Page 6 of Ms Perfectly Fine
She smirked, pleased to have the upper hand—though judging from Elijah’s relaxed demeanour, their co-habitation didn’t bother him nearly as much as it was bothering her.
“Figure it out. I have to get to rehearsals,” she said, and though she prided herself on being a reasonable person, she turned her back on his deep frown. It was oh, so satisfying. For the first time this morning, she smiled, and considered skipping down the path.
“Autumn!” Elijah called again.
Delighting in his irritation, Autumn waved smugly before closing the gate behind her. Once she was clear of the intruder, she wondered how he’d got in with the movers without the alarm code.I set it last night. It was raining pretty hard, though; maybe there was a blackout?It wouldn’t have been the first time.
Her thoughts were disrupted when her phone rang.
“Hey, you almost here?” Nina’s warm voice was like a comforting hug after the morning she’d had.
“I’m only around the corner—be there in a second. I’ve sent you the coffee orders for everything. I’ll pay when I arrive,” Autumn said, avoiding the puddles on the path from last night’s spring shower. “You won’t believe the morning I’ve had.”
Nina chuckled. “I can’t wait to hear what madeyoulate. Don’t worry, I got the list. I’m in the queue now.”
Autumn didn’t want to tell her about Elijah until she got her morning coffee. Hanging up, she dipped under the deep blue awning which protected her favourite coffee shop, Brewtiful Beans. The smell of coffee mixed with aftershave and perfume greeted her as the usual crowd of suits waited for their drinks. She gently nudged her way through, searching for Nina. The smell of freshly made pastries made her mouth water and stomach growl. She realised she hadn’t eaten, which was a terrible idea with the painkillers she planned to take after such a tense night. There wasn’t time to queue, so she rooted in her bag, relieved to find an emergency protein bar.I can eat on the way.Finally, she spotted Nina with the trays of coffee at their usual table, waving a pink doughnut box to get her attention. Autumn had never loved her friend more. Doughnuts were far nicer than protein bars.
“What would I do without you?” she exclaimed, mocking a bow.
“You sounded stressed, so I figured some doughnuts were in order,” Nina said, embracing her. She was a hugger, and this morning Autumn returned the embrace eagerly. She loved that her friend knew her so well.
“Since when do you love my hugs?” Nina asked when Autumn didn’t pull away early as she usually did.
“I needed one after the morning I’ve had,” Autumn admitted, giving her one last squeeze.
“Bad pain night? Rehearsals yesterday went a bit long. I wouldn’t be surprised if that caused it,” Nina said, zipping up her faux-fur lime jacket. She was the queen of bold fashion choices; the outfits combined with her jet black pixie cut and tattoos made it impossible not to notice her.
“No, it wasn’t the rehearsal, just a nightmare.” Autumn diverted her attention to the pink box and pulled out a cookies-and-cream doughnut, taking a generous bite before picking up the coffee with her name.
“You haven’t had a nightmare in a while. Could be the solo?” Nina suggested.
Autumn nodded, taking a gulp to let the sweet vanilla syrup perk her up. Coffee and doughnuts were the perfect end to a horrible morning.I wonder if the invader’s coffee machine makes coffee as good as this. I could always keep the coffee machine and get rid of him.
“Probably, but this time it was hyper-realistic. I could even hear myself trying to calm myself down,” she said, warming her hands on the cup. “Usually I get so lost in the memories, I can’t tell it’s a dream.”
“You need some time off. All you do is play, and your body probably needs a break. You’ve been doing back-to-back musicals and now rehearsing for the show,” Nina pointed out, stacking the trays of coffee.
“I’m perfectly fine. It was one night. If I couldn’t manage, I would tell you,” Autumn countered. “Once the showcase is over, I’ll give my body a break.” She knew she was pushing it, but she needed all the practice she could get.
“Uh-huh. What about the tour?” Nina said, picking up the trays. Autumn avoided her knowing gaze.
“I haven’t decided whether I’m going yet. I want to see how the showcase goes first,” she said. Anyway, it wasn’t entirely up to her; their conductor wanted to make sure she was up for it too.
“So long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” Nina said as Autumn held the door for her.
Nina was one of the few people she never felt the need to hide her pain from. The first day they’d met, Autumn had collapsed during an audition due to the overworked nerves in her back. She’d hit her head, and the conductor had insisted on calling an ambulance. Autumn hadn’t expected Nina to stay with her, but not only had she done so, but she’d never made her feel like her pain was a nuisance. Nothing bonds or tests a friendship faster than a night in A&E.
“Thank you, and thank you for saving my butt this morning. I’ll transfer you the money for the coffee in the car,” Autumn said, wanting to change the subject before they reached Nina’s vintage beetle.
“No rush, but I have to ask—if the tour isn’t stressing you out, what happened this morning? Now, where did I put my keys?”
Autumn waited patiently. Nina losing things was a frequent issue, but usually, they turned up. She took a sip of coffee. “I have an invader.”
“I need more information. Animal or human? Continue.” Nina’s eyes narrowed as she placed the coffee trays on the car roof and continued to root in her bag. “Wait, please tell me this isn’t about rats or spiders. I need my coffee first if we’re going to be discussing rodents.” Nina shivered, and Autumn shook with laughter, knowing how much her friend detested all manner of things creepy and crawly.
“My landlord, Tim, rented out the first floor of my house to some guy he invested in,” Autumn explained. “I would have preferred rats.” Now it was Nina’s turn to laugh.
Autumn looked through the car window and noticed that the keys were on the seat. She pulled on the handle, and the door opened, much to Nina’s surprise.
