Mal glanced up from where she had been staring, absent minded, at the pastries in a glass case in front of her. The low buzz of conversation and static-y music over the radio blended with the tap of rain against the big window in the front of the coffee shop. Slow business today, especially considering the weather... just a few regulars gossiping over their drinks and pastries. Mal heaved a sigh and bent under the counter to take a quick inventory, even though she knew already just how many baked goods remained. The tinkle of a bell announcing a customer interrupted her counting. She scowled and slowly rose.
"Bianca!!" Her face lit up as she saw who the newcomer was. Bianca Agresta was someone Mal truly considered a friend- this put her into a very small category of the population. The tall, slim girl, with her blonde hair in a pixie cut and her violet eyes nearly always happy, spread sunshine wherever she went. She had used to come frequently to the shoppe, but Mal had been worried lately(in spite of herself), because she hadn't heard from her in several weeks. Bianca hadn't even been answering her calls. This was unlike her. As she came up to the counter, Mal realized she was not alone. She gave an appraising look at the slim, youngish man beside her.
"Mal, I'm so sorry!" She began, something in her eyes telling Mal that maybe her fears had been somewhat warranted.
"I didn't mean to- well, I'll explain everything. I've missed you." Bianca finished.
Then her face softened as she turned and took the arm of the man next to her. His dark green eyes met Bianca's for a moment. Then they both looked back to Mal, who was watching them with suspicious realization.
"Francis, meet Mallory Steele, my best friend... and Mal-" Bianca's face broke into a wide smile. "- Meet my husband, Francis Conti!!!" She blurted. Francis smiled, one corner of his lips flicking up first, then his face lighting up. Mal's jaw dropped. This was even more than she expected.
"What?" She asked, staring from one to the other. Bianca nodded, barely able to contain her excitement. Mal noticed her grip on Francis' arm tighten. Despite her many questions and misgivings, she could tell Bianca really cared for this guy. Her face relaxed.
"I let you out of my radar for how long, and you come back married?" She quipped. Bianca giggled.
"Can you come sit with us?" She asked. Mal glanced at her watch.
"Well..."
'Pleaassee??" Bianca implored with a grin. Mal threw her hands in the air.
"Ok, give me a couple minutes. Do you want anything?"
"Oh the regular, lemon tea, and a- " Her eyes widened. "Two cannoli." She blushed. Mal rolled her eyes at Bianca's sappy face.
"I'd love a coffee." Francis added, speaking for the first time. His voice was quiet and intellectual. Mal looked at him coolly, and he met her gaze with an expression of level confidence.
"All right, I'll be right over." Mal grinned over her shoulder at Bianca as she began to prepare their order. Bianca gave her a giddy smile back as she led Francis off to her favorite seat by the window.
As Mal fixed their drinks and cannoli, she took the opportunity to observe the couple from across the room. Her first appraisal of Francis had been to note he was small and slender, almost frail. His hair was jet black and neatly combed, and his mustache and goatee were well-groomed as well. His eyes were murky green, sharp and intelligent, but kind too. As she glanced at him again, she realized he was more wiry than frail, and as she watched him with Bianca, she couldn't help but be somewhat inclined towards him. Mal could be a tiger when it came to protecting people she cared about, and if Francis had seemed anything less than kind towards Bianca she would not have been happy. But even to her harsh standards for men, Francis did seem, at first glance, to be a good one. She narrowed her jade green eyes. Appearances could be deceiving, with men especially. She should know.
Cups and plates in hand, she stepped from behind the counter and stalked across the room, her already noticeable height accentuated by a chunky pair of platform heels. She set the things on the table and slid in opposite Bianca and Francis.
"Thank you!" Bianca said. She met Mals eyes. For a quiet moment Mal felt the sense of caring Bianca always gave, one she rarely found anywhere else. She gave Bianca a small smile. Her eyes flicked to Francis and found him watching the interchange. She put her chin in the air and tossed her head in a subtle challenge. Francis' eyebrows twitched but otherwise he didn't seem phased. Mal was taken aback yet again. She was used to being able to intimidate men. Her eyebrows drew together and she turned back to her friend.
"So." She leaned forwards, her hands stretched in front of her, clasping a steaming coffee. Bianca took a sip of tea.
"So." She echoed, then paused, her eyes wandering as she seemed at a loss for words. Suddenly her eyes widened.
"Oh my, that's my old boss I have to say hi to her! Don't. Move." She wagged her finger at Mal as she stood up. "Talk to each other!" She added as she hurried away.
Mal watched her with affection. She seemed the same as she always had on the surface, if anything happier than ever. And yet Mal remembered that look in her eyes when she had first come in. No, there was something up- other than the fact that within the last month and a half she was suddenly married. She did remember a while back hearing from one of the other baristas that Bianca had been in looking for her one day when she wasn't working, and she had seemed funny on the phone once after that... like she had something she wanted to tell but wouldn't.
'The stinker- she wanted to surprise me in person. It just hadn't worked out until now.' Mal thought as she looked at Francis. He was drinking his coffee reflectively, waiting to see what she would say.
Francis remembered seeing Mal once before, when Bianca had sent him for cannoli one day. he could see that she hadn't noticed him at that point. Bianca talked about her often, and Francis knew had been very excited for them to finally meet. As she turned to him, he smiled and set down his coffee.
"You should know that Bianca thinks very highly of you." He said. Mal flushed, although she tried to hide it.
"Well, i think the world of her too. There aren't many people like her out there." She said, raising her eyebrows at him with great meaning. A soft smile touched his face.
"I know." He murmured. Mal nodded, satisfied on that point. She looked across to were Bianca was talking with great animation to her old boss. She was motioning in their direction.
"Everyone loves her." Mal commented. Francis nodded.
