Lustrous

Chapter 18: On The Dotted Line

By the time we all made it out of the bakery, I was quite content. I had eaten all of the samples of both the chocolate and choc-marble cake, and managed to convince Anthony to buy me that deliciously smelling sausage roll. It wasn't hard to do either. All I had to do was explain how annoying I can get when I'm hungry and then simply giving him a quick preview of what that would be like.

Safe to say, the man couldn't pay for my food quick enough.

Charlene and Sandra walked ahead of us and rambled on about the photographer and entertainment but I tuned it all out, I didn't care about anything as long as I had my food.

"Where's the other car?" Anthony asked, puzzled as he looked around the street.

"What car?" I took a big bite. The hot steam filled my mouth making a number of oh and ah sounds come blurting out to try and cool myself down.

Nicely done.

Well thank you, I try.

"The car that is supposed to take us home?"

Sandra and Charlene started sliding into the car that was already parked there. "Just call them honey, other wise you can always come along."

"Yeah no thanks Sandra you have fun." I quickly butted in before he said something stupid and ushered the two older women into the car and far away from me.

Waving a quick goodbye I took one of my last bites of my sausage roll and started to walk over towards the lake thinking it would be a nice place to sit and wait for the other car to show up.

"Why don't you drive?" I asked Anthony as he fell into step beside me.

"I do, I just prefer not to in the city, so many things happening and people always darting across the road in stupid acts of idiocy." He explained truthfully and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Why don't you?"

"I never learned. No one had time to teach me and I never really needed to." It was quicker and cheaper to catch public transport in the city and the only time I needed a taxi was when I visited my father, which until these past few weeks was a rare occasion.

"Understandable." Anthony nodded as he looked out at the lake, taking in the beautiful cite.

"Why don't we just catch a taxi?"

"Because I would have to pay for the taxi." He explained.

"Tight ass."

"It's a waste of money." He nodded and pulled his hands back out of his pockets. He had pulled out a cigar and lighter.

"That is disgusting habit." I scolded him, throwing a look of discontent towards him.

He rolled his eyes and continued to light it up despite my protest.

"Want one?"

"No!" I frowned deeply. "I don't want to die before I'm thirty."

"You're paranoid."

I let my features soften as thoughts began to creep into my mind once again. My inner-self struggling to filter them at such a rapid pace. "No I'm realistic." I muttered giving in to the memories.

The coughing. The wheezy breathes between words that I could hardly comprehend.

"I just smoke occasionally, socially if you will." Anthony tried to explain, his attention shifting towards me.

"I will not." I crossed my arms, my words softer than they were before.

"Fine." He took the cigar out of this mouth and budded it out before slipping it back into his pocket. "No smoking."