russian roulette

i

i | c a f é r e n v e r s é
(fr) spilled coffee

IT WAS RAINING HEAVILY in New York City.

Arden Hawthorne sat by the windows, watching the drops trickling down the glass as a flash of light pierced through the clouds. She'd always hated thunderstorms. But despite hating it, one would compare her to it. She was a thunderstorm, raging, difficult and sophisticated.

The very reason why she hated it was because of her mother and brother. It would always remind her of them and she hated it. It would always unlock the memories she'd stored in a locked chest buried deep in her heart.

Behind her, she heard footsteps approaching the door and it soon came to a halt.

"Do you miss them?" She asked. She knew who it was without looking.

"Everyday."

Arden finally turned around. Charles Hawthorne stood by the doorway, his suit a darker shade of black from the rain. His hair brushed against his shoulders and his untrimmed beard had streaks of white on it. She realized her father looked years older than he was. She could see the visible wrinkles on his forehead. He took it much harder than she did. She closed her eyes to stop the tears threatening to pour out her eyes but she couldn't control it. They streamed down her cheeks, one by one, dripping down her chin. Charles rushed to her side, kneeling down beside her and engulfed her into a hug. He pressed his lips against her forehead, cradling her as she sobbed into his suit.

The office was silent, there was no noise outside the door. The employees must've known what was going on. Arden calmed herself and wiped her tears away.

"I hate the rain." She choked out a laugh, her fingers still gripping onto her father.

"Tell me about it." Her father looked down at her and smiled. She could see the pain and sadness in his eyes. She pulled her father closer to her and they sat, holding onto each other.

Arden was welcomed by the smell of coffee the moment she stepped into the cafe. She took a deep breath, calming herself down from her recent breakdowns.

"Control yourself, Arden. Control yourself." She reminded herself as she made her way to the cashier.

She was looking at the menu, her eyes skimming through the list of drinks, something she found comforting.

"Hey lady, watch out!" A voice cried beside her.

Arden turned around but it was too late. She could feel the cold liquid sleeping into her white blouse. A cold shiver shot through her spine. This cannot be happening. She thought. She looked down at her blouse. An ugly brown splotch nearly covered her whole blouse. Her mouth dropped open. It was going to take a long time to wash.

"I-I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't looking and..." Arden looked up to see a young man standing before her with an empty cup of coffee. His features were striking from his strong jaw to his chocolate brown eyes. Her breath almost stuck in her throat.

"I have a washing machine in my apartment just a few blocks away or I could have someone wash it for you?"

"No." Arden managed to say through the thoughts running around her head. She was already in a foul mood and this just made it worst.

"Are you sure? I can—"

"Shut up!" She yelled. The whole cafe stopped to watch them. Arden was furious, her heart pounded against her rib cage as she swallowed a cry wanting to come out. She looked back at the man, shock and guilt written in his eyes. She huffed and turned around, exciting the cafe without a single glance back.

"The contractor left," her father informed her once she'd changed to a clean t-shirt.

Arden's eyes widened. "What? You're kidding." She couldn't believe it. They had only a few months left to the grand opening of their new hotel and the building was barely built. "Ba, there's not enough time. We have to find another contractor or we'd have to delay the opening."

"I know, I have someone in mind." He assured. He walked towards her desk and leaned against it. His eyes looking down at Arden's as she sat Indian style on her chair. "Arden, there's a ball coming up. A charity ball organized by the Carpenters at one of our hotels next week. All the best firms in the business will be invited. I hope to find a contractor there."

Arden nodded her head in agreement. "Of course, the Carpenters know everyone. I suppose I'll just stay at home while you go for it. Parties are not my thing, Ba."

A laugh erupted from Charles, he shook his head. "No, no, no. You're coming with me."

"But Ba, you know I hate parties. I am horrible in social interaction, I'll end up babbling and ranting whenever I meet new people and for heaven's sake I have to wear those tight dresses, and heels!"

"Arden, you're the heiress to Hawthorne Enterprise. Once I retire, you will be dealing with this all by yourself. It's good for you to come along and learn."

"But Ba—"

Charles gave his daughter a stern look. "Arden. This is for your own good." Arden sighed and slumped against her chair in defeat. She knew her father was right. Her father was always right. "Besides, it's a good way for you to find a boyfriend—"

"Ba!"

——————

—author's notes

Hello loves! This is my first attempt to write a full teen fiction novel so please bear with me. I apologize for any mistakes or grammatical errors. This is a new remade chapter. I didn't like the first version so I changed some stuff around.

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!

Mag