Words of Fate

Chapter 2

Vivian's POV

I slam my hand against my alarm and groan. Usually, I'm okay with waking up but ever since Arabella and I met being awake just puts this sinking dark and hollow feeling into my chest. It gets so painful and unbearable that my only escape is sleep. 

Yesterday during our encounter on the bus I had told Arabella about all the risks of staying away from each other but she seemed set on staying away from each other. I didn’t even have time to come up with any solutions before she hurried off the bus leaving me alone. 

I take a deep breath in before forcing myself to sit up. I want nothing more than to just lay back down and let sleep overtake me once again but if I do that I'd surely get fired. I take a look at my clock and it's 6:32, my shift starts at 7:30. I have to shower before going to work so I push myself up and go to my closet grabbing the hanger that already holds my whole outfit for the day and I walk out of my bedroom and down the hall into my bathroom. 

I hang my clothes up on the back of the door and step into the shower, when I turn the knob the water sprays out and it's freezing. I don't really mind though, the cold water will just wake me up. By the time I'm halfway done the water starts to get warm, but as it gets warmer I find my thoughts trailing to Arabella. Seeing her yesterday healed the pain I was feeling without her.

 I find myself remembering how the sun shone in her hair and how soft the words she spoke were regardless of how much some of her words hurt. I couldn't believe that she was reading either, no one seems to read anymore and for us to have that in common on top of everything else just adds to the feelings I get when I'm around her. She's so beautiful and I despise this world for being the way it is. If things were different she'd be in my arms by now without the fear of being killed, sadly there's nothing we could do about it. We just can't be together with all of the dangers because of The Heart. 

I don't let my thoughts go any farther and I shut off the shower before grabbing my towel from the hook. I step out, changing quickly and blow drying my long hair the best I can while running a brush through it. Once I'm sure it's dry enough that it won't leave any wet marks on my shirt I go back to my room and sit at my desk opening my laptop. I see that it's 6:57 and I still have roughly fifteen minutes before I have to leave. 

I find myself searching for her. I check every single website she could be on and just when I think that maybe she doesn't have any social media I stumble upon her Retake, an app and website that you basically just recreate pictures from other peoples accounts. I stare at the first photo, it's of her holding a rose in her right hand and holding it in front of her eye with her head slightly turned towards the side. I save the photo in my gallery and continue down her profile.

All of her photos look really professional and she tags a guy in all of the photos and gives him credit in the description. I can't help but feel jealous, her and the guy-who after clicking on his profile I found out was named Luca- spend a lot of time together. Did she have anything with this guy? It's not illegal to have relationships before you find your fated and it's actually quite common. 

I realize I have to get going and reluctantly close the tab and shut my laptop. I grab my keys off the counter and quickly leave my apartment. Walking to work every day becomes tiring but walking is always so much better than driving. After fifteen minutes I finally make it to the front steps of the cafe I work at. The whole walk all I could think about was Ari, I can't force my mind elsewhere. I'm glad that when I walk in there's a long line of people. Filling orders will surely distract my mind from her. 

I open the gate to get behind the counter and quickly wash my hands, put my apron on and join Brandon at the register. I start taking orders and rush off to go make them as soon as the customer pays. It takes about half an hour to get through the rush of customers but I think everyone seemed satisfied with their beverages. As the customers slow down Brandon and I start talking. 

"You're supposed to come in ten minutes early you know," He tells me while rolling his eyes. 

"I had to do something and I got here as quickly as I could," I tell him.

"Well try to come in earlier."I just nod, Brandon is honestly one of the most annoying people I know but he's the assistant manager so it's not like I can actually go against him. He'd go to the manager and get me fired in the blink of an eye so I just put up with him.

"How was your afternoon yesterday? I saw you run off the bus pretty quick after that girl left. Why were you in such a rush?" He questions and I force my brain to think of a quick lie.

"She's just an old friend from public school but we hadn't talked since I left her for other friends and it was just really awkward and I wanted to get out of the crowded bus. I guess the conversation just shook me up a bit." I say silently hoping he didn't hear any of the conversation between Arabella and me.

"That makes sense."

"Yeah, how was your afternoon?" I ask politely this is how my conversations usually go with Brandon, dry and forced.

"I spent it watching tv after ordering take-out so it was pretty normal." He shrugs. 

"That sounds nice" I hear the ring of the door and sigh in relief, straightening myself and taking my position at the counter. 

"Welcome to Coffee Café, what can I get you?" I greet a tall man in a black suit.

"Large black coffee" I nod and punch it into the register's screen.

"Anything else sir?" He shakes his head.

"That'll be $2.75" He pulls out the exact amount of change and tosses it on the counter. I pick up the change and watch as he goes to take a seat at one of the tables, apparently, I have to deliver this coffee. I grab a large cup and put it under the coffee machine and press the button for large. It fills up quickly and I take it out, press a lid on the cup and walk out from behind the counter and over to the man. I set the coffee down in front of him and the man just grunts. He can't even give me a thank you, I nod to him and then something catches my eye. He's wearing a Bizzers tag around his neck, it’s rare to see a Bizzier out of uniform, he must be doing an investigation or something. I shake my head deciding his job is none of my business and I walk off and back over to Brandon. 

