The Light to His Darkness

FLORA

It's six in the evening and the sun is setting soon. I'm putting on my favourite red lipstick, while black mascara lifts my not-so-long eye lashes, black winged liner accentuates my brown eyes, a light layer of foundation and a touch of peach-toned blusher to bring colour to my otherwise pale, olive cheeks, finishes my makeup. I have on a pencil, knee-length, black dress with a square neckline. I accessorised with a maroon ribbon choker around my neck, a couple of bronze bangles around my left wrist, and a pair of maroon, four-inch high heeled pumps, completing my look for a night out with my girls.

I messaged them earlier in the afternoon to meet me at our old haunt, Pandora; a night club that's just inside the city. Kara, who has been like a sister to me since growing up in the orphanage together; and Quistina, our dorm mate in university with whom we've remained best friends well after graduation.

Kara and I continued to run an events and floral shop downtown owned by our adoptive parents, Mr and Mrs Guiteres, who left it to us when they decided to retire. We then brought in Quistina to take care of the books and ledgers since she was a Business & Accounting Major while Kara and I were Hospitality Management Majors. Kara took care of catering, I took care of floral arrangements and other decorations, and we coordinated to manage all of the events together.

They were my whole world. That is, up until a certain Zachery Ezra Fontaine barged in and charmed me into his world, stole my heart, only to shatter it five years later, after 3 years of marriage. No, do not think about him. I shook my head clear of these unwanted thoughts.

My phone started to ring just as I was pinning back some of my brown, pin-straight, shoulder-length  hair away from my face. Quistina's name was flashing on the screen. With a solemn smile, I picked up. "Hello."

"FLORA FAY KINLEY! Aah! Damn it feels good to scream your name. Thank goodness, your divorce finally pulled through. Ready to celebrate, chika?"

Quistina can be loud, forcing me to hold the phone a little ways away from my ear. Chuckling, I responded, "only just. On my way out as we speak."

That said, I picked up my maroon clutch with a bronze chain to hang it on my shoulder, with my cash, cards and keys already inside, and headed out.

"Good, because I'm on my way to pick Kara up from her last appointment for today. We'll see you in approximately an hour's time."

"Great! I can't wait!"

With that, I hung up my phone, locked up the house, got into my car, started the ignition and headed towards the city. The streets coming from the city into the suburban neighborhood I live in were pretty filled up, seeing as it was home time for pretty much the majority of businesses. The streets heading into the city, on the other hand, were fairly clear.

I made it to Pandora in a little less than half an hour. It's 6:30 pm now, and Pandora opens at seven. Looking around, sitting inside my parked car, I noticed a café only two shop lots away from the club. So, I shot a quick text to the girls to meet me there before exiting my car and heading there myself.

Approaching the café I saw that there was a fair amount of people indicating that it was a pretty decent establishment. As soon as I opened the doors to the cafe, I welcomed the smell of freshly brewed coffee and fresh pastries. Bell chimes alerted the emoloyee behind the counter, who looked over briefly, to see that a new customer has entered. There was noone manning the cash register, however, and the only employee, who I presumed was the barista, was busy cleaning up some equipment. I didn't mind waiting, though.

Meanwhile, I couldn't help but notice the man. He wasn't massively built, not quite 6 feet tall like Zach is, but still tall with broad shoulders, and you can see the contours of his muscles flexing under his uniform as he worked. He had a rather rugby player type physique, compared to Zach who had more of a swimmer's body.

I quickly caught myself staring and looked around elsewhere just in time before he turned and made his way to the cash register wiping his hands on a hand towel hanging from his apron - They have really delicious looking pattiseries in the chilled display case they had beside the counter.

"Hi! Sorry for the wait, Ms. My colleague stepped out to use the lavatory. May I take your order?" He said with a bright, dimpled smile, which added to his boyish charm despite his brawny size. He looks young, probably a college student working part-time.

"Oh, no worries, I'm in no hurry. I would like a grande, cinnamon café mocha, though," I quickly caught myself again and responded with a tight smile of my own.

"Sure. Any pastry to go with that?" he asked as he keyed in my order into the cash register.

"No, thank you, that will be all."

"Alright, that will be fourteen eighty" he said giving me a lopsided grin emphasising the dimple on his left cheek - why do I somehow find it adorable?

I paid the fourteen eighty and went to wait for my order at the pick up counter. I watched as he started preparing my order until he paused for a second and turned back to me with the to go cup he already had in his hand.

