Out of My Mind (COMPLETED)

Chapter Twelve

Mia's POV

I know Brayden is most likely on his way to the Café because Adrian tried to corner me in the back before my shift. He was smart enough not to put his hands on me. If he had, I would've backhanded him so hard he would've flown across the room.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. But, I would've left a good mark on him and if, by that point, Brayden could still see what was happening through my eyes, Adrian would have more than just a slap mark from me. So, in a way, Adrian got lucky.

I'm on edge while making drinks with Adrian while Court is on the register. He brushes up against me as he slides in between me and Courtney to get to the other side of kitchen. Courtney's head glances over her shoulder at me with a what-the-hell look and I shrug my shoulders at her. I can tell that I'm not the only one on edge here either. Courtney has joined the club.

As the line dies down, I grab a dishrag and begin to wipe down the tables in the lobby, which is only occupied by a teenage girl and a middle-aged man sipping coffee in the corner by the window. The man sits with his back to me, whereas the girl is facing me. She's frowning, looking down at her coffee to avoid the man's eyes, I'm sure. She looks uncomfortable and the man's shoulders are tense. Before I know it, my telepathic mind is butting into her thoughts.

All this trouble to see me and now he can't even say one freaking word?! #1 Best Father Award goes to this guy. My heart sinks as I listen and I know, I shouldn't intrude, but my feet are walking towards the two of them in the corner. The girl looks up from her almost-empty cup of coffee and there's relief in her eyes.

"How's the coffee?" I smile at the girl. She flashes a smile that doesn't reach her eyes and then flickers her eyes back to her cup. I want to tell her that I know how it feels to have one of the #1 Best Fathers, but she most likely will wonder how I knew this man was her father and that she's sarcastically using the phrase "#1 Best Father Award goes to..." to describe him. At least her dad is trying...

Her father clears his throat. "Um, just fine, thank you," he mutters, never looking up from his fixated glare at a spot on the table. My eyes look back over to the girl and her eyes are squinting as she looks at my name tag. After a few seconds, she looks away, shaking her head slightly like she was in another land and not here in the Café. Her eyes are dazed. What just happened?

"If you need anything, just let me know," my voice is in Customer mode. That's what Courtney calls my voice when I'm talking to customers, which she claims is higher. I don't hear the difference. The man gives me a nod and I begin to walk away, hoping that I eased some pressure off of that girl's chest.

I focus my attention back to the task of cleaning the coffee rings and small spills of cream and sugar that are scattered among the tables. Why is it so hard to use napkins or not spill? I swear this place could be considered an elementary school lunchroom.

I get a weird tingly feeling as I scrub the table with the rag, the same tingly feeling that I feel when Brayden's around. I stand up straight, spinning around in a full circle in hopes of finding him. Instead of finding the blue-grey eyes I love so much, I'm met by the yellow ones that I've come to fear. I look away quickly from Adrian's eyes, hoping that he wasn't able to mess with my mind. I don't feel sick to my stomach. That must be a good sign. I continue to clean the tables, shaking off the disappointment I feel that Brayden isn't in the Café.

Memories of the past hours flood my mind. It feels like it's been so much longer than just a few hours. My lips quirk up in a smile as I think about how confident I was when my lips crashed onto Brayden's so suddenly that him and I were both surprised. And then, my smile falters because Brayden told me not even five minutes before I kissed him that Adrian has been messing with my mind. More than once.