Path of the Vampire forum

Connie Wilson was a diligent woman with an eye for detail and a knack for getting to know people. It was her first day back on the job after spending almost a year on maternity leave, and though some on the outside looking in might consider her nothing more than a glorified office-lady, the team had come to appreciate her input on all things ‘people’ related. During an all-staff-meeting that morning, the team had been informed that Constable Aaron Loch and Steven Knowles would both be returning to active duty in six weeks time. Connie had wasted no time, ordering cards, flowers, and a get well gift for both men.

“A broken leg,” Barns scoffed. “Six weeks for a broken leg?”
“And concussion,” Connie said.
“What happened to the other one?” Barns asked, her tone hinting that she didn’t really care and was only asking out of curiosity.
“Aaron?” Connie replied, trying not to seem put-out by the woman’s lack of care.
“Right, Loch.”
“He broke his right arm and three ribs,” Connie told her.
Barns half-smiled. “And he gets six weeks off?”
“Knowing Aaron, he’ll be in on light-duty in a couple of weeks. The man’s a workaholic.”
“If you say so.” the redhead shrugged.

Connie left the staff-room, irked by the young officer’s tone, and marched through the bullpen to go to Aaron’s desk. She picked up an empty takeaway cup and turned it around, not recognising the logo. “David,” she said to get Detective Morgan’s attention.
“What?” He grunted, spinning about in his chair to eye the woman. He was a relatively tall man with small eyes and straight eyebrows, that when pinched, as they were now, made him appear very serious.
“Do you know where this place is?” She pointed to the logo on the cup.
David sighed, as if to suggest Connie was wasting his time. “Its from that little cafe down the road, the one that sells the cakes.”
“Does it have a name?”
“I think there’s a card on the fridge in the lunchroom.”

Connie found the card and thumbed the contact number into her phone. She waited and, was just about to hang up, when someone answered. “Sweet Sensations, you’re speaking with Willow.”
“Hi Willow. My name’s Con-”
“I’ll just pass you over, we’re a little busy at the moment.”
“Oh, all right.” Connie waited.

Between the clang of racks slamming together as she pushed them out of her way, the relentless scream of timers going off one after another, and the rumble of chatter from the guests filling every table out front, Sai didn’t even hear the phone ring. Normally, as the one with the most tact and patience, not to mention the knowledge of what could and couldn’t be done, she was the one to answer the phone. Black brows knit together over tired, almond eyes as she caught the redhead with the phone to her ear just a second too late and she finished the transaction for the lovely man behind the counter, sending him off with an urging but still kind smile along with two boxes worth of freshly fried doughnuts.

Thankfully, he was last in a very long line that morning and after she drew in a deep breath and shoved it out of her nose, she took the phone from Willow and shooed her away with a dismissive flick of her hand, sending her off to tend to the screech of two timers going off on opposite seconds.

“Thank you for holding, this is Sai of Sweet Sensations. How can I help you?” she asked, in hopes the urgency of the day had waned from her tone.

She peeked around the corner of the wall separating the retail counter from the bakery proper and shot Willow a look that said she’d better not get an earful from the person on phone while a small but mighty finger reminiscent of mother to child pointed her in various directions in silent instruction. The woman lifted and dropped her shoulders, poked out her tongue, and turned away from her to fetch the countless trays of cinnamon buns from each oven, none too gentle as she filled rack upon rack with well-used silver trays teeming with aromatic decadence.

With the receiver tucked between her cheek and shoulder, she went about boxing up a phone order for bagels while she listened, ever the multi-tasker and someone who didn’t have a second to spare at this hour of the morning.

“H-hi. Its Connie speaking from the local Police Department. I was hoping to make a couple of orders?” Connie had paused initially at the sound of the buzzers going off in the background. They really did sound busy down at the cafe today. “Two small get well cakes for a pair of our officers that were in an accident last Friday. I was wondering if you could give me an idea on price.”

