mindy and the barely-touched bear claw

[beyoncepadthai]

The five second rule is a joke. How the hell is anyone of average physical fitness supposed to retrieve a beautiful, barely-touched bear claw from a city street in five seconds? 

Without getting hit by a car, that is, and Mindy is not so foolish that she has a death wish. 

Were it her phone, filled with selfies that she hasn't backed up to the iCloud yet, it might be another situation. But it isn't. The bakery is officially closed for the day and the pastry Mindy has been dreaming about for what feels like her entire life is picking up crumbs of asphalt and cigarette ash and who knows what else (who wants to know what else?)

Five seconds have passed and so have numerous cars, but its glaze is glistening in the dimming sun and dammit, she's going to go for it.

Comments

[beyondtheblonde]

"Mindy!" Elle's so pleased to spot her friend she barely registers disappointment in the bakery being closed. She's only missed it by a couple of minutes, she thinks, glancing at her phone, and while it totally sucks, there's always tomorrow. Mindy's company is way better than a croissant or something anyway. "Oh, my god, hi! How are you?"

[beyoncepadthai]

"I, oh," Mindy glances at the bear claw once more longingly before back to Elle, because it's so not a good look on anyone to ignore their best friend for the sake of scooping food up off of the ground. "Elle! I'm..." Heartbroken, hungry, etc. "Awesome! What are you doing here?"

[beyondtheblonde]

"Well, I was hoping for an after-school snack," Elle says, pouting, albeit somewhat self-mockingly. She'll survive the disappointment. "But it looks like I missed them. Oh! Someone dropped theirs, poor thing." It's always a shame to see good food go to waste, especially delicious pastries. At least the birds around here will be happy about it.

[beyoncepadthai]

"Right? What a loser," Mindy says, casting a tragic glance at the pastry once more before she grabs Elle by her forearm and starts to steer her away, because the longer she stands there the more tempting it still is to grab it. As a woman of science, she knows it's a terrible idea, but as a woman who loves baked goods, this may be the hardest thing she's ever done. "We should go get something else. Together. I miss you so much, how is everything?"

[beyondtheblonde]

Elle laughs, but she's used to Mindy's ways. She's a commanding force in the world, and Elle loves it. The world isn't just going to roll over, after all! Those who take control of the moment are the ones getting somewhere in life. Mindy is definitely one of those people.

"Something else sounds great," she says, "and I'm awesome. Already busy with school starting back up, but it's really exciting! Like, this is it. One more school year and I'm done and I can take the bar and officially be a real lawyer."

[beyoncepadthai]

"I cannot wait," Mindy says decidedly, gesturing towards a generic looking café that will not sell the bear claw that she wants most in the world but will have to do. At least she has Elle to mourn with, even if she doesn't know that or what they're mourning. "We can get together and bitch about work over cocktails, it's going to be amazing."

[beyondtheblonde]

"Well, we could do that now," Elle says, grinning. "I'd be bitching about homework, but..." There's nothing to complain about where Balanced is concerned. It would be great if she had more free time, but the extra income is so important right now, and anyway, she loves teaching Pilates. If she weren't going into law, it'd be a decent back up plan. Homework, on the other hand, is the worst. "Close enough, right?"

[beyoncepadthai]

"Definitely close enough," Mindy says, although she thinks that there's something especially cool and Sex and the City-y about two ladies lamenting their jobs at the end of a long week over cocktails, she knows that if law school is anything like med school, there's plenty to complain about. Sometimes she's not sure how she survived all of her years of college without killing someone. Or herself. "I could so use a drink."

[beyondtheblonde]

"Well, it's after five," trills Elle. Of course, before five, there's nothing wrong with a mimosa now and then. She drinks way less these days than she did as a Delta Nu, admittedly, but after a long day, sometimes it's the perfect way to unwind. "Think this place has drinks? I've never been here."

[beyoncepadthai]

"Oh, they better," Mindy says, the edge of her voice not quite teasing. She really does need a drink, and it's much less tragic if she downs hers with a friend at her side. On her own, grieving the loss of a bear claw, she'd totally be a target for all manner of pervs.

Which, for the record, she once upon a time would have loved, but now she has Danny. "I need the strongest, pinkest thing they have. You're sure you don't have plans?" Not that she'd let her run off to carry them out, but it's the sentiment that counts.

[beyondtheblonde]

"Nothing that can't wait," Elle says, hand resting briefly on Mindy's arm. "If I didn't take a break from my schoolwork now and then, I would completely lose my mind. Time away from the books is healthy and vital." She worked at it like crazy when she first buckled down, Emmett at her side, but she was catching up then. Now she's at the head of the class, and she knows preserving her mental health is hugely important to that. And spending time with loved ones is definitely part of that. "Everything in balance, right?"