My Autumn with April

Twelve

~April~

"Oh come on April. Please? We haven't seen you properly in like 2 months, you little hobbit. You've evaded almost every girls night, every camp fire, every single wine and dine at Noah's."

"I've been busy Autumn. This place is doing better than I'd thought it was. I promise it's not intentional. It's been hard finding the right swing of things and I've been working until like 10pm most nights and I'm starting at like 4 to get everything baked fresh." 

"Exactly the reason why you need a break." Autumn leaned over the counter, swiping the final loaded croissant from the tray and biting into it. It'd been a long few months. Long and lonely. But I wasn't lying when I said business was booming. My profit margin was higher than I'd been expecting to see it and I was starting to build back the money I'd spent on setting this place up which eased everything so much. I was honestly expecting to hit a slump when summer ended but it turns out plenty of people around here have been desperate for fresh bread and as guilty as I feel for taking sales from Elliott, I need them more than he does and he wasn't complaining so it had to be fine. "One afternoon. It's quiet. It's miserable outside and I know that's your vibe but I can guarantee you're not gonna have any foot fall now. So close up early and come drink too much wine with us all." 

"I don't know Aut-" 

"PLEEAAASSSEEEEE." She widened her eyes and pouted at me. "I'll come help you tomorrow. With anything you need doing. I'll be your little souz chef with a baking hat and everything." 

"Anything that needs doing?" 

"Yep. I'll get Maya a toothbrush and we'll scrub the floors." 

"Hey! I didn't agree to that!" 

"Shut up." Autumn jabbed her elbow into Maya's side and the ooft that left her mouth made me chuckle. "You laughed! You're coming! How do we wrap all this up ASAP?" I talked the 2 girls through everything I needed to do before I could skip out tonight and what usually takes me 2 hours to shut everything down, took the 3 of us 45 minutes and we were on our way up to the B&B for what Autumn was calling her 'everything is back to normal' dinner. Consisting of whatever the hell Noah was cooking. Marie was out at her supposed book club, leaving just us to take over the building. 

My plan was pretty simple. Stay for dinner, chat and laugh and play happy friend group, then tell the girls I'm going home to steal the free time for a long bath and considering I'd pleased them both by coming tonight and the fact that they'd be at the bakery tomorrow morning, they likely won't mind. I'll slip out the back and go home to read whatever piece of shit letter has been posted through my door today and cry until I pass out on the sofa until 3am when I'll get ready to do it all again. Easy. Easy breezy. 

"Hey Red, long time no see." Easy. Breezy. 

"Hey." I'm not saying I was avoiding Elliott the past 2 months. But I definitely text Autumn or Maya asking if they new what El was working each week so I knew to avoid where he would be and I only really replied to his texts at 4am when I was getting to the bakery, knowing he'd be passed out and I'd be too busy to reply through the day. 

"How's the bakery going?" 

"Busy. Really, really busy." He smiled, leaning against the wall beside us both. 

"Good. You put a hell of a lot of work into it, you deserve to see it pay off." I shot Elliott a quick smile before looking back down to the rose wine in my glass. "Come with me." 

"What?" El looked around the room before grabbing my free hand and pulling me out of the kitchen, all the way down the hall and into the library. He fumbled around in the dark to find a lamp, using it to light up the room just enough. 

He stood there, a good few feet away, just staring at me like some kind of stalker and I suddenly realise the weight of the air in the room getting heavier. I took a sip of my wine, hoping it would calm my shaking hands but of course it didn't. 

"How are you?" He finally speaks. 

"Good. You?" His eyebrows twitch and he takes a slow step forward. I try to stay still. To not allow the fact we were alone to change my demeanor but my feet moved back almost on instinct and I don't think I'd ever wanted a distraction as much as I did right now. The last time me and El were in the same room as each other- I don't know what nearly happened but something did and it'd been slaughtering my conscience since. 

"Why've you been MIA for 2 months April?" 

"What do you mean? I've -I've literally just been working." 

"No, you've been avoiding me like the plague." 

"Well if that's the case I've been avoiding everyone like the plague then because I haven't seen anyone. Not just you." 

"Exactly my point. You don't do this unless somethings going on so tell me what it is." 

"There's nothing going on Elliott." 

"Bullshit." I rolled my eyes at him. "No. You don't get to disappear from everything for 2 fucking months, only reply to my texts once a day at fucking 4am, not come to any social shit we do, hide from me and everyone else and then roll your eyes when someone is genuinely concerned. I want to know what the fuck is going on with you." 

"There's noth-" 

"Stop lying to me April!" Elliott took a large step forward and my back slammed into the bookcase behind me as he raised his voice. 2 seconds. That was all it took for Elliott to realise the absolute terror that struck me right in the gut. The quick steps the anger on his face and the raised voice repeating things my dad had said over and over again. It was like I'd been transported right back to being at the other end of his fist. "No. Shit, fuck April-" He lifted his hand to me and I felt my body react before I could stop it. "Ap-" I shook my head at him, moving  out into the middle of the room. "April. Love, you're okay." My lungs were filled with concrete as I tried to work out how the fuck I got out of here. I couldn't get the words out to tell him but I think he knew. Taking 3 huge steps closer, I pulled the door open and left the room in a hurry, sliding my glass onto a sideboard as I passed. I don't think I hit it right because as I reached the front door a few feet away, said glass hit the floor and the house fell silent. I didn't care though. I was already out the door, heading home. 

I didn't even bother opening the letter on the floor when I walked in. I just headed to my room, sitting myself under my desk with my knees pulled right up to my chest. 

Fuck knows how I'm going to explain this to everyone tomorrow.