Missing [ST]

Seventy Four

A/N: I'm sorry it's a filler, but it's for the plot. Steven will be back in the next one...and it might just be for good too. 🥲

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Friday the seventeenth of November.

Exactly four weeks since Leah had been swept off her feet by the man of her dreams, exactly three weeks since their breakup, and now she was celebrating her twenty seventh birthday that could have been with him, alone.

Well, alone wasn't strictly true because her best friend Tina was going to be in the kitchen plating up waffles for breakfast, and then they were both off to work for the day. But alone was how she felt inside, and at half past seven in the morning, a gloomy day outside, putting on a smile was a lot more challenging than it usually was.

"Heyy, happy birthday!"

Leah slid onto the closest barstool, greatly lacking her morning enthusiasm, but she accepted the hug that wrapped around her slouched posture all the same.

"Thanks, Teens," she replied, tapping the wrists that crossed around her neck.

A yawn escaped her.

"Coffee?"

"Mhm, yes please."

As Tina returned to the kitchen, Leah wasn't quite sleepy or depressed enough to miss the brief tap to a phone screen resting next to the hob. It had been happening a lot recently, and she was getting suspicious.

"Who's the guy?"

Conveniently, Tina was busy making coffee, checking the waffles in the waffle maker, and then grabbing golden syrup from the cupboard to delay a reply.

The breakfast smelled amazing already, and it was a birthday tradition that had happened for the last five years.

"Hm?" Tina turned around, eyebrows raised. "What did you say?"

"Guy, girl- the person you keep texting," Leah elaborated, tipping her chin to the phone on the side. "Or waiting to receive a message from."

"Oh, no one."

As usual, Tina played it cool, and went back to plating up breakfast. It was frustrating, but Leah was not in the mood to press for details, and the rumble of her stomach was siding more with food than a mystery lover.

Sauce, cutlery, a cup of coffee in a comical mug, and a plate of waffles was served in front of her in two short trips.

"Oh, your parents are coming over for dinner," Tina mentioned casually, going back to grab her own plate.

Leah was wide awake. Her forkful of fresh waffles never made her mouth.

"What!?"

"Yeah, I thought it would be nice."

"No!" she squeaked, shocked at the relaxed demeanour of her best friend returning to her side. "No, not nice!"

Tina put her plate down as she sat. She was already chewing on a mouthful, rolling her eyes when she spilled syrup down her uniform top.

"You know I'm shit at lying!" Leah exclaimed, reaching in front of her to grab the cloth, and throwing it to her left. "And why do you speak to my mother more than I do!?"

"I don't!" Tina defended, scraping up the sticky trail. "We both have a crush on Mark Walberg so our conversations mostly revolve around him, and when we get going, we talk about him for aaaggees."

Leah stabbed her fork into the golden waffle again, mood significantly down the drain.

"I know. I got you a cardboard cut-out of him for your birthday," she grumbled, taking a harsh bite.