Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Thank you for all the comments. It really does excite me as a writer that you're all enjoying my story.
"Thank you and have a nice evening." Tea spoke with a smile as the final customer left in the now empty shop.
Once the old lady walked out Tea let her smile drop. Her face almost felt sore for the many hours she stood with the curves of her lips facing upwards. She looked over at Mary who seemed busy cleaning up her work station for her predecessor. Tea looked down at her phone and noticed Mel was late.
Wonder what's keeping her, she thought. The smell of warm muffins drew Tea toward Mary's direction once more who had just taken a new batch out of the mini oven underneath her worktop.
"Mmm mind sharing Mary." The blonde girl laughed and motioned Tea toward her.
"Anything for you." She winked making Tea laugh with her.
"Which flavor this time?" Tea looked over the muffins curiously.
"Chocolate chip." Mary stated proudly.
"Oh my favorite." Tea clapped her hands together before taking one. She bit into the sweet fluffy treat savoring the bite.
"This has got to be the best thing I've ever eaten."
Mary laughed, "I'm glad you approve."
Tea grinned and they both continued eating their desserts.
"So how are things with you, you seem a little down today." She noted with another bite.
Tea looked down, taken aback by the question. Mary always knows.
"It's nothing really, dance has just been so draining with opening night so close." She stated tiredly.
"Don't lie to me, you've always been so good with the pressures that come from your career. Tell me what's really going on." Her voice was polite but firm, something Tea realized she did when she was serious about something.
With a sigh Tea took another bite of her muffin before continuing. "Mary have you ever loved someone who loved someone else."
Mary suddenly stopped picking at her muffin and looked straight at Tea with solemn eyes.
"Oh…" she breathed. "What happened?"
Tea couldn't look at Mary; she knew if she did she would most certainly cry.
"He was someone I knew a long time ago. He brought so much joy not only into my life, but into the lives of those around me. And then just as suddenly as he came, he left."
Mary remained quiet knowing the story was not over yet.
"He was gone a long while Mary and I was okay. I knew I loved him but I was okay because there was nothing I could do. So I came here and I figured dance would help keep my mind off of him and I thought maybe he was watching me, from wherever he was, cheering me on. It was a nice thought. And then just like that he came back and this time for good. I thought this was my dream, we would have another chance for each other. This was almost a gift, until I realized I was never the one to him. He found another and he's so happy."
Tea was starting to hate that word as she finished. Mary remained silent and Tea had no idea what she was thinking. She probably finds me pathetic, she sighed.
Suddenly, she felt warm arms wrap around her body and Tea could feel Mary's face bury into her shoulder.
"Tea, why didn't you say something? How could you keep this all to yourself?"
Tea stood with Mary's arms around her not sure how to answer her friends question.
"I- I'm not sure, I figured I'd get over it one day." She stated in almost a whisper.
"Honey these things aren't meant to be dealt with alone. I'm here for you Tea, always. Had I known you were hurting so much I would have whipped up as many chocolate chip muffins as your stomach could take along with a five course meal and some ice cream. I would have tried to fill that heart of yours with as much food as I could. I would have been your shoulder to cry on."
Tea could feel the tears start to well up in her eyes. Mary was such a good friend to her, perhaps it was a mistake keeping her feelings to herself. She felt the blonde squeeze her a bit and Tea finally hugged her friend back.
"Thank you Mary, thank you for being here and for trying to kill me with all the food you plan on making me." She heard her friend chuckle and Tea couldn't help but smile.
"I'll be okay though; I know I will." Tea whispered.
"I know you will, but from here on out I won't allow you to go through this alone. I'm here now and you are spending the night at my house once your performance is done with." She decided firmly, letting go of Tea.
Tea smiled, "I would love that."
"Well of course you would, its free food." They both laughed and it was then Mel decided to enter the bookstore breathless.
"Hey Tea, I'm so sorry I'm late. There were so many delays on the trains, it was a bitch to get here." She stated hurriedly while taking her coat off.
"Not a problem." Tea said checking her phone for the time, 7:18.
