Blueberry Buddy

But she was too far gone to have easily heard the voice calling to her.

Leanne then sighed looking long and hard at the stranger leaving her line of vision.

She huffed and turned back to face her company refocused on her hunger for a slice of pie, since her attempt to get the attention of the familiar looking stranger had failed.

Whilst her friends ordered more tasteful pastries Leanne chose a simple slightly lopsided pie.

"I'll have one of that as well sir."

Her head turned and she looked up surprised another person would choose the dejected pie.

Ansel smiled down at her and she gave him a tight lipped curving of the mouth as well.

Sitting down and setting her plate on the polished wooden table she wasted no more time. Her fork stabs the slice and a little purple jam oozes out of the pie's side.

Still, she took her first bite with such carefully calculated elegance and bloodthirsty like satisfaction one may have been disturbed by the sight.

Meanwhile Ansel makes his way to Marylou's side.

Marylou however hooks arms with Elisabeth who encourages her to approach a charming gentleman on a lone table.

His face falls and Leanne felt sorry for him as she watched. Ignoring the nudge to offer him a seat she looked away and minded her surely fattening brunch.

If he can't put an end to his shameless display I shan't do it for him she told herself eating her guilt with another forkful of pie.

Leanne so preoccupied with not helping him didn't even notice he had taken a seat beside her till he spoke.

She looked up, blinked, and looked back down again the corner of her lips turning down ever so slightly.

Audibly he sighed but spoke no words.

All attempts to woo Marylou was proving to be futile and he wasn't sure about asking to court her anymore.

Choosing to further contemplate the question that had been plaguing him, he silently beseeched his Creator.

Why is gaining her affection as more than a friend so hard Lord?

He heard nothing but a well read portion of scripture came to his remembrance: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. [Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV]

Thy will be done Lord, he quietly prayed in reply and reached for the wobbly pie. Though he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to the scripture's application in his life than he was doing.

At the very moment he takes up his fork, pondering what it could be that he was doing wrong in his pursuit, he looks up and sees the aloof Leanne comforting herself with pie.

He had not been the most outgoing of people but staring at her now he somehow regretted his choice not to be one. For maybe then he could have easily started a conversation with her.

Fiddling with his fork he averted his gaze and prepared himself to try at a conversation.

After gathering enough courage he releases a breath he had been holding and speaks to her.

"So...are you enjoying your piece of pie Leanne?" he asks hoping it would encourage her to speak to him.

Leanne looks at him with pursed lips immediately feeling uneasy. She had no desire to speak to anyone but managed to answer him as courtesy demanded it of her.

"Very well, thank you." she says a few moments later, emphasizing her thank you to send some sort of message to him.

And he very well received her message saying, 'leave me alone.'

He smiled in an awkward grin and sat up straighter in response. Feeling as though he had a great idea he tried another tactic that came to his mind.

"Oh?..." he said beginning playfully. "...Well since you seem to be enjoying it so much and you're almost finished with it would you like my piece?" Ansel asked.

Leanne looked at him with indignation almost too stunned for words. Almost.

"And do you suppose I am a glutton that I would take your food?" she fired hotly.

Ansel's smile dropped and he makes to apologise. "No, not at all. It just seemed like you might've enjoyed it more than I, so I wanted to offer it to you. I'm sorry for any offense I caused."

Leanne sighs growing weary with his persistence. Before him he watched her have an internal battle before she quirked a brow, ready to reply him.

"Well thank you for the offer but I shall not permit myself to have your entire piece. However, if it is still your wish to share with me you may pass me half of the pie and eat the remaining half."

Ansel's smile brightens. This is some progress, thank you Lord he thought pleased with a compromise.

Quickly cutting it in half, he passes her half his pie.

"So Leanne how do you do?"

Leanne gazes at him carefully before answering. "And what sort of question is that?"

"An inquiry on how you do, or have I asked anything improper?." Ansel says after swallowing the last bite of his blue berry pie.

"Well I'm as alright as I've been for a long time now, if you must know." she says simply yet vaguely.

Ansel suspected a hidden meaning laced behind her words but refrained from pressing her on the ground of his suspicions.

"Well-" he began but she cut him off with a question of her own.

"And are you feeling quite alright, do you feel as if anything is out of place?"

He blinks astonished wondering what game she was playing with him.

She looks expectantly and her gaze drifts to Marylou then to his face once again.

Does she suspect that I like Marylou? Ansel asked himself feeling slightly uneasy.

"After all there's blueberry sauce on your face." she adds playfully, taking her gaze off Marylou. And like that the thickened tension is broken, though her last words sounded more planned than playful.

Nonetheless he chose to believe the latter of her.

"What? oh..." Ansel says feeling his face for the said sauce smeared on the sides of his mouth.

The light chuckle that escaped him turned into hysterical laughter and though Leanne tried not to laugh, a beautiful sound emerged from within her rosy lips.

A few heads to turn in their direction and his laughter quickly died down however Leanne had not taken notice of the wayward stares and continued to giggle.

He smiles tenderly at the melody of her laughing but quickly reprimands himself.

With a small pang of shame in his chest he glanced furtively at Marylou.

He had chosen to set his heart on Marylou yet here he was admiring another woman's laughter.

Yet the guilt did not persist but gave way to dismay.

Chosen.

Feeling sickened Ansel began to wonder if he had only heard what he wanted God to say about her.

Maybe she was not God's will for His life as a wife.

After all The Bible did say...

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? [Jeremiah 17:9 KJV]