Chapter Five: Friend In The Cafe

"Nick name's Nick by the way" the young guy introduced himself, as he led Violet through the cafe doors. He was all smiles and beyond happy that she had accepted his offer. He couldn't explain why he sought her company so much, especially being a stranger he just met. Everything about her was just unique and he felt it the moment he looked into those peculiar violet eyes.

He held her firmly by the waist to keep her from falling when she tripped on her feet. She was sweaty and a bit sticky from her jogging but it didn't didn't bother him in the least.

Violet on the other hand looked around the cafe, surveilling the area and was glad that there were just six people around. The lesser the better. The strong smell of ground coffee beans and pastry hit her nose almost simultaneously, and it brought a small smile to her face.

She looked up at Nick who had been staring at her the whole time, resulting in her cheeks reddening as she squirmed out of his arms. She assured him that she could manage on her own. 

The few people in the cafe were either minding their own business or rounding up their food, so it was easier to find a secluded area, at least a few tables away from others.

"Careful" Nick said as he helped Violet settle into the seat across from him. She nodded mindlessly at his instructions and indulged herself with the smell of food. The movement in her stomach confirmed the presence of food. Nick laughed at the longing look on her face and quickly waved for a waitress to take their order.

"Hi…you two, and welcome to the cafe. May I take your order?" A young and beautiful blond waitress asked in a polite but slightly confused voice. She looked between Nick and Violet questioningly but quickly wrote down on her notepad when Nick started to order.

"I'll have a cappuccino and chocolate cake, thanks" he dictated and turned to face Violet. He raised his eyebrows with a smile, telling her to order whatever she wanted.

She stared into space and seemed to be thinking of what to order as she bit her lips in concentration. Her eyes darted through every item on the menu. Nick didn't have to look at the menu. He'd been there so many times.

Violet pursed her lips as she battled with her decision on a cake or cookies. She didn't want to feel awkward if she chose what Nick chose. The waitress impatiently cleared her throat. Annoyance swam in her eyes. It wasn't Violet's delay in ordering that annoyed her, but the way Nick was looking at Violet. Like some kind of rare gem.

Nick had never brought a girl to the cafe before and she had a thing for Nick too. For the past three years.

"Um…sorry I couldn't decide quickly. Everything just looks delicious." Violet caught Nick's eyes and blushed. "I'll have creamed latte and cookies, thank you," she mumbled. Violet had felt the sudden dislike for her, pouring from the waitress's body, and she had no idea why.

"Sure," the waitress said crisply. "Would you like anything else, Nick?" She turned to face him, giving him her sweetest smile. The one she'd always given him for the past three years. The tone in her voice seemed to clear up Violet's confusion on the sudden hatred for her.

"No thanks Samantha" Nick declined. He gave her a dismissive smile when she still lingered at their table. Samantha, annoyed, turned and walked away briskly. Violet in turn sighed in relief.

Samantha's presence made her a bit uncomfortable to the point where her perfume began to choke her.

However Violet didn't see the need for Samantha to be insecure. She met Nick not more than fifteen minutes ago, and she didn't plan on staying long.

"So…" Nick began, breaking Violet's chain of thoughts. "What's your name?" She stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating whether to say her real name or not, while playing with her fingers. "Violet," she answered.

"Violet?" He asked incredulously. This made her smile slightly. She had always gotten that reaction the first time she told someone her name. "Yes, Violet, from the eyes," she explained and pointed at her blinking eyes. "Oh right," he laughed softly. "Well a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," Nick complemented.

She gave a small small and mumbled a thank you, before returning to her activity of playing with her fingers. She wished the food could get her faster because she was hungry and could avoid further conversation if she stuffed her mouth with cookies.

On the other hand, Nick wasn't about to let the conversation die so quickly. He leaned forward in his seat, immediately drawing Violet's attention to him and interrogated, "I haven't seen you around here before. It's a slightly big city and I'm guessing you're new, yeah?"

Violet gave up. He wasn't going to let her off easy. "Yeah. I moved in yesterday with my aunt Ree." She shrugged carelessly and looked around. "You miss your former home don't you?" Nick asked softly. Violet watched him for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, I know what that feels like. I moved here seven years ago. I was fourteen then, and in junior high. A moody teenager leaving the very few friends he'd managed to have for some dumb city. Yeah, it wasn't the greatest feeling ever," Nick confessed, rubbing his head softly. "That young?" Violet asked in mild surprise. "It hits differently at that age…you must have felt terrible when you arrived," she added with a sad pout.

Nick shook his head with a laugh, "nah. When I got here, my mum took me for ice cream and my dad took me hunting days later. I was hella loving this place already." Violet blinked severally, confusion on her face, before the two busrt into laughter. She leaned back on her chair, and looked around again, still laughing. The cafe was almost empty.

Nick shook his head slightly and continued, "it wasn't really bad, although my friends stopped calling me after a week, but I didn't mind though. They were really the best of friends you know. I made new ones here and life just goes on."

