Seth grabbed his cup of coffee as soon as it was placed on the counter. He was surprised that Malvina had demanded to pay for his coffee but he accepted it. He wasn't going to let her touch it though. She might drug or poison him. He didn't know this woman. All he knew was that she had a big knife and wasn't scared to use it.
"There's a free table over there," she said.
She walked over to the table and sat down. He sighed and followed seconds later. He should call the police and tell them he had found her. He should make them come and arrest her. He should demand his money back. There was a lot of things he should do, but instead he followed behind her like a puppy.
"I'm actually nervous," she held up her hands. "Look. Sweaty palms."
She dried her palms on her jeans while he watched her. This was not the cruel woman he had come across a year ago.
"Why are we here, Malvina?" He asked.
"Right, diving straight in," she chuckled nervously. "I wanna apologize."
"Yeah, right," he said.
"No, seriously. I'm so fucking sorry for what we did to you. For what I did to you. I was not in a good place back then. I know that's not a valid excuse, and I don't expect you to accept it or forgive me. I just need to tell you I'm sorry," she said.
She appeared to be honest. He took a sip of his coffee and didn't give away anything. He wanted her to sweat for a little longer.
"I got my life back on track. I ditched the blonde bitches, and I got a job," she said.
"Blonde bitches," he smirked. "You don't speak highly of your friends."
"They were never my friends. They were my protection on the street. Like I said, I was in a bad place back then," she said.
She picked up her coffee and took a sip. He kept studying her. Those ice blue eyes no longer looked cruel. He had seen them in his mind many times since then. It was nice to know they could look friendly too.
"I wanna give you your money back," she said.
"I won't oppose to that," he said.
"Although what you actually ended up giving us was a drop in the ocean compared to the money on your account, it still doesn't feel right. When I noticed you on the street, I knew I had to come clean and do the right thing. Sorry for hiding in a shop first. I was scared of how you might react. I finally told myself to grow a pair of balls and go out there to greet you. And so I did," she said.
She smiled at him. A little, nervous smile. He couldn't help but smile back.
"If you can wait until the beginning of next month, I'll pay you back as soon as I get my paycheck. We can meet here on January 1st, and I'll buy you another coffee and pay you back," she said.
"Or we can walk down to the police station together right now," he said.
She hung her head in shame and nodded. He was surprised that she wasn't going to argue against that.
"If that's what you want, I will do that. I will turn myself in," she looked up again. "Can I at least finish my coffee first? I don't know how long they'll keep me there, and they don't serve good coffee."
He couldn't stop himself from laughing. Of course she knew a thing or two about what was being served at the police station with how she had lived her life in the past. He was actually surprised at her being willing to turn herself in. She really had turned a new leaf and wanted to do the right thing.
"January 1st," he said. "I'll meet you here at 2 PM. Deal?"
She looked surprised for a moment and then broke out in a smile.
"Deal," she said.
"You better not be hungover," he said.
"I don't drink anymore," she said. "I might drown my sorrows in coffee but no more alcohol for me. I'm a changed woman."
"I fucking hope so," he said.
"I'll prove it to you," she said. "January 1st."
She kept the smile on her face and took another sip of her coffee.
"You still haven't told me how you know my name," he said.
"You were all over the news," she said. "I was sure I was going to be hunted like a witch after learning I had robbed a famous person with lots of fans. I thought you'd find me thrown off a bridge or dragged behind a car. In a bizarre twist of events, learning who you were was actually the thing that made me finally realize I wasn't a good person and that I needed to change. So thank you, Seth. Thank you for helping me."
He didn't know how to react to that. It felt weird knowing this woman had held a knife to his throat, and now she was thanking him for helping her somehow. He saw it as a win though. He grabbed his coffee and stood up.
"Keep moving in the right direction," he said. "I'll see you January 1st."
"I'll be here," she said.