Vendetta

Chapter 5: At First Remembrance

Aella
Mid-October
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Today was the first day in weeks I had been outside since Axel's funeral. I had just decided to go for a ride and ended up at The Bistro. I guess I missed it there. My brother and I used to come here after school some days, and I missed the decadent smell of chocolate, cinnamon, fresh berries, and my brother's spicy cologne that I used to tell him I hated. Maybe I just missed seeing how excited he got when they brought out a fresh chocolate cake for him.

I just missed him.

I missed his smile and his laugh. I miss the nickname he called me. He never called me Aella. He always called me Rosie for the Rose in Aella-Rose. I miss the hugs he'd give me after a long frustrating day. I miss him taking me to get ice cream or shopping. I miss the way he played the piano. I miss his paintings. I miss his kindness. I missed his caring heart. I missed my brother.

Tears sprung to my eyes. I forced them back as I slid out of my car. I wrapped my scarf a little tighter around my neck and hurried to the door. Fall was no joke in Chicago.

I stepped into the small cafe, a faint smile playing on my lips. I adored this cafe. My Grandmother's very dear friend, Mariam, was the owner. Although she hardly came in, her essence was still left behind, causing people's heartaches to lessen at the old mahogany door. Chris, Mariam's grandson, worked the counter and shared shifts with the other employees. Abigale, Mariam's granddaughter, Chris's sister, worked in the back. She was the mastermind behind the delicious coffees, drinks, and delightful delicacies. They were both sweethearts and I loved them both dearly. They had become friends of mine and my brother's long before they worked at The Bistro.

"Welcome to The Bistro," A pleasant voice greeted me from behind the counter. I glanced at the brown-haired guy behind the counter. He must have been a new employee. I'd never seen him before. He had a pleasant smile on his face. "Can I help you?" He asked sweetly.

"Actually, I-"

"Aella!" My head whipped to the side where a young man with bright green eyes and curly blonde hair that hung just past his shoulders sat. His face lit up with a bright smile and his emerald eyes sparkled happily. He sat at a booth that was aligned with the windows that reached from the floors to the ceilings. He dropped the small packet of papers he had been scribbling on and slid out of the red cushioned seat he had been sitting on. Quickly, he made his way to me, his blonde locks flowing behind.

I let out an airy and harsh grunt as he wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug and lifted me off the floor. The tips of my toes brushed the linoleum.

I tapped his side with my fingertips frantically, the only body part I could reach, as my arms were held against my sides.

"I...can't...breathe...!" I struggled with the release of each word.

Chris laughed and let me go, a slightly embarrassed blush on his cheeks.

"I missed you too, Chris," I smile at him. "How have you been?" He takes a hair tie off his slender pale wrist and pulls his hair into a messy man-bun atop his head.

"I'm fine," he hesitates slightly. I noticed the coolness of pain and sorrow pass through his usually warm emerald eyes. "Well, as fine as I'll ever be." I nodded. Chris and his sister had attended my brother's funeral, along with their grandmother. All of us were very close friends and I'm sure the loss of my brother pained both the Petrov siblings almost as much as it pained me. He regarded me with a sad questioning look in his eyes.

I didn't say anything but gave him a sad ghost of a smile and a squeeze of the hand.

I changed the subject, hoping to lighten the mood. "Where's your beautiful sister?" I asked as I peered around him, hoping to spot her long slender frame and halo of golden curls.