it. There were two perfectly cut pieces of the cake in the box, and I could feel my mouth watering. Knowing what this cake was made of, I knew I shouldn't eat both of the pieces at once. It was full of sugar and fat. Unhealthy but fucking delicious. It was too long since I last tasted this killer cake.
My ex's specialty.
"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered and tore my eyes away from the cake, staring at Nelson who was now watching me with an unfamiliar glint in his eyes.
I remembered the last time Oliver made this cake as if it was yesterday. It was more than 5 months before we broke up, and I was extremely exhausted from work because there was a big project we were finishing at that time, and everything had to be perfect because there was a lot of money in it. I told him I wouldn't be able to get home sooner than at around midnight, not wanting him to wait for me. But Ollie being his typical self, he still went and instead of sleeping prepared this deliciousness for me, waiting until I got home so he could see me and kiss me goodnight. Remembering that, I could feel uncomfortable tightness in my chest, and I had to take a deep breath to calm down and get rid of the unnecessary emotions.
"The friends you were talking about," I started, but he didn't let me finish as he sat up from his previously almost lying position and smirked.
"I was so shocked to see them like that together, man! I was unable to speak for the whole 10 minutes before the shock wore off. They were just standing there, chatting happily without any worries. God, I couldn't believe my eyes!" He was laughing his ass off by now, making me irritated again. He was intentionally equivocating. The bastard.
"Stop with the bullshit. Was he there or is this some kind of sick joke on your side?" I growled, ready to fucking yell at him if he didn't answer right that second.
"Now, now, honey. Calm down. I would never make fun of you like this. I know you are still not over him. Who do you think is the one carrying you home every damn night you decide to drink the hollowness away? Yep, it's your best buddy, Nelson. So don't you dare accuse me of something evil like that," he huffed, frowning angrily.
"Nelson," growling one more time, he raised his hands in false surrender and smiled.
"Ya, ya. Look, I wasn't planning on telling you because I missed the cute little squirrel, and I wanted to meet and talk to him more than once. But I feel like I would betray our friendship if I didn't tell you, so I decided to risk it. Yes, Oli owns the Café, and let me tell you, he is doing great! He is still as cute as ever, but he's grown over the past five years. Don't take this personally, but I think your break-up helped him in one way or another. You can see the experiences and pain he suffered in his written all over his face." He sighed, shrugging his shoulders when I gave him the most furious look I could gather at the moment.
"Anyway, the shop is beautiful. Almost all of the sweets and coffees are his own recipes, and when I came in, there were already quite a lot of people, so he has to be pretty popular. Man, I was so afraid he would throw me out and yell at me, but he was so nice. Can you tell me why did you cheat on him again?"
My heart skipped a beat when all the information Nels told me finally arrived where it was supposed to and I realized this was not a dream but reality. Oliver made this coffee. He made this cake and told Nelson to bring it to me. Oliver Brennan, my ex-boyfriend, the only person in my entire life I loved, worked just a few minutes away from here.
I couldn't stop myself. Standing up and grabbing the coffee, I started towards the door. I needed to see him. I needed to confirm he was alright and doing well. Just remembering his sweet voice and beautiful hazel-brown eyes made me hot all over. I wanted to taste him again, taste his pink soft lips one more time and see if he tasted the same or his essence changed.
"Where do you think you are going?" asked Nelson and stood up, following me.
"What do you think?" saying that, I left the office and stomped towards the elevators. I needed to get there as soon as possible. I couldn't wait to see him again!
"Wait-stop, just stop, ok? He is not there anymore!" My body froze, his words piercing through me like sharp needles.
"What do you mean?" Turning to him, I stared right into his eyes, so I could detect any trace of a lie in them. He was a great liar when it came to business, but he was somehow unable to lie to his friends and family members. Thank god.
"He has a day off today. Said something about a picnic or something," he mumbled, but I could see there was something he was hiding. It was probably because he was dodging my stare, but that was just my guess. The important thing was the fact I knew he wasn't telling me everything.
"What are you hiding? You know something more, right?" He looked at me, startled, but sighed after a few seconds, going towards the nearest wall to lean against it.
"I know how hotheaded and fucking possessive you are, and I don't want to cause Oli any problems," he grumbled, sighing again and closing his eyes. I could feel my body grow cold. I knew what he was about to say way before he actually said it.
"He has a boyfriend. They've been dating for two years, and they live together in a family house. They are even trying for a child. Probably want to adopt or something, he didn't want to tell me more though. I guess even though we were good friends before, he is cautious around me now because of your fucking affairs!" He was mumbling some more, but I couldn't hear it. The only thing that my mind was able to concentrate on was the one word he said.
Boyfriend.
He has a fucking boyfriend! My head was full of that one stupid word, ringing in it over and over again when the elevator dinged suddenly, and the doors opened. Our heads snapped towards it, and when I saw who walked out of it, my head started to pound. I was going to have a migraine, I was sure of it. The newcomer who was making her way towards us always had this effect on me.
"Vic! How did you know I was coming? I didn't tell anyone!" She smiled and jumped me, hugging me around the neck and kissing me on a cheek.
"I missed you! Why didn't you tell me you were going to Boston? I would've arrived sooner!"
Alison was hanging on me, babbling away about stupid things, and I couldn't believe what a mess of a situation I found myself in. I literally couldn't think of anything worse happening at the moment. It was way worse than the worst nightmare I ever had.