Carnelian

A week passed and Carnelian hadn't heard from Justin at all. It was a big relief as she thought he might not let her go so easily.

She joined the long queue at Jewels Café and decided that she would give their Pumpkin Spice latte a try. She'd had one from another coffee shop years ago and it tasted disgusting, but every drink she had bought from Jewels was so delicious she was willing to give it a chance.

The line went down quickly and soon she was being greeted by Julian.

"Hello, Carnelian. Did you want your usual?" he asked, smiling.

"Not this time, I will have Pumpkin Spice latte instead," she replied.

"You will love it," he said enthusiastically.

She moved slightly to the side so the new barista, Onyx, she think the girl was called, could serve someone else.

"Here you go," Julian said as he placed the to go cup in my hand.

"Thanks, Julian."

As she left, Carnelian looked down and noticed that he had put it in a cup with a carnelian jewel in it. It was nice that they designed the cups with the cafes name in mind. It made it unique, and she was glad to see the bright orange stone of her name sitting in the middle. It wasn't often something like that happened as people usually just stuck to the most popular jewels such as diamond, emerald, or ruby.

Taking a large sip of the beverage, it was nice, not overly sweet, and warming from the spices. In other words, the perfect winter drink.

I'm going to have to try and get the recipe from Amber and Julian, she thought, finishing it in three gulps.

Carnelian knew it would probably be a no. I mean who would give out the recipe to one of their most popular drinks? If people could make it that nice at home they would never drink out.

As she left she started walking towards the shop when someone called her name. Turning around, she saw Jack walking towards her.

Her breath hitched as she took the sight of him in. He was wearing his work uniform; a navy blue polo shirt, under his worn leather jacket, and black chinos. Carnelian didn't know why, but she felt an undeniable pull towards him.

She had always been attracted to him -and his brothers  -  but this level of attraction seemed to hit her out of nowhere.

"Hey Li, how are you? I've not really seen you since Justin turned up last week."

Li. That was the nickname they had given her when they were kids because they couldn't be bothered to say her full name. Not that she could blame them; it was a bit of a mouthful.

"I'm getting there. It just hurts to think he would do that," she answered.

"He's a jerk for cheating on you. If you were mine, I would treat you like the goddess you are," Jack said earnestly.

His proclamation did nothing to abate the way she felt towards him. In fact, it just made worse as all she wanted to do now was jump his bones.

"Thank you, Jack. You know, you don't have to say things like that to make me feel better, don't you?" she asked.

"I'm not saying it to make you feel better," he said softly. "I'm saying it because it's the truth."

Her heart stuttered in her chest.

It was the closest to an 'I like you' she had ever got from him.

"Thank you," Carnelian said, trying not to sound too affected.

"Well I better head on as I'm on my lunch break, but call me if you need me," Jack said before starting to head off.

"Sure, and I will," she said.

Walking down the street, she pulled her coat closer to keep her from getting too cold in the wind.

A few moments later, Carnelian sighed as she entered her shop.

What was she thinking?

It had been less than two weeks since she had broken up with Justin. She may have accepted that he'd cheated and that it was over, but it still hurt. It wasn't the right time to start lusting after someone else.

Maybe in a couple of months when her heartache had disappeared she would then consider dating Jack, but not before.

Just then her phone started ringing and when she looked at the name she groaned.

Tatiana was her best friend, and was trying to find ways to cheer her up and take her mind off things.

"Hello," she said answering the call.

"Hi bestie! I was wondering if you wanted to go to Vee tonight? I know it's not supposed overly busy on a Thursday, but I thought it would give us more room to dance," Tatiana asked.

"That sounds like fun. I've not had a good night out in ages. What time do you finish work?" she asked.

"It's supposed to be four o'clock but you know what Paul is like."

"Why don't we get ready at mine seen as it's closer? We can eat pizza and get ready together then," Carnelian suggested.

"I wouldn't mind that. Shall we say I come over at about seven? That way we can have a catch up as well." Tatiana said.

"Yes, I want to know where you've got on your project. I can't wait to see the final thing," she said.

"I'll see you later then, Li. Love you," she said.

"Love you too, T," Carnelian said, before hanging up.

She hoped there wasn't going to be too much work to do for the rest of the afternoon. If there was then she would have to have a nap before Tatiana came around.

Gods, I'm getting old, she thought.

Some days when there have been busy spells after lunch,  Carnelian feels like she could drop from tiredness. There seems to be no reason why as all the tests from the doctors have come back clear. She just hopes that whatever it is will go away soon enough.

The rest of the afternoon is spent catching up on the jobs she should have done last week and most of them are done by the time the shop closes at five thirty.

"Let's get this party started," she says to herself, locking the door and going to drive home.