ch 4
But she didn't run. At least not before Gideon made his way over to the booth. "Ada we really need to talk." He pleaded. He looked pathetic. Ada almost felt sorry for him. Almost but not quite. Sebastien grinned but said nothing. "I think we don't," Ada replied. Gideon let out an annoyed sigh. "Ada please." Gideon pleaded. Ada looked at Sebastien who raised a brow in amusement. "Go away Gideon." She finally said and she turned her attention to her ex. Gideon left, a string of cuss words following behind him.
Sebastien leaned forwards once more. "The ex?" He asked. Or maybe he presumed. It wasn't that hard to notice that there was tension between her and Gideon. "Yeah," she replied, nodding her head. "Still in love with him?" Sebastien pondered, almost as if asking himself a question not really wanting Ada to answer it.
"Right now I'm not sure what it is, I think I'm always going to love him but he wanted me and apparently Alex Higgins as well." Ada swirled the straw around in her drink. "It's okay to love him," sebastien told her. "Remember what I told you the first time I replied to your post? I still love mine." He sat back in the booth and Ada knew that what he had just said bothered him slightly. His ex must have burned him good, she thought to herself.
"What did yours do?" Ada wondered aloud. "To become an ex I mean." Sebastien let out a sigh, looked directly in Ada's eyes and replied,"She died," Ada's eyes grew wide and she didnt know what to say, like at all. "I'm ....I'm sorry," she stammered. "It was a long time ago," Sebastien said offhandedly. A long time ago or not Ada could tell that the wound was barely healed over. "Try to be friends with him," Sebastien told her and Ada could tell he genuinely meant what he said. Ada was silent. How can you be friends with someone that used you for the past 2 years and the same day he dumped you found himself in bed with someone else. But Sebastien seemed adamant and the least she could do was try.
***
At the end of the impromptu date that they had, Sebastien walked Ada out to her car. "Well I had fun," he told her as he leaned against the passenger side of his car as she did the same to the drivers side of hers. "You never told me what you were doing on the app," ada sputtered. Now she was really curious. This guy was a solid 8 on a bad day. There was no way the end of this date was going to end platonically. He had to want something other than the kiss they shared earlier. After all why would he drive 45 minutes to see her if it wasnt for something else.
"To ease the pain a bit," he replied to her question. He stared at her and smiled. "You have beautiful eyes," he murmured. Ada blushed and thanked him. He stared at her just a little bit longer and at any other given moment with anyone else, Ada would have been nervous. But with him she wasnt, she felt safe. "The heart that really loves you, will always fight for you Ada remember that," he told her as he stepped in, tucked a curl of her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. Not at all what she was expecting. He gave her hand a squeeze and rounded his car, got in, turned the car on and left her standing alone in the parking lot pondering how she had gotten her self to fall in love with a total stranger in less than a few hours.
Ada scoffed at herself. Who was she kidding. She fell in love with him the moment he replied back to her confession. And the thought of loving someone else, being the putty in someone elses hands, scared her more than loving Gideon did.
June
The month seemed to zoom by fast. Work at the diner was always busy, but busy meant good tips. The night at the Arcade Sebastien and Ada exchanged phone numbers so it was no longer messaging on the app but in real time. Ada's phone chirped as she poured the bleach into the mop bucket once again, to clean up after close.
After the arcade, Sebastien was alot more open about things. He had always been open before but now he messaged her almost daily, making sure to check in and see if she was okay and how she was feeling. Ada stepped away from the bucket and picked up her phone from behind the counter and opened up the message that was waiting for her.
She thought it would be from Sebastien. Sebastien was a texter but sometimes his replies were few and far in between. Almost like he would open the text, ponder what to say and then forget to reply all in one go,
The text was from Bernie. The fun thing with Bernie is she never texted. Texting was her emergency go to. She preferred the old fashioned phone calls. Ada opened up the notification and read Bernies plea to meet her after work was done because she needed help. Not 911 help but a dilemma needing solving. Texting was far from Bernie's norm, so she shot back a reply saying to meet her at the cafe in 30 and then she opened up the iMessage for Sebastien. It said that he had read her last text 3 hours earlier but he didnt reply. That was his usual that she had come to realize.
Ada scrolled back and reread their conversation.
AC: you would think by now I would be over him. But the pain is still there. I want him to go and be happy with someone else and then another part of me feels burned and used when I think of him with someone else.
SN: He's going to be sorry he lost you. So stop worrying.
AC: I'm not sure I want him to be sorry that he lost me. Maybe I just....Idk I feel like I should talk to him on some level and then another part of me is scared that maybe he wants to get back together with me.
SN: Why would that be a scary thought? I thought you loved him.
AC: I think I'm in love with the thought of being in love. Or maybe I loved him but I'm not in love. I dont know. Gideon was safe. But I feel safe with you too.
And then he never replied back. He left her on read. Ada sighed put her phone in her back pants pocket and continued to clean up the diner.
"So whats this big emergency?" Ada asked her friend as she leaned against her car. No one but her and Bernie were at the diner. It was closed but the neon light from the sign was still on, casting a glow across the two. "So theres this girl...." Bernie stammered. Ada raised a brow, Usually Bernies sentences came out like "so theres this boy and I accidentally had sex with his cousin." Having a girl in the picture was a new avenue to be explored.
An hour later the girls finished their talk. "Just invite her over for a girls day with us," Ada suggested as she opened her car door to get in. Bernie ran her fingers through her short spiked hair. Tonight it was in a mohawk and was bright pink. Tomorrow? Who knew. "What is she doesnt want a girls day, what if she doesnt like me like that? What if I make a fool out of myself and omg, I cant do this; Is this a panic attack I think this is a panic attack," Ada watched her friend pace and laughed softly. "Can we pretend for one moment that you arent a complete mess?" Ada asked and Bernie let out a cry. "Its not that hard, ask her out," Ada said smiling.
"Ive asked guys out before, its either yes or no. What if I ask her out and it gets confusing. What if she says Maybe or I dont know. I'm a girl too I know what that means. It means I might like you but not that much, or this is just a nice way to tell you that you're ugly because I dont want to hurt your feelings."
Ada got in her car but looked out her window to watch her friend pace frantically from left to right and back again. "One, Bernadette you are far from ugly and Two you wont know unless you ask. JUst take the leap. Now call me if you need me but I need to go home and shower. I smell like cheeseburgers and chocolate malt." Bernie flipped her friend off but got in her car as well and after a moment took off. Before Ada did the same she leaned back in her car seat and smiled. It was nice to have a little drama that wasnt Gideon related in her life. She started her car up and took off towards home.