She stopped what she was doing, box half filled and the bagel she was holding dropped haphazardly into the box as soon as the woman on the other end of the line mentioned police officers in an accident. Aaron’s face flashed behind her eyes for reasons unknown to her and her brows further knotted in the center.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear that. How are they doing?” she asked before anything else, thankful Willow had tended to the timers in time for her response to be crystal clear and unmarred by background noise save for the idle chatter that had calmed with the noise level.

Connie opened her mouth to say something, surprised a complete stranger would show such concern when one of their own co-workers had been so cold. “They’ll be fine, just a few broken bones,” she finally said. “Truck versus car, they were lucky to have walked away from that one. I was hoping to get a cake to them by tonight. I know its really short notice. Steven and Aaron are their names. I could come by after work and pay before I deliver them.” Connie had hoped to get the invoice made out to the station, but decided it was probably easier if she just paid upfront.

“My god, no kidding. They’re very lucky,” she said as cool as she could manage all while her heart sunk at the mention of their names. She wasn’t about to give away her true level of interest in one of the officers’ well-being and instead she offered, “Tonight isn’t a problem if it’s something more on the basic side. I hate to have to say that but I usually prep a couple days in advance for things with fondant detailing or other ornate requests. I bake a head for my special orders but have the time tomorrow to catch up so I can offer you either a sheet cake in whatever size you need or a small two tiered round, decorated to your liking in the time allotted, both in chocolate, white, or marble,” she paused then, if only to think of how to word the next bit without seeming overt, “If it’s easier for you, I don’t mind doing cash on delivery when I drop it off. I’m sure it’s been stressful enough for the force without adding one more thing to your to-do list. I’ll be going right by both the station and the hospital with my errands for the evening…”

“Chocolate,” Connie agreed without hesitation. “They don’t need to be big and fancy, just a simple get well soon will do,” she said. Connie hated talking on her cell phone, she always felt as if she had nothing to do with her hands and missed twisting the old spring-cord about her finger as she spoke. “You know it wouldn’t hurt if you drew a couple of dicks on Aarons cake.” Connie laughed, “pay back for the special surprise he got me last year. I think both of them are at home and were let out of hospital on Friday. How about I come by after work and pay and I’ll take Steven’s cake to him. He and his family live in the same district at me. I think Aaron is a short walk from the shop, so I can always walk across to West Towers and leave it at the front desk.”

Sai couldn’t help the burst of laughter she let out when Connie mentioned the ‘special surprise’; she knew exactly what she meant, “Oh my god, was that for you?” she asked, still chuckling, “That was very clever and an order I haven’t forgotten even with the amount of time that’s passed.”

As tensions eased and she found that conversation came without force with the woman, she went back to filling the box as they chatted, “I’d be happy to pay him back with a special surprise of his own,” she said with a cheshire grin she was sure could be heard in her voice.

“We close at eight but they’ll be done by seven if that works for you? I also don’t mind leaving it at the Towers for you, divide and conquer if you will, but your preference, of course.”

“It was,” Connie admitted, smiling now, “he thinks he’s very funny around the office, and I have to admit, he’s come up with a few crackers. Seven suits me. I’ll be by then. It would really help me if you could take his cake over to the towers. Thanks, Sai, I’ll see you later.”

Seven o’clock had come and gone and so, too, did Connie. She was just as pleasant in person as she’d been on the phone and was all too appreciative of, (and frankly entertained by), the designs Sai had pulled together on such short notice.

Steven’s was straight-forward, neatly done, and respectful: a quarter sheet done in white buttercream and edged in police-force blue. She’d added a badge adorned with shimmering silver luster dust and written “Get Well Soon” as instructed.

Aaron’s, however, while similar in nature, had perfectly piped male anatomy done subtly in ivory icing, just a shade or two off from the base white, evenly spaced all the way around the edges, something he wouldn’t notice until it was unboxed and ready to be cut. The rest of it echoed the first: a badge and a well-wishing message.

