Beneath the Stars

Chapter One - She Remembered

(a/n) Picture of of Lydia on the header :)

"Thank you!" An elderly lady in a pink scarf waved to me as she walked out of Augusta's Cup of Joe with her coffee, the bells on the door jingling behind her. I waved back and began to take the next order.

"A large black coffee, please," a young man with brown hair says gruffly and hands me exact change.
"Exams tomorrow?" I ask, making a bit of small talk as I do with most my customers.
"Yup.. Thanks," he nodded his head as I handed him his coffee.
"Good luck!" I called out to him and he turned his head towards me, offering a weak smile before heading out.

I sigh and begin to wonder if Marie would stop by today or if she was still winding down from her week in Barbados with her boyfriend, Thomas. It's getting close to the end of my shift, so I don't know. I remember that she had said something about having a friend she "wanted to introduce me to" when she got back. She's always trying to get me to start dating again, but ever since my dad died I've felt like I can't love anyone anymore. Maybe she'll forget about it...
"Hi. Can I have a decaf coffee with vanilla?" A tall teen aged girl with long black hair asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I'm a bit surprised people were still ordering coffee at seven PM.
"What size?" I look up at her.
"Small," she says and looks behind me at that bagels that are arranged neatly on the rack. "Can I get a plain bagel as well? With butter?"
"Sure. What's your name?" I ask and pull out a notepad.
"Lauren." I write it down and begin fixing her food.
"Lydia!" I hear someone call my name and snap my head up.
"Marie! I was wondering if you'd stop by today!" I smile. Lauren awkwardly moves out of Marie's way as she comes behind the counter and pulls me into a tight hug.
"I missed you," she says and pulls away, grinning.
"I missed you too. Should we hang out later after my shift?" I ask.
"Of course. I have to get back home to Thomas but I have a little time," she nods and smiles, slipping back in front of the counter. Lauren clears her throat. I forgot she was there.
"Oh, sorry. Here," I handed her the coffee and bagel.
"Thanks." She said and walked out. I glance up at the clock. 7:30. Finally my shift is over. Don't get me wrong, I love my shop, but I'm exhausted and want to catch up with Marie seeing how I haven't seen her in a week.
"Come sit! I want all the details," I smirk and gesture to a table for two by the window, before turning the sign on the window from open to closed.
"Well first of all, it was amazing," grinned eagerly, her eyes sparkling, "I think I love him!" Seriously? I mean, I want the best for her and I'm happy for her and all, but they've been dating for almost a month and they already went on a week long vacation plus she thinks she's in love? That seems a bit ridiculous to me. But what do I know about love? I've never been in love.
"Really? Wow!" I smile. "So what sort of things did you guys do?"
"Well... We stayed in this amazing hotel right by the ocean which was AMAZING! And we went horseback riding, snorkeling, and visited a lot of fancy restaurants," she grinned.
"That's great. I'm glad you had fun."
"Well enough of me. Do you remember what I told you two weeks ago?" Marie rested her elbows on the table. Oh god, I knew what she was talking about. The 'friend'.
"How good the lobster is at that restaurant down the street?" I play dumb.
"No!" She laughs. "That guy I wanted you to meet, silly." Oh great...
"Oh, okay." A nervous giggle escapes my mouth.
"Lyd, he's really nice trust me. In fact I think he's amazing." I rolled my eyes. Marie thinks everything is amazing.

"If you say so..." I shrug. I guess I trust her judgment, she is quite good at reading people. But how long has she even known him for? I mean for all I know they could've only talked once. How did she even meet him?

"Great! Well we'll meet you outside your apartment this Sunday at 6:00." She claps her hands together like a child. This Sunday?! That's tomorrow...

"Wait- Marie I never even agreed!"

"Well you didn't have to agree, you're going." Marie says sternly.

"But-" I try to complain but she cuts me off.

"No buts. You're going to have fun, I promise." And with that, she waves and walks out of the shop, leaving me sitting there wide-eyed like an idiot. I shuffle over behind the counter, grab my purse, and leave the shop as well, locking the door behind me. I look around but I don't see Marie anywhere.

My bed creaks and shudders as I plop down on it, wrapping myself in my orange comforter. I turn off the lamp on my bedside table and close my eyes, even though I know I probably won't be able to fall asleep. Questions about tomorrow begin to swirl in my head. What do I wear? What are we going to be doing? Is Marie going to accompany us? Is he even attractive? What if I do something stupid ad ruin it all?

I sip my piping hot peppermint tea as I sit on my balcony overlooking Augusta. It's particularly chilly today, even though it's only August. Chilly enough that I have to be wrapped tightly in my shawl in order to be able to tolerate being outside. But aside from the cold, it's quite nice. There is a light breeze that only faintly rustles the leaves on the trees that line the streets, which are starting to turn a bit yellow, and the sun is peaking out from behind the clouds, giving out a nice glow. I can't wait until full foliage, though. Especially because Marie and I always have a little party at the lake near her house, along with a plunge into the frigid water towards the end. It's our yearly tradition. A sudden bang at the door brings my out of my daydreams.

"Lydia it's me, open up!" I hear Marie's voice. I quickly sit up and jog through my bedroom and over to the door, which is in the kitchen.

"I thought you guys were meeting me at 6:00... Wait, it isn't six already is it?!" I begin to panic a little. Marie laughs, "No, it's 3:30. I decided to come over and help you get ready."

"Marie, I don't think I need 2 and a half hours to get ready."

"Well, no... but I thought you would probably need a pep talk."