𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑙𝑦.

#59

-D.F

"Davina!" My head turns at the sound of my name. When I see Essence standing behind me with Adriano and Angel holding each of her hands my mouth parts in shock.

"Spear," the kids say excitedly when Spear turns around as well.

"Excuse me?" The lady behind the counter says to get my attention. Quickly I turn around with a smile mumbling my apologies.

"Just a small cappuccino and a chocolate chip muffin," I say to her digging in my purse for my wallet.

"I got it," Essence says from behind me and before I can turn around she taps her card on the reader.

"It'll just be to your right." The woman says the moment it goes through.

"You didn't have to do that," I say to Essence who doesn't stop smiling at me. Picking up Spear's hand I drag him slightly to the right.

"I wanted to. Just a medium coffee, black. What do you guys want?" Her kids start listing off a few things to eat and drink at the same time which the cashier struggles to get down.

Once Essence pays she walks towards me letting go of her kids who are immediately engrossed in a conversation with Spear. "Thank you, but I could have paid," the gesture practically made me have a conversation with her.

"I know. So how've you been?" She pushed hair behind both of her ears revealing shiny earrings. Were they real diamonds? Of course, they are she's a Lorenzo.

"Ok, can't complain so," I shrug with a dry chuckle.

"No one's stopping you," she leans back and forth awkwardly before pausing with a sigh when I don't speak. "Look I know you're mad with Emilio, and rightfully so I understand but our children are best friends, you shouldn't let what happened between you guys affect Spear's relationships with people, or yours." Mine? "I thought we were kind of friends I don't know..." she shrugs while looking at her kids.

Shit.

Running my hands through my hair with a sigh I nod guiltily. "I'm sorry, it's just...Whenever I think of any of you guys I just think about my Parents and Emilio." She nods her head slowly.

"I've been told I'm a good listener" Both of our orders get placed on the counter next to us at the same time. The kids scramble to grab their snacks while Essence hands me my cappuccino. "If you ever wanna, you know talk." She chuckles nervously as if I was the intimidating one.

I hesitate to say anything which causes her to nod and get ready to walk away. "What are you doing right now?" I ask before she can turn away from me. She pauses from opening her purse with shock written all over her face but she quickly recovers with a smile.

"Absolutely nothing."

"Wanna sit with us?" I hold my drink up slightly and nudge my head toward an empty booth to the left of us. Her face brightens up at my question and before she can answer his kids yell a yes.

There was no reason for me to despise Essence as much as I have. She was innocent in this whole situation, just as oblivious to what was in Emilio's basement as I was. She was a smiley person who always made everyone else around her joyful. She was one of the only people who could make Emilio wholeheartedly smile which used to seem impossible.

As Essence sits across from me I shift in spot uncomfortably. Should I have really done this? The kids beside us pay no attention to the awkward atmosphere as a topic of somebody from their school gets brought up. Adriano huffs and crosses his arms.

"She's not that bad," Angel says munching on her sprinkle-filled donut that stains her lips.

"I don't like her," Adriano says shaking his head in disapproval, Spear laughs to himself with half a muffin stuffed into his mouth.