Cream & Sugar

Chapter 2: The SapphiLounge (Vera)

"Zara?!"

I couldn't believe my eyes. There she was, standing next to my manager, wearing the uniform of the place I work at. IN THE PLACE I WORK AT.

"Oh, Vera. you know her?" asked Soma, my manager.

Zara was frozen in place. She struggled to find the right things to say, but so did I. This very situation could've been avoided if we just said to each other where we worked, but we didn't, and here we are; completely flabbergasted by each other's presence in the one establishment we hid from each other.

"You had a job interview HERE?!" I exclaimed.

"P-Please don't scream at me, I didn't know you worked here!" she replied, visibly anxious.

"I-I think I need to get some air..."

Without thinking, I ran directly towards the entrance to go outside. The first thing I needed to do was to call Thomas. I was panicking very hard at that moment. I dialed his number as fast as I could and paced back and forth in front of the shop, shaking from all the anxiety.

"Yellow?" he said as he answered his phone.

"It didn't occur to you to tell me Zara had an interview at the SapphiLounge?!" I screamed angrily.

"No need to shout. The reason I didn't tell you is obvious. I can't stay on the phone, though. I'm working. Call me back after both your shifts are over. Bye"

"Hey, wait -"

I didn't have time to finish my sentence that he had already hung up on me. The emotions I felt at that very moment were a mix of confusion, frustration, happiness, and worry. Everything I thought I knew about my best friend just changed in only five minutes, specifically because of this workplace.

After venting my frustration at the seagulls and pigeons on the street, I took a deep breath, went back inside, and headed towards the backstore. Thyme and Emerald, the green haired girls who were already scheduled today, were back to working in the dining area, while the rest of the staff were talking among themselves. As for Zara, she was sitting at the lunch table, getting comforted by Soma.

I felt ashamed. Leaving like that definitely didn't make Zara nor anyone else in the staff happy, I'm sure of it. Those mixed feelings from earlier were still lingering around. I had to calm down and talk with her.

I had no idea how to go about this. How do I bring this up to her? Will she be mad at me? So many questions immediately rose in my mind.

"Oh, Vera! You're back!" exclaimed Soma.

"Oh, uhm, yeah." I replied, still a bit on edge.

"Here, sit down. I'll let you two talk."

As soon as I sat down, Soma got up and walked away from us, giving us a chance to talk this out. Again, I still had no idea how to talk about all this. Zara's discomfort is absolutely my fault. That's a fact.

"V-Vera.. " she started visibly uncomfortable.

"L-Look, Zara... I'm sorry for blowing up and running away like that. It's just... there's a LOT for me to take in right now."

"W-What do you mean?"

"I can't really tell you. I'm not ready. I promise I'll tell you when I am."

There is more than one reason why I couldn't tell her anything. It was not my place. It was only up to her.

"What should we do... Will it change anything between us?" Zara asked, her voice full of concern.

"I think it will, but in a good way."