“Order up!”
The monotonous drone of dull conversations between patrons of the cafe had grown easy enough for Eirine to tune out with time. As a writer, she’d trained herself to ignore the noise in these public settings, to steady her mind and hone in on the scene— yet that soft and familiar voice was enough to snap her out of focus in an instant, her gaze diverting from her laptop in favor of her blonde haired friend. With a smile warmer than the very sun that poured into the quaint cafe that morning, Amelia was all too excited to place down the carefully crafted latte before her, and it didn’t take long to find out why. The cat artistically drawn on top in foam must have taken some time to prepare.
“Cute…” Eirine murmured, finding herself instinctually reaching for her phone to take a picture, the white of the cup contrasting well against the dark wood atop which it sat. It only felt right to capture the memory of something made with such care as Amelia always put into each drink.
With the completely necessary photo shoot out of the way, Eirine moved to wrap her slender fingers around the ceramic cup, and near instantly its warmth seeped into her skin, filling her with a sense of comfort she only felt here in this cafe, alongside Amelia.
“You like?” Amelia giggled, swinging her shoulders from side to side like an excited child. If there was one thing to note about Amelia, it was that she loved being praised and acknowledged, always seeking the approval of someone or another.
“It’s adorable. And I’ll definitely be needing this today…. Thank you.” It was a much rarer sight, Eirine’s elusive smile— but she could never help herself around Amelia. Her energy was something contagious.
“Stuck on a scene again, huh?” Amelia breathed amusedly out her nose, her hands placed atop her hips.
“For over a week.”
“Why not let me take another crack at it? Help get you out of your funk again?”
Eirine seemed to give it a few moments of thought, before responding with a gentle nod and gesturing a hand toward her laptop. The ever determined Amelia wasn’t about to back down without some heavy convincing anyway.
“…Give it your best shot.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Amelia flashed a big smile, giving the laptop a quick turn toward her. With a focused gaze, Amelia’s chestnut brown eyes scanned over each paragraph carefully, slowly, giving each word her utmost attention.
“Wait—“ Amelia’s once careful eyes only seemed to dart about each digital page faster and faster, a vast array of emotions displaying upon her face in a matter of seconds, shifting from an expression of amusement to one of doubt, ultimately ending in utter shock and betrayal.
“Wait, wait …What?! You— Eirine, you—!” Amelia sputtered out, unable to come to terms with what she’d just read.
“You killed off Trevor?! Why?!”
Eirine could do nothing more than let loose a gentle sigh.
“Somehow I knew you’d react like this. He had no use in the story anymore. When I realized his death would add more depth to the story than him just sitting there being boring, I pretty much made up my mind. So… yeah.” Eirine spoke with such nonchalance, sipping at her coffee like she hadn’t just robbed the world of such a beloved, beautiful man of fiction.
“Boring?! You can’t! The readers will be heartbroken! —No, scratch that, I’ll be heartbroken!”
“That’s how I want people to feel. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
“Death is not what people mean when they say that! It’s about a temporary absence! A temporary one!”
“I prefer permanence in this scenario.”
“Well maybe that’s why you’re so stuck right now….” Amelia mumbled, scrolling up and down the paragraphs of text, giving it a bit more thought.
Would it really be okay for Eirine to just kill Trevor like that?
“Killing him off was the right thing to do for the plot.”
No. Absolutely not.
“Listen, you’re not digging your way out of this little writer's block until you come to terms with the fact that Trevor’s death caused it! You have to delete that scene!”
“…Is it really that big of a deal whether Trevor lives or dies? It’s not like he’s the main character….”
“Oh!” Amelia suddenly let out, eyes fluttering wide upon one glance down at her phone.
“I’m sorry, Eirine…. I didn’t realize the time— I should have already clocked out by now! I better start wrapping up!” Amelia stuffed her phone in her pocket, shifting her head to look back at Eirine.
“I hate to say “hi” and ditch like this, but I have a date with Ian right after this!” She moved behind the counter and removed her apron, throwing the crumpled ball of cloth into a bin below before freeing her hair from its tight knot in her hair tie. With a relaxed sigh, she combed a gentle hand through her hair, fluffed it out and smiled.
“He really is the sweetest. I just know you’re gonna love him. Let's all three of us get together soon, yeah?” Amelia looked so happy when she offered that… but Eirine’s expression did not reflect hers in the slightest, displaying only apathy that Amelia appeared ignorant to.
“I’ll let you know how it goes! Call you tonight!” Amelia cheerfully called out as she approached the front of the building. As soon as she reached the door, she lifted her hand to wish her friend farewell.
“Oh! And please rethink the whole Trevor thing, I’m begging you! Seriously! …Bye!”
Like waves receding into the vast ocean, Amelia would leave and return, leave and return, over and over, as if it were the most natural occurrence in the world.
In a mere instant… Gone. Just like that.
Tapping her black-dyed nails against the bottom of the laptop with her head resting on her opposite hand, Eirine glanced out the door, watching the fading figure of her friend until she was completely out of view. With a frustrated sigh, she closed the laptop shut, gathered her things, and stormed out, leaving behind the latte crafted specifically for her.
3:20 PM
Amelia had made herself comfortable atop one of the many benches along the subway as she awaited her date. She couldn’t help the knot in her chest that nagged at her that she should feel guilty for leaving Eirine like that. She knew, after all, that she was the only real friend and family that Eirine had, and she knew better than anyone how lonely she could get. Amelia knew that was why Eirine spent her days writing at the cafe despite her home being a perfectly quiet space, even if she never admitted it aloud.
3:30 PM
With each moment that passed, she only dwelled on it more.
Ian was late.
Maybe she shouldn’t be doing this.
3:40
Amelia bounced her leg, glancing to the left and right, then back down at her phone again and again, her finger hovering over Eirine’s contact, until finally, she stood up.
“Hey, Amelia!” A curly haired blonde called out with a big goofy grin right as she had been about to call it quits, his hand raised in greeting as he approached her.
“Ian! It’s so good to see you!” She damn near tackled him, wrapping her arms around his neck all the while letting loose the most bubbly giggle he’d ever heard from anyone in his life.
“Me? C’mon, I should be the one saying those types of things!”
“Don’t think that type of flattery will earn you any extra points.” She teased, a smile pulling at her lips.
“Why? Am I all maxed out already?”
“Shut up,” Amelia chuckled. “So, what’d you have planned? Maybe something that would explain why you’re so late?”
“Yeah, about that… Would karaoke for a fourth date be too weird?
“Yes.” She responded quickly. “But I’m game. It sounds like it’d be fun.”
“Nice! I knew you’d be a karaoke girl!” Ian took hold of her hand and excitedly pulled her forward, ushering her toward the ticket booth, then onto the train.
“Seriously though, why were you so late? Something come up?”
“Nah, I just had to finish up my pregame date.”
“Oh, haha.” Amelia huffed out sarcastically, but they both knew it was all in good fun.
“Kidding. Actually I was just dropping my little sister off at school, but of course, she wanted me to come in and say hi to her entire class. Kids have the weirdest obsession with older siblings.”
“Really? That’s so cute!” Amelia chuckled, sitting across from Ian, both just beside one of the larger windows so they could both enjoy the view. “You know, it’s a good sign when kids like you— or that’s what I’ve heard.”
As their back and forth continued, the two would laugh amongst themselves, glance at their phones and share videos and pictures back and forth with one another, all the while having no idea that the dark clad figure that lagged behind them ensured that he stayed close, sitting within perfect view of Amelia and her date.
Comments (0)
See all