"Huh. Yours is better. I haven't heard from my friends since I moved here. Although it's only been a day and half, I think, I'm not being hopeful," Violet disclosed with a disappointed sigh. She leaned on her hands and thought. She had been a bit disappointed to not receive any messages or missed calls from her friends, but in all truth, she didn't really expect much. Tyler did the same thing to her; no proper goodbyes.

She had only jumped on the reason that her friends would miss her only with the hope that aunt Ree wouldn't make her move, but here she was. She mentally glared at the universe.

"You know, Fona city isn't the most exciting place to live in, but I'm sure you'll like it here eventually. You'll make friends, visit places, yeah, you'll like it," Nick asserted. Violet smiled gratefully which made Nick feel very victorious for this small achievement.

"Here's your order, Nick," Samantha announced, as she catwalked towards their table. They both looked up at her as she approached, and Violet couldn't help but cough as the strong smell of her perfume choked her throat. She looked away when she noticed the quick glare Samantha threw at her before smiling at Nick and placing the food on the table. 

She also noticed her overly exposed cleavage from her undone buttons when she bent over to place Nick's food. Her skirt also seemed to be shorter than before. She was amused. Samantha was trying too hard to draw boundaries between her, Violet and Nick. Violet involuntarily caught Nick's eyes and snorted loudly in her attempt to contain her laughter. 

A vein on Samantha's forehead ticked, when she noticed them looking at each other. She straightened her skirt, anger and embarrassment evident in her actions. She threw Violet another nasty glare. "I'll be back with your food," she informed, hatred dripping from her voice, then she walked away. This made Violet both feel bad and worry that Samantha might just poison her food.

Nick apologized to Violet. "She can be like that sometimes," he explained. "She really likes you," she stated as she watched the rising steam from his beverage. It brought up with it the smell of freshly brewed coffee beans.

Nick sighed, bringing Violet's eyes to him. "I know. It's a pity though. I like someone else."

"Really?" Violet asked with interest, "does she know or are you two dating already?"

"Nah," he answered, playing with a piece of cake. "Oh, why not? Are you shy?" "Sort of," Nick chuckled, enjoying the smile on Violet's face. "You should tell her," she suggested eagerly. "Yeah, I will soon. She's just so special and I don't know why," he watched Violet for a moment, "very special."

"Here's your order," Samantha bit out in a strained voice, and slammed the food on the table, but Violet didn't notice. The smell of hot latte and cookies hit her nose and made her mouth water in anticipation. She started to thank the waitress, but she had already left the table.

Violet wasted no time to stuff her mouth with cookies,and Nick, who had been waiting for her food to arrive, dug in as well. From time to time he looked up at her and smiled in contentment. She'd feel better now she was eating. However, Violet was oblivious to his stares but focused solely on her mission to satiate her hunger with every last crumb on her plate. Hunger could do that to people.

In no time, she had cleared her plate and sipped her latte dry. She leaned back and gave a content sigh. God knows what would have happened to her if she hadn't taken Nick up on his offer. She snuck a peek at him. He had only eaten half of his cake, and she eyed it with longing.

Chocolate was her favorite thing in the whole world and she had missed out on it for no good reason.

"Cleaned your plate already? You should have a taste of this. It's the best chocolate cake on this side of the city." Nick held up a piece of cake to Violet's mouth. However, she quickly declined, moving his hand back with strong regret. Something in her stomach moved.

"Come on Violet, this isn't jumanji. You're not going to explode if you eat just one piece," Nick joked as he moved the cake back to her. He had seen how she looked at it earlier.

She smiled gratefully and started to take it from him, when he stopped her. "You have to eat it from my hand. That's how you eat the cake offered to you."

"That's not a thing," Violet argued. Nick shrugged indifferently, "it isn't if you don't want the cake anym…"

She quickly grabbed his hand and ate the cake. Satisfied, Nick pushed the rest towards her which she received with a big smile.

"One of the things I like about Fona city is the forest," revealed Nick as he leaned back, with his hands behind his head. "All the big trees, green plants, and the amazing forest air. There's even a lake if you look deep inside. I'm sure you'll fall in love with it at first sight."

"Yeah, I like the forest too, but I haven't gone in deep. I did suspect there was a lake, earlier. I could smell it." Violet closed her yas the familiar smell seemed to invade her nostrils. Her surroundings melted away and the sound of running water filled her eardrums and the feeling was the most serene she'd ever felt.

"Are there wild animals in the forest?" She asked all of a sudden.

"Yeah, snakes, squirrels, deer…"

"Wolves?" She cut in.

"Mhm. Wolves are there too but they never bother anyone. They hardly come into the residential areas."

For the next few minutes, they talk about Violet's aunt, her new home and Nick's family. When it was getting dark, Nick offered to walk her home, as they both lived in the same street.