Chapter 25: A New and Sweet Love

I was at Ash's house, where we were spending time together. She had just finished working a long shift at the coffee shop. In the dining room, we were sipping glasses of red wine.

For about thirty seconds, I was staring at my phone.

"Hey, Daphne? What’s up?" Ash asked me then she added, "You were glued to that thing.”

"I just got a message from Alex," I replied.

"Oh, really? You said you changed your phone number," she replied, "where did he contact you?"

I said, "On Facebook, sweetie."

"Uh-huh," Ash said, nodding, "what did Alex say?" she asked.

"He was inviting me to our friend Christian's going away party," I answered, "which is this Saturday."

"Can you accompany me?" I asked Ash. "Alex and our friends are pleasant. You'll like them."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Ash said, shaking her head. I can’t attend this Saturday. I'll be paying a visit to my grandmother. Her 68th birthday is on Saturday."

"Oh," I grumbled, disappointed. "I'll just go by myself."

"Don't be so sad, sweetie," she hugged me. I'll bring some of her party food. We'll spend the entire day together as soon as I get home."

"I'm going to miss you," I said.

"It's just one day," she said, laughing.

"You'll see Alex," she said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Did you answer his message?" She asked.

"Yes, I did," I admitted.

"He might think you'd come back to him because I won't be there," she sighed.

"I don't think he's like that," I defended Alex. "He's a handsome guy. I'm sure he's moved on and found love by now."

"Based on your accounts, I believe he was obsessed with you," she responded.

"That was back when we were still together," I explained. "We were head over heels in love back then. I was also smitten by him."

"Did you see his Facebook profile? He doesn't appear to be in a relationship. He hasn't posted in months, and he doesn't have any new photos of himself with a girlfriend," she said. She gulped her wine quickly and set the glass down on the table.

"So what? Alex is a private person," I explained. “He doesn't use social media much."

"He doesn’t?” She asked me.

"No, he doesn't," I confirmed.

"It's strange that he hasn't posted in months," she responded, "because even my grandparents are always active on Facebook."

"Alex likes to live in the moment. He prefers the real world over social media," I explained.

Ash sighed and rolled her eyes. "He sounds to me like a psychopath," she said.

"Is it simply because he rarely uses social media?" I asked.

"No, it's not because of that," she replied. “It's because, based on your stories, he went to great lengths to have you. He was waiting for your relationship with Lance to come to an end. And when you said you ended your relationship with Lance, Alex immediately confessed his feelings for you."

"I'm positive, Alex is not like what you think," I said, shaking my head. “I've known him for a long time."

"You have to be careful around a guy who is too handsome, too charming, and too mysterious for his own good," she said. She pointed her empty goblet at me.

"Even though you've known him for so long, anyone can betray you," she added.

I finished all of my red wine.

"Have you considered what you'll wear to the farewell party?" Ash asked.

"To be honest, not yet," I replied.

"We need to go shopping tomorrow," she explained. "To get you some new clothes."

"Yeah, and I'll also get Christian a gift," I realized and said that.

"What would you give him?" she asked.

"I'd probably get him a jacket because it's cold in Japan," I answered.

"Nice thinking," she said.

"Give it to me," she said. She was referring to my goblet.

"Come on, you know I can wash my own glass," I grumbled. “I'm no longer a guest here. I'm your girlfriend," I said, refusing to hand over my goblet.

"It's fine, sweetie," she said, "you washed the dishes all day yesterday." Tonight is my turn to wash our goblets."

"All right," I said. I offered her my goblet.

"You sometimes treat me like I'm your younger sister," I remarked to her.

"You're my baby," she explained. "I'm older than you."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I prefer it when you squeal with delight when you see something cute."

Ash playfully sprayed me with water from the faucet.

I just laughed.

After Ash had cleaned the goblets, we brushed our teeth. We then went to bed.

Ash and I were sharing a bed. We had turned off the lights and then slept together later. She was the big spoon.

Morning arrived. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, warm milk, and black coffee. Breakfast was prepared by Ash.

"You're lucky I'm not working today," Ash said.

"Yes, I am," I said, agreeing with her. "This breakfast is amazing."

"Thank you very much, sweetie," she said. "Not only that, but we'll buy you some new clothes for that farewell party, as well as your gift for Christian." I'll help you choose the best."

"What would I do if I didn't have you?" I asked Ash. She smiled brightly at me.

"Aw, you're so sweet," Ash said, inviting her to come over.

We exchanged a kiss on the lips.

Then I went back to my seat. Ash sat across from me. We happily ate our breakfast.

To get to the mall, we took a tricycle and a jeepney. When we arrived at the mall, we went straight to a clothing store.

I tried on numerous dresses, clothes, and shoes. Every time I came out of the fitting room, Ash gave me honest feedback on every piece of clothing and every pair of shoes I wore.

We finally settled on a white lacy A-line dress and white kitten heels.

Ash was content. "You appear modest and nice. That's a great look for you." I thanked her and then I bought the dress and shoes.

"Let's get you some perfume," Ash suggested.

"But I only have enough money for the dress, shoes, and Christian's gift," I replied.

"I'll pay for your perfume," she declared.

My head shook. "You don't have to do that."

"But I would like to," she insisted.

I agreed by nodding. "All right," I said.

I was so embarrassed. I felt like I'd been a cheap ass date. I didn't even have enough money to pay for our lunch later that day. I was broke. I just paid my rent yesterday. My girlfriend suggested that I move in with her. But I was too embarrassed to do so, so I declined to live in with her in her lovely home.

