Murdered for love

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Natalia

Our parents didn't exactly become happy when we told them that Elijah and I are now engaged. We explained that we're not planning on getting married right away, but we want to wait a few years. They calmed down a bit but they're still not happy. They'll get used to the thought. I think they're all secretly happy though, they have us that they hope that Elijah and I stay together for as long as we love each other. We are almost eighteen now, so soon it will not be their choice anymore anyway, and it's not like they could stop us from doing what we want, but we respect our parent's sop we highly value their opinions.

One who's not secretly happy but very much openly happy is Audrey. She's already planning the wedding. She needs to calm her t**s. Like a lot. She's already announced herself as maid of honor and decided what color and what type of dress the bridesmaid's dresses are gonna be. It's actually stressing me a bit, I told Audrey that Elijah and I might not even get married before we’re out of college, maybe while we're in college but I don't think so. I mean the most responsible thing is to get married after college, right?

To vent my feelings about all of this, I told Elijah that I'd help out in the restaurant today because they're having a birthday party for a six-year-old girl. See, the restaurant also has a café part and a lot of people enjoy being there. We have regulars who come in every day or every weekend or a specific day only to the café part and not the restaurant. People sit for hours and hours. And a lot have told us that they not only enjoy the service, the pastries, cakes, cookies, coffee, and homemade ice cream and milkshakes, but they love the owners, who are always greeting their customers with such happiness and friendliness. And the Jones’s often has birthday parties for children in the café part of the restaurant. here, they enjoy it as much as the parents do.

I usually help out at birthday parties though because someone needs to take care of the party and the kitchen still has to be run and the cashier and serving other customers who are not at the party. I love being a part of the birthday parties, seeing the children's happiness and joy, hearing the laughter, and seeing the light in their eyes. I mean what more precious does the world have? Children are the most precious thing there is. Gabriel is a blessing to me, having him as my baby brother has made such an impact on my life, he's the best and a precious gift.

When I enter the bakery, I can see that the party has started. What surprises me is that I see Elijah wearing a clown nose. I smile and keep myself from starting to laugh. Such a good sight. Elijah with a big red nose. I feel like I may c***k a rib or something from keeping myself from laughing. Damn it hurts. I so want to take a picture to captivate this moment, but I don't think that Elijah could bear it.

I walk to the cashier and put on an apron, ready to greet customers. I love being at the restaurant, it feels like it's a part of me just like Elijah and his family is. I love the atmosphere and all the people. Usually are all nice people, sometimes we get drunk asses in here, but it's easy for the Jones brothers' to throw them out of here.

When you stand behind the cashier you get a chance to really observe people. And I love observing people, how they talk, how they walk, how they laugh, just how they behave in general, wondering who's gay and who's straight, their ages, wealthy or not by the look of the clothes they're wearing. What job they might have. If they're kind or mean. You get what I mean.

Right now I'm observing a couple who seems to be arguing from the café. They're getting louder and louder, from only talking to starting to shout and soon maybe yelling. I don't like it. There is a kid's party going on. Some people really don't have any respect for others. Why argue like this in a restaurant? Why embarrass yourself like that? I don't get it. I would never be able to fight and argue like this with someone in a public space. It would be too embarrassing to handle.

"How am I supposed to trust you after everything we've been through?" The girl asks. I'm guessing that he cheated on her and now she's pissed. I mean I understand her, of course, I do, but couldn't she have taken this at home or something? Or a place with fewer people and no children's party going on

"I know now what I want Hailey, please trust me on that", the boy says, he sounds pathetic when he says that. I raise my eyebrows. Come on dude, she just said she couldn't trust you. Some guys really are stupid. It’s not like I’m eavesdropping or anything like that, but they’re not making it easy to not hear them.

"I don't know, you keep going to other girls and I know we aren't a couple or anything but I don't want to be a girl you just f**k and then leave to go f**k other girls", the girl, Hailey shouts. "I'm so done, Trey! I mean it!" Okay, so he didn't cheat? They're honestly confusing the s**t out of me right now. Maybe they were a couple and they broke up, I don't know, but they're becoming louder and louder.

"Hailey I don't want anyone but you! For f**k sake, why won't you hear me? I love you!" The boys yell.

