~Two Months Later~
The shop was amazingly perfect, always busy, always colourful, always moving, the smell of food and coffee mixing together and giving a sensation of a quick rhythm of life. People coming in and out, the walls and tables and chairs listening intently to more and new stories, watching tears fall and smiles from ear to ear appear on stranger's fces. The good days of being alive.
And tonight was special, there was a small chocolate cake hiding in the back of the fridge and while John Smith waited impatiently for his girlfriend to come, having to listen to Clara's giggle all day long, he felt excited and nervous and going mad slowly. If it was possible. He was just a mad man with a shop.
She was late, he pointed out as he checked his watch for the billionth time, he hated when Missy was late. Where could she be on a Saturday afternoon? There was no work and no family to visit. The only answer would be she fell asleep with little Mollie curled up against her. Or she got kidnapped by some aliens. Shut up John please.
John continued working, trying to pay more attention to what he was doing and from time to time, he walked around the tables checking everything was alright. No more stressing, he repeated himself mentally, she will come here soon. He needs her to be here, tonight.
Around six p.m. Missy walked into the shop, dressed in a short pink dress and with her hair free down to her shoulders, she had the same shade of pink on her mouth and her heels were clicking against the floor, signaling her arrival. John felt relieved as he watching her walk inside, a soft cheeky smile painted on her mouth.
She gave Clara a small kiss on the cheek then walked inside the kitchen of the shop, leaving her bag out of sight and putting on an apron, ready to help. Or eat the chocolate frosting Clara left on the table. A little bit wouldn't hurt.
John was nervous, what if Missy already suspects what he's planning? What if she has an answer ready?. No, he kept it all in secret, he didn't tell anyone apart from Clara. And Amelia. And Danny. (Well, Clara told him, John wasn't too happy about it). Oh, he also whispered his plan to Mollie the day he came back home with groceries and the mysterious blue box hidden.
Okay, a lot of people knew. But, still Missy couldn't get to know it. Amelia was in Paris working with an important brand of clothes and make up, Danny was busy being a PE teacher (sorry, maths teacher), and, Mollie can't talk. So Clara was the only one who could tell her. But she wouldn't do it, would she?.
Time seemed to go faster for him now, he couldn't help the feeling of unease every time Missy was out of his sight. He felt the constant need of protecting her, keep her safe and make her feel loved. That...experience they had with those aliens changed their lives in such big way he was sure it would never be the same. It affected him more. He wasn't the same. He saw it all, he lived it differently. He had still in his mind the image of that being declaring he wanted to steal his Missy. He could still remember the fury he felt while hitting him, being desperate to protect her. But Missy didn't see it. Even if she was the one in danger, she didn't have the same memories as him, she didn't have to remember the same sounds he heard. She didn't feel the same fear as him.
John should start to let go of the past. Tonight his life will change. Anyone else would say his decision is rushed. And it may be. But he feels the impeding need of asking this to Missy.
She was leaving her apron on the table when he wrapped his arms around her, a loud gasp leaving her mouth as he giggled, kissing her neck and pressing her body against his.
-"You scared the hell out of me John!".
-"I'm sorry dear, I never meant to. But it was fun".
Wrong thing to say. It earned him a hard hit of her elbow against his ribcage
