Page 113 of My Lucky Star
“Istanbul, Turkey?”
“Is there another Istanbul?”
“You seem angry.”
I shrugged. Maybe I was. It felt better to be angry than sad. At least anger came with some energy, as did coffee. I’d count both of those as tiny victories.
“I’m trying to get over something. Someone.” I looked out the window, avoiding his eyes.
“Ah, okay.”
I braced myself for a follow-up question, but Felix drove on in silence.
Napier looked the same as always. Beautiful, sleepy, empty. Without Cem, my town felt like an empty shell. Nothing here made me feel alive. Nothing captured my heart.
Felix parked outside the cafe, and I cringed. We were only one block from my office.
“Wait. Is there anywhere else we can go? This is so close to work, and I haven’t told my boss I’m back—”
“But I told you about this cafe. This is the...”
He looked so forlorn that I gave up. “Don’t sweat it. It’s fine.”
I climbed out of the van and Felix escorted me to a corner table. We ordered flat whites, and he insisted on sharing a piece of carrot cake. The coffee was strong, I had to admit.
“So, you’re getting over someone?” Felix asked, his eyes regarding me with cautious curiosity.
I gathered my thoughts to answer, when I heard Janie’s bright voice. “Aria! You’re back already!”
Of course. We’d arrived for the morning coffee break and here she was, as if on cue.
I turned around, trying to arrange my features into a smile. “Hi, Janie! Yes, I’m back.”
I must have looked rather distraught since her face immediately fell. “What happened?”
Janie took a seat next to me, ignoring Felix. “Tell me!”
I dropped the fake smile, meeting her concerned eyes. “I... I had to leave early. They didn’t need me anymore. The actress I was impersonating took over the role herself. Who better to play her than herself, right?” I shot for a bright tone, and I tried to smile again, but my mouth didn’t cooperate.
“Oh, Aria! He broke your heart, didn’t he? The bastard! That beautiful bastard.”
“Who’s a beautiful bastard?” Felix asked.
Janie waved a dismissive hand at my date, took me by the elbow and walked me out of the cafe. “Bye!” she called from the door.
I could only imagine Felix’s expression, but I didn’t have the energy to care. The pain had momentarily taken over my body, demanding all my resources.
Janie kept escorting me until we got to the office entrance. “Pete’s not here, don’t worry.”
She walked me to the couch, plonking me down. “I’ll make you some tea.”
I burst into tears. “Not tea.”
Oh, God. I was triggered by tea now? How had I turned into this scorching hot mess? I heaved in breaths between wailing sobs, sounding like a toddler having a meltdown.
“What’s wrong?” Janie sat next to me, throwing her arm over my shoulder, waited for me to calm down and listened as I told her the whole sorry saga, sniffling and wiping my nose on my T-shirt sleeve until she fetched me a roll of toilet paper.
When I finished, Janie blew out a sigh. “That was quite the story.”
