The Alloys of the Blend

Chapter 10

"Hi, we're almost closed for the night. I can do a to-go order if that's okay!" Fern called, from her squatting position behind the register. Evie slowly made her way to the register, her heels making the only sound besides Fern tinkering around with something.

"Oh, uh, no. I'm actually here to see Doug," Evie clarified. Fern's head popped up at the sound of Evie's voice. She peeked over the counter and met Evie's familiar face. Wiping her hands on her apron and putting a few wires and cords down, Fern stood up and smiled.

"It's been a bit hasn't it?" She mentioned. "He's in the back, washing dishes. I can go—actually no—you can head into the kitchen. Let me know if you need anything," she said, glancing at the kitchen door that had just flapped, revealing Greg.

He gave Evie a wave, but almost immediately squatted down to his wife who had ducked back down under the register, meshing two wires together. Murmuring something inaudible to her, Fern chuckled. He gently pecked her temple, making her blush. Evie took that as a sign to head behind the door before she made for awkward company. Pushing it open, Doug looked over for a split second, continuing his dishes. Almost as fast as he had glanced her way, he looked back at her.

"Hi..." Evie greeted slowly, stepping closer to him and leaning on one of the dish drying counters. "Fern told me you were in here. I don't expect you to forgive me and I don't expect you to want to interact with me after this but," she stopped.

Staring at her shoes and nibbling on her lip, Evie didn't know how any of this was supposed to go. She hadn't practiced, she hadn't even mentally prepared. Carlos suggested to just be honest, but what was she supposed to say aside from that she was sorry?

"I'm sorry. For everything."

Doug continued to wash the plates and mugs.

"I came to see if you still would like to help me. The test. Study. Study for the test," Evie propositioned, her voice starting to lose its strength. Apologies hadn't ever been her thing, but something about Doug and his silence was starting to make her confidence, her cool, her charm, dissipate.

"What changed?" He asked, his eyes still focused on the sink in front of him. Evie's eyebrows furrowed

"I thought about it. I've been meaning to apologize, so I thought I could do it here. So, I'm sorry. You said you would help me, so here I am."

"I know. But you also stood me up and promised that you would do the project which ended up being last minute. I want to know—"

"That's valid. But you just don't understand me—"

"I'm pretty sure I understand your priorities."

"First of all, I'm the daughter of the woman who bankrupted your family when we were kids. You don't understand me or my friends. You've known me for five weeks. Nobody has figured me out that fast." Evie shifted to stand across from him at one of the counters, spilled coffee beans and whipped cream on the surface. She eyed the towel hanging from one of the hooks and grabbed it. She drenched it in the water bucket on the floor.

"Fair enough. I just don't get why you left me hanging. Call me a wimp or whatever, but it felt so nice to talk to you and I just had the impression that—" he shut his mouth completely. He dunked the last plate into the soapy sink and continued scrubbing the last few mugs.

"My friends dared me to do everything I did. You and I are so different and my friends didn't understand why I was interacting with you. I went along with their dare to stand you up, instead of being honest. I can understand why you didn't want to hear my apology. It sucked anyway. And it probably still does.