Talking Loudly

Chapter 7

Beth was miserable. She was tired and needed coffee. Her sister who was also her roommate in their apartment had slept in Beth's bed with her. They both cried until late into the night. Beth had too many emotions running through her. Francis was crying because of the anxiety felt for her sister.

And how her sister was such an innocent girl that didn't need any of this. That didn't deserve this. Her sister had finally been content with her parents leaving her just a few years ago. The nightmares had stopped and she rarely got them since.

August was getting updates from Mr. Santorini about how the case was going. August and Mina had talked yesterday and traded numbers. They already had became very good friends. Mina was studying law and needed some help. She was studying it to become a translator for a court house. Mina had texted him about Beth.

She's exhausted. Francis already warned me that they had a long night.

August left work early that day around two. Then bought some flowers. He knew that she would be at the book shop. He'd order coffee there for the two.

Beth was struggling with keeping her feelings in check. She was all over the place. Mina said that she needed a break, but was afraid that Beth would fall apart.

And Beth felt that fragile, but continued to work. So she was surprised to see August standing a couple steps behind her holding some flowers and wearing a soft smile.

He hands her the flowers and she instantly felt a lot better. Mina who was watching through one of the shelves witnessed something she thought it would take a miracle to happen today.

Beth smiled. She truly smiled. Mina went back to work and left the two alone.

"They are beautiful," Beth signs softly.

"Want to join me for some coffee?" August asks. He was nervous that she would say no. But Beth's eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly.

The two got some coffee and then hid away at a corner table. Beth slowly told him what was happening. He had asked because he wanted to see her view.

Beth felt destroyed. She was finally content with the way her parents had abandoned her. And now they were back. Ready to rip her up again and to leave her screaming in her sleep.

"What are you going to do when you see them?" August asks.

Beth signs seriously. "I want to tell them. How much pain they brought me."

"What do you mean?" August questions confused. The way she signed tell did she mean that she actually wanted to speak?

"Help me," Beth signs. August looks at her confused. "I need to practice speaking. I want them to hear how angry I am."

"Are you sure?" August says feeling a little uncomfortable.

Beth nods her head, "Thank you for the coffee. And I love the flowers."

August asks her before he loses his guts,"Will you go to dinner with me?" August really wanted to lose his guts after he quickly signed the words. He stares at his coffee cup avoiding her stare and trying to calm the fast pace of his heart. She laughs noticing that his hands were shaking. But he didn't notice that she had been shaking this entire time sitting with him. She places her hand on one of his making him feel embarrassed that she noticed the shaking.

"Yes, of course then how else am I supposed to get practice in if we don't meet up?" Beth says teasing him. But August felt so discouraged after she just practically friend-zoned him.

"When?" she asks then gets up. She grabs a paper and pencil from one of the desks and starts writing something on it. Then she hands it to August who felt so stupid to think that a pretty girl would like a guy like him. But he had to look positively.

She still wanted him as a friend. That was good right?

"Here's my number that you wanted," she signs flirting. But August was feeling so discouraged that he didn't recognize that she was flirting with him in her signs.

"How about..." August's head was scrambling all around struggling to work. He always felt disoriented with her. He was better signing with his family. But he was to nervous when signing to her. Afraid he'd mess up and offend her somehow. "Thursday?"

Beth thinks about it as she's trying to remember all of the meetings that she's going to have to have with dealing her demon parents that were sent from down below.

She meant, her biological parents.

Mina buzzes Beth's phone telling her she needed help with a customer. Beth stands up.

"I have to go. Duty calls Mr. Lawyer," hoping that he would see the flirting with Mr. Lawyer. But August was barely paying attention trying to find where he went wrong in this process.

"See you Thursday I guess," August sluggishly signs to her.

Beth smiles wide, "It's a date."

Both hearts soared. "It's a date." August signs back relieved. She did get it. She did think him as something more than a friend. August was willing to jump over the moon. Beth wanted to collapse but she walked away rushing over to Mina.

August quickly walked out of there starting to worry about the date in two days. Beth has been worrying about what she was going to wear since he asked her.

August was telling Mr. Santorini how he finally scored a date. The old man smiled nodding his head.

"Good, take her mind off of her stupid biological parents," he says. Mr. Santorini just had a bucket load of stress and sadness unloaded off of him. He felt like doing cartwheels about the two finally setting a date up.