Save Room For Us (18+)

Chapter 9: Wings Fluttering in My Stomach

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- SweetDumplingss
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Chapter 9: Wings Fluttering in My Stomach
Nevaeh

I didn't have work today. I was considering the audition. I was sitting comfortable at my favorite spot—the cafe with a library in it— Choupette Crêperie & Café. The tiny fluorescent lights on the ceiling resembled stars. It was incongruous to the bleak morning. Not even a beam of sunlight. Just grays, mimicking the smug of charcoal on paper.

I was reading a different book. This time a classic—Pride and Prejudice. Books always fascinated me. I felt that I could escape from reality and dive into fantasy, live through the characters he read about. Different lives, different stories. The bad, the good, and everything in between. The possibilities were interminable, and I liked that. There were times where I considered writing my own story. I could wield the power to create any outcome I wanted. I could create my own world too.

As I was in tune with Jane Austen's characters, I heard a familiar voice. I looked up to see a woman with dark wavy hair and tan skin ordering a drink. She wore a charm bracelet that her father gifted her when she was seven. Tessa Oakwood.

I hadn't talked to her in months. It felt strange seeing her now. I tried to ignore her, getting back to Jane and Mr. Darcy. Tessa wouldn't notice me. And if she did, she wouldn't talk to me. Why now?

"Nevaeh?" Shit.

I looked up, seeing my ex best friend look down at me. Her dark brown hair trailed down to her waist.

"Hey, Tessa. Didn't see you there? What's up? " I forced a smile. I guess my friendliness was an open invitation for her to see with me. She sat on the stair on the other side of the table.

Even though we hadn't talked in months, it felt like it has been forever since we last talked. I was busy trying to settle here while Tessa was trying to survive in Paris, last time I checked.

"You know, just the usual," Tessa laughed, "Paris was tres bien." She took a sip of her iced coffee clear tall cup. Tessa didn't care how cold it got. She always stuck with iced coffee. "You know, I got to go to Musée du Louvre, The Palace of Versailles, pastries--oh my god, the pastries are way better than here."

It was great that she was having the time of her life. I wish I could do the same, but I had to deal with men. Not just here but at Juilliard. Neither were happy endings.

"Oh, that's great!" I placed my bookmark in between the last couple of pages when I was ready. "I just went to Juilliard," I awkwardly laughed in between my words. "Now, I am taking a--" I took a breath, putting my book in my bag. "A break."

"Yeah, taking a break is so good for your inner," Tessa tried to gather her words together, trailing off at the last word. Then it came to her like she had solved an equation. "Zen. Your inner zen?"

"My inner zen?"

She nodded her head. For a moment, we were silent. And after that moment of silence, we burst out a laugh. Just like we used to.

"Look, Vae. I am sorry I haven't talked to you in months. It is just Paris--wasn't all random and sunshines. I went through this horrible breakup with John, and I was just coping with that...by myself."

"No, it's okay. You don't need to apologize." I get it. I knew how horrible a break up can be. I was the perfect example of it. It made me feel bad that I was very self-absorbed. I thought only about myself. "If you ever need to talk, I am here?"