Story: Two students and a cat (chapter 5)

Authors: Anarya

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Chapter 5

Title: Chapter 5: Ice cream plans

[Author's notes: Writing this scene gave me quite the craving for ice cream...]

Ice cream.  It had been Shari’s idea.  She had feigned shock when she learned Lyn hadn’t eaten ice cream in months.  Not since her parents treated her after the leaders told them how much she had progressed in her healing.  She felt slightly guilty for indulging in the treat with Shari, especially after the potent moment in the practice room, but Shari’s exuberance was addictive.  Lyn couldn’t help but smile and let the woman lead the way. 

“See,” Shari was saying as she waved her spoon above her sundae.  “You can’t mess with crutches.  They are lethal.” 

Lyn raised an eyebrow. 

“Honest!” Shari leaned forward and stabbed her sundae with the spoon.  “I could poke you from a good five feet with these suckers!”  She laughed.  “And trip you too.”

A smile tugged at the edge of Lyn’s lips.  That ray of sunshine she had felt in the practice room was slowly creeping back. 

Shari slapped the table and grinned.  “Hey, I got a smile!  I’m on a roll here.” 

“Roll with butter?”  The question bounced out of Lyn’s mouth before she could pull it back. 

At first, Shari just stared, but then the laughter erupted from somewhere deep in her abdomen.  “A pun!  Oh, this is priceless, Lyn.  Here I was worried you didn’t have a sense of humor.” 

A wisp of a giggle escaped Lyn’s lips. 

“A giggle,” Shari breathed in awe.  “This is wonderful!”  She flashed her grin that never ceased to melt Lyn’s insides.  “I must remember this.  Ice cream and giggles go together.” 

Lyn smiled faintly and shyly took another bite of her ice cream.  Shari had been like this all during lunch, where she had a hamburger, and Lyn a simple salad.  The ice cream had been impulsive on Shari’s part, but Lyn was glad Shari had asked, for it always had been her favorite treat. 

“This day.”  Shari stretched her arms and with a sigh, leaned back in her chair.  “It is beautiful, you know?  Blue skies, hardly a cloud to be seen.  Sharing time with you.”  She tapped her spoon against the side of her sundae glass.  “I almost expect something to go wrong.  Like yesterday.  Gosh, that fall in the river.  So unexpected.”  She laughed, placed her elbows on the table, and leaned her chin against her palms.  “You know, I’ve been thinking.” 

“That safe?”  Again the quip just escaped.  Lyn’s face grew hot and she busied herself with her strawberry ice cream. 

“Wonderful!”  Shari laughed and slapped her knee.  “Really.  You’re quick on the puns.”  She nudged her with her elbow, and Lyn just ducked her head in embarrassment.  “But yeah, I was thinking about your cat.  You visit him before class?” 

Lyn nodded. 

“And it’s almost one-thirty now.”   Shari’s hand shot out and grabbed Lyn when she jerked upright and almost bounded from her chair.  “Hey now, don’t be so worried!  I was thinking I could catsit.  You know, keep Rumi company and do some homework while you’re in class.” 

The suggestion caught Lyn off guard.  She had felt guilty every time she left for class since Rumi was all alone in the apartment, and the offer eased her frame of mind.  Rumi would love the company.  But was it safe?  She knew what Bart would say, “Don’t open the door to temptation, girl.”   Yet, she liked the idea.  “Em.  Sure.”  She twirled her spoon and watched the cream mix against the real strawberries embedded inside it.  “Usually eat alone with Rumi.” 

“Eat alone?”  Shari pressed her hand against her mouth in mock horror.  “Lyn, this simply cannot continue.  I shall have to take you to dinner tonight.”  She smiled and hummed happily as if pleased with herself.  “Yes, I shall.  And we can bring home a treat for Rumi too.” 

Lyn opened her mouth and then closed it.  Once again everything was happening too fast.  Shari moved at such a whirlwind pace, and though Lyn felt she couldn’t keep up, Shari gently tugged her into place at her side.  “Em.”  She knew that later when the call came she would regret all of this, but for the moment, all she could do was nod and just enjoy. 