"Sorry, Ms., I didn't get your name," He asked taking a marker out of his apron pocket ready to note down my name.

"Oh! Uhm.. Flora," I reply and he scribbles on the cup with his lopsided grin as the espresso machine does it's work.

"How about you take a seat and I'll bring over your order?" - Ugh, this boy.

"No, thanks, I'm fine, I'll wait here like everybody else," I replied, probably a little coldly than necessary, not wanting to encourage his subtle advances. He's probably naturally friendly to all the customers but I wasn't about to risk it. I needed to protect myself after what I've just been through.

He nods, seeming rather flushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Right, fair enough," and he sets off finishing my order while I check my phone for any response from the girls. Sure enough there was an unread message from Kara, so I opened it and it said they were taking a little longer than expected due to the Friday evening traffic. Made sense because some people may not at all be in a hurry to go home just yet and would like to kick off their weekend out and about the city.

"Cinnamon Café Mocha for Ms. Flora," the barista called my attention away from my phone and I couldn't help but smile blissfully  - Ms. Flora. That's the first time I've been addressed that way in so long. Wait..

"Oh, but I didn't order.." I gestured to the two chocolate crinkles served with my cafe mocha.

"No worries, the cookies are my treat," he smiled, showing off his dimple again,  and giving me a wink, he sauntered off to wash up some utensils. Not at all giving me the chance to respond or reject his "treat."

"Uhm, thanks, I guess," I muttered to myself with what I was sure was a look of confusion plastered on my face as I took my tray and took a seat on a high stool at the counter top facing out the cafe window.

After setting down my tray, I responded to Kara with a photo of my tray, "it's alright, got myself some treats while I wait. *kissy face emoji."

I then diverted my attention back to my cafe mocha and chocolate crinkles, noticing more than just my name on the to-go-cup: Hi Flora, I'm Quill ;)

A small smile came across my features despite myself and I looked back at the counter but he was no longer there, another young man took his place and it seems that the cashier was back at her place, too, causing me to let out a quiet sigh as I turned back to my tray. I'm not sure why, but I started feeling a little guilty for brushing him off the way that I did. He'd been nothing but nice. - But then again, so had Zach.

________________________________

QUILL

I honestly don't know what came over me. I did not expect to be reduced to a teenage boy by a woman; a gorgeous one at that. I've never seen her before, in my two years of working in the area.

She's petite, maybe 158cm, fair, olive skin with a subtle hour glass figure accentuated perfectly by her little black dress. She had shiny, straight, dark brown almost like black coffee coloured, shoulder length hair pinned back on the sides so her diamond shaped face was in full view.

It was her warm chocolate coloured eyes, though, and her bashful smile that mesmerised me. So much so that I forgot to get her name to write on her cup as per procedure.

I felt like a fool having to reapproach her for her name. I've been doing this job for months and this is the first time I've neglected procedure. Then again, when I asked her to take a seat and offered to bring her order to her when it was done. She quickly put me back in my place, though.

As if that wasn't enough, I had to sneak in a couple of chocolate crinkles I had made that morning. That was mostly because my ego wanted to show them off to her. It was my first time baking anything and I was proud of how they turned out. I really don't know why but, I feel this sudden need to impress this woman, it feels foreign.

It was only later on of course, after she had left with her tray, that I realised she wouldn't know I made them because I didn't tell her. I internally facepalmed myself at that - Quill, you idiot!

Totally engrossed in my self depreciating thoughts, I hadn't noticed my colleague, Monica, watching from just inside the door to our kitchen.

"Ahem, well, that wasn't painful to watch at all," she caught my attention then, and her sarcasm wasn't lost on me either. I saw her leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed and a cheeky smirk playing on her lips.

"I don't know if you're being sarcastic or trying to make me feel better by saying that. What took you so long, anyway? I could've used you out here," I told her as I was drying and putting away the last of the utensils I had used. She giggled in response just as our colleagues came back from their evening break and took our places, relieving us from our afternoon shift. After quick good byes, Monica and I headed out back.

"Back to our topic before we were interrupted," she continued with the cheeky smile still plastered on her face. "I don't know, I thought you had it handled. Good touch with the complimentary cookies. Though, the boss might not appreciate that," she said trailing behind me as we made our way through the small kitchen and into the locker room.

I opened my locker as she leaned against the locker next to mine and told her, "Relax, I paid for the cookies."

"Yeah, well, those are the only things I'm commending you for. The rest of it, though.." she sucked a breath in through her teeth with a grimace. I had gotten my things out of the locker at that point.

