Chapter 6 Living

• ~ Violet ~
• Violet let out a sigh as she stepped out of the house. They lived in a one-story farmhouse on the outskirts of Austin. It was a lovely neighborhood, a beautiful summer day for a walk to town, but Violet’s steps were heavy. His name was ringing in her ears and thoughts of him filled her head.
• Violet thought about Damon often. Every night before she went to bed, every morning when she woke up, and every other moment in the day when her mind was wandering—all she thought about was him. She wondered if he was okay—she never heard from him again. She wondered if he was angry, if he would ever find her and punish her for what she did. She thought about these things often, but for the past three years, he never once showed up or even called. Just like that, he was gone without a trace. And all that was left were the memories.
• Those bittersweet memories…
• Violet stopped her tracks for a beat and looked up to the beautiful blue sky. Memories of him flashed through her head and her eyes went glassy. Her hand instinctively reached to her lower stomach and Violet rubbed the tattoo she had. It was the tattoo of his initials. She could’ve easily gotten rid of it if she wanted to, but she never did. Because no matter how painful that part of her life was, it was all part of this incredible story of love and loss. She vowed to herself she wouldn’t ever forget that. Forever and ever, she’d keep it with her.
• Because life after you is…
• * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
• “…Surprisingly pretty good, isn’t it?”
• Lucas asked as he watched Violet’s face carefully. He had just made her a cup of oat milk latte and he was waiting for Violet’s approval.
• “Hmm. Not bad,” Violet nodded her head after a moment of silence. “I might just promote you to assistant manager,”
• “Yes!” Lucas punched the air dramatically and threw his apron over his head. Violet just shook her head and finished the latte he made her.
• Violet loved her coffee, some things were never gonna change. The first thing she did after moving to Austin was to find a local coffee shop she could frequent. Violet found The Common Grounds when she was walking around town one day and it soon became her favorite coffee shop.
• Earl, the owner, was a guy in his late fifties who had a son, Lucas. Violet started working for Earl and she became good friends with Lucas. Lucas never liked the coffee industry that much, but he enjoyed having Violet around the café. Violet also enjoyed Lucas’s company and sense of humor, and Earl appreciated Violet’s help around the place. She was the best barista he ever had, and she even taught Lucas some things about coffee.
• Lucas was the same age as Violet, they even attended the same college. He had bright blue eyes and dirty blonde hair that he wore with a heavy fringe. He was fun and playful, always making jokes and pulling pranks on his poor father. Lucas wanted to be a Nascar racer, but his dad didn’t approve. Instead, Earl kept him working in the café, hoping that Lucas would take over for him someday.
• Today was no different. Violet was closing up shop with Lucas by her side. The summer break had started and Earl extended Lucas’s shift at work. Usually, Lucas would complain about this until Violet’s ear fell off, but he was surprisingly calm today. He didn’t pull too many pranks and he even experimented with lattes.
• Hmm. Maybe I’m rubbing off on him, Violet thought to herself.
• “So, what are your plans for the summer?” Lucas’s question pulled Violet from her thoughts.
• “I don’t know. I’ll just keep working here, I guess,” she shrugged. “Earl’s gonna be lost without me,”
• “Yeah, he is,” Lucas laughed.
• “Oh, and you know about Dylan’s proposal to Ivy. Apparently, they wanna have a summer wedding. I’m also the maid of honor, so that’ll keep me busy,” she said as she closed the register and walked to the staff room.
• “Yeah, that was very shocking, wasn’t it?” Lucas chuckled and followed her to the back. “Didn’t they just meet like… a few months ago?”
• “Two and a half months ago. Yup,”
• “Well, hey, if you know, you know,”
• “I guess,” she shrugged again. “But Dylan seems happy, so I’m happy too,”
• Violet opened her locker and pulled out her bag. Then she folded her apron neatly and put them inside.
• “Am I gonna be invited to the wedding?” Lucas asked, leaning against the lockers.
• “Of course,” she said. “If anything you can just be my plus one,”
• “Why, I’d be honored to be your plus one, Miss Carvey,” Lucas made a joking bow and spoke in an exaggerated southern accent.
• “Why, thank you, Mr. Hayes,” she played along.
• Lucas cringed at Violet’s attempt for an accent and laughed. Violet rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully.
• “Three more years in here and maybe you’ll get it right,” he joked.
• “Whatever,” she muttered, grabbing her things, and turning for the door.
• “Hey, uh, you wanna watch a movie tonight?” Lucas said quickly, stopping her tracks. “They’re doing classic movie nights at the drive-in,”
• Violet thought about it for a moment. It was a beautiful summer night and it would go to waste if she just went home to sleep.
• “Sure. What’s playing?” she asked.
• “The Godfather. It’s the greatest mafia movie of all time!” Lucas’s eyes were filled with excitement as he pulled Violet away. “You’re gonna love it!”
• Violet could only force out a smile and said, “Hmm. Yeah…”
• The next she knew, they were walking to the parking lot where Lucas’s mustang was parked. He was rambling on and on about Al Pacino and Marlon Brando while Violet listened in silence. She’d managed to go half a day without thinking about Damon, but now he was in her mind again. And she would keep thinking about it as the movie played for the next two to three hours.
• I guess this is what I get for doing what I did.
• Violet sighed quietly as she looked up at the night sky. Lucas was driving the convertible at full speed and the wind was blowing in her hair. Slowly, Violet closed her eyes and tipped her head back, letting the memories of him flood into her mind again.
• Because life after you… isn’t much like living at all.
• *
• *
• *
• - - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -