Apricots - Ruel Van Dijk

Chapter 1 - Why couldn't it have been Maggie?

In my imagination you and I

We can fall asleep under lilac skies

*

"You autocomplete me. I mean, what?" I overheard the shop clerk stutter to the poor girl paying. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Why did it have to be Bob on the counter today? Why couldn't it have been Maggie?

I huffed and turned back to the bookshelf I was browsing. Classics, just what I was looking for. I scanned the bookshelf quickly, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible.To Kill a Mockingbird...Little Women...

"Oi! Tahlia, hurry up! We're closing in 5 minutes!" the clerk yelled rudely in my direction. 

"It's Teliah!" I yelled back, fighting the urge to flip him off. Fucking dick. Great Expectations...Of Mice and Men...The Picture of Dorian Gray...I squinted to read the spines of the books, turning back to the shelf. 

I came to this book shop quite often. It was on the way back from work, and was one of the only bookshops I knew of that was open after I finished, which was late. Maggie, the owner of the bookshop, would often let me stay past closing. She was a sweet little old lady, with wise eyes, rosy cheeks, and a gentle heart. So it was a wonder how she got to marry this absolute disgusting excuse of a man. Bob, her husband, would sometimes take counter for Maggie. And he hit on every single girl that comes in to the shop. The first time he was on counter when I was there, he even tried to hit on me. But when he realised I wasn't interested, he just turned into a grumpy, rude old man. I guess I can say I would prefer that over the pedophile version of Bob, but neither were enjoyable. The worst part about it was that when Maggie was around, he acted like an absolute angel. And I just didn't have the heart to tell her what he had been doing to young girls.

Moby Dick...A Tale of Two Cities...Pride and Prejudice! Finally! I swiped the book up, feeling the textured cover in between my fingers before practically running over to the counter to pay. I slammed the book on the counter, causing a sharp bang to erupt from the wood of the bench. I looked up to Bob with a forced smile, just wanting to pay and get out of this shop. But he had a smug look on his face. His musty stubble around his mouth etched into a sly smile. Fuck.

"12:55. You're five seconds too late Tee Tee," he laughed annoyingly. I sighed, looking down at the book before pushing my body off of the counter. 

"Don't fucking call me Tee Tee. Only people I like call me that," I flipped him off this time, trudging toward the door. I stepped outside into the cold-London air, the wind immediately rushing to encase my body. It was January, so it was absolutely freezing here in London. I began the treacherous walk home from the book shop, fighting against the bitter cold as I walked. I looked up at the sheet of darkness that was the night sky, realising it was a cloudy night. 

I looked back down at the ground, noticing small white snowflakes landing gently on the ground. I sharply flicked my gaze back to the sky to see white particles flurrying around in circles toward the ground. Fucking great. I grumbled under my breath, picking up my pace. I had to get home before it started snowing too hard, or I would get caught up in it. And I did not need that in the middle of the night. 

I started to sprint home, hoping the windows in my house were closed from before work. I heard big-ben chiming once, signaling one in the morning as I ran up the stairs to my flat. I lived in an apartment building's attic, for I was friends with the owner of the building, and she let me stay there. It was...humble, per say. It was a small floor, no walls in the whole of the attic. My bed sat in one corner, the bathroom behind a curtain, the kitchen being devised of a fridge, a bench, sink and oven. And finally, there was the one window, which was really a skylight you could open up to the roof. I left it open almost all the time, as I went to sit on the roof quite a bit. It wasn't much, and I didn't plan on living there for my whole life at all.

I climbed up the ladder to my humble abode, biting down on my lip as I hoped my 'apartment' wasn't covered pasty white snow. I lifted the board and let out a sigh of relief as I saw the skylight was closed, and there was no snow in sight. I climbed through the hole and closed the gap with the board of wood. I tugged on the string for the lights, illuminating the small room.As soon the lights were on, I noticed a wood crate sitting on the floor that certainly was not there when I left.

I inched closer to it, noticing a yellow sticky note sitting on the side of the crate. I pulled the note off, squinting to read it.

Some apricots for your thoughts?

- Rory xx

A smile drew itself across my face. Rory was one of my best friends, and coincidentally the owner of the building. She knew how much I adored apricots. I don't know what it is, there is just something about that sweet orange fruit that I just loved. 

I peered into the crate, and lying inside was about 20 apricots. How did she expect me to eat them all before they went rotten? I flipped over the note, not really expecting anything, but alas, there was more writing.

Give some out! Find some people who share your love for apricots!

Ah, of course. To be truthful, I didn't have many friends. I had a very, let's say, strong personality, and it was usually too much for a lot of people to handle. So they just stopped being friends with me. I didn't really mind it, but Rory always worried I would lose her and end up alone. I seriously doubted that would happen, and even if I did end up alone, I wouldn't have minded. I liked being alone, getting lost in your thoughts, or maybe a book. I was always alone, but never lonely. Being your own best friend is a skill and a beautiful thing that everyone should know how to do.

I sighed, scrunching up the note and chucking it in the bin. I moved the crate onto a bench, grabbing an apricot out of the crate and sinking my teeth into it. It was so sweet and simply delicious. It almost immediately made up for today's shitty events. I collapsed onto my bed, forgetting about brushing my teeth, or changing and letting the sleepy world melt into darkness.

a/n

hello everyone:) random fun fact i actually hate apricots so idk why i chose this title but we are rolling with it!

Remember to be a bad bitch because that's what you aree i looove youuu byeeee

1/12/21

- Bri <3🍇

Word Count: 1202