"I know that too." He replied. Mal's stern slender face had relaxed as she watched Bianca. She ran a thin hand through her cloudy grey curls, startling but attractive in contrast to her young face. Save a few tired lines it was smooth and pale. She was tapping her fingers on her cup.
"I suppose you probably are wondering a lot about me." Francis said with his typical bluntness. Mal turned to him, her eyes showing her surprise.
"Well yes, as a matter of fact I am." She flicked her hair back from her face.
"That's fair." He shrugged, "I'd feel the same."
"Really." Mal's face said 'convince me.'
"I have two younger siblings and two cousins who are like siblings. I know all about trust issues with potential mates." He took a drink of his coffee. "Do you want the story or would you rather wait for Bianca to tell you?"
"I just want to know if you are good enough for her." Mal looked him full in the face.
"No. But I try to be, with God's help." He said quietly. Mal opened her mouth, but just then Bianca came back over and squeezed in past Francis.
"Bother, my teas getting cold." She wrinkled her nose and took a bite of cannoli.
"Ahh. Blissful." She wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Why are you two so serious?"
"Talking about you." Mal smirked. Bianca's mouth formed an 'O'.
"Good things I hope?" She asked with genuine anxiety. Both Francis and Mal laughed.
"What else?" Mal asked. Bianca still looked concerned, although she laughed too.
"Well..." She dismissed the issue and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. "So!! Do you want to hear about it?"
"In disgusting detail." Mal affirmed. Bianca chuckled.
"Well alrighty then." She began.
"If you're sure about that." Francis cut in seriously. Mal and Bianca stared at him for a second, then Mal snorted.
"Continue." She waved her hand.
"Ok. It all began...well actually when Francis got sent on an errand, but for me it started when he first walked into the office, dripping wet..."
Mal listened, drawn into the story at once, even though she professed to be a skeptic when it came to romance. Bianca told her how they had gotten together for sandwiches and about when they had come to get cannoli and she hadn't been there.
"We were very disappointed." She added. Then she paused. A shadow passed over her face.
"And then I had a Drs. appointment." She dropped her voice, a husky catch suddenly forming. Mal's eyes focused on her face.
"Bianca?"
Bianca looked up at her.
"Remember how we talked that day about my cough?" Mall nodded as Bianca went on. "Well it did turn out to be more serious than I thought... I have a lung condition that could... that probably will, eventually..."
Mal sat frozen.
"But it may not, and the Doctor said there was no signs of it being soon. So I'm fine really. But that is why I didn't come around or answer calls- it kind of shocked me, you know?"
Mal cleared her throat. "Yes, I can see why." She took a deep breath. "I wish you had told me, Bianca."
"I'm sorry Mallory. I didn't tell anyone." Bianca said. "I should have, you're right. But I didn't. It just felt like a death penalty at first and I over reacted instead of trusting. It was silly."
"No it was not."
"Well... anyways. So then one day when I was walking, i met Francis in the street. I told him what had happened. And then... then he-" Bianca's face turned red. "Well he proposed."
"Ah." Mal said. Francis grinned.
"And so a few days later we just went to the church and were married. Only Francis' parents were there. Actually no one else knows yet. His family is having a reunion so we'll tell them then."
"You're so sneaky." Mal teased. Bianca shrugged happily.
"Why not?"
"So you went Disney style and married him just like that?" Mal asked.
"No, we'd been seeing each other for a long time. A few months. So we knew each other, and I knew his cousin, and besides it just... was. God meant it to be and He showed us that."
"You're lucky." Mal whispered.
"Blessed."
"Whatever."
"I would have told you but I wanted to surprise you in person and it never worked out." Bianca apologized. Mal shook her head.
"I understand. You certainly surprised me." She added. Bianca smiled in triumph.
"I know it." She said. She picked a few crumbs off her plate. "Sad." She motioned to her empty plate. Francis offered her his, but she insisted he eat it. Mal was amused. She glanced at her watch.
"I'm going to have to get going soon." She sighed. Bianca made a face.
"well you're invited to dinner whenever but specifically tomorrow because I'm making spaghetti."
"Her sauce is better than my moms. Don't tell mom." Francis said. Mal raised her eyebrows.
"wow that's high praise.' She chuckled.
"It is indeed." Francis noted as he rose and stretched his back gently. Bianca and Mal stood up as well. Bianca gave Mal a long hug.
"It's so good to see you. I really missed you." She told her.
"Come early tomorrow and you two can talk without me listening." Francis smirked as he headed towards the door.
"Sounds good." was Mal's come back. Francis laughed and shook his head as he walked out the door. "Fare well." He added, semi-sarcastically. Bianca giggled at him and gave Mal another quick hug.
"See you tomorrow!!" She said, hurrying after Francis. Mal gave her a little wave as she watched her go past the window and join Francis.
"Well at least he's cute." Mal conceded. She slipped behind the counter and retrieved her apron, tying it tight around her thin waist. A customer had just come in to order, and Mal was back to work.
* * *
This is nothing too special and I will probably do another scene, but I wanted to write an interaction with my charries and Angelina Zoe's- she's a totally awesome Pinterest friend! I always enjoy 'talking' to her, and prying about her characters;) Mallory Steele is the product of her imagination. I saw her pins on Pinterest and immediately became obsessed, she's since told me some of her story and about the other characters she's involved with. I can't wait to read:)
https://www.pinterest.com/angelinazoe/
http://atouchofrandomness.blogspot.com/
she's on Twitter too @angielikescake I'm not on Twitter so I couldn't link but when that changes I'll update:)
1'000 thanks to her for letting me use her character:) I love Mal!!
AND as always I WANT CRITIQUE I MEAN IT!! Thanks!!!