We were now in a men's clothing store. I came across a black leather jacket. I took a look at its size. "Medium," it said.

"Christian could wear this on cold days or when he wanted to look cool," I said to Ash.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Ash agreed. I purchased the jacket.

We then went to a perfume shop. "Pick any perfume you want," Ash said.

"All right, ma'am," I said as I saluted Ash. "You look like a fool," she teased, grinning.

I cracked a smile.

In the store, I tried on a variety of perfumes. They had so many different scents. I chose the one that smelled like roses.

Ash smelled my wrist. "I like that one," she said, nodding. It suits you."

Ash purchased the perfume for me.

"Thank you so much," I said to Ash. "I absolutely adore the perfume."

"Thank you," Ash replied.

We ate at a reasonable restaurant. A slim waitress with brown hair appeared. She asked about our orders.

"Baked salmon with brown rice and grilled vegetables," Ash told the waitress. "And a mango shake," she added.

"I'll take the roasted chicken, leg part, white rice, and mashed potato," I said. “Then, for a drink, a bottomless iced tea."

"All right, ma'am," the waitress said. She then repeated our orders for clarity. We informed her that she had correctly taken our orders.

We waited about fifteen minutes for our order. When our orders arrived, we ate and drank them with gusto. The food and drinks were both delicious. Ash's face showed that she was enjoying her meal as well.

I didn't know why, but I felt deeply in love with Ash. I was so happy when I was with her. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I could stare at her lovely face all day. I never felt this way about Lance or Alex. Were my relationships with them a complete waste of time? I didn't believe so. When I was with them, I learned a lot of things. Without my relationships with them, I wouldn't know what true love was and wasn't.

We went to a movie theater after we finished eating and drinking.

We watched the film Believe. It was about Eva, a high school girl. She is a lovely young lady with many talents. She can sing and metal-scream. She is also capable of riding a skateboard. Skateboarding has given her many friends. She frequently hangs out and skates with friends she met at a skatepark near her home.

Eva enjoys rock music, particularly metal. It just so happens that her fellow skaters Josh, Paul, and Cherry enjoy rock music and are talented musicians. They come together to form a metal band. Eva sings and screams, Josh plays guitar, Paul plays bass, and Cherry plays the drums. They audition for a well-known band contest and impress the judges. They advance to the grand finals from the daily finals. However, something bad happens to Eva. Her grandmother succumbs to cancer. Eva is heartbroken. She is torn between continuing to compete and grieving with her family for the entire day.

In the end, Eva pursues her dream with her family’s blessing. She continues to compete and dedicates her performance to her late grandmother and loved ones. She eventually becomes the grand champion, and her band becomes well-known.

It was a good movie. While watching that movie, Ash and I both burst into tears.

We appreciated the film's happy ending.

We went to a cheap coffee shop after watching the movie.

I placed an order for a hot café latte and a banoffee pie. Ash placed an order for a hot espresso and a carrot cake. We sat at the table after receiving our orders. We were seated across from each other.

"You know, I think this place looks really nice and cozy," Ash said.

"I adore the LED chandelier lights, the cute calligraphy quotes, the colorful interior, and the warm lighting."

"And the coffees and cakes are delicious," I added.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Are you reviewing this coffee shop?"

"It sounds like it," I said, chuckling. "Perhaps I should write a coffee shop review for my blog."

"That's a great idea," she said.

"I'll give you credit for your comment," I said.

"No, that isn't necessary," she replied.

"Yes, it is," I confirmed. "You were the one who mentioned this coffee shop in the first place. I will write your comment and name."

"I'll just take pictures of this place and our meals," she said.

"You do that," I confirmed.

Ash took photos while I took notes in my small notebook. I was writing with a pink pen that had pink faux fur on top. Following that, we continued to eat our cake slices and drink our coffees.

Then I looked at Ash's phone photos while she read the draft of my review.

"These photos are wonderful, Ash!" I complimented her.

"Aww, thank you so much," she responded, "your review is excellent."

"This coffee shop is called The Black Hat," I said, wondering why the name was chosen.

"Yeah, it does sound mysterious," she agreed.

"Let's ask the barista. Perhaps he knows the answer to our question." I told her.

We asked one of the baristas. "To be honest, the answer is pretty simple," Roderick, a handsome and lean barista, said. “Mr. Julien Price, the owner, is a huge Stephen King fan who adores Doctor Sleep. Rose the Hat is his favorite character. Rose, the beautiful and mysterious witch, likes to wear a black hat."

"Mr. Price claims that making coffee is like magic. You can make it taste however you want depending on the ingredients and how you mix and prepare it. It can be sweet, bitter, strong, or rich, depending on what you or the customer prefers. However, making coffee is also affected by the maker's mood. The coffee tastes great if the maker is happy. If the maker is depressed, the coffee may not taste as good. That's why Mr. Price makes sure that all of his employees are fairly compensated so that we're happy and the coffee we make tastes great."

"That's a great answer, Roderick," I said.

"I really appreciate it. I give it my all," he said.

After our trip to the mall, Ash and I finally went to her house. I planned to sleep with her in there. I was surfing the internet via my phone and I came across an article.

"Look, Sweetie! " I yelled at Ash.

"Wait, what is it?" she asked.

"Just come here," I said.

We came across a post on a showbiz news website. "Is Renee from The Gorgeous Vixens dating anyone?" it asked.

Renee and Alex were seen holding each other's hands. I smiled.

"I told you Alex has found a new love."