She chuckled the whole way through decorating it as did Willow who kept making lewd gestures with the wooden spoon she was wielding as she mixed up some batter for tomorrow morning’s bake. Both women cracked up each time she did it, their laughter filling the quiet that had overtaken the cafe in the evening hours, and it took scraping away the shaky lines and several tries before she got through it.

The quiet evening made it easy for the pair to catch up from the rush earlier in the day and by the time seven rolled around and Sai had helped Connie, she left the little bit of their to-do list and closing to Willow. She peeled the flour-dusted black apron from her body and tossed it in a bin with probably twenty more of its likeness, a mental note made to wash them tomorrow before they had none left to wear. She adjusted the hem of a simple, long-sleeved black tee over the top of her black and white herringbone patterned chef pants, re-plaited long, black hair so it hung neatly down her back, gathered up the box meant for Aaron, and pecked Willow on a flour-stained cheek on her way out the door.

As Connie had mentioned, it was a short distance to the Towers and the woman was grateful for the walk in silence under the light of the moon; unexpected but no less appreciated time to unwind from the stress of the day.

Instead of the usual tag attached to the twine that tied the box shut, Sai had attached a business card with a short note written on the back followed by her cell phone number:
She greeted the man behind the desk with a kind smile and left him with the box and instructions on which resident it was to be delivered to. A nod in thanks came before she turned on her heel and left the building, hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket against the chill in the air as she leisurely strolled home, kept company by only the stars above.

It had been a busy day for gifts. Flowers and cards had poured in from people at work and some of his friends down at the local basketball club. Aaron hadn’t been expecting the influx of well-wishes, and was running out of places to stand cards and house flowers. He was just about to call it a night when he got a call from the man at the front desk. “I’ll come get it in the morning,” Aaron said.
“You might want it now,” the man informed him, “I think its a cake.”

Aaron returned to the apartment he was renting a few minutes later. He wrestled with his keys, struggling to hold the cake and undo the lock. His right arm was in a black cast and his shoulder was strapped to prevent any further strain. Once inside, he opened the box and couldn’t help but laugh. He typed out a message to Connie on his phone: Your handy work? Followed by a picture he snapped of himself leaning close to the cake with his tongue out. Connie replied thirty seconds later with the crying-face-emoji and a short message. Got cha! Feel better xxx.

After trying a small piece of cake, Aaron was just about done with clean up when he discovered Sai’s note. He put the cake in the fridge and sat down on his leather armchair. He turned the card over and studied the number. Mandy jumped up onto the arm of the chair and pressed her face up against the card, butting it from the man’s hand. “Jealous boots,” he said, scratching the cat behind the ears. She flopped down in his lap, purring, and curled up, her small pink tongue making a few passes at the end of her tail before she settled.

Aaron picked up the card again, it was closer to nine now, perhaps not the best time to call a near-stranger, even if only to say thank you. The screen lit up as he typed the number into it and dialed.

She’d forgot her phone was in her pocket, distracted by the walk and lost in thought. It startled her and she stared at the screen for several seconds after fishing it out, unable to place to unfamiliar number. It didn’t register that he’d actually use the number she gave him but she answered nonetheless, a touch of apprehension in her voice, “Hello, this is Sai.”

"I thought we were friends, Sai. What do you call this?" Aaron asked, tone light. He laughed then, any hint of nervousness buried in humour. "I apologise for calling you at such an hour, I just wanted to say thank you for the cake, traitor." He chuckled then.

Her laughter echoed his own, his voice instantly recognizable even without mention of the cake, “I thought it was funny given what you did to poor Connie last year,” she replied, another chuckle stealing her voice as she was named traitor, “You’re quite welcome. I hope you enjoy eating dick,” she teased in return, finding that the playful banter came easy.