"What?" I urged her to finish her commentary. She shrugged and made her way to her locker. I watched her, waiting for her to continue.

"I mean, I've known you for a year and a half, and never once have I seen you show a spec of interest in anyone. Not even those fawning over you. It almost got me believing that I may never see the day Quillon Rey would trip over himself for a lady. A fine one, at that!" she finished by closing her locker door and swinging her back pack over her right shoulder consequently flipping her waist long black and brown braids over to the front of her left shoulder.

I winced at her remark and suddenly found my shoes interesting. I let out a soft chuckle before looking back at her. "You must think I'm pathetic."

It's true. I'm a 28-year-old man and this far in my life I've never made the time for romance. I never allowed myself to because well, who would seriously want to be with a guy like me?

"Naw, I know you're a good man Quill. From what I've seen throughout the time I've known you; maybe too good. Your family was wrong to disown you the way they did. At seventeen, no less."

"You don't even know what I did to deserve that." We started heading for the café's back exit.

"No, I don't, because you won't tell me, but no. Noone deserves that, that includes you, and especially not at that age. Anyway, what I'm getting at is, you deserve to have a bigger slice of the pie. You know, live a little. So, if Ms. Thang out there is gonna give that slice, I say go get her before someone else snatches her away."

"Come on, Mon, did you even get a good enough look at her?" I ask in exasperation as I we stepped out into the side alley way with Monica right behind me. "She looks so put together, sophisticated; she probably has a career that can afford her a decent apartment, or even a townhouse, and a car. What would a guy like me have to offer her? I barely finished high-school, I work two jobs just to make ends meet, I hardly even have the time, means, or energy for friends, much less for a relationship."

We've walked around to the front of the shop by this time, Monica matching my stride, and my sight involuntarily travelled from the ground in front of me the café window. I saw her greeting a couple of women looking just as sophisticated as her. Her back was to the window so she didn't see me walk past.

"Well, I have now, and let me tell you, if I didn't already have a girlfriend, I'd beat you to her with how you're thinking and acting."

I glanced sideways at Monica then, just as we passed the café towards Pandora night club where I have another shift of bar tending waiting for me. All she did was clicked her tongue at me before continuing, "Dude, seriously, give yourself a little more credit. You have so much more to offer. Unmaterialistic things that money can't buy, did you think about those? Mental and emotional support; the comfort, safety, and security that comes with knowing there's someone to return to at the end of the day."

"She has her friends for that. Probably even a family. A whole family."

"Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't, but listen," Monica paused as we rounded the corner  towards the side entrance to the club before turning to face me. "Take it from a woman. It's different coming from a lover. Someone who you can let your guard down with. No reservations. Just raw unbridled companionship."

"Wow, Mon. How old are you again?" I couldn't help but question; she was getting deep.

"Shut up." She playfully punched me on my shoulder and we both laughed. Then the side entrance door opened.

"I thought I heard my two favourite people out here!"

Samantha, a waitress at the club came out and embraced Monica before we bumped fists while she held on to her with her other arm around Monica's shoulders, being just a little taller than her. She had her mid-length brown hair up in a top knot tonight showing off her undercut.

Samantha has more of an athletic build compared to Monica's slender five-feet-five-inch form. While Monica boasted a rich caramel skin tone, Samantha had a lighter tan complexion. Together though, I'll be honest, they make a cute couple.

I'm not gonna lie, looking at them together makes me crave to have what they have at times, but I always dismiss it on the account that I'm just about scraping by as it is. Sure, I do have a side hustle but the gigs I get for that are few and far in between. I don't even get much pay for it; only whatever my clients can afford and expenses for resources required to get the job done. It's more of a social service, really, than an actual job.

"Hello.." I hear fingers snapping bringing me out of my reverie, and a hand waving in front of my face comes into focus.

"Huh? What? Sorry, I spaced out."

"uh-huh, yup! He's got it bad," Samantha commented.

"Told ya!" Monica exclaimed.

All I could do was rub my hand against the back of my neck as I feel my cheeks heat up. I looked at my non-existent wrist watch and said, "oh geez guys, I better head inside, it's almost opening time. Jack is gonna have my hind if I don't at least help with some of the set up."

I walked passed the two as they shrugged their shoulders. Though, I did catch Monica say in a hushed tone, "sure thing lover boy," before they both started giggling like school girls. I'm pretty sure they kissed eachother good bye before Monica left Samantha to start her shift as well.

Yup, they're never going to let me live this down.