Constantine

"Ah, so this is the friend you mentioned! I think I remember her!"

Constantine blinked at the woman's words of greeting and looked at Amelia, who shrugged at her with an awkward look. She then turned to the older woman. "Aunt Alegra, this is the person I told you about the other day, Constantine. She's Mrs. O'nner's relative."

"Yes, I remember her a few weeks ago." The woman, Alegra, smiled at her. "Amelia here mentioned that you had some problems regarding the papers?"

"Um, yes. The lawyer mentioned that the property map we have is outdated. I was hoping you'd have the updated one here."

"Ah, no worries, dear."Constantine watched as the woman pulled a few papers from under her desk and brought them to their table. She then pointed to a long rolled-up one on top. "That should be the map you're looking for. I also pulled out a few more related to the property map update that you might want to make a copy of. It seemed like old Mrs. O'nner forgot to grab her copy of the map."

Constantine carefully unbound the roll, noticing that the date was much more recent than the ones in the lawyer's office. "Huh, the property seemed to be larger than what was shown on the map we had."

"Property lines here are a constant issue due to the previous war," Alegra sighed. "Michelle from the Assessor's is often complaining about the disputes they have to sort through every day. Lucky for you, everything seemed to be in order regarding the O'nners' estate."

"Did Cornfield suffer a lot during the past war?"

"Well, this is a border town. We've also had some veterans from the war, including a relative of my son's girlfriend." She turned to Amelia. "Jonah mentioned that he, you, and Heather were from the same high school! You familiar with her, dear?"

"Er, yeah. Though we're not really close in the past."

Constantine noticed the twitch in Amelia's smile.

Alegra continued with a nod. "Such a sweet girl, too! She visited the house a few times now and was more helpful than my own child. Did you and Jonah already meet up, by the way?"

"Yup. Back at my parents' place."

The older woman sighed. "That child has been away from here for so long. I'm just glad the two of them decided to settle down here. Oh!" She clapped her hands. "A get-together between our families will be great! Just like the old times! After all, it's been so long since you and your family visited our home, dear."

There was another small twitch. "Um, ma'am, sorry, but I'll have to cut this short. I still need some things to finish, and I'm Amelia's ride here."

Both women blinked at her. "Oh dear, apologies. "We old women tend to get more chatty as we grow old," Alegra chuckled. "Amelia, make sure to visit sometimes. Honestly, both you and Jonah seemed to be just as bad."

Amelia's chuckle sounded embarrassed. "Sorry. I'll keep that in mind."

The two of them were out of the Town Hall and into the car in no time. "Sorry about that," Amelia said. "Aunt Alegra loves talking to people. Hope you still have enough time for your errands."

"Hmm?" Constantine turned to her. "Oh, no, I didn't have any business left. At least nothing urgent." At Amelia’s questioning look, she added, "Well, you looked like you swallowed something sour but were trying not to show it."

Amelia's hands moved to her face, then she sighed. "Am I really that obvious?"

"I don't think that lady noticed, if it helps." Constantine turned on the engine and started backing out. "You…" She stopped, uncertain. "Did you and that son, um, Jonah… Did you two have a falling out?"

Amelia sighed again as she leaned back in her seat, eyes on the car's window. She was silent for a few minutes. "Not really. But the last time we saw each other, years ago… It didn't really end well. It might get awkward, you know.” She straightened in her seat. “Well, actually, the last time at that dinner with my family was actually better than I thought it would be. But it might not always be like that, you know? Especially with his girlfriend."

Constantine's eyes moved to her for a second. "Is she, um…" She thought of some words that don't sound offensive for a question. Amelia turned to her and laughed.

"She's not a bully or some haughty popular girl in school, if that's what you wanted to ask." She moved and relaxed more in her seat. "Quite the opposite, even. She was very popular for being charming, kind, and smart. The type of person who befriends everyone in school, even the cleaning staff. She's also very pretty, so she's very much every guy—and some girls—dream girlfriend."

"Sounds like the perfect dream girl."

"She is, for many people. Jonah had been head over heels for her since high school. And I was too much of an awkward teen back then, who had no idea how to approach people to be friends."

"You don't seem to have the same problem now," Constantine commented with a chuckle.

"Learned an important lesson from my older regulars. Apparently, gossip is the shortest way to meet new friends."