It hurt to laugh, Arron found, yet all the same he could not deny the smile he wore when listening to her amusement. You might need to come round and help me finish it tomorrow night, he thought, but didn’t dare speak. She was just the delivery girl, Aaron reminded himself. "I'm sure it will disappear in no time at all."

She laughed softly again, finding herself pacing around the island in her kitchen, black strands of hair twirling about the index finger of her free hand, “I’m sure it will and I’m glad it brought a little laughter to you during a rough time.”

Paused, not because he didn't know what to say, but because he wished he had more to. "Yes, thank you again, Sai. You have a good night."

Sai smiled even though her dog was the only one who could see it, “My pleasure. Enjoy it and your evening. Hopefully I’ll see you for coffee one of these mornings when you’re feeling up to it.”

"I'm sure you will. Goodnight."

“And to you.”

The Following Day…

“I'm never gonna let you close to me
Even though you mean the most to me
'Cause every time I open up, it hurts
So I'm never gonna get too close to you
Even when I mean the most to you
In case you go and leave me in the dirt.”

The sweet, melodic, soprano tone of Sai’s full voice complemented Sam Smith’s as the song flooded the cafe. She spent most of the morning in the back, tucked into a little corner of solitude she used to focus and immerse herself in whatever design awaited her; a wedding shower cake on this particular day. Standing at the counter, her space was fully visible to someone placing an order, though it never bothered her to be watched. Sometimes people would linger just to get a look at what she was working on in a type of fascination with things outside their scope of talent.

The song permeated the whole of the kitchen on its way from the dining area and the only patron enjoying coffee and a cinnamon bun happened to be someone who didn’t mind her singing one bit: her mother. The small woman with identical soft, almond eyes and golden skin that both echoed Sai’s and barely showed her age, hummed along over the rim of her coffee cup as she thumbed through an interior design magazine at a table sat next to the large front window. She was no doubt on the hunt for ideas for the dream home she’d never have.

On slow days like these, when Sai was lost to her decorating or overwhelmed by it as some days proved, Tala hopped up most willingly to help the odd customer who straggled in during the later morning hours. Sai didn’t mind the break and the people seemed to appreciate her kind demeanor and the little bit of small talk she made with each of them, a sign she truly cared about each person who chose to spend their money at their establishment.

Sai heard the bell of the door but didn’t look up beyond a flick of chocolate eyes briefly enough to see that Tala had it under control. She sang still, undeterred by the additional listener though she was a touch quieter as she smoothed out the first layer of frosting on the two tier cake, her expression one of utter concentration, even as she heard the gentle voice of the woman greet Aaron as he entered.

“Good morning, sir. What can we get started for you today?”

Four days of stubble had left Aaron looking a little more scruffy than usual. His coat was flat, years of use had left it discoloured, a dull, sun-damaged shade of olive that had, and still was in parts, green. He had managed to thread the right sleeve up over the cast before slipping the broken arm back into the black slink that kept it strapped to his chest. The coat remained undone, however, as he hadn’t quite been able to wrestle the end of the zipper into submission.

“Yo,” he greeted the older woman behind the counter, his deep New Yorker accent unmistakable, speaking right off the top of his teeth, as he was often accused. “Good morning,” he followed up, when Tala gave him a sidelong look. “I’ll have a long black and one of your savory muffins,” he said.

Aaron paid by debit but put a couple of coins in the tip jar, as he often did. It wasn’t as commonplace to tip in Canada as it was America, but he had gathered long before now that the owners weren’t Canadian. He spotted Sai out the back, but noticed she was busy. Aaron took up one of the free newspapers from the counter and sat down at one of the small tables to read while he waited on the coffee and muffin.

The song happened to fade just as Aaron spoke and Sai caught both his original New York style greeting and the correction. She couldn’t help but chuckle; she’d been given that look he presumably got countless times in her life.

Tala wandered back into the kitchen within seconds of the man turning to place himself at a table; she was never in any great hurry but people didn’t seem to mind in the least.

