007 Reunited

Ava's Pov.

Sarah had asked for us to meet and catch up. I jumped on the idea, eager to meet up with her.

When I arrived, I'm stuck with how elegant the place is, the exterior is sleek and modern, the inside simple and luxurious with plush chairs and transparent tables.

The soft lighting cast a warm glow to the place.

I'm halfway down the coffee aisle when I spotted Sarah, sitting at one end of the bar, her eyes fixed on her phone, she looked different, more sophisticated.

As I approached her, a warm smile spread across my face. "Sarah," I call out, my face beaming with a smile.

Sarah turns, her face flushed, she looked like she was about to explode with excitement. "Ava! It's so good to see you again," she said, pulling me into a warm hug, she sounded really happy to see me.

It makes me wonder though. "Aren't you mad at me?" I blurted out, unable to hide my surprise. We haven't talked since my aunt's burial.

Sarah shakes her head, smiling slightly. "Nah, I get it. It wasn't easy for you, so I completely understand," she says, her tone light but sincere. "I missed you Ava," she say, reflecting on something. "You know, when you moved out and ghosted everyone, I thought to myself. Maybe you needed time to heal, I was really hoping you'd text me. But hey, it's all good. I'm glad I found you,"

I feel a mix of happy and guilty as Sarah said that. "I've missed you too," I say calmly. "I'm sorry I didn't reach out. Life just…got in the way," I managed to say, my tone pleading.

I watched as a warm smile spread across Sarah's face, she squeezed my hands softly. "It's fine Ava. The most important thing is that I've found you," she retorts, her tone understanding.

I shrug, grabbing a seat beside her.

Sarah glances around the coffee bar, signalling the bartender to come before turning back to me. "So, how's life in general?" she asked, her eyes on me.

I take a moment, feeling the weight of my words before they even leave my mouth. "My life has been a rollercoaster since I moved out. But good thing I moved out though, that house holds alot of memories, I needed to heal," I retort.

The bartender cuts through the chatter as he approached our table. "May I take your order now?" He said calmly, flashing us a smile.

"I'll have a cup of Americano with almond milk, please," Sarah says 

I follow suit. "I will have iced Frappe," I say, taking in the peaceful ambience of the coffee bar, just how I love it.

"Oh, and one more thing," Sarah said as the bartender tried to leave to get our order.

"Could we please get the selection of your tastiest pastries?" Sarah requested.

The bartender nodded. "I just might know what you'd like," he said, excusing himself.

As Sarah turned to face me. Sarah's poise and demeanor is undeniable. She looked so different from way back.

"This place is nice and peaceful," I say, looking around.

Sarah smiles warmly. "I know you always love your coffee bars, peaceful. I asked around and a friend of mine recommended here," she said and paused. "And honestly, it just as she said it,"

A smile spread across my face as the thought of Sarah remembering how I like my coffee bar hits me. "You still remember?" I say quietly, my gaze on her.

Sarah chuckles. "Of course, I do," she says, a warm smile spread across her face.

It actually feels good to have someone who remembers little things about me. These little things matters too.

The bartender brings our coffee, and a platter of beautifully arranged pastries. Sarah takes a sip of her Americano and turns her attention to me.

"So, You're putting your good grades into good use? Or you're yet to figure it out?" Sarah asked, her voice laced with concern.

I sipped my coffee, hesitating for a while, trying to find a better way to say it. "Actually, I lost hope of using it after I lost my last job. Even though the pay wasn't good, I still managed, till my crazy ex-boss started making advances at me," I said, furrowing my eyebrow at her. "Well, All of these big companies seem more interested in my body than what I have to offer them," I concluded.

Sarah chuckled, hesitating for a while. Her face lights up, her words quick and sharp. "I mean, I can't blame them. Have you looked at you? Girl, no man can resist your charms," she says, making me raise my brows at her. "But hey, their loss. I mean, you're a great asset to any company," she concluded.

Sarah still hasn't changed a bit, always likes teasing me.

Trying to lighten the mood, I quickly said. "Enough about me," I say, offering a small smile. "What's been going on with you? What are you doing in New York? Never thought you would leave Atlanta," I retort, changing gears.

Sarah leans back, her face lightening up. "I had to move here months back after my father handed over the company to me," Sarah said, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Oh my god! He did?" I retorted happily, knowing how much that meant to her. Back then, no matter how hard Sarah worked to impress her father, he never really appreciates her efforts. It was so hard back then watching Sarah feel bad whenever her father tells her she wasn't good enough.

Her eyes gleamed. "Yes, finally he believed in me, it's crazy." Sarah said, chuckling.

"How were you able to pull that off?" I asked, curiosity creeping in.

Sarah's smile falters but quickly she recovers. "I had a couple of sleepless nights, put in more effort to prove to him that I was good enough," she said nonchalantly but I could've sworn I saw a shadow of something deeper flicker around her eyes.

"I'm really happy for you, Sarah!" I exclaimed. I can't help but smile, truly thrilled for her.

"Thank you Ava. It's pretty cool to finally see things finally coming together, you know?"

"Yeah," I agreed with a nod, genuinely happy for her.

As Sarah talks about her company and the challenges that came with being a young CEO. I can't help but feel so proud of her, she has done so well for herself.

"Well, at least one of us is following her dreams," I retorted.

Sarah takes my hand, squeezing it gently. "Don't worry Ava, everything will be fine. I'm here now, we will figure things out together" she said, her eyes sparkling with love.

I smile at her. "Thank you Sarah. This means a lot!"