She quickly ran through anything Mel needed to know and left the shop with a smile to both girls. Mary looked a little worried as Tea left, but she tried not to show her concerns too much as she waited for Charlie to come take over the coffee station.
Unbeknownst to Tea, a pair of crimson eyes were watching the dancer and her friend talk from across the street. Atem watched the women converse and smiled when Tea took a bite of her muffin as her face was contorted into pure bliss.
To his dismay, that smile didn't last long on the dancer's lips. Soon Tea was looking solemnly toward the ground and her friend was watching her in great concern before engulfing her in a hug. Atem felt something inside of him start to squirm, he didn't just want to be standing idly around while Tea looked so dejected. He wanted to run to the book store and capture her in his arms and take away whatever pain she was feeling. Why is she feeling so much pain? He thought. He wanted to crush whatever was causing it and his mind flew to James. If James had done anything to hurt Tea, Atem wasn't sure he'd be able to stop himself from hurting him. He already seemed on edge enough.
Suddenly another woman he saw running frantically from across the street, stepped into the book store breathlessly. She spoke some words to Tea who looked a little better from her friends comfort and before long had her coat on and was stepping out into the cold New York air.
He wasn't sure what prompted him to follow her footsteps, but he wanted too. He felt such a strong connection to Tea it almost felt as though there was a string attached to the both of them. Thoughts of Kiya flew out of Atem's mind as he walked down the subway steps a few feet behind her. The former pharaoh couldn't help but smile at the way her face looked flushed from the wind that had beat down on it. Or how he longed to touch the beautiful chocolate brown hair that now cascaded past her shoulders. She looked so beautiful just waiting for the train to come and it took everything in him not to reach out to her. He wanted to hold her and never let go.
The train soon arrived and both Atem and Tea walked in. This time Atem chose to stand at the farthest corner from where the dancer sat, hoping she wouldn't notice him. He continued observing every detail on her finely drawn face. Her eyes were closed and she was peacefully listening to music as he noticed the hints of pink dusted on her eyelids.
Time seemed to go by faster than he wanted as Tea's stop soon approached and Atem followed her out of the station. He now had an idea of where she was going and didn't have to follow too closely behind. He watched her enter her dorm building and stayed outside as she waited for the elevator. He began to wonder what her room looked like and whether she liked the roommate he assumed she had. He wondered what the color of her walls would be, or whether she was a messy person. He suddenly felt the strong need to follow her inside and demand to know the answers to all his questions. Including why she was trying to distance herself so much from him. He wanted to push her against a wall and request that she explain why she kissed that blonde idiot right in front of him. Just the thought of that kiss made Atem's fists ball up once more. He closed his eyes and slowly breathed in, once more gaining his composure.
He sat on a lone bench a block away from her building, not sure of whether he was waiting for her to somehow show up or if he was trying to find the courage to barge in. The thought of being alone with Tea brought shivers down his spine. It was nothing he ever felt with Kiya.
Kiya.
He pushed her to the deepest parts of his mind. He couldn't focus on the guilt all this was bringing him. Right now all he could or even wanted to for the matter, was to focus on Tea. His Tea.
Forty-five minutes later, Atem still sat upon the bench with thoughts of Tea swirling around his mind. He just couldn't get her out of his head, not that he necessarily wanted to either. His eyes flickered to the entry way of her dorm more than once, hoping she might decide to take a walk. To his great surprise, he saw the young dancer exit the building once more and this time with James. That unstoppable anger consumed Atem. Why was she going out with him? He needed to know, it was an almost desperate feeling. He felt his feet drag themselves up and he started to follow the young couple.
Tea made her way toward her dorm room sighing contently that she was finally home. She placed her things down and checked her phone, 7:47. She was home way earlier than she thought, but realized she had to start getting ready. She groaned out loud and made her way toward her small bathroom and turned on the shower. Her shower was kept short as she didn't have that much time, and she soon stood in front of her closet looking for something to wear. She decided she would dress decent but not flirty. She didn't want James getting any more ideas than he already had. She couldn't help but think back to her outfit she wore for Atem at their dinner. She thought she looked nice and she couldn't help but feel irritation at the thought of that. She should at least try and look nice for James as well.
