Aware II R.Dare

~ Part Five: Coffee Shop Love Story ~

Robyn swayed softly to the music playing from the speaker as she stepped around the kitchen, which smelled lightly of Strawberry Shortcake. She made the small kind a lot, especially when her mother's birthday was coming up. It was tomorrow and her mother, Tess, adored her daughter's Strawberry Shortcakes. 

Robyn was waiting for the house phone to ring; she wasn't allowed a phone so, she'd had to give Rachel the house number. She wasn't yearning  for the phone to ring, exactly. It was just nice to have something to look forward to.

Robyn didn't quite know why her mother couldn't have just given her a phone. 

Humming softly to the song, she pulled the shortcakes out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. That's when the phone rang.

Skipping slightly, she dashed over to the phone on the kitchen counter and turned the music down, picking up the old-fashioned phone. "Hello?"

The voice of Rachel Dare, muffled by the old phone's quality, began to talk idly. "Hi, Robyn. Uh, you know how we had made plans to go to that arty coffee shop?"

"Uh, yeah. Orchid Ridge's Coffee, right?"

Robyn's heart sank. Was Rachel cancelling? She wasn't excited when they made the plans but she now found herself uncharacteristically disappointed. 

"Well," The phone crackled slightly. "it turns out it's shut today."

"Oh..."

"Not that that's a bad thing! We just have to...find something else to do, right?"

Robyn smiled, pressing the phone against her shoulder as she swayed to the soft music - left remaining even after she lowered its volume - and lightly dusting the Strawberry Shortcakes in icing sugar and strawberries perched on cream.

"Like, we could go to the park and find some random coffee van or something?"

"That'd be good."

Robyn heard Rachel chuckle before adding. "But?"

"But~ I've just made some Strawberry Shortcakes, the small kind, and I have some stuff to make iced coffee. We could make our own coffee shop."

Rachel made an interested 'oooh' sound and continued. "Nice. Okay...I'll be around in, like, twenty minutes."

"Okay."

They had exchanged addresses the last time they talked, just in case they needed them. Robyn didn't know why Rachel had insisted but, apparently, Rachel's father was worried about his daughter's habit of running off. Robyn hadn't heard of this habit until she told Mittie about the results of her choice.

Mittie had been put with a bad boy from the reformatory school down the road, or as the American's call it, the street.

Robyn went to sit down but, before she could, the doorbell rang through the house. She smiled, a wave of excitement running through her. She practically ran to the door.

"Rachel, hi!" Robyn said, with the door only half open.

Rachel smiled apologetically. "Hi, Robyn. Sorry about this."

Robyn shrugged. "It's whatever."

Before Rachel replied, she cut herself off by sniffing the air. "Oooh. Something smells good."

Robyn felt a positive tug at her heartstrings; she didn't get many compliments.

"That would probably be the, uh Strawberry Shortcakes."

"Oh, right! I forgot about those." Rachel giggled.

Robyn smiled slightly, stepping out of the way for Rachel to walk in.

Rachel walked into the room. Her hair was tied back into a messy ponytail, frizzy chunks lining her face, and a lopsided grin on her face.

Robyn shut the door, following the other girl and led her to the kitchen table.