"I wonder what crawled up his ass and died?" I huff, I despise dealing with customers like that one. 

"Language Vivian, that's no way to talk about a customer. Even if he really is an ass" Brandon laughs. 

"I think I'm just going to make myself a warm mug of mint hot chocolate with whipped cream and maybe even some sprinkles if I'm feeling daring enough and call the next fifteen minutes my break" I joke but Brandon looks stunned. 

"What?" I question. 

"I never thought you" his voice drifts.

"I what?" 

"You said them, you said the words of fate there's no way anyone else could've said them to me. But you? Hell, I never even in the slightest expected you." My brows furrowed in confusion, how could this be? Two fated in a week? But Brandon never said my words of fate which doesn’t make any sense.

"Nice joke Brandon, I'm going to go make that hot chocolate now" I try to walk past him but he grabs my arm and pulls me into the back room where we bake all the food. 

"You must feel it too" His eyes look deeply and desperately into mine. 

"I feel nothing, we're just friends. I'm sorry Brandon but I've already found my fated," I tell him, even if it were true I would never be with him. I would go to The Correctional if it meant I didn't have to be with him. 

"Who is he?"

"That's none of your business!" my voice starts to rise. 

"I won't have it. You're my Fated and I'm not letting you slip through my fingers, I refuse to be alone. I'll make you forget about whoever he is" Brandon brings his disgusting lips to my ear to whisper the last part. I try to shove him off but he refuses to move and instead tightens his grip on my arms to the point I'm scared that it'll bruise. 

"If you want to keep your job I highly suggest you stop struggling." He threatens while gripping me tighter. He’s an i***t but I’ve never seen him like this. 

I take a deep breath before making my final decision just as he's about to bring his lips to mine I bring my knee up with as much force as I can conjure. Brandon falls to his knees onto the ground roughly cursing. 

I weave my way around him and the tables and pick up my pace. I hear him yelling from the back but I force myself to walk out from behind the counter and straight out the door. I catch the Bizzier man intently watching me, I push past my thoughts and head to the one place where I can feel safe. Oak Park.

Oak Park was where my father took me every Saturday afternoon before he left my mother and I. Oak park is also luckily only four blocks away from Coffee Café. The sun beats down warmly on my skin. It's July now and it's warm all day and is luckily isn't scorching out.

I walk down the small sidewalk that branches off the main sidewalk and into the park. I walk for a few minutes and all the way to the swing set. No one is here so I take a seat on one of the swings and push my feet back a bit so I'm swinging.

This park is where I made my best memories, the ones that aren't painful to look back on.

I can remember the last day my father took me here vividly. It was roughly six years ago on the day he left.

"What kind of ice cream do you want today my little fox?" He always called me that, I had gotten the nickname from him when I was only a toddler because I kept stealing things and lying about not having them when I clearly did. I was also extraordinarily quick one time when my mother left the room for less than a minute I had already managed to get out of my high chair and a cookie from a pan that had just come out of the oven.

"Peanut butter!" I screeched, it was always my favourite as a child. 

"Anything for you" He scooped me up in his arms and carried me all the way to the ice-cream truck that was always parked on the right side of the park. He set me down gently and kindly spoke to the man in the truck telling him what we wanted. That's something my father always was, kind. He had a bigger heart than anyone else I had ever met.

When the man finished scooping out the ice-cream my father paid and handed me down my ice-cream. But something was different that day and even at nine years old I knew because that day he bought me two scoops instead of one. I hadn't questioned it though, why would I? I had ice-cream and I was happy.

"Let's go over to the table and sit down for a little while," I remember giving him a look like he had three heads.

"But we always go over to the swings." I protest.

"Not today my little fox, let's sit down and then we can go to the swings."

"Okay," I huffed out and followed him to the picnic table.

"Darling, I love you more than anything. You know that, right?" I was confused, of course, I knew that.

"Yep"

"Well I need to go away for a while and you're going to stay with Mom. I'll come back for you someday and I'll call you every day"

"Where are you going?" At that age I didn't understand, why would he leave me? I'm his daughter, where would he go without me?

"I'm going to a place where I'll be loved and be surrounded by people that care about the real me."

"But I care about you! You can't leave me!" I started to get upset.

"I know you care about me and I love you more than anything but I need to go away so I can be safe and so you can be safe."

"I am safe, I'm safe with you" I object.

"I know you think that my little fox and someday you'll understand. I'll tell you everything you could ever want to know but I can't do that yet. I need to wait until you're ready"

"I am ready!" at this point I have no clue what I'm saying or even fighting against all I want to do is make him wrong so he'd stay with me.

"But I don't think I'm ready Vivian. I promise someday I'll tell you why I left and someday you'll understand but for now, you're going to have to trust me." I realized he used my full name and at that point, I knew I had to stop.

"Yes, Dad" My voice comes out sadly.

"Now how about those swings?" Our ice-cream was nowhere near finished but neither of us cared. He ran off and I followed him giggling and letting our conversation slip my mind. We stayed at the swingset for hours until it was dark and we both knew we had to get home.

The next morning, I woke up and he was gone.

I don't know if it's the pain of the memory or the shock of what happened with Brandon but I feel tears begin to slide down my cheeks.