Praying For A Miracle (mxm)

Chapter Thirty Three

I offer him a smile before placing the two mugs onto a tray and running them over to the table at the other end of the cafe. When I return Aris is standing in the corner near the backdoor, his hand clutched to his chest and tightly around the apron.

My brows dip as I attempt to look around to his expression but he's blocking me off. "Aris?" I say, my voice alarmed. "Everything okay?"

He's taking deep breaths, his throat exhaling with a rasp. "Yeah," he whimpers slowly.

"Are you sure?"

Aris waves me off but I don't move. "Just having a moment, I'm fine."

I chew on my lip because the intensity of his breathing doesn't sound healthy or normal and I have no idea what has triggered this. I retreat to the small fridge and grab a chilled bottle of water. "Here," I slide it around his body.

He glances up at me slowly, eyes bloodshot and his skin turning pale. "T-Thanks," he says weakly before taking the bottle and undoing the lid. He takes a sip and straightens his spine.

"Hey, why don't you take the rest of the shift off if you're not feeling okay? The cafe isn't busy and it's a Saturday. Go and relax."

"No," he heaves, taking a big breath. "I-I need the money."

I check the clock on the wall. "You only have an hour left, go home and I'll still pay you for that time. I promise."

Aris shakes his head. "No, that's not fair."

"And you won't go home unless I force you. Take the last hour off and I promise it'll be in your pay packet next week." I say, levelling my eyes with his. "I'm worried about you, Aris."

"I'll be fine," his voice wavers.

I shake my head once. "Please. Go home. Don't worry about the last hour, it's quiet anyway."

He stares at me for a moment, eyes flicking between mine slowly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I nod. "I'm positive."

"Okay," he sighs before chewing on his lip. "I'll make up for the hour another time."

Aris moves around me slowly. "Honestly, don't worry about it. I'd rather you feel better than worry about any of that."

His lips curl into a weak smile. "Thanks, Luca. You're too kind to me."

"Treat your employees right and they'll give you the respect back," I say before clapping a hand over his shoulder gently. "Rest up and I'll see you next week."

"Okay," he nods before pulling off his apron and grabbing his coat and backpack. "Thank you. I'll see you later."

"Feel better," I call out to him before he leaves the cafe, the bell ringing on the way out.

The next thirty minutes practically fly by. I clean the cafe and take the last orders. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I see my mother's name flash across the screen and I click on the green button.

"Hey, mum," I say as I lock the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I place a few items in the dishwasher. "You okay?"

A sniffle ripples down the line and I straighten. "No," she exhales with a sob. "I've been let go."

"From what?"

"My job."

My chest crumbles to pieces at her words. "W-What?"

"They said that the company had to take some cuts, that my job had to go because they couldn't afford to keep me on. Now we have nothing, Luca. We've got to somehow come up with the rest of the mortgage and we're going to have nothing," her voice strains. "I don't know what to do."