“Great!”  Shari leaned toward Lyn, that heart-melting grin on her face.  “So now we need a battle plan.  You got class at two, right?” 

Lyn nodded.

“Sweet.”  Tapping the edge of her spoon against her glass, Shari hummed to herself.  “Alright, then I’ll drop you off at class and head straight to your apartment.  Some homework in my bag, so I won’t be bored.  No worries there.  When you get back?”

The bombardment of words dazzled Lyn.  She definitely felt overwhelmed by Shari’s endless energy.  “Six.” 

“Heh. Long day.  Any breaks?”  When Lyn shook her head, Shari snorted.  “That’s college for you.  Okay, so how about this.  Want me to order out?  I can time it so it’d be ready when you walk in the door.” 

“Sure.”  This was crazy.  Pure insanity, but she liked it.  The idea of coming home to food and a friend was mind-boggling and heart-warming at the same time.  “Keys.”  Lyn dug into her pocket and pulled out her apartment keys.  She gently placed them in Shari’s hands. 

“So we’ve got the plan.”  Shari winked and abruptly slung her arm around Lyn’s shoulders.  She tilted her head to one side and glanced at Lyn.  “You sure about this?  For if you think I’m jumping the gun, I can hightail it out of here and appear at your apartment in time for dinner.” 

The sudden suggestion caught Lyn even more off guard than the first introduction of the plan.  She met Shari’s concerned gaze, and this time she felt more than tongue-tied.  The urge to kiss the woman was overwhelming, and she quickly looked away.  “Rumi likes company.”  She took a deep breath.  “And I… I trust you.”  The words surprised her, but then after the practice room, it was obvious she trusted Shari, for she never would have played the way she did if she hadn’t. 

Shari gently squeezed her shoulders.  “Thank you.”  Her other hand tenderly tucked a strand of Lyn’s hair behind her ear.  “Lyn, really.  I mean it.  Thank you.  I know we’ve just met, but well, maybe this’ll sound a bit crazy.”  She laughed self-consciously. 

“Crazy?” Lyn whispered.  Shari’s touch was giving her goosebumps, but what surprised her the most was the smudge of peace that tickled her spirit.  She hadn’t felt this at ease with anyone for over five years.  Maybe even longer.

Shari nodded.  “A bit.  You see, when I first saw you, I wondered.  I’m a curious gal by nature, and well, your sorrowful eyes and look of steel is a total contrast.”  She shook her head and chuckled.  “Here I am getting all poetic again.  But it’s the truth.  So I thought, I’ll be friends with you!  But you’re hard to pin down.  Then I had a dream.  A dream with you in it.”  The sudden seriousness of her usual playful voice drew Lyn’s gaze back to Shari’s face, and she was surprised to see her friend’s eyes glisten with tears.  “I swear, that night, God was telling me I had to talk with you.  And then, boom! Next day there you were on that walk.”  She sighed and rubbed her left eyebrow.  “I still feel bad for knocking you over though.” 

Lyn had no idea what to say.  Shari believed in God as well?  Then maybe everything would be alright.  The leaders couldn’t force her to cut off a fellow believer.  Her thoughts had distracted her, and before she realized what was happening, Shari had leaned forward and brushed her lips against Lyn’s forehead.  Shocked, she jerked away and stared at Shari, who met her gaze silently.  She opened her mouth and then closed it, words unable to form.

Her friend winced.  “I’m sorry.”  She slid her arm free and placed her hands on the table, the keys to the apartment jingling in her hands.  “I didn’t mean…” 

“It’s alright.”  Lyn quickly said.  She bent over and grabbed her backpack.  Sliding out of her chair, she settled it on her back and gave Shari a faint smile.  “Rumi’ll be glad to see you.”  She didn’t give herself a chance to hear the woman’s response.  Instead, she turned and dashed out of the ice cream parlor.

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