Page 29 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
I shook my head. “It’s fine.”
If it was anything like Tito’s, they got to eat the messed up orders. I didn’t want to take food from anyone.
“Do you want me to buy you something?” A man came up behind me. I recognized him vaguely, like he was a regular or something.
“Thanks, but I’m fine. I get to eat at work later tonight. I’m just tired of hot dogs and nachos.” I grinned at him, then at the worker.
The worker grinned back. “I understand. Are you close? Maybe we could trade?”
“I work at the ice rink, which is a little far. Thanks anyway, and sorry for holding up the line.” I waved and hurried down the street. It was too bad they’d gotten rid of it.
However, I was curious about where Tenzin was taking me today. He’d told me to meet him in front of a department store. Maybe we were going to a hidden coffee shop. I’d gone to hidden bars before with my hockey team. It was a fun thing to do when we were at away games.
Tenzin waved at me, dressed nicely in khakis and a polo. I wore shorts and a tank-top that I’d thrown on after camp, my burgundyNYIT Hockeyhoodie around my waist. I should hitthe thrift stores and get a couple of sundresses or rompers for when we visited museums.
“Hi!” I waved.
“Shall we?” he asked. I nodded and followed himintoHardwicks. It was averyfancy department store that had been here for close to two centuries.
“Are we going to the food hall?” I perked as we went down the escalator. Sometimes I’d splurge and buy treats here. It was the best for making picnics.
He shook his head. “We can walk through after if you’d like. My sister wants a bear wearing a Hardwicks shirt.”
“I’m so curious.” I’d never really explored beyond the food hall, the holiday room, and bathrooms, because I couldn’t afford to shop here.
The entire store was beautiful, with plush carpets, wood walls, and chandeliers. It smelled faintly of winter and happiness. We stopped in front of some sort of dining room. Roses papered the walls, which were hung with mirrors and paintings. Aharpistsat in the corner, playing soft music. Well-dressed people sat at tables, eating food off silver trays and sipping tea from delicate floral cups. A brass sign saidThe Rose Room.
“If this isn’t what you were thinking of, we can leave. Confession? I have no idea if this is a good place or not. Over the weekend, every time someone asked me if I was the Yeti, I asked them where I could find good muffins. This one got the most enthusiastic recommendations,” he told me, as he gave the woman at the host stand his name.
“This place is so pretty.” I bit my lower lip, feeling a little underdressed. We neededreservations?What sort of coffee shop was this?
The host showed us to a corner table. Tenzin pulled out my chair and pushed it in. My head ducked at his care. He sat,looking a little large for the table and chair, like he was sitting at a child’s table playing tea party.
I glanced at the menu–and the prices. No, this wasn’t a coffee shop; it was a fancy tea house. The sort where you had tiny food off tiered trays, like rich omegas in a historical drama.
Tenzin leaned in. “Apparently, the muffin flights areamazing.Get whatever you want.”
“Muffinflight? Like a little tasting tray of muffins? Oh, yes, please. I love it. No one has ever taken me to a place like this before.” Aww. He picked this place for the muffins.
My mom and sisters liked places like this. I’d always been on strict nutrition plans due to figure skating and didn’t get to gorge on carbs. At least not in front of my parents. Being with my grandparents was a whole different story. My nonna was all about the pasta.
“If this isn’t satisfactory, we can go somewhere else.” He twisted in his seat, his citrus scent turning anxious.
“Tens, I can get a latte the size of my face and a tray full of muffins. It’samazing,” I assured. Everything lookeddelicious.
A server about my age, in a crisp uniform, came over to take our order.
“I’ll have a latte and a muffin flight,” I told her, the trays full of delectable morsels making my mouth water.
“I’ll have a jasmine tea and a muffin flight, and a mini dessert tower for the table,” Tenzin replied. “Thank you.”
Our drinks came first, and my giant latte hadartin the foam–a rose.
I started to take a picture, then paused.
“If you’re taking a picture for your social media, I won’t judge. I’m going to send a picture of the muffin flight to my sister,” Tenzin told me.
“I haven’t posted on my social media since the breakup,” I sighed. “What do I even do? Post I broke up? Take years of pictures of him off? Delete it and start over?”
