Crowned follows a character named Mara Clare who is a waitress in Chicago. She has never felt connected to anyone. Even her parents never seemed to love her. Therefore, her escape came through the pages of books. On her 25th birthday, she gets a cal...
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Two weeks later...
Every other day seems to blur as Mara continues her mundane rituals of going to work, coming home, reading, and going to bed.Normally, reading would cheer her up and make her feel some sense of happiness, gaining some excitement from the characters within the books. Yet, after tasting the real thing, after spending the night under the bean with Peter, nothing seems to quench her yearning any longer. She knew sadness captivated her when she stopped loving the things she loved.
She finds herself thinking about him often. The way he made her feel, the tingle on her lips, still fresh from his kiss. She thinks about his eyes, smooth and calm like an ocean, and the warmth she felt when their lips brushed against each other. She wonders what he's doing back in his home, and she secretly wishes he thinks about her as much as she thinks about him.
When they woke up the next morning, still laying fresh in each other's arms, neither of them wanted to part from each other. She remembers him trailing every detail of her face. His fingers, feather soft, gliding down the planes of her cheekbones and voyaging down to her chin. He wanted to remember every inch of her. They knew that they are from two different worlds, two different paths that would only cross once. They said their good-byes, held each other for the last time, and both departed feeling like each of them had lost a part of themselves.
It's not fair that she had such a beautiful taste of the color that filled this world only to return to the gray and colorless existence. Sometimes, she tries to remind herself that she almost skipped work that day, that she almost didn't take that bachelor party, that she could have pushed Peter away, that in the whim of a moment everything could have changed.Their encounter was built on happenchance and it's romantic how the world conspires to give small moments like that, seconds in time that seem perfect, as if the world itself is standing still. She should be happy that she even got to experience that feeling but she knows that it wouldn't be enough.
She feels so bad for Peter having his life, his destiny, planned for him. She couldn't understand what that would feel like. He had told her that for the moment that he spent with her he felt like he had a choice, a moment to feel happiness, maybe she was put in his life for that reason and that reason only.
His story is different from hers, his pages have been predetermined and written for him, while hers were slowly in the making. Yet, why does it feel like she's fading, wrapped up in a few weeks ago.
"Are you okay Mara, you seem a bit off?" Jonas asks.
She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she forgot that she is at work. The chef has given her two plates of chips with salsa and they've been sitting there while she was daydreaming.
"Yes, I'm sorry just a rough night I guess."
"You, rough nights? I don't think you have it in you kiddo."
It's a sad realization but Jonas is right. It's depressing that people could easily read her knowing that nothing exciting happens in her life, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing worth while. She shouldn't be offended by his remark, she knows he didn't mean anything by it, but it still stings.
"Excuse me," she takes the food and walks past him.
Jonas scratches the side of his head as he watches her walk past him. Her familiar smell of vanilla and berries wafts through his nose as he catches her scent. She's so graceful in her movements, like a ballerina, everything she does so poetic. He watches as she smiles at a customer, tucking loose strands of her hair behind her ear. It's weird how someone could be in awe of just someone's movements, of something so small that they do, but embodies them altogether. He decides that he couldn't hide his feelings any longer but he had to tell her. What good would bottling these emotions do? Sooner or later he'd explode.
Mara turns back around and notices the VIP section in the club and that night two weeks ago rushes back to her mind. She cannot help but go back over towards the stairway and run her hands along the wood paneling. Hoping it conjures up some of those same feelings she felt that night.
She feels nothing, nothing but the cold wood and dust accumulating there. It's a quieter night at the club since it's a Tuesday night and it's just about ready to close. The other waiters are cleaning up the remaining tables. The last person, who is finishing up their nachos, leaves there check and exits the club. Suddenly, it's just a couple people left in the club and Mara is happy that the night has finally come to an end. She takes her tip, and walks over towards the cash register closing it up for the night. She turns around and jumps noticing Jonas standing there leaning against the bar. He's smiling, but it seems odd looking, he's slightly freaking her out. "Jonas are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm great, spectacular really. Um," he looks like he's sweating and if she didn't want to embarrass him she'd offer him a napkin to dab his face. He let his hair down tonight and she never realized how long it is framing his circular face quite nicely.
"That's good, well I'll um see you tomorrow then?"
She leaves the bar and Jonas curses himself under his breath. He runs back over towards her catching up to her.
"Hey, are you um, thirsty? How about we get a coffee?"
Mara looks at him confusingly she opens her phone and checks the time then looks back at Jonas.
"Jonas, it's like 2 am. I'm tired I think I want to go to bed."
"What about tomorrow then? My treat." He can sense her hesitation so he quickly turns his conversation to be more light hearted, "you know since I never really treated you out for your birthday."
Mara never really likes letting people down and sadly she can see how desperate Jonas is to take her for coffee. What could it hurt? Besides, he's a sweet guy and it would do her good to get her mind off of her Peter. Wow, she needs to get a grip on herself, he's not hers and probably never will be.
"Yes, that sounds nice. Tomorrow around noon."
She says immediately and she takes it a step further, she gives him a peck on the cheek and she can see his face flash a bright crimson. He places his shaking hand on his cheek and she waves as she walks away. This will be good she thinks to herself thinking of Peter would only lead to heartbreak.
