A week passed and the cats called Nimbus and Stratus have recovered their health. They've occupied a part of the kitchen corner where they were allowed to stay. Smarty which used to sleep in Alexandra's room decided to sleep in the kitchen to keep the cats company.
On a warm Saturday afternoon, Alex went back to her room and sat on a sofa corner built outside her room. The sun's rays were still bright under the deck covered terrace of her room and warm on her skin. The sun won't be setting down soon until 6pm.
She took the phone from its cradle and dialed the number of Sabina and got the automated caller's message. She redialed the number and got the same response. She tried one last time and finally got her on the other line.
"Hello." Sabina's voice came through the line.
"Gee, Sabina. Where are you? I've already called three times."
"Sorry. I'm out with Alex on a date. We went to the zoo and the butterfly garden. My phone is dead. It fell in the pond in the garden. I'm actually using Alex cell to answer you."
"Are you still on your date?"
"We're on the way home. He's driving."
"Uh-okay. I'll just call you back when you get home, Sabina."
"Alrighty. I'll wait for your call. Laters, Alex."
"Safe driving."
She hung up and took a nap on the couch.
Alex woke up three hours later. It's already dark outside. The wind was cool from the night breeze. She checked her phone. There was one missed call from Sabina. The clock showed 7pm. Then, it rang showing Sabina's number. She pressed the green button and took the call.
"Hello."
"Alexandra, you missed my call earlier."
"Sorry, Sab. I took a nap waiting for you until I fell asleep."
"It's okay. Never mind. I took a nap myself, too when I reached home. I'm preparing dinner. What were you calling about earlier by the way?"
"Oh…" Alex trailed on the phone, putting her hand on her forehead. "I have a problem, Sab."
"Have you fallen in love with Daniel St. Claire?" teased Sabina on the other line.
"I think I have," said Alex looking at the starry sky.
Sabina shrieked.
"Congratulations, Alexandra. Finally you did it."
"And what should I do about it?"
"Tell it to him."
"Nah. Very unlikely. His heart is set on Sarah."
"Then, just play it cool, then. Not like he's going to know it, right?"
"We were taking care of these cats I found in the hedge after the storm. We went to a vet doctor to have them checked and went home after. I decided to name them Nimbus and Stratus after the storm clouds. And strangely he told me that he and Sarah have once owned those kinds of cats that were named exactly as Nimbus and Stratus. It's a strange connection."
"Is it?" asked Sabina in a weird tone. "Have you never felt that kind of connection with Julian?"
"We were strongly connected to each other by being coffee addicts."
"Aren't you more of a chocolate drinker?"
"You're my chocolate buddy, Sab. Julian's my coffee addict ex-boyfriend. How is that guy anyway?"
"Heard that he's still on with his girlfriend, Anna."
"That's good for him."
Alexandra went silent for a minute thinking what to say next until she decided she has something to confess to her bestfriend.
"Hey, Sab…" she trailed.
"Still here, Alex."
"I'm actually just posing as Daniel's fake fiancée because he's planning to ask Sarah's hand a day before the wedding day."
"Until she says, 'Yes, I will' before saying 'Yes, I do.' He's romantically awful, isn't he?" said Sabina in a tirade and a frown in her voice. "Will she say yes?"
"He's confident about it. They're childhood friends."
"Why did you agree to this kind of farce anyway?"
"Because he's romantically awful as you said," Alex replied flatly. "Actually I did it as a return favor for saving our company from bankruptcy. He's our boss, right? And he agreed on mom's grand plan for this house."
"That is so generous of you, Alexandra. I want to pull your hair out," said Sabina darkly. "Have you never been in love before like with Julian my cousin?"
"Sabina, you are turning dark Sabina on me. Julian was a saint until he decided to be more saintly with another woman," said Alex with a sigh. "If it will please you, I've liked and enjoyed his company when we were still dating. He was a pretty good guy until he turned into a wasp."
"You're pretty bitter at him, Alexandra."
"I'm not, Sabina. I'm just being honest about Julian."
"If you've never fallen in love with Julian then that does make Daniel your first love, doesn't it?" asked Sabina carefully and miserably added, "While that guy is set on marrying his first love—Sarah."
"Don't you feel miserable right now, bestie?"
"Sabina, you are a cruel love expert. I'll have a drink when I feel miserable."
"You'll soon be caught in your own storm, Alexandra," said Sabina with a sigh and a weary tone.
