"Ned? Where are you?" Olive Snook called out from the kitchen of the Pie Hole.
"I'm over here," he replied. The two of them met in the doorway and Ned took Olive into his arms and looked deep into her eyes. Olive felt like he was looking at her soul. They then shared a kiss so full love, so full of passion, that not even the angriest person in the world could feel hate. All of Olive's dreams were coming true.
"Olive, I have something to tell you," the pie maker told her. Her heart started racing because she knew what would happen next, it was always the same. "Olive Snook, I love-"
"Oh Ned, there you are," the girl called Chuck called across the crowded Pie Hole, beginning to make her way towards Olive and Ned.
"Chuck! I've missed you." He and the girl called Chuck walked out of the Pie Hole hand in hand. Olive's best dream had now become her worst nightmare.
Olive Snook jolted awake. She was breathing heavily and franticly looking at her surroundings. Finally, she realized where she was and that it had only been a dream. She tried to calm down, but her heart was pounding faster than a hummingbird's. When she glanced at her clock, she saw that it was 3:37 in the morning. She had to get up in just a few short hours.
"I'll just go back to sleep and tomorrow will be just the same as it always is. Damn, I'm talking to myself again." Miss Snook soon found out that neither of these statements would be true. For the next three hours, Olive stared at the ceiling, not able to fall back asleep. She was completely exhausted, but her mind wouldn't stop churning.
At 6:30, Olive decided she was tired of being awake and just staring, as she had been. She got up and proceeded to get ready for another long day at the Pie Hole. If any of the days were more heartbreaking than the others, it was always the ones after Olive dreamed of her one true love, the pie maker.
Olive put on her uniform and headed down early. She needed to bake a pie, or at least eat one. Pie always made her feel better. Her excuse for that was simply that everyone loved pie, but deep down Olive knew it was because Ned was so passionate about pie and always made the best. She hoped one day he could be that passionate about her.
As Olive walked down the stairs, she heard a clanging around from the kitchen. Oh no, not another break-in, she thought to herself, not out loud, which she was very proud of. She continued walking down, keys in hand, ready to stab the intruder at a moments notice. Step by step, she got more and more nervous.
"Shit!" Olive heard, the voice was familiar and a strong calm feeling immediately washed over her.
"Ned?" Olive inquired, "Is that you?"
"Yes, it's me," he called back.
"What are you doing down here so early?" Olive knew that he was dedicated to the Pie Hole, but she didn't think he ever started before 7:00.
"I was baking. I forgot about a few orders for today." Olive knew that was a lie, Ned never forgot about anything, especially when it concerned pie.
"Oh," she sat silently while thinking for a moment. "But you never forget about that kind of thing," she finally blurted out.
"I guess I did just this once," he paused. That was a lie as well, although Olive didn't notice that time. He was really there because he couldn't stop thinking of his stop by Olive's apartment the night before. He looked up at her and then thought of something else. "Wait, what are you doing here? You don't have to work until ten."
"Just needed pie." He smiled briefly.
"I can help with that. What kind?"
"Triple berry, a la mode. Please."
"Coming right up," he smiled again and walked back to the kitchen. Olive, although she only stood at 4'11'', felt as if she was miles above the top of the building. Even if she did only have Ned as a friend, he was still Ned. For now, she and Ned were alone in the Pie Hole. Him, baking pies, her, eating them. Ned's smile had changed Olive's mood from completely depressed to ecstatic. She was content, at least for the time being.
Olive and Ned had been sitting at the counter of the Pie Hole for a while now. Olive had eaten five slices, and Ned had made four pies. They had talked about everything and nothing. The Pie Hole was about ready to open, so Olive was slowly getting up to start the coffee machine and get things ready for the day. Just before she stood, Charlotte Charles walked through the doors, seeing Olive and Ned sitting across the counter from each other, gazing into each others eyes. They hadn't seen her yet, so she quickly walked around to the street entrance.
"Hi Ned, hi Olive," Chuck said. She knew she sounded different. Both Ned and Olive had noticed something was wrong, but they hadn't thought to ask.