Chapter 11
"Special request?" I stared at him.
He smiled sheepishly. "Yes, I want a customised birthday cake."
"Oh," I said, taking out the notepad. "Nice. How do you want it customised and when?"
"See, I want it in the shape of a rose. Red rose, of course. All the petals should be open except for the central most whorl. And I want—” He fidgeted in his pocket and took out a small velvet box. "this to be hidden amidst the petals of the innermost whorl. What I'm trying to say is that there should be a partially closed bud in the middle. This box should be visible only from the top."
I blinked. That was quite an elaborate description.
"Why are you quiet?" he asked. "Is my idea possible to execute? Can you guys make this type of a cake? I mean, is it possible without this box getting damaged?"
I was speechless. This was the last thing that I had expected him from him when he had walked in through the doors.
"I did understand some parts of it," I said, "but Ira is the one who actually makes the cakes, so I'll have to ask her. Let me go and get her."
He nodded. "Please do."
I went in to go and call Ira. We were supposed to exchange shifts anyway.
I found her removing her apron and talking on the phone at the same time.
She glanced at me, and I motioned towards the door.
She nodded and held up two fingers.
I closed the door behind me and headed back to Kol.
"She'll be with us in two minutes," I said.
"Thank you." He seemed relieved. "I know this is short notice, but I had this idea only this morning."
"When exactly do you need this?" I asked, picking up the pen.
"This Friday," he said.
I sighed. That was less than two days away.
I scribbled the date down, biting my lip. The question in my mind came on my tongue twice but I held it back. Would it be okay to ask?
Come on, Zuri, just ask. It's not that big of a deal.
"Whose birthday is it for?" I asked, smiling good-naturedly.
Kol grinned and then cleared his throat. He fidgeted in his pocket again and took out his phone.
"For her," he said, showing me a picture of a girl. "She's my girlfriend."
My heart dropped.
"Oh," I heard myself say. Deep down, I was expecting this, especially after the dinner last night. He had been stood up by his date, after all.
"We've been dating for three years now. We met in high school," he said, pride evident on his face. "I wanted to do something special for her birthday this year. That's why I spent all morning searching for a meaningful present."
I was not exactly excited to know the details, but he was rambling on with such passion that I had no heart to interrupt him.
He opened the velvet box and I saw a beautiful butterfly pendant with a ruby stone and a delicate silver chain.
"I finally found this for her. And it's perfect," he said.
"It's beautiful," I agreed. "She's going to love it."
He beamed. "I hope so."
Just then, Ira joined us, and I repeated Kol's description of the cake to her.
"I guess we can work around with this idea a little bit," she said.
Kol seemed quite relieved to hear that.
The two of them started to discuss the idea and I soon zoned out.
My thoughts were revolving around Kol and this new side of him. He had put in so much thought and detail into his idea and had selected such a pretty gift for his girlfriend. It showed how much he loved her and cared about her. She was one lucky girl to be cherished this dearly by her partner.
As I headed into the kitchen to takeover the work there, something nagged at my mind. Maybe it was the picture that Kol showed me, I was not sure. I was unable to pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but something was definitely out of place.
But what?
***
I left work early and headed straight to the nearest mall.
There was absolutely no reason for me to go to the mall, but I needed to do something completely random and different from my routine. The stress of my thoughts was eating me up from inside. I was slowly losing my mind.
I aimlessly wandered from shop to shop, consciously trying to focus on the people around me, the surroundings—anything to distract my mind.
I exited another shop and suddenly a shiver ran down my spine.
I spun around immediately, my eyes searching for the gaze that I had felt on me. But I could see no one.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned around and quickly walked into the next nearest shop.
Relax, Zuri, you must have imagined it.
But had I really?
Taking in a deep breath, I continued to window shop.
Don't think. Don't think. Don't think.
All of a sudden, I stumbled forward as someone's back hit my own. But I caught my footing just in time.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," said a voice.
I turned around to see a girl about my age. She was holding a beige dress in her hand.
"It's all right." I smiled. "No worries."
She nodded gratefully and got back to checking out the dresses.
I bit my lip.
Wait.
Did I know her?
I had seen her somewhere before.
Oh, my Lord. She was Kol's girlfriend.
"Freya, are you done?" said a guy, coming towards us.
"No, babe," she said, turning to him and holding up a dress. "Will this look good on me?"
"Everything looks great on you." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "You're beautiful, babe."
She blushed and laughed a little. "You always say that."
My stomach was in knots, as I heard them talk.
What the hell was going on?
They looked like a couple. But she was Kol's girlfriend, right?
I wanted to throw up.
She was cheating on Kol.
I clenched my fists and took a good look at the guy. Then something clicked in my mind.
Oh no.
Now I realised what had been nagging me. These two were the same couple who had come into Coffee Tales that day and gone back from the door itself.
Everything was falling into place now.
She was cheating on Kol.
That day, she had seen Kol there and that's why she had gone pale. She was going to get caught if he saw her. That's why she had left as soon as she could.
Poor Kol.
There he was, preparing such a grand surprise for her. And here she was cheating on him.
She was going to break his heart.
I turned around and left the shop, wiping away the single tear that rolled down my cheek.
This day could not have gotten any worse.