"Catch me when that happens, Sab."
"I'm your Alex keeper."
"You always said that. Alex is pretty lucky to have you, Sab. I wish a male Sabina exist for me, too. You're my guardian angel."
"That's terribly sweet of you, Alexandra. I wish I have a twin so he can be yours," agreed Sabina laughing, then turned serious again. "Your luck will turn after a while."
"Playing clairvoyance on me, Sabina?"
"Playing honesty mixed with my own truth, Alexandra."
Alex bit her tongue from replying after Sabina's statement. Usually her bestfriend does that kind of thing, too.
"I need to go down for dinner, too. Thanks for chatting with me, Sabi. Enjoy your dinner."
"Anytime. Bye."
"Bye."
--
Alexandra was having cereals for her breakfast which she shared with her dog Smarty who was eating his share down beside her. She was peeling an orange when Daniel came in still in his pajamas to join her for breakfast.
"Your hair is all over."
He just flattened it with the palm of his right hand and went to gargle water from the glass by the sink. Then, he walked towards her and peeked at her food.
"I don't want cereals. Will you please fry pancakes for me, Alex?"
Alex looked up at him while scooping a spoon of cereal on her mouth.
"I'm not your cook, Daniel."
"But, I don't know how to cook, Alex," he pleaded. "Please."
"Listen, why don't you put out the pancake ingredients and follow the instruction and I'll see through your frying, okay?"
She said looking at him hard.
He looked for the ingredients and quietly prepared them.
"I don't know how to fry them," he said helplessly.
"You just flip it when the top already bubbles."
He started to fry his first pancake.
"By the way, I'm going over to Sarah to discuss about the flowers were going to do for her wedding. Any flower suggestion?"
"White roses."
He answered immediately.
"That's pure of you."
"Any favorite one of yours?"
He thought for a while.
"I'm not a woman."
"What flower catches your senses when you think of one?"
He just shook his head.
"You're helpless."
"What flower do you think of when you think of Sarah?"
He rubbed his chin.
"She reminds me of the blue tulips that blooms in summer days under the blue sky reflected in her eyes."
"That's utterly poetic of you."
Then, Alex creased her forehead. "Don't you smell the burn from the pan?"
Daniel looked at his pancakes.
"Shit. Shit. Shit." He closed the stove.
"Gods. Curses in the morning, St. Claire?"
"Please fry the pancakes for me, Alexandra."
"You're simply helpless in the kitchen."
She rose from her chair and went to the stove. Then, continued to fry the burnt pancake, flipping its other side.
"Why are you still cooking it?"
"We can give it to Smarty so it wouldn't be a waste."
--
Alex entered Kale's Bright and Sunny Flowers and this time found a cashier named Rose.
"Hello, Rose," greeted Alexandra to the cashier reading her name from the tag pinned to her breast pocket. "I'm Alexandra. Is Sarah around?"
Rose went out of the counter to call Sarah who appeared back with her from the back door.
"Alex! I'm so glad you came," said Sarah brightly guiding Alex to the back room to her table. There were more than a dozen of pink stemmed roses and white stemmed roses she was cutting.
"I'm cutting these white and pink roses for a debut party for a teenage named Catherine. She's having her party this Wednesday."
"We're going to discuss about the flowers for the wedding, right? By the way what's that inside the basket you're carrying?"
Sarah interjected peering through her basket.
"Oh, these," said Alex putting the basket when they approached the table. She saw the red parrot on the table.
"Hello, there, Pecko."
"Alexandra. Great to see you."
"You've got a pretty smart parrot at your side, Sarah. Did you teach her that?"
Sarah looked at her red bird. "Yeah. Devin bought Pecko for me when we went vacationing in Brazil."
She looked back at the basket.
"Gee!" squealed Sarah with delight. "They're black and white cats."
"Nimbus! Stratus!"
The cats meowed at her voice. Sarah stroke the white cat on her neck.
"Dan told me you two used to have cats like these when you were younger. I decided to bring these today to get you acquainted while we discuss what flowers we'll have for the wedding."
"Sure, let's discuss that." Sarah said getting the two cats out of the basket and placing them on the table to join the roses.
"Cats are out to eat me." The parrot said when Sarah took the cats out on the table. It took flight and went through the small window by the back door.
"Pecko." Sarah said with a shook of her head. "That bird will sulk for a while."
"By the way, what's the theme color?"
