It was hard to stand there in Ross' arms, but it was so incredibly easy to fall into feeling safe again. I felt his breathing against mine as we held each other for just a few seconds more.
"I hope you've been doing alright," his faint voiced echoed in my head. "But, I've got to go."
We pulled away, but he still kept his arms around my waist. "Are you coming to Central Park?"
I looked over at Daisy who was getting ready to open shop again. She was rushing the last few people from the crew out the door, and Cherry was beginning to sweep away the mess.
"I've got to stay here and work, Ross. I just started my shift," I said softly. "I wish I could be there. You'll do amazing."
His eyes followed mine and he also watched my fellow employees begin without me. "I understand." Ross' arms left my body now and he began to start packing up his stuff to go. "I'll see you soon, Marina." He lifted his bag that was under one of the tables, and threw it behind his back.
I guided him out of the backdoor and kept my fingers on the knob. "Break a leg, rockstar," I added.
He just smiled at me and waved goodbye. His feet took a few steps forward before I stoped him. "Ross?" He turned his head around swiftly. "Are we going to talk about this soon?" I asked, gesturing my fingers between the both of us.
Ross drifted his head down and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. I'll be in touch soon," he answered. This created a small awkward silence between the both of us. I watched him continue to leave down the block and into a van waiting for him.
I sighed and went back inside, wondering exactly what that could've meant. "In touch soon," didn't seem as promising.
Daisy and her daughter watched me slump onto one of the stools and slide off my shoes. I rubbed the soles of my feet, wincing and sucking my teeth. My toes were still red but this definitely wasn't enough to get me out of work.
"Are you okay?" Cherry's sweet voice asked from the other side of the room. "Do you need some ice?"
My head looked up at her as I just scoffed. "I'm alright, I guess."
Daisy sat next to me and for the first time in a few days, I saw her frown. "What is going on with you lately? You come into work tired and upset all the time, I'm beginning to think that frown might become permanent," she pointed out, brushing her thumb against my cheek.
"Is there something going on with Ross?" Cherry continued, now pulling out another stool and sitting down in front of me. "And don't try to hide anything. I've had enough evidence from the two encounters I've had from him."
"I mean-," I said before putting my head down in defeat. "Yeah. I kinda messed things up with him. He hasn't talked to me in a while."
Daisy and Cherry exchanged looks at one another. They raised their eyebrows and communicated through head tilts. I just stared with a worried face, watching them pity me. "Oh, alright. You can go to the concert," Daisy announced. "We wouldn't have had all this success if it weren't for you, Marina. Plus, the new boy is coming in later and I think Cherry and I can fill in until he arrives. Just go back there and do anything you can to come back into work tomorrow with a smile on your face."
My eyes widened at Daisy. I didn't even know if I wanted to attend the concert. Would I just go and watch them perform before going home by myself? What if I didn't even get any time to talk to Ross about anything? I wasn't sure what could happen.
"Are you sure, Daisy? I can stay. I can't really go to a concert with my foot throbbing," I mentioned, looking down at my effortless attempt to move my toes.