Jesus, they really have to calm their s**t, everyone in the restaurant and café is looking at them. Now they have gone from shouting to actually yelling. I'm honestly embarrassed for them, this is crazy, the way they behave.

"Oh, you call that love? Yelling at me? It's the first time you've told me that and you yell at me you f*****g asshole!" I don't know what to say right now. I can't make sense of any of this, and I shouldn't have to, it's none of my business, but they are making their business everyone else's business right now.

There's a kids' party going on here. What the hell? I can't stay here anymore, I have to do something. Elijah looks at me from the party and pleads with his eyes, telling me to stop them. I notice the kids watching the couple. Maybe I should've done something earlier but it feels wrong to interrupt someone, to tell the truth, even as loud as they are. Although I think they crossed the line when they started swearing. Children shouldn't hear such things.

“If I’m an asshole you’re a cold-hearted b***h!"

"Hey!" I shout at the couple and walk up to them. That's it, I can't take it anymore and neither can the customers. "That's enough right there". They ignore me and continues the fight. What can I do if they won't listen to what I say? I can't just kick them out, I'm not physically strong for that, and besides, I shouldn't have to. They are acting very childish, they should act like adults. "Oh for the love of God, just break up already and walk away from each other!" The couple isn't fighting anymore. They're looking at me. I'm feeling everyone's eyes on me, and I should feel ashamed but I'm not, because I'm not the one making a feel out of myself. I'm trying to get the fools out of here. "Look, it's clear to me that you love each other, so Trey, get your s**t together and stop f*****g around when you've got a beautiful girl right here who doesn't want anything then to be with you, why do you think she's so upset?" I say and he looks ashamed. "And Hailey, if he doesn't stop, dump his ass, you deserve someone who treats you with respect, but for the love of God both of you, don't come in yelling that stuff in a public place or at a kids party again, it's embarrassing not only for you but for all of us".

“He’s been cheating on me!” Hailey says upset.

“Yeah, I got that, although I can't really put that together, since you said that you are not together, but if you don’t want to forgive him you don’t have to, but do yourself a favor and dump him”, I say.

“But I still love him and I do want to be with him”, she says. "I wanted to test him, that's why we are not together, to see if he'd take the opportunity to sleep with other girls and he did! He freaking did!"

“Than you’ll have to find a way to move past the cheating, if you ever want to become a real couple, without cheating”, I say crossing my arms over my chest, looking at the Trey dude, I mean, together or not, if you love a girl, you don't sleep with another girl. “Or you’ll have to dump him even though you love him, your feelings will pass eventually”.

“I don’t want her to dump me”, Trey says devastated. "I want to be with her, forever, and make babies with her and marry her".

“Then I guess you'll have to stop sleeping around, if you truly love her as you claim it shouldn't be a problem for you”, I say.

“I know, I regret it with all my heart”, he says.

“Isn’t that what all cheaters say?” Hailey asks. I want to laugh because she's right when she says this.

“I promise, there must be something I can do!” Trey pleads, on the verge of tears. Jesus.

“Maybe you could try to give your relationship a try, if Hailey can’t get over it and can never trust you then your relationship will be fake either way, there is no relationship without love and trust, and they work together”, I say. “But you can’t scream like that in a public place, you embarrass yourselves and everyone around you, besides we have a children's party going on here right now, and you are disturbing it!”

They look at each other. They take each other's hands. They smile and kiss. They don't even seem embarrassed and that's hard for me to understand, they should feel very embarrassed.

One other thing I observe when I watch people is if they're crazy or not. These people clearly are, but hey, love makes you crazy right? And cheaters.

They leave the café. And now I realize how everyone is looking at me. I suddenly realize that the couple and I weren't alone in the bakery and I smile nervously.

"Just taking care of a little situation, it's all cleared up now, I'm sorry for disturbing your coffee", I say and walk behind the cashier again.

This is when the whole café explodes into a fit of applauds. I laugh nervously. Damn this I did not intend when I walked here today. But since when can you predict what's gonna happen really? Life is a mystery, maybe that's what it's always so nerve-wracking.

Elijah is smiling towards me with the biggest and proudest smile and I start to blush. No one makes me as nervous as this one boy. No one and nothing.