“That dreamboat out there wants a muffin we’re out of,” she said, nonchalant and with no attempt made whatsoever to lower her voice. She fetched a tray full to refill the case with and shot Sai a wink on her way by; another look the woman knew all too well. ‘Oh, no, no,’ Sai thought, ‘not happening…’ though the smile that strung up the corners of her mouth indicated that logic was losing this battle.

“Mother! You cannot call the customers ‘dreamboats.’ That’s not very professional,” she said with mock disdain, “Plus, who says ‘dreamboat’ anymore anyway?” she added, face contorted in amused confusion. The only reply came in the form of a lifted single shoulder and a laugh from the older of the pair.

Dropping her piping bag to the table, she headed Tala off at the doorway between the register and the back, snatching up a muffin and napkin to put on a saucer along with the cup of coffee already poured and waiting. She shot her mother a look over her shoulder, one returned in kind along with a crooked smirk that showed the weathered lines at the corners of her eyes.

Sai approached Aaron’s table, the same kind smile he’d have grown used to by now warming her features. She sat down the saucer first and the cup of coffee with care in front of the man and took a step back, leaned casually with one hand rested upon the back of the opposing chair.

“Good morning, officer. It’s good to see you out and about. How are you feeling?”

“Hey,” came the man’s reply, followed by a brief pause, officer, he thought, “you know you can call me Aaron,” he told her.

Aaron looked down at the coffee and savory muffin. He picked up a butter knife and cut it in half awkwardly before using his teeth to open one of the small plastic packs of butter. “Feeling a bit like I went a few rounds with a bear and lost.” He laughed, and spread the softened butter over the muffin before leaning back in his chair to twist and look up at Sai.

“Thanks again for dropping off that cake last night, it was really tasty. I might have to take it into the office and share it out. Don’t think I can eat it all by myself.”

She resisted the urge to lean in and help him as he struggled but only just; her hand had even left the back of the chair but she coolly slid it into the pocket of her pants before her intent was too obvious. She bowed her head upon the offer of informality, “As you wish, Aaron,” she replied, letting his name sit on her tongue.

The ding of the door being opened interrupted them only briefly and she took a step in toward the table to make sure the trio had enough room to pass. She glanced back to make sure Tala could take care of them and as if on cue, her small frame complete with a bright smile had just rounded the corner to greet them.

The notion that he was going back to work so soon snapped her attention right back to him and her brows knit together in mild concern, not that she had much of a right to show any.

“You’re very welcome, of course, and I’m glad you liked it. I thought you were due to be off for a time though; are you well enough to go back?” She asked, giving him a skeptical once over, chocolate eyes lingering on his casted arm in a look that clearly stated whatever his answer was going to be, probably had no hope of convincing her.

“A few weeks off,” the man agreed with a nod, “only I don’t think the cake will last that long, so I was going to stop by the station and drop it off for the team.”

Aaron took a sip of the coffee and screwed his face up, there was no getting used to the stuff, even though he thought he could like it at times. It was better than smoking, he told himself, a nasty habit he still hadn’t managed to kick. He bit down on the end of a small paper parcel of brown sugar and ripped it open before putting it into the black liquid. “You’ll probably be seeing a lot more of me with no more crazy night shifts to occupy my time.”He looked up at Sai as he spoke.

“I’m sure they’ll enjoy the decorations I added for you,” she mused with a chuckle, “That’s nice though. I’ve thought about taking donations to the station before just to show appreciation for everything you guys do around here,” she added with a shrug that indicated she wasn’t quite sure how that would be received.

She laughed at his expression and her eyes fell to the sugar as it dropped into his cup, watching the granules dissolve just as soon as they met the hot liquid, “Well, that’ll be nice to see a familiar face and maybe the more you’ll come, the more you’ll actually learn to like good coffee. You might try something a little sweeter or a flavored brew instead of something plain if you can’t seem to get used to it,” she offered, “Can I get you anything else before I leave you to ‘enjoy’ your breakfast? I don’t want to impose on your morning any longer than I have.”

