Ambrose has been in love with his best friend, Lana Hart, for years.
But she tied the knot with the love of her life three years ago, leaving Ambrose broken-hearted and disillusioned about love.
Enter Davina, the most difficult girl Ambrose has ever...
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One Year.
Regardless of age, humans went through growth. We could be at the ripe age of eighty, and still, be learning things about ourselves. A year ago, I was a caterpillar hidden in my cocoon, terrified to face the realities of the world. I couldn't get the girl I thought I loved and gave up on the whole world because of it.
In hindsight, it's funny to think about how obsessed I came off. Lana ripped the skin of my cocoon by entering me into the competition. The last thing I expected was to fall back in love with cooking and meet the love of my life. As months passed by, hanging around with Davina, my cocoon shred and shred.
But at the end of it, I clung onto the last piece of my skin, scared to go on without it. So, I ruined everything before it could go full circle. If I wanted to be a better man, I had to shred my skin and transform into a butterfly. Maybe I had plenty of things to work on, but I had grown into someone I almost didn't recognize.
Hammering the last nail, I stepped down from the letter and admired the sign sporting the words 'Birria BSD restaurant'. The scorching sun boiled my exposed skin from the heatwave hitting us this week. Signs for special deals on opening day hung around the cream-white walls. Shimmery Harmony had been thrown into another dimension, reflecting my dream comfort place.
Circular pendant lights and chandeliers hung over the tables and booths. Whitewash backless bar stools surrounded the wooden surface of the bar with a white granite top. Paintings dangled around the restaurant. A few of my own creations and others were polaroids of the most important people in my life. If I had to count who was in every inch of the restaurant, Davina would be the winner.
The bell chimed from the door, swinging open. With a full-scale smile, Lana sauntered through, her eyes widening at the wonders of the restaurant. Of course, she came two hours before opening. Her body was devoured by a sky-blue baby doll dress resting at the knees. I hope she brought her uniform or it would be a shame to work in that dress.
"Oh, my God!" she shrieked. "I know you showed me all the designs before going through with it, but it's even better seeing it in person. This is going to be a hit, Ambrose."
I laughed. "I hope so."
A ding came from Lana's phone, capturing her attention. "Catalina is running a bit late, but she's going to be here. Mikel was being a little brat, so he made them take an extra stop."
An agitated knot clenched in my forehead. "For how evil Mikel acts, you would think it's Meadow's baby instead. I swear, it's just like her."
Lana giggled. "Catalina and Cameron spoil him too much. He's only going to get worse with age. I'm going to have to talk with Mrs. Novak about keeping the gifts to a minimum whenever Declan and I decide to have one."
Suddenly, the door swung open with a thud, almost knocking down the painting on my walls. "The bitch Queen has arrived," Meadow announced, her arm tangled with her boyfriend Nate, who's carrying a gift basket.