Constantine couldn't help but huff, her smile widening slightly. As they arrived at the cafe, her stomach suddenly reminded her that she only had a sandwich for breakfast through a loud rumble.

Both women looked at each other with wide eyes, Constantine looking redder than the other.

Amelia pursed her lips; Constantine could tell that she was trying not to smile. "Want to sit by the cafe for a while for lunch?"

There was another rumble. Amelia laughed as she exited the car, waving at Constantine to follow. The bell on the door made a sweet tinkling sound as Amelia pointed at one of the empty tables.

"I forgot to tell you earlier. Thank you for accompanying me today at the Town Hall. You even have to close your cafe."

"No worries. Most of my regular visits are in the afternoon, anyway." She was quick to exchange her jacket for an apron. "Anything you want from the menu?"

"Surprise me?"

Constantine took a picture of the map and sent it to the lawyer, receiving a thumbs-up as a reply.

It didn't take long for the scent of something delicious to waft from the kitchen, making Constantine's stomach grumble again. Amelia exited the kitchen carrying a plate of pasta with a delicious-smelling red sauce and a crispy garlic bread.

"I always make the sauce overnight so the orders won't pile up. Figured you'll appreciate a faster order than the more elaborate ones in the menu."

Constantine took a forkful and wanted to groan. "It's definitely appreciated, and the pasta tastes amazing. What did you put in the sauce?"

Amelia huffed and puffed out her chest. "Made with my Grandma's recipe. Best cook I've ever known. Every kitchen skill and recipe I know, I learned from her."

"She sounds lovely. You mentioned that she helped you with starting your cafe."

"Yes, she did." Amelia took a seat across from her. "My family—my parents especially— didn't really support my decision of not going to college and starting somewhere on my own. Said I'm wasting my potential. My grandma, though, never really reprimanded me for my choices. She just called me days after and told me she had a place in mind that looked perfect for a dining place on the other side of town. My parents couldn't really say anything when the funds we used for the startup were from my own inheritance, plus I'm already legally an adult who could decide things on my own." There was a soft smile on Amelia's face, and Constantine couldn't help but smile, as well.

"She sounded like someone my own mother would get along with. Of my parents, she was more supportive of my dreams of becoming a writer when I was younger, but my dad preferred that I have a more sustainable job. I remember writing short stories for my toys back then and letting them read them. I get my dad's worry, though, and I did manage to apply for a more technical job."

"Aww, you sounded cute as a child! Do you still write?"

Constantine shook her head, "No. Sadly, I haven't found the time in the past few years. College took a lot of my free time, and Anthon—" Her words stopped when she realized she almost mentioned Anthony's name. Amelia noticed her hesitation and gave her a small smile. It was warm and comforting. "Did your ex not support you writing?"

Constantine looked at her plate. "… No, he never really had any opinions on whatever hobbies I have. He often called me to spend time together, go on dates, or travel, so I never had enough time to really sit down and write something. He also doesn't really enjoy going to bookstores with me. He's an outdoor kind of guy, you know?"

Her voice had gotten softer by the end of her sentence, noticing how easy it still was to explain Anthony to others.

Amelia looked like she had some opinions on that, but she merely shook her head. "What kind of books do you read? You look like the kind of girl who prefers romance that will make your heart cry."

Constantine laughed. "Well, you're not wrong. My go-to in high school were YA books, the sappier the better. And you?"

"Ha! Nailed you," Amelia said, smug. "As for me, I actually like horrors. Like, the scarier and more dangerous the plot is, the more I'm sold."

"Oh no, you're one of them, aren't you? Horror fanatics who would laugh at horror movies."

"Well, some of them really are ridiculous. Kinda hard to immerse yourself if the logic really isn't working."

Constantine couldn't help but snort. "Remind me never to watch movies with you."

"Aww, why not? I have a great collection of horror flicks that would scare the socks out of you!"

"I'd appreciate it more if you kept those away from me as far as possible." Amelia merely laughed.

Constantine ended up spending the entire afternoon in the cafe. Even as she entertained customers and regulars, Amelia would always go back to Constantine's table whenever she was free to talk. By evening, Constantine returned to her late aunt's house feeling much lighter, with a plan to visit the theater the next day to watch a movie that was thankfully not a horror movie.