It had not even occurred to Alice that bringing Laurent with her would have been a bad idea. Really, the only reason he had been tagging along was because she wanted to ditch him for Freddie, but it was never very nice to do that, was it? So she had brought him along with every intention of getting rid of him as soon as possible.
As she approached the counter, she had been anticipating a warmer welcome, and his greeting stopped her abruptly. Alice wasn't exactly sure how to proceed. She absentmindedly felt her pocket for the surprise she had tucked away for him. Hadn't he suggested she come by? She couldn't remember now and she felt as if she didn't belong here. "Um," she tucked her hair behind her ear. She couldn't figure out what to say. "Did you want me to," go?, "wait until you're closed or?" She bit her lip nervously, her upset and discomfort visible on her face.