Tea took out a simple maroon dress, that reached just under her thighs and had small amounts of lace around the v neckline. It was a little form fitting, emphasizing her body in all the right places and she smiled at her choice. She paired the dress with simple black leggings and wore a pair of brown boots. Her makeup was kept to a minimum with a simple swipe of mascara over her eyes and some blush to add life to her bare face. She has been looking very lifeless the past couple of days. Or perhaps it was weeks.
Finally, she blow-dried her hair and grabbed her coat checking the time, 8:34. She made pretty good timing all things considered and locked her room door before assenting down the elevators toward her hopefully good date. She mentally prepared herself as the elevator doors opened revealing James who instantly noticed Tea.
"Wow." He stated, eyeing her everywhere. Tea couldn't stop the blush creeping on her cheeks. James was so embarrassingly obvious at times.
Tea noted James looked pretty good himself, dressed in grey khaki pants, with a white dress shirt and a black pea coat on top. His hair was styled back and his feet wore brown boots.
"You look pretty good yourself." She said with a small smile.
James grinned at her words and guided her outside where he put his arm around her. Tea, although didn't mind the gesture, couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling stirring inside her. She tried to ignore it the best she could as she followed James to a car parked at the corner of their dorm building.
"What is this? Aren't we taking the subway?" she asked confused.
"Of course not, I would never take you on date like that." James stated confidently while opening the door for her.
Tea sat inside the car noting how fancy the interior was. Is James wealthy or something, she thought. She didn't know much about his family as they never really spoke about it. Come to think of it she didn't really know James outside of their dance classes and she started to wonder what his life must be like.
James soon sat closely beside her, putting an arm around her once more.
"Head to Dovetail please." He said to the driver who nodded and the car started forward.
Tea had never heard of this restaurant and looked at James curiously who only gave her a smile.
"You'll love it, I promise."
She nodded and looked out the window watching the buildings pass by in a blur.
Atem stopped across the street and watched as James opened the door to a black Mercedes for Tea. His anger was reaching new levels and he watched the blonde smile down at her and then hastily ran to the other side to take his place beside her. Without even thinking, Atem hailed a taxi and hurriedly sat inside.
"Follow that black Mercedes." He spoke lowly to the cab driver who didn't seem very phased by his strange request. Perhaps this happened often in a city like New York.
Tea hadn't realized she had closed her eyes as James slowly shook her awake. She quickly sat up, her cheeks heating up.
"I'm so sorry James, I've just had a really long day but that's no excuse-"
Tea was stopped by James who kissed her lightly.
"I completely understand, no need to explain."
Tea looked up at him in shock, had he really just kissed her?
James only laughed at her reaction and got out of the car. He met her on the other side and opened her door for her.
"Thank you." She relayed softly and looked at her surroundings.
Clearly they were in a very wealthy area of the city, Tea noting the way people dressed and the townhouses that littered the streets. She looked back at James who was saying something to the driver before walking back toward her.
"Ready?" he asked. She nodded and he guided her to the small looking restaurant that held the sign Dovetail. It seemed almost like a well-kept secret from the outside as it looked like a refurbished townhouse. There was no line out front and Tea noted very well dressed people were silently making their way inside. She suddenly felt very underdressed.
"Are you sure you want to go here?" she whispered to James who was looking straight ahead.
He laughed lightly. "The food is great, and it's quiet and intimate. Perfect place for a date really."
Tea wasn't sure she belonged in a place like this but kept following James nonetheless.
"Welcome to Dovetail how may I help you?" A gentleman spoke from behind a glass stand.
The waiting area itself was top of the line, with glass and marble being the main textures for the small room. Tea admired the many lavender plants that were decorated along a marble wall to her left. The wall also held water cascading down it in small streams and she couldn't help but look in awe at the magnificent piece.
"Reservations under De Conte." He replied. The hosts eyebrow shot up as he looked behind James and watched Tea. He then asked for their coats before taking two menus and leading the couple to a table in the farthest corner of the restaurant. Tea followed James, admiring the décor of the lovely restaurant and noting it was bigger on the inside than what could be told on the outside.
