AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hey. Sorry I slept in. I can pick you up anytime to go get your car.
Sienna went over to her dresser and took out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She took a shower and by the time she got out and got dressed, Natalie had replied, saying she was ready anytime.
Sienna blow-dried her hair and put on a light layer of makeup before grabbing her keys. Her apartment door fell closed behind her as she took the stairs down to the street. She paused outside the bakery, always wondering if it was a blessing or a curse to live above it, but through the large glass windows she only saw a few people sitting at tables with no one waiting at the counter.
The moment Sienna opened the door, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee surrounded her. It was rare that she went this far into the day without a cup.
She smiled at the owner as she approached the counter, the sweet scent of pastries making her stomach rumble.
“The usual?” Kelly asked, her strawberry blond curls tired up in a messy bun today.
“Not quite. Would you double it for me?”
“Two coffees and two cinnamon rolls? To go?” Kelly asked as she tapped on the screen in front of her.
“Yes. Please.” Sienna had no idea how Natalie liked her coffee or if she’d already had three cups of it considering the time, but she thought it was worth a shot, especially since she’d woken up so late today. Plus, everybody loves Kelly’s cinnamon rolls.
“That’s my last two,” Kelly said with a smile, sliding the brown paper bag across the counter. “You left it late today.”
“I had a late night.”
Kelly’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh…?” Her voice rose with interest.
“No.” Sienna shook her head, feeling her cheeks heat up. “No. Nothing like that. You know what I’m like when I get into a flow and can’t put the guitar down.”
“Oh, speaking of you and your guitar. Don’t forget to put up a poster on that bulletin board,” she said as she put the lids on her coffees. “Assuming you’re back after the summer break?”
“Yeah. I’m back to my Thursday nights. Thanks. I’ll just double-check the time with Vinnie and then I’ll make one up.”
“Alright,” Kelly said as Sienna paid. “Have a good day.”
“You too.”
Sienna went around behind the bakery, her car parked in an employee space even though she was Kelly’s tenant. The sun was high in the sky, but the car had been in the shade all morning so it wasn’t too stuffy.
Sienna slid on her shades and drove to Natalie’s cabin, tucked away in the woods, just a stone’s throw from her parents’ house. She checked her playlist before she drove off, not wanting any of Natalie’s songs to pop up, because that would be strange, and she wasn’t sure how it would make Natalie feel.
Although, Sienna had left her cabin feeling like Natalie had almost gone through a therapy session with her, like she’d come out the other side and felt like she could sing her own songs again. That made Sienna feel pretty good, even if it was just a coincidence really, that Sienna had played that song on stage, and that Natalie had been within earshot of it.
It’s funny how things like that happen.
7
Natalie tucked her hair behind her ear as she got out of Sienna’s car and unlocked her black Audi, the only car left in the field. Her shades shielded her from the sun reflecting off the shiny surface as she held onto her coffee cup, not quite finished with it yet. In the distance, workers were dismantling the stalls and rides, with trucks pulled up, ready to be loaded.
“Thanks again,” Natalie said, hovering by the door, not wanting to open it and end their conversation, but there wasn’t much else to say. The drive over had been short, and they’d spent most of it talking about how it should probably be a little worrying how dependent they both were on caffeine.
It was sweet of Sienna to think to bring her a coffee, and the label on the bag told her that whatever pastry was in it, it was going to be amazing. Everything from that bakery was, but apparently Sienna had great taste. She also loved their cinnamon rolls, and Natalie didn’t think she ever enjoyed one more than she had on the ride over. It was an unexpected surprise, and maybe that made it taste even more delicious than usual.
“No problem,” Sienna said, her window down. “Stay in touch?”
“I will.” Natalie smiled and gave Sienna a wave as she drove off, leaving Natalie alone with her thoughts.
She leaned against the side of her car, the metal warm even through her shirt, gazing out across the fields. It was hard to believe so much had been here just yesterday, with thousands of people coming and going, but that storm had ended things early, and now it was just the workers who remained, packing it all up, leaving bare patches of grass behind and deep tire tracks in the muddy parts of the field.
Natalie got in her car and drove to a lake about twenty minutes away. She’d found it online when she’d been looking for local trails, getting tired of taking the one that ran behind her cabin. She wasn’t ready to go home yet, and the four-mile loop would do her good.
Her power had come back at around ten o’clock that morning, and although they’d been up late, she’d slept right up until that point, when a few of the appliances in the kitchen downstairs whirred to life and beeped.
