Loving Poppy (ON HOLD)

05. Friendly outings

05. "Friendly Outings."

Poppy

Making friends was not something Poppy was good at, her shy and introvert personality restricted her from doing so. Naturally school was very difficult.

First day at work was particularly nice and went smoothly. She met her co-workers Lauren, who was the pastry chef, Jordan and Max who were waiters and DJ, the chef.

Poppy liked them all. They were friendly and helped her out as much as they could. Especially Jordan and Max, they treated her like a little sister. She was the youngest among them and everyone instantly took a liking to her.

The first week went by quickly, she took her time to get used to the Atmosphere of the restaurant and being familiar to her surroundings. The only problem was the heels she had to wear as a part of her uniform, she was short so it was Mandatory for her to wear those.

It was Friday night when Poppy remembered about the city tour with Alessandro. She face palmed herself for forgetting about it and decided to call him. Picking up her phone from the night stand she opened his contact. She hesitated for a moment but decided to call him anyways.

She leaned on the headboard and waiting for him to pick up the call. Eventually the ringing stopped making Poppy sigh.

'it's pretty late anyway.' she thought and prepared to sleep. She had dinner with Lauren and Jordan today and it was fun to say the least.

Poppy could see that Jordan liked Lauren, his adoration filled eyes were always fixed on her whenever she was around. Poppy found it cute.

Just as she switched off her bedside lamp, her phone started to ring, indicating an incoming call. A smile lit up on her face when she realised it was from Alessandro. She picked up immediately.

"Hello, I'm sorry if I disturbed you." She started. Alessandro let out a soft chuckle at her apology.

"Hello Poppy. And I'm sorry I couldn't take the call, I was in the shower."

"Oh, I was going to ask about our day out in the city? You offered to show me around, remember?" She hope he remembered. It would be embarrassing if he didn't.

"Oh yes how can I forget? So you want to go tomorrow?"

"Yes! If that's okay with you of course." The barely concealed excitement made Alessandro chuckle again.

'His voice sounds even better on phone.' Poppy thought.

"Of course it's fine. It's the weekend. Be ready by 9 in the morning, I'll pick you up. Okay?" He replied.

"Yes that's perfect! Thank you!"

"Don't mention it. A pretty girl like yourself deserves everything she can get." Cue the heart fluttering and butterflies.

"O-Okay. Thanks. Bye! Goodnight!" She stuttered out and disconnected the call before he could reply. She could feel the excitement bubbling and looked forward to the weekend.

That night Poppy slept with a smile on her face. Calmness washed over her as sleep took over and send her away to the beautiful world of dreams.

***

"Uggh!" Poppy huffed and threw another dress on the bed. This was the sixteenth time now and she was growing frustrated.

Was there no perfect outfit for an outing in the city? These are the times Poppy feels the need of a big sister but even though she has one she could never look up to her for help.

Deciding to go extremely casual she threw on a plain white short sleeve t-shirt that had a cute red heart on the left corner and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. She had already blow-dried her hair and now was conflicted whether to tie it up or leave it down.

After thinking for a whole five minutes she decided to but on a red and white bandana to keep the bangs out of her face. Her casual look was complete with a dash of lip balm and perfume.

Her phone pinged indicating an incoming message. It was from Alessandro.

'I am here, are you ready?' it read. Her heart suddenly decided to beat faster than normal. She replied a quick yes and slipped on her white converse.

As usual Poppy expected no one to be home, but she was surprised to see her mother at the dining table having breakfast.

Planning on slipping out of the house without being notices she quietly made way towards the door.

"Poppy? Where are you going so early in the morning dear?" Carla called. She was busy with the dishes earlier and had just come out of the kitchen when she noticed Poppy sneaking out.

"Oh umm I'm going out. With a friend." She mumbled embarrassed. She couldn't even get out of the house without everyone noticing.

"Aren't you gonna have breakfast?" Her mom asked, she was still not looking at her but scrolling through her laptop.

"No, I will eat out. And I'll be late so don't wait up!" She yelled out and ran out of the house.

The familiar black SUV was parked at a small distance from her house and she wasted no time in running over. Alessandro was standing outside waiting for her looking like an incarnation of a Greek god.

He was sporting a white shirt that was rolled up to his elbows and a pair of black jeans, it was the most casual Poppy had seen him and she liked it.

Alessandro smiled when he saw Poppy exiting her home. He was looking forward to this day. He offered her a smile and a fresh red white rose.

"This is so pretty! Thank you!" She gushed and smiled brighter than the morning sun. Smallest of things could make her happy.

"Come on, we have a long day ahead." He said and opened the passenger door for her. Both of them were seated comfortably and he started driving towards their first destination after checking poppy's seatbelt.

Poppy was bubbling with excitement and could barely keep from bouncing in her seat. It was not only because of finally going around the city, it was particularly special because she was with Alessandro. He was her first friend and she was happy when he was around. Poppy knew she felt good when he was around.

The whole day was filled with fun and lot's of joy. They had visited some of the major tourist spots in Manhattan. The sights amazed Poppy as she looked around with wide eyes and happy smiles.

Alessandro was content watching her being happy. Her smile was better than the view from the Empire state building. They brought a few stuff from the local markets as well. Poppy had replaced her bandana with a dark blue Yankees cap and acessorised her eyes with brand new ray band that Alessandro gifted her.

No matter how much she declined he was very persistent and managed to get her more stuff. They talked and talked about themselves, none of them were ready to reveal secrets about themselves yet but they definitely knew much more about each other than they did before.

By the end of the day they had handful of bags and a very tired Poppy. She was exhausted at the point that she could roll on the floor. They dumped all the shopping bags on the backseat of the car and headed back home after the fun-filled day.

It had been a long time since Poppy had so much fun, she remembered the last trip to the amusement park with her dad. She was the happiest at that time and she thought no one could take that away. They would remain happy always.

But fate has twisted plans for everyone and poppy's included losing her father. A loss that could not be compensated with anything. The SUV drove through the busy roads of New York and Poppy found it impossible to close her eyes even though she was tired.

They reached Poppy's house earlier than they desired.

"I had fun today. We should do this again." Poppy said slowly, she was not sure if he wanted to go out with her again but she decided to just wing it.

"Of course Poppy. Believe it or not today was the most relaxing and fun day I had had in years." He laughed causing her to laugh too.

"Okay then. It's getting late, will you be able to drive home safely?" She asked him. It was very dark and she feared he would not be able to.

"Don't worry little Poppy, I will be just fine. I will text you when I reach home. Okay?" He reassured her, she gave a small smile and exited the black SUV. Alessandro helped with her bags and walked her to the front door.

"Goodnight." He said and kissed her hand softly before walking back towards his car. Poppy's breathing hitched and her ears and cheeks heat up instantly. She had no doubt they had turned red. He waited till she had went in and contently drove off to his penthouse. Later he noticed the white rose in his glove compartment with a small note..

'Thank you so much for today, I am so lucky to have a friend like you!'

      -Poppy ♡

The smile that spread on his lips seemed to be permanent after that.