Soon she found herself being seated in front of James. It was a bit hard seeing his face as the lights were pretty dim but for the most part she was content.
"Your waiter will meet you soon to ask for your drinks." The host announced and handed them their menus.
"Thank you." Tea said and the host continued to eye her before walking away.
James looked ahead at Tea and smiled and she realized the restaurant really was quiet and intimate. She saw other couples sat far enough for others to not hear their conversations, but near enough to hear their murmurs. She guessed they had done this purposely.
"Do you like it?" James suddenly asked, noticing Tea taking in her surroundings.
"Yes, I mean I've never been somewhere so, well, fancy." She replied sheepishly.
He laughed, "Well you fit right in. That dress really does look stunning on you."
Tea blushed once more murmuring a thank you. For some reason she suddenly felt uncomfortable with James observing her so closely and she couldn't help but tug her dress down a bit.
Soon enough their waiter came to Tea's great relief and James' attention was soon brought to him.
"Good Evening, my name is Charles and I will be your server. What drinks can I get you two tonight?"
Tea saw even the waiters fit in to the atmosphere of the restaurant as Charles sounded very regal.
"We will take a bottle of Merlot please." James stated with an authority she had never heard from him before. He sounded almost powerful.
"Of course sir." Charles soon left leaving Tea and James alone once more.
"Um James, do you want to explain why we're in such a fancy restaurant that neither I nor you could afford on our student pockets, not to mention you just ordered a wine bottle for two very underage drinkers." Tea decided being frank was the best thing to do right now.
James smirked at Tea's reaction. "You don't really know much about my family Tea, which makes sense as I have never mentioned them. But my uncle owns this restaurant so I can pretty much get whatever I want."
"What? Your uncle owns this restaurant?" Tea looked around again surprised at the revelation.
"Yes, I guess you could say my families in the restaurant business." His smirk held on to his lips.
"Do explain."
He sighed before continuing. "I never mentioned who I was or who my family was because people always treated me differently once they found out. Although I know you won't." he smiled at Tea before continuing.
"My parents own a number of restaurants like this in the city, and eventually my aunts and uncles got involved and its turned into a family business of sorts."
"Wait are you telling me you're the son to Michael and Lenore De Conte?" Tea's eyes grew wide as James nodded slowly.
"What the fuck James?" she said almost frantically. "Do you even realize who your parents are. They're one of the richest people in the freaking city, owning like half the restaurants in Manhattan! How could you not mention this to me?" The realization for the man that sat before Tea threw her in a frenzy. What was someone like James doing in a ballet school? Shouldn't he be at Colombia or Yale studying business.
James rolled his eyes at Tea's response. "That doesn't matter to me, who my parents are. They just happen to have a lot of money and some restaurants, no big deal."
Tea sat back confused as to why James was telling her all this so lightly. She assumed he was just use to the reactions people gave him and decided she wouldn't make a big fuss over something he clearly didn't find important.
"Hmm okay. Then what decided to make you go into ballet?" she asked rather curious about his response.
"I was six when I went to the ballet for the first time at Lincoln Center with my parents. From the moment the music started playing and the dancers started pirouetting on stage I was hooked. It really did take my breath away."
Tea couldn't help but smile at the passion James held for his craft. His story brought about something in her and she realized she actually held something in common with him.
"I completely understand what you mean. It's what made me want to travel all the way to America for."
James grinned and the waiter soon came back holding their wine bottle and glasses on a silver tray.
"Have you decided on what you would like to eat?" he asked as he poured them their wine.
"No, give us another minute." That same authoritarian aura exuded from James once more and Tea couldn't help but think of Atem. She never thought it was possible, but James was actually reminding her of the former pharaoh.
Atem stood in front of the restaurant debating whether to go in. And if he did decide to go on what would he do? He ran a hand through his hair as confusion came about him. What the hell was he doing here following Tea to a part of the city he had yet to know. James came into mind and soon he felt rage once more. He couldn't think of them sitting in the restaurant, alone talking about God knows what. It seemed so wrong to him. Before he knew it he was walking inside, coming across a very pinched looking man who stood behind a glass table.
