Adam's Apple Pie

Eight - Julie

There was a tiny ring of the door as I forced it open, nearly tearing it from its hinges. I stormed over to the closest table available. The café was fairly cramped, and I was just lucky I didn't have claustrophobia or I'd be having a panic attack. Actually, scratch that, I was having a panic attack – her name was Julie!

"Would you like anything to drink?" Julie asked. I could hear that she was trying to be polite, but I knew full well she didn't want to be here anymore than I did. I was just a bit more honest about it.

"Coffee," I snapped, barely able to look up.

"All right," she said heading to the counter.

I squirmed on my chair, the backrest feeling rough against my spine. Even the blind woman at the end of the café could see I didn't want to be here, and she'd be right. People glanced over to me with worried expressions, but I didn't meet their gaze. Turning round, there was an old couple that were looking nervously in my general direction. I fixed them back with a What the fuck are you looking at? look and they soon pussied out and focused on their cake. Not their fault of course, I was just wound up.

What I wouldn't give for an apple pie right now!

Julie returned with two cups, placing mine in front of me. "I couldn't remember if you take milk or not," she said, forcing a smile.

"Black is fine," I replied. I put a sugar in my coffee, then took a sip. I squirmed as the taste was bitter, like drinking ash. I put the mug down and put another sugar in to try and help the taste.

"You're looking well," Julie said. I could smell from her cup that she had gone from one of those Japanese herbal teas, the ones where they keep the leaves in the mug; always the pretentious one, even when it came to her food. "You still at the museum? You've been there a while now. You still enjoying it?"

"It's all right," I replied sharply, having little interest in small talk. "What about you? Still at the company?"

"Well, yes," Julie replied, almost sounding hurt by that. "I'm CEO now."

"Good for you," I smirked, taking another sip of my coffee. It tasted just as ashen as my last taste, so I put another sugar in. "So I guess the other CEO isn't in the company anymore?"

Julie brushed back a loose strange of hair, her eyes darting around. "No," she coughed, "he... isn't..."

You probably want a little context at this point, so allow me to go through it. Julie is my older sister, by about two years or so. She worked at this big time company, although I'm buggered if I could tell you what they actually did. I think it was something to do with the environment or some shit. As you heard, she became CEO, which was because of a scandal involving the previous CEO. Allegedly, my sister was raped at an office party. Allegedly. There was no trial to officially convict him as they quickly fired him and Julie was made CEO. You think she would have pressed charges, but apparently not. Still, it worked out well for her – a bit too well if you ask me.

"So how did you find me?" I knew the reason why Julie was here and wasn't in the mood for small talk, the sooner we could finish this, the sooner we could get out of here.

Julie took another sip of her tea. She was trying to be amicable, but I really couldn't have cared less. She could have come in with the biggest present and I still wouldn't have cared. "I asked a few people at your museum," she replied, "your manager told me where you lived."

Lara did? Whatever happened to data fucking protection?

"Look, don't be mad at her, ok?" Julie begged. "I didn't have any other choice. You weren't replying to my texts or calls."