Intermission - Diana and the girls (Part 1)

Diana parked her car about two blocks away from Maria’s shop, but her legs felt too heavy to get out yet. The adult woman groaned loudly and pressed her forehead against the steering wheel, anxious of what was to come and frustrated that she felt such anxiety in the first place.

She could’ve postponed it, yeah. She didn’t have to tell Oliver that she was free and could meet the other girls. But putting it off would only make the awkward, uncomfortable feelings continue. She knew this was something that needed to be done. And, if anything, she wasn’t coming into this without a plan. She didn’t know if it was a good plan, but she had one.

Finally, Diana **** herself out of her car and walked the two blocks over to Maria’s coffee shop. It was 4:15 pm, 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting time, but Diana wouldn’t be caught dead getting late to an appointment she scheduled herself. She walked into the shop with the sound of the little bell over the door, not exactly ready but willing to face this anyway.

“Welc- Oh, hey!” Maria greeted from behind the counter. She was in the middle of pouring a cup of coffee. “Let me finish up this order and I’ll be with you in a second.”

“Take your time,” Diana said with a nod and took the opportunity to look around.

She hadn’t been here since Maria first opened up the place. Admittedly, she wasn’t the biggest fan of coffee and sweets, but it was mostly due to how busy she had been. Still, it wasn’t an excuse. She should’ve dropped by more often.

…

If she had, she would’ve met Oliver earlier, right?

The place wasn’t bustling with activity at the moment. An old couple was at a table for two drinking coffee, a trio of girls in school uniforms were sharing a lively conversation over a big plate of cookies and the order Maria was finishing up was for a middle-aged man in a suit who was taking it to go.

“See? This is the reason I haven’t hired more help yet,” Maria told her after the man left with his coffee. “When Oliver isn’t here it’s not as lively and I can manage.”

“That’s another issue you need to address, don’t you think?” Diana told her. What would happen if and when Oliver decided to quit? “Relying on a single employee bringing customers in isn’t sustainable.”

“I’m… working on it, okay?” Maria said with a sigh. At least she seemed aware of the issue.

Diana let out a sigh of her own. Here she was, coming over to her friend’s shop since its opening and she was already nitpicking details. Diana didn’t even have grounds to speak of business sustainability since she didn’t have her own business yet. “Sorry, that was unnecessary. For a new business, you're doing really well. You’re working hard, that much I can tell.”

Maria chuckled. “It’s fine. When it comes to stuff like this, you need a cold eye like that.”

Diana looked around again and her eyes landed on a particular piece of furniture at the very back of the shop. “Alright then. So if I can make one more comment… That folding screen doesn’t match the aesthetics of the shop at all.”

It looked really out of place, which was surprising. Maria had a pretty good sense of aesthetics. It was made of dark wood and had white panels with elaborate drawings of trees and birds.

“I know that! I’m testing something with it,” Maria assured. “See, the shop doesn’t have all that much space, right? I found that folding screen in my attic and thought of an idea. I’m testing if it helps give a better sense of privacy here. You know, for groups that might not want to be eavesdropped on? Like one that has the table behind it reserved for a private conversation?”

Ah. That’s what she meant. “I’m… so sorry for the trouble.”

“Hah! Trouble? Diana, this is the kind of stuff I opened this shop for! Discussions both trivial and important over a nice cup of coffee… There’s something romantic about it, don’t you think?”

Diana smiled fondly. “Yeah, there is. Thanks.”

“No problem. The girls should be here soon, right? Want anything while you wait?”

“A medium coffee. Black.”

“Coming right up. Go sit down.”

Diana nodded. “Oh, and… When the girls get here, offer them something, too. My treat. And don’t worry, I’ll still pay you back what I owe at the end of the month.”

Maria laughed. “Relax, I know you will.”

Diana walked towards the back of the shop and behind the folding screen. Two square tables were pushed together with six chairs around them. Diana sat at the head of the table, not because she thought she would lead the conversation, but because sitting right beside any of the other girls would make her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Maria brought her her cup of coffee and Diana waited patiently, taking very small sips. For a short moment, she wondered if these girls were the type to arrive late, but she didn’t have to worry about that, it seemed.

“Welcome, girls,” Diana heard Maria greet at the sound of the bell at the door.

“Hello, Maria,” one of the girls greeted back. Diana didn’t know which one, but she sounded composed, serious and a bit apologetic. “I hope we’re not troubling you again.”

“No, don’t worry about it! I even set you up with a bit more privacy.”

Diana felt her body tensing up and her face along with it. She held her forearm with one hand and gripped it hard. It was time. They were here and there was no going back.

“Diana’s already waiting back there. Want anything? She’s treating you.”

There seemed to be a moment of hesitation as the girls didn’t immediately answer. Diana’s chest tightened. They… didn’t think she was trying to butter them up with food, were they? Diana only wanted to treat them since it was her who asked them to come here!

“I’ll have some tea, then,” one of the girls finally said. It prompted the others to make orders of their own. A single drink each and some cookies to share. They could’ve easily made a bigger order, but they restrained themselves. That already said something, didn’t it?

Fuck, her heart seemed about to burst. Diana had come with a plan, but she was already having doubts that it was the right course of action. There was no more time to ponder, however. Only a few moments later, the five girls came behind the folding screen and met Diana face to face for the second time.

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