Misstep

"Will you all be leaving now?" Layla asked, from the counter. She was watching the three in all their shenanigans and smiling.

Now they seem like actual children.

"Yes." The redheaded girl said loudly, still holding onto the waist of her friend.

"It was lovely meeting you all, I do hope I can meet you again." She said, with a bright smile on her face.

"We will come back whenever we can." The girl who is being held onto said. "The food was delicious."

"My husband will be very happy to hear that." She said, beaming at them.

"We may have made too much work for you though." The dark blue-haired boy said, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, it's no worries. Being able to provide good food for all of you is worth all everything." She answered. "Anyway, you paid for everything already. So you don't have to feel bad."

"Right." The boy answered, a charming smile on his face. He then turned to the mute girl and said something to her, to which she replied with her hand gestures.

They all seem very close to each other, given their interactions with each other.

"I called Alex." The black-haired boy said, looking up from his phone. "He says he will be where he dropped us off at."

"Ok, then we'd better get going." The girl pried the redhead's arms off her, easily. Almost as though she didn't have to struggle that much before.

Giving Layla a small greeting, she ran out the door followed by the redhead hot on her heels.

"Shia! Let's sleep together tonight with Kaia!" She said, running out the door with the bell sound filling them.

Oh, to be young. She thought watching as they ran around in the snow, falling on top of each other. Their laughter filled the place, escaping to the little café.

_________

"We should get going," Max said to Kaia just as Shia ran out the door with Carlotta following close behind.

Kaia pulled at his sleeves to get his attention once it diverted from her.

"What is it?" He asked, looking at her, finally.

"I completely forgot about Alex." She said, spelling out the driver's name with her hands.

"So did we." Max said, "He is pretty forgettable sometimes. Why?"

"We should have packed a cup for him." She said, still grabbing onto his shirt sleeve.

"A cup of what?" He asked, looking at where her hand was and smiling.

"Hot chocolate." She signed, "He's been out in the cold for two hours, waiting for us."

"I don't think it's the cold, necessarily." He said, "The car does have a heating system."

She lightly hit his arm, a pout forming on her face as she waited for him to stop joking around.

"Ok. Ok." He said, raising his hands in surrender. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Ask her if there is any hot chocolate left." She signed, pointing to the counter. "If there is, maybe we can pack one for him."

"Why don't you ask?"

"I want you to ask." She signed at him, slightly getting annoyed. "Please?"

"Ok. I'll ask."

"Thank you. I'll give you the money." She reached into her pockets but Max was already on his way to the counter. Kaia had no choice but to follow after him.

"What are you two still doing?" Ran asked, snuggling up in his muffler again after a brief encounter with the cold wind.

"We wanted to pack something for Alex," Kaia explained as they followed after Max.

"Is this your idea or his?"

"Whose do you think?" Max asked as they reached the counter.

"My guess is on Kaia." He answered without hesitation. "Am I right?"

"Bingo." Max smiled as he turned to the woman, "Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Yes, dear. Is something the matter?" She asked, smiling at all three of them. Though most of her attention is on Max, she steals little glances at Kaia.

"We want to know if it's possible to pack a cup of hot chocolate to go," Max said awkwardly, not sure of how he should talk to her as he is still not sure of what he is saying exactly.

"Why are you still here?" Kaia asked Dorran as they stood behind Max who is talking to Layla.

"I am here if you need any help." He said, still slightly shivering.

"Right, not because of the cold?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No." He answered, looking away from her.

"Of course you can." Layla said, "We have a lot still left over. How many cups would you like?"

"Just one please, thank you." He said as she took out a Styrofoam cup from under the counter and made her way to the kitchen.

"Please excuse me for a minute. I will have it done in a jiffy."

"Thank you," Max said, turning from the counter to the two that are behind him like ducklings. "Why are you still here?"

"I am waiting for you two," Dor said with a smile.

"Not because you are scared to go outside, are you?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest, eyebrows raised.

"You two are very similar," Dor said, trying to take the attention of him.

"What is going on in here?" Shia and Carlotta entered in the café again, covered in snow.

"Kaia wanted to bring something for Alex so she told me to ask her to pack a hot chocolate for him," Max said that all in one sentence, not pausing for a breath.

"How did that work out for you?" Carlotta asked, grinning at him. "You have always been awful at talking to authority figures."

"She isn't an authority figure." Kaia signed defensively. "And Max did really well when he talked to her."

"Really?" Carlotta asked, wriggling her eyebrows at him.

"Max got complimented by Kaia." Shia joined in as they teased him. "What wonders could this be?"

"Someone must be feeling very happy."

"I agree."

"Is it so rare that I give compliments?" Kaia asked Dorran.

"No. Don't worry, they are just teasing him." He reassured her. "See, he is becoming a little red."

"But why?" She signed but no one was looking at her so they didn't see that question. She also decided to drop it. It is a little bit funny to see him so flustered.

"Please stop," Max said, looking away from everyone just as Layla came out of the kitchen, full cup in hand and a little brown bag with a ribbon on it.

"Here you go." She said, placing the full cup into a holder and handing him the bag with the cup.

"What is this for?" He asked, holding the brown bag up as Kaia walked forward and took her money out of her pocket to pay.

"Thank you, my dear," Layla said as Kaia gave her the exact amount in cash. "That is a bag of cookies. It is a free gift from us."

"We couldn't-" Max said, trying to give it back to her but she would have none of it.

"Just take it as a bonus for reaching a certain amount of money spent on us." She said, "They do those things right?"

"I wouldn't know." Ran said, "Everywhere I have eaten was overpriced and minimum."

"Same," Shia said.

"I know." Kaia signed, raising her hand. "There are some fast food places that do that, even some cafes here and there."

"If Kaia says that, then I guess it's fine," Max said Shia took the bag of cookies and he took the cup. "Thank you. We'll be going now."

"Ok. Do come again." She waved at them as they made their way to the door, again.

"We will," Shia said.

Kaia cast one last glance back at Layla and nodded her head at her, she did the same and the door closed.

________

"Hello?" Dor spoke into the phone as he started shivering again. "We are on our way. Yes. Please don't call the men. Yes. Ok."

"Who was that?" Carlotta asked, taking careful steps in the snow. It seemed to have risen more as compared to when they went in.

"Alex." Dor said, "He thought I had been abducted again or something because we were taking a while to get back."

"How often does that happen to you?" Shia asked, holding the bag very carefully to not break any of the cookies, as they walked down the slightly steep slope.

"It was a regular thing before." He said, holding his hand out for Carlotta to take as they climbed down.

"Before?" Max clutched the cup carefully in his hands. Thankfully the cup was spill-proof and he didn't have to worry too much about it.

Kaia tried to take it from him but he shook his head, "Concentrate on where you are walking."

Reluctantly, Kaia nodded her head and focused on the ground instead of him now.

"It's not anymore, don't worry," He said. "I have my own ways to deal with people like them."

"Don't tell me you annoy them to the point of death," Carlotta asked, as they saw the car at the distance.

"No. Do you do that?" He asked back.

"The most effective trick I know." She said with a wink.

Dorran lost his footing and slipped down the path of snow as soon as she did that. One could say that it was a misstep. But everyone else had a different idea of why that happened.