"I crave you as if I've already had you before, that scares and excites me all at once"
« In which Adriana Narvaez, a mother
of two, finds herself falling deep
into the world of crime after an
innocent robbery turns into a money-laundering bus...
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Adriana dropped the stack of essays, staring out the window at the blooming pink flowers drifting along with the light breeze. Light shivers run through her spine as the cold air from the AC chills her skin.
"Busy day?"
"Very."
Twisting in her chair, Adriana finds Beth standing at the door a few feet away, dropping the stack of graded papers back onto her desk. The distinct smell of chocolate chip cookies wafts through the air as Beth approaches the desk, her lips twisted into a sheepish smile. "I brought 'I'm sorry' cookies."
Despite the events from the night before, Adriana couldn't resist the smell of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, motioning for Beth to leave them on her desk.
"Thanks. I'll see you later. "
Beth lingered for a moment, her fingers flexing around the straps of her purse as she contemplated whether to leave or stay. "I am sorry, you know. It was wrong of me to suggest... that. Especially since everything with Dom."
Adriana met Beth's eyes for the first time since she arrived, feeling the sincerity behind her words. She could tell that Beth hadn't been herself lately, the deep circles surrounding her eyes showing more than she wished. Glancing at the clock that read 3:27, she threw her purse over her shoulders. "Wanna get some coffee? I think I'm done for the day."
"Sure, I'd like that."
$$$$
Adriana's known Beth since her freshman year of college, back before the birth of her first child. They'd met at the cafe that Adriana had been waitressing at. It was a brief period where Adriana had broken up with Dominic, and she was a mess but Beth swooped in and pulled her from her stupor. Since then, she was adopted into the group of friends and had stuck with them despite Dominic's protests.
"Dom asked me to change my major, said he didn't want all my time to be taken up by work."
"You told him no, right."
Adriana couldn't bring herself to answer, churning the thick milkshake in her cup, avoiding her friend's gaze. Instead, she kept her eyes glued to the mass of students wandering around the courtyard.
"Ana, come on. You can't just say yes to everything he says. And plus you've been talking about how much you enjoy your classes."
"I know, but I've been thinking about it and he's right. It's for the best, for both of us." Beth couldn't help but express her concern to Ruby and Annie with wide eyes, motioning for one of them to say something.