Ah yes, Aaron thought, those lovely decorations, how would they go down in the office? He shook his head with mild amusement, considering how he might be able to disguise the original design with the sweep of a butter knife. “You’ll make us all fat,” he challenged, smiling for a moment before his features relaxed again. “I’m sure the team would appreciate it, and it might help you get a bit of free publicity for the cafe?”

He set the coffee aside and drummed his fingers against the table, willing himself to ask before Sai had to leave to get back to the kitchen. “Actually there was something,” he said, committing himself now, there was no turning back. “I wondered if you’d let me take you out to dinner Saturday night, as a thanks for the cake?” If you’re not busy here, he thought to add, though logic had already played a part in his picking Saturday over Friday night when Sai probably had orders to get through.

“I wouldn’t be looking for any publicity; I just almost always bake too much of everything and a little extra cushion never hurt anybody,” she teased with a wink, “And I think you should leave it just as it is if you do decide to share it. Connie didn’t get to see it and I’m quite sure she’d be more than amused,” she continued, finding the idle small talk came easy with him, something she sometimes struggled with given her personality was an interesting, if not confusing, mix of overtly direct touched with a hint of demure shyness that sometimes surprised people close to her.

That shy side made itself known as he continued on, her eyes settling on the drum of his fingertips to keep from holding his gaze as if averting her attention would somehow detract from the gentle pink that dusted the apples of her cheeks. It took everything she had not to grin like a fool in front of him and after taking a few seconds to compose herself, she nodded once and finally let her eyes find his, “I’d love to.”

Aaron was coming up with all types of plans on how he could best escape if the answer was no. The coffee he would ditch, he thought, but the muffin would be good to go. Sai’s answer surprised him. He smiled, holding her gaze for a brief few seconds before he nodded. “Great. You have my number, text me an address and time for Saturday and I’ll arrange the rest,” he told her.

A stray glance to the counter saw Aaron catch Tala squinting at them, as if trying to work out what was being said. “I should let you get back to work.” He gestured to the kitchen beyond the counter.

“Yeah, sounds good,” she said as she twisted to allow her line of sight to follow his. She gave a playful roll of her eyes but nodded all the same, “Yeah, if I don’t, she’ll act like she needs something that doesn’t exist in about two minutes just so she can come over here,” she said in a tone of facetious annoyance.

A hand came up to tuck her hair behind her ear before the pair found their way back into the pockets of her pants, a habit she had when she didn’t know what to do with them. She found herself suddenly nervous as if she didn’t quite hear him right or seemed too eager though little about her demeanor hinted at it; the woman had an impressive knack for overthinking that had gotten her into trouble in the past.

“It was good to see you this morning. I hope you hate your next cup of coffee a little less than you hate that one,” she teased, turning on her heel to head back behind the counter where Tala was most impatiently waiting.

The older woman’s hand came up to encircle the small circumference of Sai’s upper arm, stopping her from getting past her without a wry grin, a waggle of her brows, and a stolen glance over Sai’s shoulder to Aaron’s table.

“Well?!” she probed, “What was that about?” She continued, expectant and far too excited.

“...Nothing, mom,” Sai tried to say but by the look of that squint she received in return, Tala wasn’t buying it. She heaved a sigh, the heat rising in her cheeks once again, and she finally cracked that grin she was stifling just minutes before, “Okay, fine, he asked me to dinner to thank me for the cake I made,” she went on to explain, Tala’s eyes glimmering with joy all the while.

“Oooh, my baby girl has a date!” she blurted, much too loud and this time well within earshot of both Aaron and what felt like half of Harper Rock. Sai pried her arm out of the woman’s grasp with the help of her free hand and kissed the woman’s cheek with a roll of chocolate brown eyes, “I’m sure he didn’t mean a date. Just dinner…” she corrected on her way by though, even as she spoke it, she couldn’t help but hope she was wrong.

