Chapter 5
1597 Words
CHAPTER 5
Alena POV
“Why don’t we go catch a beer or something?” Patrick asks Evander as we walk out the restaurant and I awkwardly look at my car. I stop dead in my tracks when I see the bump in my number plate.
“What happened to my number plate?” I ask Patrick and he rolls his eyes.
“I was going to ask you about it later! I don’t have a clue! It was probably when you went grocery shopping yesterday.” he says and looks at Evander.
“Her driving skills are like sheeesh,” he mocks and I really want to talk about this now, because I know I didn’t hit my car anywhere when I went grocery shopping yesterday. I bite my tongue and look at them. Stay calm. Some random girl stops and gawks at me and I try to turn away but she comes right at me.
“Alena Gunnes? Miss NUY Campus like two years ago?” She asks and I smile at her.
“That’s me and you are?”
“I’m Zan! I’m actually the lucky junior that got your dorm room! Could we please take a pic? My friends won't believe it! You're like a legend!”
“I wouldn't say that and sure!” She hands her phone to Patrick and he quickly snaps a couple of pictures making the girl squeal.
“Thank you so much! I’ll tag you so you can repost it on your story so my friends don't think I photoshopped you in or something!”
She gives me a hug and I hug her back.
“You're even more beautiful in person!” She says and I smile.
“You should definitely compete next year, I'd put my money on you,” I say and she freaks out, but then the man I presume is her dad calls her and she’s off.
“Bye!”
I look back at Patrick and Evander and see Evander watching me confused.
“What was that all about?”
“Oh my girl is like a legend on campus! You should see her following on i********:!” Patrick beams and I shake my head and look over my shoulder at the bookshop.
“Go enjoy your beer, I think I’ll go pop into the book shop to go see how Miss Penny is doing. I’ll see you at the apartment!”
Patrick kisses me on the cheek and I awkwardly nod at Evander.
“Great! I just wanted to suggest we go alone anyway, because man do we need a catch up sesh!”
I smile at them and quickly make my way across the street. I don’t look back at them as I open the blue navy door of the book shop.
“My Darling!” Miss Penny says as her brown eyes framed with pink glasses watch me make my way towards her behind the counter. She was an African American and her beautiful dark skin and wrinkled hands was mesmerizing to me. She was a unique character with a jazz soul you only meet once in a lifetime.
She wraps her arms around me as I stop next to her. I hold her tight, grateful that there was no one in the shop and when she pulls back, eyeing me like only she can, I laugh.
“Well you need some book therapy and some whiskey! Go check in the back and bring mine in a coffee mug! You know which one!”
“Something strange is happening! I’ll tell you when I get back!”
I quickly go to the back room that leads to her apartment. I rummage through her minnie fridge and retrieve the whiskey and some ice. I get her mug that says; “If you’re not Stephen King shut the f#ck up!” and a simple blue one for me.
When I get back she hands me a book as I hand her the mug.
“Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronteë?” I ask and laugh at her when she pulls a face after taking a too large sip.
“Tell me what I need to know, before someone comes in here and spoils our fun!”
I take a deep breath, “So do you remember my character Christiaan Black from my book I started writing in my first year, Wicked hearts?”
“How is it possible to forget that story! You should definitely finish it this year!”
“Well here’s the funny thing..”
“What? Someone stole your story?”
“No! Not at all he’s real,” I say and take a large sip of my whiskey. She slaps my shoulder dramatically.
“Real as in, he walks among us?” The disbelief in her voice makes me snicker and I quickly nod.
“Those pieces before the Car scene were all based on him and YES! It really happened between us and now,” I mumble, not knowing how to say this outloud.
“Spit it out!” She warns and points her red nail at me.
“Is he suing you?”
“No!”
“He’s married and his wife wants you killed!”
“No! He’s Patrick's best friend!”
Her brows almost disappear in her gray hairline.
“How long have you known?”
“Since..” I look down at my watch, “For exactly one hour and two minutes!”
“Well this sounds very interesting indeed!”
“It’s not interesting! It’s a mess, because now I have to live with him in the same house, not just days but for weeks! If he didn’t remember me it would have been ok! But he brushed his leg against mine and said my name and now my brain is going high wire!”
I look at her conflicted and she has the audacity to burst out laughing.
“I would feel conflicted if he didn’t remember me after such a steamy encounter!”
“Penny!”
“Have you told Patrick? Maybe it will help him to get some balls and man up a bit!”
“How can I tell him I hooked up with his best friend!”
She stays quiet for a moment and takes another sip of her whiskey.
“I don’t think you should! I think you should leave the past in the past if you don’t want to make the situation more uncomfortable than it already is!”
Suddenly the doorbell rings and a guy who looks confused with baggy comes walking in. One look and you would know this boy was as high as a kite. He was also playing with a pocket knife in his hand.
“Do you have any...”
“Get out of my shop right now!”
“WHAT the hell, I’m a paying customer!”
“I can smell you from where I’m sitting! Get off of your high then come show your face again and I’ll give you a good book about the side effects of drugs!”
“You can’t make me leave!”
I stand up, but suddenly a hand grabs his shoulder and throws him out of the shop. My mouth falls open as I see it’s Evander.
“Hit the road or we’ll call the police,” he tells the boy and turns to us. The boy runs off and Evander comes walking in as if he was oblivious of the way the boy tried to stab him with his pocket knife. He missed but still. That’s when I see he’s already holding the pocket knife. He throws the pocket knife in the dustbin as he fixes his gray suit jacket, his dark eyes flickering between me and Miss Penny. He runs his hand through his dark brown hair as he stops in front of us.
“Sorry for my intrusion, Patrick already drove off when the waiter came running out with his card. When I realized it was yours. I thought you couldn’t possibly buy a book without money... So here I am.”
“Here you are!” Miss Penny beams and I want to drop dead.
“Thank you Evander.” I say as he hands me my card. He doesn’t let me take it until I meet his eyes.
“Always a pleasure.” he says and smiles at Miss Penny, “You must be Miss Penny?”
“The one and only!”
“It’s nice to meet you,” he says and quickly scans the small book store. His eyes settle on our cups and he smirks. Miss Penny clears her throat.
“Whiskey is good for the soul! So is there anything available that you want here?” Miss Penny says and Evander’s eyes fall on me.
“Not yet, but I have to get going. Patrick is already at the bar and I don’t want to pay a ticket,” he says and nods at us.
“Good day,” he says and I smile at him.
“Good bye,” I say and don’t hear Miss Penny say anything as he smiles back at me over his shoulder. He walks out and suddenly Miss Penny is fanning herself with a book as we watch him drive by in a black Mercedes.
“Alena look at me.” she says after I down my whiskey.
“Mm?” I say and open the book.
“You’re f****d my darling!”
“Miss Penny!”
- Writer
