Sweet Escape

Twenty-Three

Heavy rain assaulted the streets outside of the bakery. Charlize was lost in the imagery as she watched pedestrians clutching tightly onto umbrellas, hurrying to their destinations. Cars splashing in puddles as they tried to zoom by, only to be caught in the stillness of more traffic. There was always something so peaceful about the rain to her. It always felt as if the world slowed to a stop. However, the city seemed to be buzzing as usual. Granted there were less pedestrians than usual, it was still a stark contrast to what she was used to seeing.

"Hey Cookie." Gabriel greeted her with a kiss on her cheek., standing beside her with an arm around her waist. "Daydreaming again?"

It was now early December. Officially marking a month that she was away from home. It was all so strange for her. Being so far away still. She spent her first birthday without them. Her first holiday called Thanksgiving that she had never heard about before. Now, she had her first boyfriend. She still imagined what her mother would have thought about it. They would kiss with plenty of eyes around but no one blinked twice. It was not a big deal as it was back home. She enjoyed the freedom of it all, but something still did not sit right with her.

"A little." She sighed.

"What's wrong?" He leaned down on the counter with his head propped on his fist, looking up at her while his other hand remained around her waist.
"Nothing." She gave him a little smile. He frowned at her. "It's nothing. Promise." He continued to stare at her, not believing her. At the same time, he knew that he wasn't going to get anything out of her if she didn't allow for it.

"Okay." He gave in and stood up straight, planting another kiss on the side of her head and giving her hip a squeeze. The door chimed and they looked to see Stanley enter. He wiped his feet on the mat and pulled down his hood.

"Hey twin." He greeted with a bright smile.

"Where is your umbrella?" She asked sternly.

"In my defense, it was not raining when I left the house." He said, approaching the counter. She crossed her arms. "Hi Gabe, how are you today?" The two men laughed as Charlize rolled her eyes and moved away from Gabriel. "Is no one working today?" He asked glancing around.

"Evalyn is on her break and everyone else is in the back." Gabriel said. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by." Stanley shrugged.

"Which cupcake were you thinking of trying today?" Gabriel saw through his ploy.

"I was actually thinking of some cookies – not Charlize." He added quickly. Gabriel chuckled and Charlize nose scrunched up. "I still don't get why you call her that."

"Because sometimes she soft and warm, and sometimes she's tough, but she's always sweet." He smiled at Charlize who returned the gesture. Stanley, however, looked unimpressed and slightly disgusted.
"Very corny." He said. "What does that even mean?"

"Shut up." Gabriel said. "What kind do you want?"

Stanley spent a half hour at the bakery catching up with his friend and livening up the quiet that enveloped them earlier. He left, confirming with Charlize their dinner plans to celebrate Mariah's birthday. The rest of the day was uneventful, as was most days. It reminded Charlize of how mundane her life had become back home. When she first arrived, everything was exciting to her, but now, as things settled, she could feel that the void she had felt when she left still had not been filled. Somehow, it felt slightly bigger. There was a constant ache in her chest that was starting to make her feel restless.

After Gabriel dropped her off in his recently purchased car, she hurried in the house and went straight to her room. She shut the door and sat on her floor, taking out her phone and dialing Archibald's number in an instant. She had been speaking to him less and less and felt guilty about it, but she had been starting to miss him too much. Every time they spoke, the urge to go return would grow stronger. Now, however, she needed the comfort of his voice.
"Hi Panda." He greeted after a few rings. A large smile spread across her face. The first genuine smile it seemed she'd had in days.
"Hi Archie."
"How are you?" He asked. She took a moment to think of her words. How was she?

"Um...I'm okay." She said finally, biting her lip, still in thought.

"Is something the matter?" Although he tried to not show too much concern, Charlize heard it.

"I don't know." She crossed her legs and picked at the stitching of her jeans.

"Did something happen?" He tried.
"No. Nothing happened." She sighed. "And I think that's the problem."

"What do you mean?"
"I mean..."She took another moment to think. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. "How is home?"

"Charlize." Warning rang in his tone.
"What about Elliot? Can I speak to him? It's been too long." Since she left, she hadn't spoken to her brother and she missed him terribly. It was the first time she was asking to speak to him and hoped that hearing his voice and his words may give her some clarity as well.
"I'm sorry Charlize, he is out right now." Archibald said, much to her disappointment. "But why don't you tell me what's been bothering you?"
"That's the thing...I don't know what's been bothering me." She pulled her hair out of the bun, which was starting to give her a headache, letting it bounce down around her. "I just...I don't know Archie. I really don't."
"Do you want to come home?" A simple question that was straight to the point, yet Charlize still did not have an answer. She never expected to be gone for good, but she never knew when she would go back either. She often danced with the thought of what it would be like to return after so long. Maybe she would have just gone back for a little while then return to the new life she created. She imagined her mother accepting that she is who she is and letting her go. She imagined never seeing her bitter sister ever again. Or sweet Henry. Or Elliot. Or Dimitri.

"I don't think I'm ready yet...but soon."
"I understand." Archibald said. "Whenever you are, just know I am here for you."
"Thank you Archie." She let out a sigh of relief. It felt as if some of the crushing weight on her chest had lifted a bit, allowing her to breathe slightly better.
"How is Roger and the rest of the family?" He said moving on.
"They're doing great. We are going out for dinner tonight for Mariah's birthday."
"That sounds lovely. Please give them my regards."
"I will." She said. "I should probably get ready."
"Okay, take care Panda. Talk to you soon."
"Bye Archie."

Quick Note: Hi! So I finished writing this two weeks ago. I'll be posting 2-3 chapters a week (if I remember) to get it over with. Only 13 more to go. Thanks for reading!