Saving Bagel ↠ Editing

Chapter 14: M for Maybe

I licked the chocolate ice cream with a cold tongue that ran down the side of my waffle cone and threatened to drip with a loud slurp.

I sit alone at Miss Lizzie's in a wooden table against the brown walls with pink floral accents flowing across them, waiting patiently for Jasmine to show through the doors with a big smile that would make my day so we could walk around the park.

Okay, so maybe I'm wanting to "accidentally" run into Joby, but who wouldn't? I've missed my Joby-kins.

Mom and Dad are gone, both of them romanticizing over a plate of spaghetti and fancy glasses of wine while they catch up. But I know code. Its code for, "We need to talk about Bagels condition." Trust me, I've been there many times over and over again.

The brass bell that hangs over the door rings while, low and behold, walks in Jasmine. Clothed in a gray coat with big, brown buttons in two rows down the front to shield her from the autumn Ohio breeze, a pair of light denim skinny jeans, and a tan pair of Uggs, she looks around the room until her eyes finally rest on me. She smiles and waves, striding over to my table while I shove the last of the cone down my throat, leaving a chocolate mustache I try to hide behind my hand. She pulls out the chair opposite of me and grins while she twirls a strand of golden hair around her finger.

"Nice 'stache there Bagel. Now hurry up and shave it so we can leave." She smirks. I wipe off the wet, slimy chocolate ice cream from my top lip with the back of my hand and smile.

"Haha Jasmine. Let's go." She stands up, then with that Devilish grin of hers, throws both her hands on the table and leans in to whisper, her tanned eyeshadow and black eyeliner bringing out her hazel eye's.

"I know what we're really doing Bagel," She sings softly, grinning. I raise my eyebrows to see if she'd find my

dirty little secret, while she tips my head back with her finger placed under my chin.

"Is Bagel trying to find that man of hers?" She sticks her bottom lip out and pouts. "Well, it worked. I want to see this little angel of yours you drool over too."

We both grin and laugh as I stand up and link our arms, walking out of the door with a wave and a "Goodbye!" to Miss Lizzie. She mumbles something while she wipes down the counter with a dirty rag, an apron tired around her back and hung around her neck, noticing a purple polka-dotted bandana tied around her wrist.

***

"So where'd you guys meet?" She asked, while stared at me out of the current of her eye for an answer.

We were sitting on a bench hip to hip, close to the fountain with the naked concrete boy holding a fallen vase that spilt water. We tore and threw pieces of bread to the birds that pecked the tiled ground that surrounds the fountain with orange beaks.

I smile in remembrance, then frown. That was the night Dad lost his job. "Well, Joby works-worked, with my Dad and came to hand him the "We had to let you go..." letter. I just opened the door and next thing I knew, he declared me his 'Coffee Pal.'"

We both laugh. She turns her body to me, pulling in a knee so all body parts could fit on the bench, and asks with half a smirk. "You know, with you two love birds, I would have assumed something more, well, romantic." She nudges me with her elbow, and I smile back while I throw half a slice of bread at a birds slick black head. It took off flying into the air and landing in a nearby tree branch.

"You know Bagel, let's say you had like a cup of tea," I give her a look. "OK, well, whatever the hell you drink, and he has his coffee, then you accidentally bump into each other on the sidewalk and knock each other over. Then BAM! It starts raining heavily as you two stare dreamily and lovingly into each other's eyes laying next to each other on the ground." She stares dreamily at me, while I just snort. "Then you make out passionately."