Chocolate For Her

Chapter 4: Denial

I brushed my teeth, and put on my clothes for today. It had gotten extremely warmer, so, I wore black sandals, white shorts, a navy blue tank under an oversized tan T-shirt, and wore my gold hair in a loose braid.

A knock rang in my ears. I answered the door, and it was an Oompa Loompa. Charlie had told me earlier about them through Email. "Hello?" I asked strangely. He handed me a letter, and I recognized the writing as Willy Wonka's.

Vivian,
Welcome to your first day in the Factory. I shake you warmly by the hand. I don't know if Charlie already told you, but today we're going over some plans that Charlie and I came up with. The Oompa Loompa will direct you to the Conference Room, and you will start work right away.
Yours Truly,
Willy Wonka

I smiled, but then frowned when I realized that I was smiling because I was thinking about Willy. I shivered, set the letter on my nightstand, and took the directions from the Oompa Loompa.

When I reached the Conference Room, Willy and Charlie were already working. "Hey, sorry I'm late," I said with a wave to Charlie. "Try not to be," Willy said without looking up from a piece of paper. I frowned and sat next to Charlie. We all sat around awkwardly for a moment, before Charlie cleared his throat. "So, Willy, Vivian, I've created an idea for a special type of chocolate." Willy looked confused. "But, we already have so many types of chocolate. Why do we need more?" I saw a smirk on Charlie's face, and I was immediately intrigued. "This kind is special." The curiosity was too much. "Well, what's so special about it?" I asked. "One bite, and the next dream you have will be about your soulmate." Silence filled the room. My cheeks burned hotter than I thought could be possible. I peeked at Willy, and he had a pink tint to his cheeks, as well.

"Well, that's, um, interesting," Willy said. "Yeah," I agreed. Charlie frowned. "Fine. If you don't like it, what do you two suggest?" I cleared my throat. "Hey, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, it's just, how is that even possible?" Willy was the one now grinning. "I like to call it, Wonka Magic."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, Mr. Magician. I'll play along. But how do I help?" Charlie coughed. Willy and I both stared. "Well," he began. "We usually use Oompa Loompas as test subjects, but they don't exactly have soulmates, so..." He trailed off, just as I realized what he was saying. "Oh, no! I am not going to be the guinea pig here!" Willy actually chuckled out loud, and I smiled. Charlie sighed. "Okay, well, let's look at some other ideas."

It was lunch, and my stomach growled. Charlie said he wanted to take a look at some other plans, so Willy led me to the Cafeteria, where we sat next to each other. For lunch, we both got a cup of peppermint hot chocolate, a cinnamon bun, and a side of chocolate-dipped pretzels. It was all delicious, but I really viewed this as an opportunity to talk more personally to Willy.

"So,'' I began. "Tell me a little about yourself." He looked up from his plate. "My name is Willy Wonka, and I own Wonka Industries," he said, the sarcasm flowing through his voice. I laughed. "Okay, well, my name is Vivian Lewis, I'm eighteen, and I'm looking forward to my stay here at the Chocolate Factory, and I'm currently single," I said with a grin. Then I realized my mistake.

"Why do I care?" he asked sharply. A pang of feeling struck me. "What?" His eyes became hard. "Why do I care if you're single?" I shrugged. "I don't know, it's just something about me," I murmured. He frowned. "I have work to do. And I'm not that hungry." And he left. Something struck me deeply that was an unknown feeling. It appeared when I remembered Willy saying he was starving, and seeing that his food was untouched.

I punched my pillow. "Ugh!" I screamed. Luckily, I hadn't put on any makeup, so my tears weren't that apparent. A quiet knock dragged me back to reality. "Vivian? Are you decent?" I knew the voice well enough. "Come in, Charlie." I didn't even bother to dry my eyes. When he saw me, he rushed to my side.

"What's wrong? What's happened? Are you okay?" I shook my head, hugging Charlie closer. He was so friendly and caring, you just couldn't help liking him. "Wait a minute," I said. I shoved him away angrily. "What did I do?" he asked with a hurt expression. "You, sir, embarrassed me in front of my boss!" He rolled his eyes. "Oh, you mean your crush?"

I froze. The comment had been so quiet and subtle, you could only have heard it if you were very close. "What did you just say?" Charlie glared at me. "Oh, come on! You can't pretend you don't see it!" "See what?" I asked, looking away. He groaned. "It's so obvious! He clearly likes you, Vivian! How can you not see that?" I screamed. "Shut up, Charlie! I barely know the man, and even if I did like him, which I don't, he hardly even notices me!" Charlie watched me throw my tantrum, and he looked rather amused. "What?" I snapped. Charlie chuckled. "You're so clever, yet so ignorant! I know Willy better than anyone. He likes you Vivian. He's just confused on how to express it." The tears started to come back.

"Then why did he just leave me at lunch, today?" Charlie brushed my braid behind my shoulder. "He hasn't liked anyone for a very long time. The last one he did love didn't turn out well. He's too scared to try to get to know you, in fear that he might grow to love you. He's in denial."

Charlie's words made me think. But they also made me hurt. I settled down further into my soft bed. Charlie left me alone, and I fell into a deep sleep.