Jillian's past

The cafe is Jillian's refuge, the place can make her believe that she is in a caring society. At the tables are her imaginary friends in a transient community. We are born to need social bonds. We are born to need a sense of others, even if we are alone. It is terrible for the higher brain to know that we are solitary, that our life path has asked us to learn how to be the warrior instead of the cosseted, the protector, and not the protected. Yet there is a need to fool the senses that this society is a safe place and we belong to a tribe. So in this cafe, among the noises of people, their scent, their occasional glances, and the chatter of the baristas.

The cafe in such honeyed hues brings a sweetness to the day, coaxing an inner smile that warms from within. The ambiance of the cafe, its homey aroma, draws her soul into its cocoon for a few blessed moments. The cafe tables in their rich deep browns, the aroma with its dark aromatic perfume, call her in from the wintry day and adorn the sun-kissed grey as if placed there at the tip of an artist's brush.

She was waiting for her friends to come, while sipping the coffee she looked outside watching the people walk by.

"Hey Jillian"

She turned her head to the person who spoke, it was Maria who was late.

"You're always late Maria," she said dryly.

Maria chuckled, she took her seat, and said "What do you expect from me, Jill?"

"You're a teacher now, is it nice that you saw all of your students are earlier than you?"

"Okay, I'm sorry, I wake up late" she reasons out.

Maria called the waitress to order food. She feels Jillian's gazed, she shrugs "I haven't eaten my breakfast"

Jillian rolled her eyes at her.

"You're grumpy today Jillian, do you have your mens today?" Maria asks.

"No, I'm stressed this week, especially Angel's request," she said helplessly.

She was frustrated about this, yes she may have contact with Jameson but, will Jameson accept her daughter or will that man? Angel will get hurt with that, and you can't blame her either because she is also protecting Angel.

Maria's face turns serious, she knows Jillian was struggling with this decision, she knows what Jillian suffered after Jameson left her. After a few months she finds out, she was pregnant and her whole world crumbled. She wants to end her life but Maria stops her, she said live for the sake of her child. That's why Jillian is grateful for Maria because she never leaves her side.

"Any way where is your Joy? Is she the one who can help you?" Maria shifts the target.

"She said, she's coming,"

They talk for a few minutes.

The whole caffe turns their head to the door, a beautiful woman walks in, she scans her head until she locks on sight where Jillian sits, and all of their glazes follows her.

Jillian recognized her, it was Joy.

"Joy!" she called.

Joy smiled at her and took her seat beside Marie, Marie who was still busy eating was starstruck when she turned her head, Joy wasn't beautiful in a classical way, no flowing golden curls or ivory skin; no piercing eyes of amber. She was shorter than average and certainly larger than a catwalk model, but in her ordinariness she was stunning. Something radiated from within that rendered her irresistible to both genders. Men desired her and women courted her friendship.

"Hello" Her mellow voice rang up in Maria's ears.

"Joy did you eat?" Jillian asked.

Joy nodded, she smiled at Jillian. She was excited about the story of Jillian and her boss.

"Jillian, can you tell me about you and my boss?" she asked excitedly.

The atmosphere is tense, Jillian and Maria look each other in the eye, they have a mutual understanding about this topic. Joy noticed the reactions she easily picked up that the topic is sensitive, her smile fades from her face.

"Jillian if you don't want to talk about it, it's okay," she smiled apologetically.

"No, I will talk about it," she breathes hard.

Flashback

After that confession of Jameson in the clinic, they kept quiet about their relationship and the people who knew their relationship was limited to their close friend and Maria was one of them who was the evident love between Jameson and Jillian.

Once they were outside having a date, they acted normally, no cuddling, no kissing just like normal friends you would assume. In the local park, sitting on a bench, you would see a man and woman talking to each other, their smiles were wide and genuine, their eyes had the spark of mutual love.

Jameson was starred in a high rise building like he was admiring sturdy structure if he was to connect it to someone it would be his dad.

He said "One day, I will surpass my Dad Jill, he will succeed his company to me"

"Of course Jamie, you will surmount your father's achievement" like a proud mother, Jillian smiled at Jameson assuring him.

"Hi Jameson" a woman approaches them, she looks like a bimbo with her very fit school uniform and short skirt and her lips are bright red.

"Hello Reeya" Jameson greeted back.

"Who's this Jameson?" she clings in Jameson's arm while eyeing Jillian who turned silent watching Reeya do that.

"Why do you care Reeya?" Jameson asked coldly, his expression is frozen. He is pissed-off with her doing this in front of Jillian.

"You should not come with her, she is not on our level Jameson," she said with her eyes full of disgust, Jillian who heard that lowered her head.

Jameson was infuriated, he said in suppressed anger "Shut up Reeya, Jillian is my girlfriend and you don't have the rights to abuse her by words, so see yourself of"

Jameson held Jillian's hand and walked off after the burst, in his face, there was a trace of anger, Jillian squeezed his hands to calm down.

After a few days rumors escalated around the school about Jameson and Jillian's relationship, some were surprised and some were angry or jealous, not in school too it reached Jameson's father's ears.

That day Jameson was called by his father and gave him a warning about his relationship with a girl out of nowhere, Jameson was afraid of his father so he tells Jillian to let them inform that they have no relationship at all, now they are in the limelight, they avoid each other to not the raised the rumors. Jillian was okay at that, but it's getting difficult, their normal routine could not do anymore.

It was Jillian's birthday at that time, they secretly held a party at a private resort, Jameson presented his gift to Jillian, it was a pendant, he said it was a sign of his love. Jillian smiled widely, she was happy that she met Jameson even though it was hard but they kept fighting.

A few weeks later, photos of Jameson and Jillian celebrating circulated around the campus and it was controversial even the local news found about it and broadcast it. Jameson's father finds out and warns him that it doesn't break up with Jillian the company will never succeed.

***

After Joy heard that, she was in deep thought.