Chapter2
1456 Words
Nathalie.
The city was wrapped in the quiet, chilly gray of the early morning when I finally left the club. Despite the exhaustion deep in my bones, a fluttering warmth bloomed in my chest. I was finally going to see my best friend. It had been nearly four years since I last looked at Caroline’s face in person.
Even through the chaos of her busy life, she always answered my texts eventually. I breathed a sigh of relief into the crisp air, comforting myself with the knowledge that someone who truly knew me was finally within reach. Sure, Caroline could be judgmental at times, but she always knew how to ground me.
I stepped out of the cab and walked down the wide, pristine pavement toward Bennett’s Café. I paused at the entrance, noticing how much the place had changed. The old, cozy brickwork had been replaced by sterile glass paneling and minimalist concrete.
Pushing through the heavy glass door, I scanned the room. My eyes immediately locked onto Caroline. She was sitting by a massive floor-to-ceiling window, flanked by two girls who looked like they had stepped straight off a Parisian runway.
A wave of pure joy washed away my fatigue. A wide grin breaking across my face, I hurried across the polished concrete floor toward her. Caroline lifted her head, her sharp eyes mapping my approach.
“Caroline!” I gasped, immediately dropping to wrap my arms around her shoulders in a tight hug.
“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. But instead of hugging me back, her manicured hands pushed against my chest, roughly forcing a distance between us.
My smile froze. Confusion muddled my happiness as I caught the expressions of her two friends. They were staring at me like I was a stain on the tablecloth.
“Nathalie,” Caroline said, her voice dropping into a firm, transactional tone. She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and pointed a finger toward a small table isolated in the far corner. “Can you go sit over there for an hour? I’m right in the middle of something with my friends.”
“Oh,” I murmured. A toxic heat of embarrassment began to claw its way up my neck. I looked from her finger to the two girls, then back to Caroline. “You know, I don’t mind sitting with you guys. We can all talk.”
The three of them exchanged a brief, telling glance before bursting into a chorus of mocking laughter. My brow furrowed, the humiliation tightening around my throat like a noose.
“Nathalie, please,” Caroline scoffed, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. “My friends are not exactly comfortable around cheap drugstore perfume. And I can tolerate your non-designer outfit for maybe twenty minutes max, but they shouldn't have to look at it.”
The girl on her left, a blonde with ice-cold blue eyes, leaned forward and wrinkled her nose. “Seriously, Caroline, did her shirt come from a dumpster?” she muttered, not even bothering to lower her voice.
The words twisted like a knife in my chest. My fingers frantically fidgeted with the fabric of my dress—a simple, unbranded button-up shirt-gown. Standing next to their tailored silk and gold jewel, I felt completely naked.
“So… shoo,” Caroline said, dismissing me with a flippant wave of her hand before turning her back to resume her conversation. “Wait over there for me.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, turned around, and walked over to the isolated table she had designated for me. As I sat down on the hard metal chair, my eyes burned fiercely, but I forced myself to stare at the sleek tabletop, refusing to let a single tear fall.
I couldn't blame her. She was right about me, after all. I smelled like cheap body spray and stale club air. If she just knew how heavy my life had gotten, she would have gone easier on me. She didn't mean to be cruel; she was just living a different life now. Caroline had gone to Harvard to study business marketing. She had outgrown the messy, broken parts of my world, and honestly, that was totally fine. I couldn’t fault her for moving up in the world while I was stuck in the mud. I really did get it.
Two hours passed. Two hours of listening to their loud, ringing laughter echoing across the sterile café. Finally, they left. Caroline escorted them out, then walked back inside and casually waved me over.
I grabbed my bag, my heart lifting as I slid into the seat opposite her. “Caroline, you look so different,” I complimented, desperate to break the ice.
She rolled her eyes playfully. “I know, right? I spend almost two thousand dollars on my skin treatments every month.”
“Wow,” breathed out of me before I could stop it.
She shot me a strange look. “Anyway, you didn’t order anything?”
I gave a tight nod, still admiring her radiant complexion. It truly looked worth every penny.
“Don’t tell me you still can’t afford Bennett’s coffee?” surprise laced her tone.
My smile withered. After four years, a forty-dollar coffee was still a luxury I couldn't justify. Seeing my face fall, her expression shifted to pity.
“Don’t worry, how do you take it?” she asked, signaling a waiter. “You’d think with all the d***s you have to satisfy in a day, you’d be able to buy an expensive espresso.”
The casual sarcasm stabbed at my chest. I cleared my throat, looking down. “I guess family responsibilities just drain me,” I muttered.
I had no idea why she was suddenly being so venomous.
Caroline rolled her eyes, scribbling an order for the waiter. “Don’t use that as an excuse, Nathalie. It’s your job to take care of your siblings and mother. But you could still get richer doing what you do. I mean, I wouldn’t be a s*x worker unless I was getting heavily paid.”
My chest tightened. She was judging me as if I had chosen this path for fun. “I had no other choice, Caroline,” I whispered, my voice thick with old pain.
“Yeah, whatever,” she dismissed. “Well, I have a meeting in twenty minutes.”
My forehead crinkled. “Twenty minutes? I thought we’d actually spend time together since it’s been so long.”
“Do you need some money?” she asked bluntly.
“What? No, Caroline!” I blurted out. “Why would you say that? You know I’ve never asked you for money, no matter how bad things got.”
“Yeah, right. I didn’t mean it like that, my friend,” she said, her voice instantly dropping into a sweet, calm tone. The sudden warmth made my anger evaporate, replacing it with a desperate sense of relief.
“Do you know when you’ll be free next?” I pouted slightly. “I really need to just hang out with my best friend and decompress.”
“Ugh,” she hummed, tapping her chin. “I don’t know. I’m getting married soon.”
“Married?!” I gasped, loud enough that a few people at neighboring tables turned to stare. “You're getting married?”
She nodded, thrusting her hand forward to flash a massive, flawless diamond ring. I hadn’t even noticed it sitting perfectly on her finger.
“Oh my goodness, Caroline.” My hands flew to my mouth. “I’m so happy for you! This is huge. I didn't even know you were seeing anyone! Who is he? How did you meet? Why didn't you tell me?”
“You’ll find out at the wedding. I’ll send you an invitation,” she shrugged casually.
The waiter returned, sliding a cup onto the table. It was piled high with thick cream. I scrunched my nose. “Excuse me, I don’t like cream or sugar in my coffee.”
The waiter looked awkwardly at Caroline.
“I ordered that for you. Just manage it,” she said, waving the waiter away.
I swallowed hard. She knew I hated cream. But I forced the thought down, refusing to let it ruin the incredible news. We chatted for a few more minutes before she left for her meeting, and I finally headed home.
My heart felt a little lighter just having spent time with the person I loved most in the world. Sure, she was a bit blunt now, but she was probably just maturing and developing her frontal lobe. I couldn't hold it against her. She was still my best friend.
- Writer
