In a Different Life
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to their respective owners which is Disney.
Author's Note: Haven't updated in 3 months and I'm sorry for that. Thank you to those that REVIEWED, FAVOURITED, or FOLLOWED this story. I hope that you'll still support this story.
In a quaint cafe decorated with warm and neutral colors, sat a man with luscious raven locks. He ran his fingers over the rim of the porcelain cup as he glanced at the entrance. He looked at his watch in anxiety, he didn't really understand the gist of what his new found friend said. Sighing heavily, he checked his phone for news of where they could be. After seeing that there was no message from anyone except his manager, he slumped in his seat and took a sip of his coffee to calm his nerves.
A few blocks away, a blonde was getting antsy beside her junior. She wondered if it was any of her business to be meddling in their possible relationship. They were running late because said junior stopped by a pretzel shop to purchase a variety of pretzels ranging from salty, sweet, and flavorful. Afterwards, an amiable husky passed by and they couldn't help but pet it for a few minutes.
As they were walking, the green eyed blonde glanced at her redheaded friend. She doesn't seem to suspect a thing, which was good, Rapunzel thought. Standing in front of the cafe, she mentally cursed at herself for being so stupid as to let her comrade choose the location.
"Hey Punzie, are you sure you wanna go in here?" Ariel piqued, clutching her bag tightly. "Isn't this place expensive?"
"Y-yeah! It's no problem! I saved my allowance for a month for this," she replied anxiously while trying to sound confident at the same time. Eric you better be here.
"Well… if you say so," Ariel smiled, which made the blonde compelled to smile back. They walked towards the door chatting along the way and was taken by surprise -mainly Rapunzel- when someone opened the door for them. After thanking the doorman, they both were seated at a booth with plush cushions and underneath a chandelier which looked like ice crystals.
Rapunzel looked around for her friend or what she would like to call as the "bae" of Ariel. He was nowhere to be found and felt panic creeping up into her nerves. She looked at her phone and found a text message from the raven haired man.
"Ariel, I'm just gonna pop to the restroom real quick, you should order something in the meantime, okay?" She said hurriedly and practically flew towards the bathroom. Ariel blinked a few times before she could register what her senior meant.
"She must have been holding it in for a while," the redhead tittered as she browsed the cafe's menu before finally deciding on a drink and some cheesecake. She gave thanks to the waiter who took her order, and took out her sketchpad. She flipped through pages of finished sketches and artwork and stopped on an unfinished work of an aquarium with a mermaid trapped within.
Rapunzel bumped into someone as she rounded the corner, she felt a strong grip on her shoulders that kept her from falling on her buttocks.
"Rapunzel?" A familiar voice caused her to look up and grin.
"Eric! Boy am I glad to see you!" She steadied herself and dusted off the panic she was feeling, she had a plan, dang it, and she won't leave until it comes to fruition.
"Yeah, I was wondering what you meant by your text," he replied as he rubbed the back of his neck, "So what's up?"
"Okay, I know that this is probably fucking crazy but hear me out. I have a friend who really really likes you. She doesn't know that we're meeting you though, so can you pretty please, approach her and at least say hi?" She begged, and she wasn't really one for begging especially towards people who isn't her mother this is her friend's happiness on the line.
"Oh come on, Rapunzel. You know I can't do that. I just can't date anyone… I have responsibilities," he replied with a sad sigh.
"I promise I won't bother you again. Please...just," she gulped. God, she haven't felt that desperate since that thief stole her bag. "..just give her a chance," she looked down, staring at her worn out sneakers while biting her lip.
"Look, I'll go entertain this friend of yours, okay?" He said reassuringly, "Just don't look so grim." he patted her head. She looked up, grateful that the man before her was pretty understanding.
"Thank you! Thank you!" She gave him a hug, an attempt to crush his if she were any stronger. She let go of Eric, excited and nervous how the event will play out. "I actually have to use the restroom, you go on ahead. She's not hard to miss, trust me," she smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder, mouthing good luck before she disappeared from his eyes.
"What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered before walking back towards the dining area, he looked around, trying to find the friend he was looking for. All he found was nothing except for the customers that were there before him. He continued walking, hoping he'd be able to find this person.
'Hard to miss my ass' he thought quite annoyed that this might be a prank. In his deep state of thought, he failed to realize the person that was about to leave their cubicle. He bumped into someone, for the second time this day, and was unable to keep his balance as he landed on the cold hard floor.
He opened his eyes, to find that the person he collided with was the person he thought he would never see again. Ocean blue eyes met aqua colored ones. His eyes widened at the same time as hers, completely forgetting the state they were in. She looked at him in shock as her face gradually turned a few shades lighter than her hair. She looked to the side, panic and happiness swirled within her, rendering her completely unaware that the other party stood up and offered his hand towards her.
"Hello again," he said breaking her from her trance.
"Hello," she replied as she took his hand. She brushed her hair back with her fingers. "D-Do you want to sit down?" She offered, pushing away her anxiety as much as she can. He nodded and gave her a small smile. They sat down, facing each other, with a tension floating in between them.
"So, how are you?" Eric initiated the conversation, hoping that the awkwardness would dissipate.
"I'm pretty good, and you?" She replied bashfully. Eric couldn't help but notice that her uniform was the same as Rapunzel. 'So this is her friend, what a small world we live in.'