Aaron was just taking a bite of a half slice of muffin when Tala all but announced to the occupants of the small cafe that Sai had been asked out. He crammed the rest of the muffin into his mouth and gave an awkward wave as a small group of strangers turned to look at him. The other half of the muffin was swept up and the coffee abandoned as Aaron took his leave of the establishment, offering a quick-cheeky smile to Sai as he went out. The door closed behind him and the bell chimed to announce his departure.

A quick walk down the street and south of Honeymead Station saw him back to the West Tower apartments where he went to collect the cake Sai had delivered the night before. He still wasn’t allowed to drive for the remainder of the week, but a quick call via phone had a taxi waiting for him down stairs by the time he was ready to lock up and leave again.

Connie was the first face he saw upon entering the office. She beamed across at him and jumped up from her desk to meet him halfway up the hall. “What’s this?” She asked, when he presented her with the cake box.
“I thought you lot might enjoy it.”
Connie opened the box and made a high-pitched, half-laugh sort of sound. “Oh my goodness it's perfect! I wonder what the Chief will think?”
“Don’t you dare!” Aaron challenged with a look.
‘I’ll tell him it's from you.” She laughed.

Aaron tried to pry the box from her hands, but Connie twisted and made a beeline for the staff-room before he could get a good grip. He followed her, weaving between the desk in the bullpen. She put the box down beside the sink and went on the hunt for a clean plate in one of the overhead cupboards before fetching a knife. “Which little appendage do you think he’ll like best?” She ask.

Aaron just laughed.
“Its an improvement,” Barns said, gesturing at his strapped arm from the table.
“Nice to see you too,” Aaron replied, leaning back against the counter. “Want some cake?”
Barns shook her head. “Diet.”
“Its carrot cake,” he lied.
“Oh man I love carrot cake!” Barns said, jumping up from her chair at the lunch table. She took a little piece and bit into it without inspecting the slice.
Aaron laughed and wasn’t surprised to have the rest thrown at him. “Jerk!”
Connie giggled. “Why do you think I got the baker to draw dicks all over it?”
Aaron wiped some icing off his cheek and tasted it. “Payback for her baby shower last year,” he said, looking at Connie.
“I would have gone one better.” Barns teased, winked, and left the room.
“Thanks for bringing it in to share.” Connie smiled. “How are you feeling?”
“They gave me some pretty good pain killers,” he told her.
Connie offered him a plate. “Gonna stay for morning tea?”
“Nah, got some stuff to do today, maybe next time?”
She nudged him with her hip. “I’ll hold ya to it.”

Saturday

Fresh out of the shower and clean shaven, Aaron unfurled the extra towel from his arm to find the cast dry. He rolled on some deodorant and stood in front of the mirror brushing his teeth. A year ago the idea of going on a date was, to his mind, no less than betrayal to the memory of Emily. Now, some years on from her tragic death, there had been time to heal, time to make peace with what had happened.

He walked from the bathroom into the kitchen and picked up the plastic tub he kept the cat biscuits in. “She’s pretty, sweet, I think you'd like her,” he said to the picture of the two of them, still pinned to the fridge under an old magnet advertising some cheap beer.

Mandy trilled, impatient, and brushed up against the man's right leg. A shallow saucer of milk kept her quiet while Aaron topped up her bowl of stale biscuits with a handful of fresh ones.

Inside the bedroom he went about the routine of dressing. There weren't any dress-shirts in his collection that fit over his cast, which forced him to undo the cuff and fold the sleeve of the crisp, white shirt up to the elbow. Two of the fingernails on his right hand were back on account of slamming his arm against the car door during the accident. The pain hadn't registered then, but it throbbed now.

