𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧. The color scheme consisted of an array of browns, greens and grays. There were plants surrounding two of the four walls and when you glanced up, there were fairy lights on the ceiling. A green couch was on one side of the tea shop and had two similar arm chairs on either side of it with a short coffee table in front. Seeing it reminded Estelle much of the "sweet sea cafe" she went to back in Clearwater, but it was more quiet and vintage there than at the cafe.
The aroma of not only sweet teas, but bitter coffee and sweets were in the air. She made herself comfortable at a small table in the back of the shop. The table was set for two and she only occupied one wooden chair. It would have been very awkward for her, but seeing that there were many there alone loosened her up. Within a minute, a teenage girl around her age in a green and black uniform came up to her.
She had a slight British accent, " Hello, can I get you anything to start?"
" Hi, sorry, I've never been here before."
She blinked in some type of emotion Estelle couldn't read, " You're American." She snapped out of her trance and quickly apologized. " Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
" It's fine. Don't worry about it."
" Again, I'm really sorry." She brushed her hair out of her face before leaning in and whispering " I'm actually American too. I just fake the accent."
" Wow, I didn't even notice." They both chuckled.
" Gotta fake it till you make it. Anyways, I'm Lively and I would be happy to give you a few recommendations since it's your first time here."
The waitress, Lively, started listing off some sweet drinks and deserts she believed Estelle would enjoy. The tea shop had more than just tea to Estelle's surprise. She got a scone and a chamomile lemon tea. Lively appeared overjoyed that Estelle took her suggestion and basically hopped over to the counter to put in her order after.
As she waited for her tea and scone, Estelle scrolled through her phone. It wasn't the best idea. Instagram was full of her friends at the beach and surfing - a normal pastime for Clearwater kids. She had seen she was tagged by commenters on a post made by Damon - she hadn't blocked him yet. She peeked at her finger and twisted the ring that sat on it. It was always a little big for her finger since Damon didn't know her ring size, but she never went to get it sized correctly. She looked away from the ring.
There are no beaches in London, so bad luck for me there. Luckily for me, surfing isn't the only thing I'm interested in.
A little unknown fact about Estelle was her interests in drawing and playing the ukulele. When she said drawing, she meant sketching, but to her it sounded cooler than saying " I like to sketch". Ukulele was a common instrument to learn in Clearwater so naturally everyone knew how to play a few songs here or there.
Lively came back with her tea and scone and told her to enjoy after Estelle handed her the payment in pounds. The tea was sweet and had a lemony taste to it that made her mouth burst in flavor. The scone had raspberries in it and tasted flaky and light. Everything - the lights, the atmosphere and the food - was right. Perfectly and utterly right.
She began to recalled all the times she would go with Gracie and Lola to just sit around in the "sweet sea cafe" and drink cold freezies - a type of slushie - and eat soft serve ice cream as they did their homework for whatever class they had. Sometimes the lifeguard crew - that included Estelle - would go there after hours and the owner would let them in to get something because they worked long shifts during the summer.
Estelle snapped out of her daze on her phone when once soft talking around her turned into louder laughs.
The couch across the shop was now occupied by a group, chatting, and the other tables were filled with either people working on their computers or sitting around with their friends. There were four in total at the couch. Lively was standing behind the couch both laughing and writing things down on her little notepad. It appeared that she knew them.
Her eyes went from the group to her phone again as she finished her tea and a louder laugh sent her eyes back up. No one seemed disturbed by the noise other than a man in a suit at a table who grumbled to himself. Estelle didn't mind it since at one point, she was once a part of a similar group that laughed like there was no tomorrow in the town she grew up in.
One of the boys in the group twisted his head around to see if they were disturbing anyone and his eyes landed on Estelle the moment her eyes went up. In a flush of embarrassment, she looked away to prevent any further eye contact, but there was a feeling of a burning stare going straight into her skull. "Damn it," she thought. She wasn't dressed like a local - whatever a local looked like - and they probably knew she was an American.
Her phone dinged and she mentally thanked whoever out there was texting her. Oddly, it was her mother who texted her. Estelle hadn't realized it, but it was six thirty - or 18:30 - and Ines had gotten worried about her daughter since she wasn't at the apartment when she arrived. She texted her back and said she was headed back. Quickly, she lifted herself from the chair, snatched her bag and headed for the door.
Estelle wasn't paying attention - unfortunate for her - so, she didn't see that someone was walking through the door the moment she exited and smacked right into someone coming through the door. Embarrassed and wanting the world to swallow her whole, she apologized and ran out of the door.
I can't believe I did that. I'm never stepping out of the apartment again.
The string that once pulled her to the tea shop was still strong and even tighter as she made it halfway home. It was then she realized that Damon's promise ring was no longer on her finger. Checking my pockets and her bag and then her pockets again made her feel pathetic. She shouldn't have been wearing the ring. It wasn't hers to wear anymore, but she desired for it to be with her. It was her last connection with him. And now it was lost.
— ☆*: .｡. ⋄▽⋄ .｡.:*☆—
nova speaks: Again, this is sort of a filler chapter, but we met a new friend - Lively Cantor played by Olivia Rodrigo. I love her character and I hope that you all grow to love her too. There will be more information about what happened with Estelle and Damon soon. I hope you all enjoyed. Stay safe and healthy everyone.
