Chapter 6: Emotions

Enora hummed along to the song wafting through the speakers of the cafe; its classic tune had some of the customers singing passionately and jovially. Even some of the dogs joined in with little yips and howls.

She laughed while looking for something to keep her busy. Lately, her good moods were fleeting and bland. Although being at Pawsitivity Time made her happy, there was no ignoring the obvious emptiness in her life. Victor was the sunshine of her day that she'd never realized was so cloudy.

"You chose this Enora. No use in obsessing over a done deal," she voiced aloud, hands absently rearranging glasses on the shelves.

It was after lunchtime, meaning there wasn't much to do until the next hoard came in. Enora decided on taking a breather in her favorite spot in the cafe. Sunlight streamed inside indirectly because of the surrounding buildings, so there were certain spots where it glaringly blinded you, but she found it perfect for napping. It also had the most plants surrounding it, therefore, providing cover.

Laying her head in her arms, she smiled; the warmth felt good on her skin, and it reminded her of the first time she met Victor.

***

A FEW MONTHS AGO

The A train halted at its fourth stop, car gradually filling with passengers on their morning commute. Enora held her bag on the seat beside her, keeping it for her friend and employee Lilla, unknown to the strangers that glared at her in annoyance.

"THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY SEAT, FRIEND," Lilla bellowed moments later. The petite, brunette girl slipped into the seat between Enora and a stranger, grinning and passing her a paper bag with two cannoli in it. Her brown Pomeranian mix, Blossom, stuck her head out of her bag to greet Enora with a panting smile.

"My nonna said she was appalled that you love cannoli but get it from a bakery. She vowed to make you homemade until she dies," Lilla explained, sipping on her coffee.

"Please let her know that I sincerely apologize. I had no way of getting homemade before, honest," Enora replied, hand over her heart and a giggle escaping as she gave the fluff ball deserved pets on the head.

"I shall relay the message next time. She remembers you as cannoli girl now by the way; cracks my family up."

"Oh no. How will I live with this shame?"

They both burst into laughter, receiving questionable glances from the passengers around them, which only made them laugh harder. Having Lilla around was never a dull time. And though Enora hadn't known her long, their friendship had grown quickly because of her ability to make anyone feel comfortable.

"Any who, did you order the new t-shirts?" Lilla asked, finishing a bagel she had brought.

"Oh dang, I forgot. Let me do that now." Enora pulled out her phone quickly to connect to the internet while the train was at a stop again. "I found this place last night that had good prices and they ship fast," she continued.

"Sounds good. I had more customers interested in them when you were out yesterday. I was thinking we should order a few more than we decided."

"Good idea. Oh, they have a shop in the city two stops away from ours. Perfect. I'll go there now and see what happens. Do you mind opening the cafe alone?"

"Not at all. I think one of the staff wanted to come in earlier anyway, so I'll have an extra person. Take your time."

"Thanks, see you." They waved goodbye and Enora hurriedly pulled up the directions for the shop on Canal Street.

The name Tee Tease: Everyone's Favorite Clothing Item, appeared on a bright yellow and green awning, making it easy to spot amongst the endless shops on the same strip. The bell atop the door jingled when she entered, and a voice called out from the back, "Welcome! Be with you in a minute!"

The morning sunshine warmed the small but cozy shop, with black and white checkerboard flooring and neon, tube-like lights lining the walls. Two computers sat in the corner of the room, away from the register and main counter in the center. The t-shirts on display were of different popular culture references and images in various art styles.

Enora was taking a closer look at one particular design when the voice spoke again, "Good morning. How may I help you?"

When she turned, it was like a scene in a movie–words left her from how handsome he was. Short, black, wavy hair, sharp jawline, and light brown, almond shaped eyes sat behind hexagonal glasses; a detail she made note of because of how cool they looked. His shoulders were wide–as was his waist–and well-toned, from what his form fitting t-shirt displayed.

When she was able to flip the switch back on in her brain, she addressed him awkwardly, "Um. Hello. I'm here because I would like to discuss placing an order."

Meanwhile, he was shamelessly giving her a once over, unhurriedly ascending from her feet to her face, and revealing a beautiful smile. Eyes appearing golden, almost luminescent.

She blinked, suddenly blinded by his lip ring catching the light, and forcing her to look away.

She jumped back when he was in her space a second later, extending his hand to introduce himself, and looking as he did before, "Hi, I'm Victor. Victor Chu."

Shaking his hand, she wondered if it was a trick of the light that made her see something else.

As he explained the process, he revealed it would come about in a total of three days. Claiming that pricing, designing, and material selection were separate steps, thus, minimizing the risks of making a mistake. However, she felt it might be a ruse to get her to return. Lucky for her, it was.

***

The memory brought a twinge of sadness. Keeping away was the right thing to do logically, but emotionally, it was winning every round in the ring. Her fight had but so much power.

These days, she found herself trying to get word on Victor indirectly by trying to eavesdrop on Gil's phone conversations or get a whiff of Victor's cologne when he returned from a meeting with him. Of course, she could probably ask Gil and he'd tell her, but then she would have to admit to wanting to.

"Hey, you're not sleeping, are you? I came all this way to see you."

"No, I was resting my eyes," Enora quipped, recognizing the voice.

The boyish smile that came into view, lifted her mood instantly as he bent down beside the table to be at eye level, "Then, have they rested enough?"

She smiled in response, standing to give him a hug, "What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't be back until next week."

"My trip ended early, and I wanted to have time to plan an adoption event for Halloween if you still want," he replied, giving her a good squeeze back.

"Of course! Thank you. You're the best Matteo Fiore. I'll print out the flyer designs I had ready," she said excitedly, pulling him along with her by the arm.

A small group of women sitting together giggled as they passed, giving Mateo appreciative up and downs. It was no surprise to Enora, as that happened consistently when she was around the man. He was handsome.

With sleek, brown hair, dark green eyes, a sharp jaw, and an extended goatee, he turned heads all of the time. His cute, round black glasses and business casual style had attracted her as well when they'd first met. But the chemistry they had as friends, had outshone any thoughts they may have had of anything else.

"Earl grey latte on the house for the lovely gentleman," Enora instructed as she went to the office.

"Matteo, I didn't see you come in. What's up?" Lilla smiled.

"I apologize for sneaking past. I thought your beauty would distract me and make me forget what I had to tell Enora."

Lilla's face flushed instantly, and she mumbled something about going to check on his latte.

He was snickering when Enora returned with a small stack of papers in her hands, "What's so funny? What'd you do this time?"

"Nothing. You're so suspicious."

"Hmm. I have to be when you're around," she smirked. "Any way, here are some flyers to take with you. Hopefully we get a good turn out on such short notice."

"I'm sure seeing cats and dogs in adorable costumes will attract the masses."

"I agree. Besides, our adoption events are consistently great. Don't worry Enora," Lilla voiced, passing Matteo his latte.

Enora nodded in agreeance, smiling when Matteo affectionately patted her head in goodbye. A delivery man entered the café as he left, a medium sized box in his hands.

"Delivery for Enora Ortiz?"

"That's me." She signed her name on the pad and took the package, noticing that it didn't have another name on the label. "Do you know where this is from?"

The man shrugged, "Sorry. It gets scanned and put in the truck. Don't know much else."

Enora took it into the office, confused and suddenly uncomfortable.

"That's a big box. What did you order?" Lilla asked, coming in to grab her hoodie and purse.

"I didn't order anything. Or at least I don't think I did. And there's no sender address."

"Oo, be careful. Could be something weird from a stalker. Don't want an investigative unit in here," she laughed. "I'm going on lunch now."

Enora froze. It couldn't be...