"I'm doing fine. College finals are just around the corner," he said exasperatedly. Suddenly, he remembered something, "Hey sorry for leaving out of the blue the other day,"
"Oh it's fine, you seemed like you needed to go somewhere important," she replied with a smile.
"I kind of wanna continue where we left off…" he replied sheepishly as he pressed his fingers together.
"What do you mean-? O-oh…" Suddenly remembering that she was interrupted when she was about to introduce herself, a small blush covered her cheeks. Which the person in front of her found adorable.
"I'm Ariel, Ariel Havfrue," She said with a small smile. Eric beamed at her.
"Ariel, what a beautiful name," Eric said out loud which caused the teen to blush even deeper. However there was a lingering feeling within him after knowing her name. 'Havfrue, where have I heard that before?'
"T-thank you," she looked down at the artwork in front of her and the raven haired man followed suit.
"Hey isn't that from the aquarium?" He piqued, peering over from the other side of the table.
"Yes, actually it is, I haven't finished it yet. School has kept me busy," she replied, slowly feeling a bit more comfortable with each other.
"Ah, trust me, High School might feel hard right now but going to University will kill your soul," he joked which caused her to laugh.
Rapunzel joined them afterwards, making sure that Eric doesn't spill a bean that she was the one that initiated this hang out. After seeing how comfortable they were getting with each other, she felt happy for the two. She sipped her strawberry shake all the while eating her danish bread courtesy of Ariel, who was willing to pay in her stead. They talked about anything and everything, from Eric's time in Die Krone High School, and how he used to be a troublemaker with his friends. How Rapunzel and Ariel met and became friends, and how they are participating in this art show a few months from now.
"I'd love to go and see your artworks displayed," Eric commented. Rapunzel waved her hand, while taking the last sip of her shake.
"Nah, we're not even sure if our teacher would display our stuff," The blonde sighed in defeat.
"But I thought you guys were participating?"
"If our paintings don't qualify, we will serve basically in the food stands or selling prints for other people," the redhead replied.
"Oh, well I'm hoping you guys make the cut, what are your artworks about?"
"Mine is going to focus on lantern festivals in dedication to the Lantern Festival held every year in Corona," Rapunzel replied casually.
"I'm basing mine of the wonders in the ocean," Ariel replied.
"Are you going to include a mermaid, Ariel?" Eric asked, interested if she was going to procure another mermaid.
"No, I'm afraid not. My teacher doesn't like mermaids that much," Ariel replied solemnly as she put her stuff away.
"What! That's ridiculous. Isn't art supposed to be a form of self expression?" Eric remarked. Rapunzel and Ariel looked at each other before smiling softly at him.
"Thanks Eric, but if we wanna save our hides, it's better to please our teacher for now," Ariel replied with a small smile.
"Well, I'll free up my schedule for that day, I guess I'll see you guys at the food stands?" he said jokingly which caused the females to laugh in response.
"Better prepare yourself, Ariel's a terrible cook," Rapunzel replied with a wink.
"I find it edible, thank you," Ariel replied with a giggle.
They all stood up to leave, Eric offered Ariel and Rapunzel a ride home, which the blonde declined, stating that her mother would have a fit if she knew that she was hanging out with man. She waved towards Eric and Ariel as they drove away and pumped her fist when they were no longer in the horizon.
"Phase one: Complete" She started walking towards her house which was a few kilometers away. It was worth it and she has nothing left to give if someone were to rob her anyways.
She was a kilometer away from her house, her headphones blasting music from her favourite movie. It was starting to get dark, the street lights were already on. She could feel the terror from her mother already seeping through the streets. She needed to get home fast.
"Walking alone, blondie?" Someone walked beside her, and she could never forget that voice or that nickname.
"What do you want? I have nothing left to give you," She replied with anger in her voice.
"Oh, but I have," he replied, dangling her bag beside her. She turned around to see her bag and lo and behold it's there! And by the looks of it, her artworks and paintings too.
"Wait, how?"
"I thought there was something valuable in there, turns out it was just a bunch of paintings and $2," He shrugged nonchalantly. Rapunzel tried to grab it from him but he kept it out of her way. She groaned in annoyance which made him chuckle in response. "Not so fast, blondie"
"What do you want?" she crossed her arms and stared him down with her brows furrowed.
"We'll discuss it at another time," he motioned towards a woman walking from afar, the blonde understood what he meant, her mother must have been looking for her. "Meet me at the willow tree next to The State College of Corona at 3 PM you'll get your stuff there,"
"Wait what?" Rapunzel tried to argue but the thief disappeared from her sight. She stared at the road where he ran off to, until her mother arrived and shook her out of her reverie.
"Where have you been! I've been worried sick!" She reprimanded the blonde when they arrived at their abode.
"I'm sorry Mother Gothel, I was hanging out with Ariel." She replied in a low voice, her head still thinking about what the guy wanted.
"Well guess what, you're grounded you hear me young lady? I don't care who you hang out with, I want you home by 4 PM sharp, do you understand?"
"Yes, mother…" Rapunzel replied and excused herself. She went to her bedroom in the attic and laid on her bed. She tossed and turned until sleep finally overcame her.
A/N: Boy that took months, sorry for not uploading soon enough, with the holidays happening and me just basically busy with school, I didn't have time to update. I had to look for the paper where I wrote the first parts of the chapter which to be honest I thought I threw out by accident.