Alexandra thought she hasn't actually discussed it with him. She shook her head when she remembered that Daniel wanted to snoop all the information of the wedding details out of Sarah's mouth.
She glanced at her briefly and looked straight ahead putting her mind in illustration while seeing Sarah in her mind. She doesn't want to be caught in the mouth so she thought of the next color that resembles Sarah's eyes.
"Aquamarine." Alex said with a start.
"What flowers shall we have as decoration inside the church and at the reception?"
"White roses and blue tulips." She said immediately and thought of other white flowers. "…white lilies, white orchids, vanilla orchids, morning glory…"
They discussed the mixed of white and blue shades of flowers to design for the church and the reception. It was a mixed of wild flowers and cultivated ones. Alex asked Sarah for more flower lists. And she tried to further see Sarah in her mind.
"So, well have hydrangea and bluebells and for small bouquets mixed with white ones. They'll look good for the wrist bouquets, too."
"Hmmm…maybe a mix of hydrangea, bluebells, wisteria, white vanilla orchid and morning glory."
"That would really smell sweet on the wrist, Alex."
Sarah studied her for a while, cutting stems of pink roses.
"You did well, Alexandra."
She looked at her with a glint of jealousy in her eyes. "I like the flowers we discussed for your wedding, Alex. You really love him, don't you?"
If Sarah could read through her, she would be right. But, Alex didn't want to say yes or say no. She nodded silently in agreement. Feeling sad and glad at the same time. Sarah doesn't have any idea that she just designed her own wedding theme.
Looking through the roses on the table, Sarah said pensively. "Roses are sometimes pink."
"I'm jealous of the love you hold for him," Sarah said handing her a newly cut pink stemmed rose. "I've always loved Daniel. He's always been there for me when I was down and when were kids."
She added musing while continuously cutting the roses. Without guise Sarah admitted, "I wish it's my wedding day. It's terribly perfect. I feel like I'm the bride on that day."
Alexandra kept her face straight when Sarah said it.
"Well, I'm glad you like it, Sarah."
She said trying to keep her face straight. She didn't realize that she would feel not only guilty but also jealous after this discussion. She felt a sudden lurch of her stomach.
She quietly observed how Sarah petted and caressed the cats like they were her old friends. She even talked to them in a cooing voice.
"Alex, do you mind if I keep these cats at the shop for a while?" asked Sarah turning to look at her. "These cats really reminded me of Nimbus and Stratus that we have had back as kids. You see, mom had just been buried a week before a storm passed in our neighborhood. Devin and Daniel just moved in with their parents then. Then, I found a white kitten wandering at our house. Its siblings got separated and the twins found two astray kittens in their yard, too after the storm. We called them Nimbus for Daniel, Cumulus for Devin and Stratus for me. But, Devin's kitten died after a while so only Dan and I got to keep ours."
Alexandra looked at Sarah with misty eyes.
"Sure, no problem. But, I didn't bring their food."
"No bother, Alex. I'll just buy food for them."
Sarah was lifting the white cat named Stratus. "You sure it's okay?"
"I actually brought them over so you remember your childhood days with Daniel, Sarah."
Sarah walked over to her and gave her a hug.
"So, uhm…" Alex said awkwardly. "Since my business is done for the day, I'm leaving first, Sarah."
"Drop by next Sunday to check on the flowers, okay? It's three days before the wedding."
"Sure, do."
She left the shop holding the pink stemmed rose that Sarah gave her. She placed it on the passenger seat when she's already in the car.
So that woman also knows how to feel jealous, afterall. She thought while looking at the pink stemmed rose Sarah gave her a while ago.
Confused with her emotion and playing it cool for the day like she wasn't in love with Daniel St. Claire took the toll on Alexandra. She felt jealous towards Sarah because she's the real bride she perfectly played the bride substitute for and got the result she wanted. She felt tears welling at the side of her eyes.
"Now I'm caught at my own storm," said Alex to herself remembering Sabina's words while her head was down against the steering wheel.
She needed a break from this unwanted emotional turmoil.
She switched the engine on and started her car. She stopped it when she reached the bar she sometimes visited when she felt like having a drink in the city. It's called the Tropical Suburb.
She went out of her car and entered the bar. It was dimly lit inside and almost empty except for a pair of two old men sitting across each other by the back wall. She walked to the counter and ordered. "Hello, George."
"Welcome, Alex. Been a while since you came."
"Yeah. Feels like coming over today. Give me a glass, please."
"At your service, my love."