Jena was standing at the front of the restaurant,constantly glancing at the drive way to know when Anna would drive in.
She couldn't tell if it was just her or if there was actually this unnecessary tension in the air.
Now she was convinced that she was only puttting on a silly bravado when she was with Lucien a while back because now that it came playing in her head ,she felt bad for agreeing to his proposal just like that,without any second thoughts .It was quite unlike her .
Normal Jena would have thought things thoroughly through but no ,she was completely captivated by his charming and endearing face , making it impossible for her to even resist .It was as if his presence alone clouded her ability to think clearly or make any rational decison.
Her mind was buzzing with so much thoughts right now , like a lovely hustle and bustle. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when the person she had been waiting for finally pulled up after those seemingly long 10 minutes .
"Jena! " Anna called out , stepping out of her car as they both walked towards each other. A surge of relief washed over her the moment she heard Anna's voice .
"How long have you been here ? "
"Not too long " Jena replied and Anna immediately pulled Jena into a warm embrace .
From how lost in thoughts Jena seemed to be, not even noticing when she drove in , Anna could tell something was bothering her. It was probably what ever had happened between her and Lucien.
She couldn't blame her though, she understood her perfectly well. This best friend of hers happened to be the one to inherit the softest heart in the whole world. If she had been in her shoes, God! what the hell would she care? Afterall she was moving onto something better, a whole new world where she could possibly get what she wanted most in life, and she wouldn't give it up for some job as a waitress. That would be delusional! Anna really wished Jena could see things a bit from her perspective.
Jena started to feel slightly embarrased, realizing the reason behind Anna's embrace. She knew she was being a little dramatic but she couldn't help it. Shyly lifting her head from Anna's shoulder, she noticed the wet spot her teary eyes had left on her shirt.
"I'm so..."
"No no no it's fine bes.. My shoulders are always available for you to lean on and cry if you ever want to okay?"
"Thank you" Jena murmured.
"But I don't ever wanna see you cry again okay? Especially not for undeserving stuff like this.. We should probably go in now."
Jena didn't give any vocal reply, she only nodded her head and they both walked into the restaurant together. As soon as they entered, they spotted Devin and Devin was quick to retaliate. He rushed over and gave Jena a sweet little hug.
"You're late Jen, but perfect timing though, miss Becky just stepped out" Devin said enthusiastically.
"Um i'm not here for work Dev."
"Huh? Then what? Why Jen?"
"Actually i'm.. um.." She trailed off, seeing the worried slash curious look on his face.
Seeing that look on his face was not just enough to make her pause, she also suddenly felt tears clouding her eyes as she just kept mute, not sure of what and how to respond to his question.
"Jena just came to say goodbye Devin" Anna completed her statement for her. She had already seen how the corners of Jena's eyes instantly turned red. She didn't want her to shed tears again so she jumped in and answered the question for her.
"What? What for? You're.. you're quiting, Jen?" A clear drop in his tone was noticed and an unusual air of melancholy surrounded him. "Did you get a job else where?"
"I'm sorry Devin I just have to." She finally managed to speak. "My sister asked me to" she lied.
"Yeah that's right" Anna backed her up. "You know how commanding her sister can get"
Devin sighed. "We're really gonna miss having you around Jen. Now, I guess i'm gonna have to go get myself a new attendance writing buddy" he laughed it off, but she could tell that he was just trying as much as she was to hold it together.
That's how close they were. When ever Devin came late, Jena would always cover for him by filling his attendance record, and vice versa. And if they both came late, they'd just face whatever punishment they were given together. Although Jena always tried her best not to be late while Devin was the notorious chief of late coming... Literally, he was always late.
"Bet i'm gonna miss you more.. Um you mentioned that miss Becky is currently unavailable, right?"
"Yeah you just missed her, why?"
"I wanted to give her this." She hands a small white envelope over to him. "It's my resignation letter... Help me please."
"Wouldn't it be better if you gave it to her yourself? No doubt she'll be back soon."
"No Devin it's fine. Either ways, just make sure it reaches her, alright? Please?" Jena pleaded, feigning her assurance smile at him.
Devin caught on real quick that her smile wasn't reaching her heart. Usually, her smiles were big, and bright, and genuine, no matter what, but now it felt forced.
He smiled back, trying to appear cheerful, for her sake at least. He knew that was what she needed the most right now, although, deep down he felt let down.
The atmosphere of the room gradually lightened and started to feel a bit brighter. Jena saw this as a sign that he had accepted to help her and she was now free to leave.
"We'll be taking our leave now Devin" her words carried a slight hint of discomfort in her voice. "Tell miss Becky i'll come see her one day."
"Take care of yourself okay?" Anna added. She was literally the back up or should I say, mouthpiece in this situation but as usual, she couldn't care less, as long as her precious best friend was involved. "You can call whenever you miss her you know"
Devin smiled at her. "Take care of yourself too Anna. Stay awesome Jen, we'll keep in touch. Attendance writer or not!" they both laughed it out. "Gonna miss our epic work adventures you know.. All of it" he emphasized on all.
"Me too." Jena said as a genuine smile curved on her face. Devin was more than happy to see that smile on her face. At least his goodbye smile wasn't a fake one.
. . .
"You're definitely gonna see each other again.. soon." Anna broke the silence, fully aware that Jena wasn't ready to. But those were indeed the exact same words that Jena needed to hear.
They were already on the road, on their way back to Jena's house.