14 Lyra

"So how are you feeling about Leo?" Emilie crossed her legs on Adeline's bed and leaned on a pillow.

Adeline crawled into her bed and kicked Emilie so she could slide her feet under the covers. "I don't know. It's like all this time, I've been focused on loving him only and now that I don't have to, it's weird and I don't know who to focus on anymore."

"You could focus on yourself." Emilie said in a duh tone.

"Well yes but I spent so long on him it's hard to start thinking about myself and what's best for me. Itwas always about him." Adeline squished a stuffed bear on the bed.

Emile let out a low whistle, "This is not good." she declared.

"No shit."

Emilie sighed, "Well what do you want to do now that you have all the time to focus on yourself?"

She shrugged, "Probably work on designing my own clothes. I can't just modify other clothes if I want to start my own business."

"True." Emilie tugged at her hair and fiddled with the ends.

"What's wrong?" Adeline asked.

"My parents." Emilie said, "They arranged a date with someone and they really want me to marry him. Says it'll be good for business."

Adeline reached out and squeezed her friend's hand reassuringly.

"Like they don't even care about my happiness." Emilie spat out bitterly, "It's always been about what's good for the family business. Even my little brother has been trained to lead the company ever since he was little. He didn't even have a chance to be a child."

Adeline gave her friend a hug. "It's okay. I'll happily beat that's guy's ass if you don't like him. And your brother, well I don't know how to fix that but I hope it works out."

"Yeah." Emilie sniffed and then laughed, "I was trying to help you deal with all the stuff happening in your life right now but now it's you helping me."

"Hey we help each other."

Emilie yawned and got up, "I should probably go back to my room and sleep. It's getting late."

Adeline glanced at the clock and saw it was almost 2 AM. "Yeah. Goodnight Emile."

"Night Adeline. Sweet dreams." she closed the door and Adeline pulled the blankets over her and closed the lamp.

_____

Bleary eyed, Leo stumbled down the stairs and started the coffee maker. The company had a massive problem with shipping orders and it had taken him most of the night to sort it out before he could go home and get a couple hours of restless sleep. He couldn't seem to get Adeline out of his head and it drove him mad. Their relationship had already ended and there was no connection between them anymore. So why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

Leo glared at the coffee that was taking too long to be made and grabbed his coat before slamming the door to his house and walking towards the coffee shop.

Waiting in line, Leo squinted at the menu and settled on straight black.Normally he could hardly bear the taste of strong coffee but he needed it today. He yawned and mumbled a greeting to the barista behind the register. "Can I get a black coffee?"

"Of course." she said with a smile, 'May I know your name?"

"Leo." he heard a soft gasp behind him and he turned to stare into familiar blue eyes. Adeline.

Great.He came here to distract himself and he just had to meet the one person that he was trying to forget.

"Um sir?" the barista interrupted his staring. "Are you paying with cash or card?"

"Oh sorry. Cash." he pulled out some bills and handed them to the barista. "Keep the change." He walked over to the side to wait for his coffee and tried not to turn and look at the girl ordering at the counter.

Adeline stiffened when she recognized the voice in front of her and involuntarily let out a gasp, causing Leo to look at her. So much for trying to avoid him.

She sneaked a glance at him and her shoulders hunched when she saw him looking at her. Turning away, she handed her card to pay for her peppermint hot chocolate.

Leo's phone buzzed in his pocket and he opened it to see a missed call from his mother and then a text from her. He opened the text and saw that she sent him the address to where she set up the blind date for him. Sighing, he shoved his phone back into his pocket, knowing he couldn't argue his way out. He got his drink and brushed past Adeline, sending tingles through his arm. He tried to ignore it as he shoved the coffee shop door open but the spot where they touched seemed warmer than the rest of his body.

Adeline stiffened when she felt Leo brush past her. She could smell his cologne and her heart ached at the memories the simple scent brought to mind. She allowed herself a moment of regret before she was snapped out of it by her order being called. Taking a sip of the warm drink, she headed out of the cafe.

This morning, she had woken up to a text from one of the people she had met yesterday and they requested to meet her today so they could see her designs and then decide if they were interested. Adeline quickly packed her designs and sketches into a portfolio which she how carried in a bag tucked under her arms.

The place where the person wanted to meet was about a fifteen minute walk from the cafe and Adeline arrived there early. She sat down in the lobby of the building and waited. And waited. And waited.

She had nearly dozed off, sitting in the chair for about two hours and was startled awake by the quick tapping of heels. "I'm so sorry!" a panicked voice came from behind, "I had my assistant set up a meeting with you and then he neglected to tell me when it was and I totally forgot about it until just now." A breathless woman plopped down in the chair across from Adeline and held out a hand, "My name's Lyra."

Adeline took her hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you I'm Adeline. And it's okay, I didn't have much to do today so I enjoyed the nap."

Lyra breathed a sigh of relief, "I still feel bad though. Let me treat you to lunch and then after we can talk about business. Noodles okay with you?"

"How did you know that was my favorite food?" Adeline grinned.

"I love noodles." Lyra looped her arm around Adeline, "I think we're going to get along just fine."

_____

Leo wanted to rip his hair out. He slouched in his chair across from the girl his mother set him up with and cursed the stars in his head. Of all the girls in the whole wide world...

Emilie looked just as pissed as he felt and he would have prayed for her parents if he wasn't too busy wondering horrible crimes he had committed in his past life to have this kind of luck.