Page 7 of From Me to You

“That was too long ago. I need to have one, like every hour. That would be more appropriate.” Katy nodded dramatically.

“You would just end up crashing into a sugar high and complain to Lan all day.” Lily rolled her eyes.

“I would do no such thing,” Katy cried out as she playfully swapped Lily’s shoulder.

I laughed along with them as we made our way through the town.

Bellevue was a pretty big town, only a couple of hours outside of Seattle and spanning over a few miles. According to what I learned about this town, Swan Avenue and Rose Hill were the two main residential areas. Tonton Square, which was not actually a square, was on the outskirts of town and encompassed the mall, hospital, school, and a few other smaller companies. At least that’s what Google told me.

Charming houses lined up neatly on both sides of the streets that we walked, with an occasional cottage or elegant Victorian-style house. All were unique and well-loved—some even had a full-blown garden that was all dried up now but would be a different picture in the spring. You could tell the people put a lot of thought and love into decorating their homes from how well they were maintained.

We soon reached the town center, which had a massive park in the middle with the exterior lining the main street and forming a square. Several local shops, restaurants, and diners were tucked alongside the street.

“That’s Park Square,” Katy said, gesturing around. “It is literally the hangout spot for everyone in town.”

I nodded as we made our way through to the far-right end of the main street.

A sign for Lola’s diner came into view. It occupied the entire space on the street corner in an L-shaped rectangle. The interior looked like something out of a 1950s movie, with a shiny redtable and high seats lining the kitchen counter. The L-shaped booths overlooking Park Square comprised circular tables and bench seats. The floor had the classic checkerboard tiles—there was even a jukebox on the far end near the wall, with neon signs and pictures from the 50s adorning the walls.

“Hey, Luie,” Katy called out, greeting the older-looking man standing over the kitchen counter who peered his head through the kitchen window upon hearing us, his face instantly lightened at the sight of Katy.

“Hey, girls, welcome!” Luie grinned, leaning up on the countertop. “I see you have brought someone new along.” He gestured to me.

“Yeah, this is Evy. She is new to town. You know I had to bring her to taste the world’s best milkshake.” Katy smiled from ear to ear.

“Of course, you said it right. We do serve the best milkshake. You won’t be disappointed, Evy. It was my Lola’s recipe after all,” Luie said as a sad look crept upon his face.

I gave him a small smile as I nodded.

“You better make sure it is the best, or Lola will come around to haunt you,” Katy chided, which brought a smile back to Luie’s face.

“Why don’t you girls take a seat?” Luie waved to the tables, turning back to the kitchen. “I will serve it for you.”

We all nodded, heading for our seats.

“Lola was his wife. She passed away a few years ago, and it has been hard on him. They were high school sweethearts and were together almost their entire lives,” Katy told me as we walked over to the table on the far-right end.

That must be devastating, I thought. I couldn’t imagine losing someone like that when you had loved them your whole life.

A lot of the other patrons waved hello to the girls. It looked like everyone knew everyone in this town.

Lily slid into the center. I took the seat on her left and placed my bag next to me.

The conversation flowed, and Katy started talking about literally everything. I joined in whenever I wanted, but mostly, I was content just listening to her.

At some point, Lily took her notepad and started doodling.

Katy told me that Lily wished to be an artist one day and loved to sketch all the time while Lily just blushed shaking her head shyly. God, she was cute.

I felt like that when I wanted to write something. My hands itched until I wrote it all down. So, I could relate to that.

I learned that the boys, Katy and Lily, grew up together and that they had lived in Bellevue their entire lives. They were all in their junior year except for Lily, who was a freshman. I was surprised that they included someone new like me in their gang.

“Your drinks, ladies.” A girl wearing a pink and blue 50s-style waitress dress placed our drinks in front of us.

“Thanks, Fiona.” Katy smiled.

I mumbled a quick thank you.