"Welcome to Dovetail, how may I help you?" he asked eyeing Atem and his casual attire. Atem ignored the man's judgement and spoke with his most commanding voice.
"I'm here to pick someone up. Please show me where a woman with chocolate brown hair and blue eyes is sitting." He paused closing his eyes for a moment. "She was accompanied by a man with blonde hair and wore a black pea coat."
The host looked at Atem with suspicion but couldn't deny the stately aura that exuded from him.
He must be someone important, he thought.
"Right this way sir." He guided Atem into the dimly lit restaurant and he quickly looked around for his dancer.
He soon spotted them at the innermost corner of the restaurant and for some reason he saw Tea laughing. This only brought about a new wave of anger. What the fuck was she doing?
"Mr. De Conte, it seems your date has someone here to pick her up." The host announced questionably.
Both Tea and James looked toward the host and to their astonishment found Atem standing next to him with his hands in his pockets. Tea noticed Atem's eyes were practically glowing red.
"Atem, what are you doing here?" she could have sworn she heard a low growl escape Atem's lips but figured she was just hearing things.
"I'm here to pick you up." He stated with a voice that made Tea's knees bend. He sounded almost possessive of her.
James quickly sat up and made his way toward Atem.
"What do you mean you're here to pick her up?" he asked with a low voice. Tea noticed people were starting to look their way and wanted nothing more than to disappear. Why was he even here? How did he even know where to find her? Questions paraded her mind and she could feel herself getting angry once more. Couldn't he take the hint that she wanted him to leave her alone. He was only making it harder for her to forget him, he was only making her life more difficult. And she was actually having a pretty good time with James.
"Well I came all the way here for one reason and if you can't understand that then that's not my problem." Atem replied mockingly. Tea saw James' hand ball up into fists and before anything drastic could happen she got up.
"Atem I don't know what you're doing here, but I'm in the middle of a date that I was having a nice time at." She didn't know why she decided to mention that but continued, "You can leave, I never asked you to pick me up." Her voice came out harsher than intended and she could see Atem wince at them. He quickly recovered from her and smirked.
"That's not what you implied on our date."
Tea looked at him with wide eyes and James looked at Tea in shock. She went on a date with this guy?
"What date?" she asked furiously, she could feel her cheeks start to burn.
"At the Italian Restaurant, remember we even went to that winter market in Union Square."
Tea could feel her blood start to coil, what was he even doing?
"All I can remember was getting pissed at you for being a judgmental asshole." She retorted glaring daggers in his direction.
"I wonder why considering all I did was tell you the truth about your feelings." The smirk never left his face and Tea never wanted to punch him so badly.
"Tea can you please explain why this freak is here? He's starting to get annoying." James finally butt in, his face showing clear hatred for Atem. He was oblivious to the words the two exchanged or perhaps was ignoring it.
"I'm here to pick her up you idiot. How many times do I have to tell you?"
The host then decided to get in between Atem and James before fists started flying. He couldn't have these teenagers ruin his restaurant and potentially lose his job. His eyes looked pleadingly at Tea who looked completely mortified at this point.
"I'm sorry James, I don't think he's leaving without me." She sighed in angry defeat. "I'll see you Monday okay."
James looked at the both of them in disbelief.
"What the fuck do you mean you're leaving?" his face was starting to get a little red.
Before James could do anything more, Atem grabbed Tea's wrist dragging her to the waiting area in the front. The host promptly followed quickly getting Tea's coat. James stood by his seat in clear shock at what just happened. He finally realized his date was actually leaving him and hurriedly followed after them.
"Where did they go?" he asked the host who stood with a very nervous face.
"I do not know sir, he just left with her I didn't see the direction they walked in."
James glowered at him and quickly walked out trying to see if he could get a glimpse of them anywhere. To his dismay they were completely gone at this point and all he could do was punch the brick of his uncle's restaurant behind him.
