[Part I - Completed] [Part II - Ongoing]
Ellen (El), 24, works at a diner to make ends meet. She loves to draw and draws inspiration from tattoos and graffitis. Between balancing her job and her passion, she also has a crush on a mystery girl who vi...
As soon as I opened the door of our apartment, Ellen engulfed me in a bone crushing hug. I hesitated at first, but I hugged her back as well. She smelled of sweat and salt. Clearly, she had a hard day at work.
"Oh my god, Zach!" She was beaming with joy. "I had the best day of my life!" Her eyes had a twinkle in them, the sort of perk that only happens when you're ecstatic.
What could have been the cause of her merriment? Seeing this amount of happiness on her face made my heart leap with every beat. Bless the thing that had made her experience such extreme joy!
"Yeah. I guessed from the way you literally squeezed me to death," I replied, a touch of sarcasm in my voice. She immediately let out a nervous laugh. "So what's so exciting?"
"I met Macy today." Her face was as red as a plump tomato.
Ugh. Not again.
"And?"
"And she shared her breakfast with me. And I have her number. And I'm going to meet her tomorrow." After each sentence, her voice rose higher and higher. She was smiling from ear to ear.
Those words knocked out the air out of my lungs. A feeling of emptiness overcame my whole body. So, they are going on a date. Great. Awesome.
Not great. Not awesome.
I fixed my eyes on the ground and with a soft voice, almost a whisper, asked, "Like, on a date?"
Ellen looked a bit bothered by the question. Her dark brown irises moved about everywhere, just like melted chocolate. However, they lacked the depth in them.
With a swift movement, she took out her phone from her small purse and began scrolling and tapping the screen. I was confused until she showed me the messages.
"Does this count?" Ellen bit her lip.
I took her phone in my hand and squinted at the screen. It was Macy who had first sent the text "It's a date". My mind had a hard time registering the fact that Ellen was actually going on a date with Macy. It all had felt like a story, a chapter from a romance novel but now, reality had struck it's lightning on me.
"Zach?" Ellen's voice brought me back from my thoughts. As I looked at her, she raised her eyebrows and said, this time stressing each word, "Does this count?"
"It might." Ellen had almost jumped like a little child but before she could celebrate too much, I needed to plant a seed of doubt in her mind. So, I added, "Don't read too much into it. She might just mean business."
Ellen's face fell. She looked like she had been stabbed in her heart. To comfort her I gave her a pat on her shoulder, plastered a polite smile on my face and said, "In order to protect ourselves, it's better to prepare for the worst than to hope for the best. I'm trying to help you, you know."
Ellen nodded.
"Let's cheer you up." I took Ellen to the dining table and made her sit on one of the chairs. I went into the kitchen and brought out the warm pumpkin soup. Ellen's face lit up at the sight of her favourite dish. At least, she wouldn't think about Macy for a while.
*****
The diner was bustling with people tonight. It was a Friday night and it seemed that everybody planned to have dinner outside. Ellen did not have a night shift today so she stayed back at home while I worked. Today's events had left a gaping hole in my heart and I knew I had to find a cure.
No more being jealous. No more letting El affect me.
There were many attractive girls here but most of them were not single. Every time my eyes laid on a girl, her partner would come and join her.
The ones who were single or who fell under the category "it's complicated", however, were too drunk to make a move on. And when some fuck boy approached them, their friends would come running through the crowd and drag them out of the diner.
The bird of lust in me did not spread its wings and fly in the sky of attraction. That is, until I noticed her from the corner of my eye. She was new here, a breath of fresh air amidst all the smoke.
Our eyes met and I could feel a tension in the air. She shot a glance behind her, outside the diner, before beginning to walk in my direction. The black floral dress swayed with her every move, while her black curls bounced around her shoulder. She sat on a stool just in front of me, flashed a smile and ordered two glasses of our most popular drink.
As I prepared the drink, I saw her checking me out. I gave her a smirk and asked, "Is the other drink for someone special?"
She laughed at my question. She rested her arms on the glass table and leaned forward. Softly, she said, "Yes." I gave a curt nod. It was her time to smirk now. She looked at me with a piercing gaze and added,"It's for my sister," measuring every word just to torture me.
"I'm Lilly." I took her small extended palm in my own, and gave a firm shake.
"I'm Zach."
"Nice to meet you, Zach."
"So, what's the special occasion?"
On hearing my question, she wrinkled her eyebrows. It seemed that she was making up an answer in her mind. "Just celebrating my sister's recent engagement." After a short pause, she added,"Don't worry. I'm still single." She winked, causing me to blush.
She's one hell of a woman!
She turned to look at the door and pointed at the girl who had just entered the diner. "There she is."
My heart filled with a bitter feeling. It was indeed a small world. Macy stood at the entrance, scanning the crowded diner. But, wait a minute. Didn't Lilly just say that her sister was engaged? Macy couldn't be engaged. She was going on a date with Ellen tomorrow morning.
What? This can't be right!
She spotted Lilly and began walking to the bar. But just as her eyes fell on me, Macy stopped short in her tracks. She looked like she had seen a ghost. She took the next few steps reluctantly and as she sat on the stool beside her sister, I noticed her grow paler by the minute.
"Hello, Zach." Her voice was shaky. "I didn't think you'd be here." After a short pause, she continued,"I see you have met my sister."
"You know each other?" Lilly had her eyebrows raised. Macy gave her a light nod.
"The important question Lilly, is, why didn't Macy tell Ellen and I that she's engaged?" Macy blinked. Her amber eyes now held a fear in them.
"Who's Ellen?" Lilly shot a questioning look at Macy, causing her to squirm in her seat.
Macy raised her left hand and tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear. That was when I noticed the sparkling diamond ring on her finger.
This was gonna be interesting.
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Author's Note
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