He finished dressing and chased a couple of painkillers down with a glass of water. Black pants and tie were stark against the white of his shirt. A leather jacket and heavy silver wristwatch completed the look, polished shoes ready and waiting at the door, the laces already fastened.

Aaron slipped his sock covered feet into the shoes and paused at the door, his hand on the knob. I’m forgetting something, he thought. A quick glance about the room and a pat down of his pockets saw him disappear into the bedroom once more to collect his phone and a small, black derringer that he strapped to his leg between calf and ankle. “Keys, wallet,” he said, as he took each of the items up.

Down in the garage, Aaron had his pick. Motorbike or patrol car. He considered both options, but went with the car in the end. It wasn’t fair to make Sai wear a helmet on their first date, what if she had gone to a lot of trouble with her hair? “Second,” he mused to himself, should he be so lucky.

He got to Ivy Bluffs a little early, ten minutes or so, which wasn’t unlike him. Downstairs, he sent in a text message to Sai, and got out of the car to wait on the passenger side, ready to open the door for her when she arrived.

Saturdays always seemed to fly by given her shortened hours and the ability to hide in the back and do what she loved from the time she walked in until she chose to leave. They were easy, mindless, days where she could just...be.

This one, however, seemed to drag on. Eight am...eight oh five am….eight oh eight am...all the while it felt like it should be noon by the time nine rolled around. She finally had to work on the other side of the end-to-end, butcher-block topped viennoiserie benches with her back to the clock to get the time to pass as it was supposed to.

With croissants and biscuits and cinnamon rolls and other French laminated pastries tucked safely into the freezer to be proofed and baked in the morning, Sai took her leave from the kitchen around noon if only to occupy her time with anything but thinking about the evening ahead. Holed up in her office with yet another ticking clock, she shot it a disdainful look and sat down to order her ingredients for the week along with any other miscellaneous items she read off from a running list they kept as they thought of things during the daily grind.

In plenty of time, she left the cafe in the mostly capable hands of Willow who Tala had conveniently blabbed her evening plans to and who spent all morning making comments not suitable for the workplace about said evening plans. Some of them made her cheeks turn pink, other ones earned a thrown wooden spoon, or a glare designed to kill. She loved the woman all the same though and kissed her cheek on her way out, reminding her of the same closing things to take care of same as she did every day before this one and would do every day after.

Her first stop when she arrived home was the shower; she wasn’t about to arrive flour-covered as Aaron’s cheeky text had suggested. She didn’t take long and after wringing most of the water out of long, inky-black hair, she dried it into flowing waves and brought out the best of her features with some expertly applied makeup. She dusted her eyelids with a shimmering silver, enhanced the almond shape of her eyes with black, winged liner, and brightened her whole face with a few layers of mascara and some iridescent powder dabbed to the apples of her cheeks. A bit of pale pink gloss to her lips pulled it all together as she dabbed the pair together to make sure it was evenly applied.

It had been a struggle to decide what to wear as it had been years since she’d gone out with any need to dress up but she found the change welcome and lovely. Eventually, she settled on a black dress, something short and fun with a deep V of accenting fabric giving it a little sparkle and interest. At five foot seven, she didn’t necessarily need the height of heels but she added it anyway, feet slipped into a black, pointed-toe pair that brought her dangerously close to six feet tall. She gave her hair a tousle and was about to throw her phone into the oversized bag she’d slung over her shoulder when it went off: Downstairs. was all it said but her stomach did a little flip as she texted back on her way into the elevator: In the elevator. she replied with, only to show up moments later in the lobby with a clear view of Aaron through the glass entry doors to her building.

She took a moment to admire him, broken arm and all, from afar, a little smirk on full lips all the while. That smirk grew into a bright smile when she met his eyes through the door she exited through and she greeted him with a light touch to his upper arm and a kiss to his cheek, “Good evening, officer,” she made a point of saying given he’d earned it with his choice of transportation.