Forget Her Not

3 | we're not going out

"Oh, sure." I reply, almost forgetting to smile. "Just a second."

I turn back to call for my manager.

"Andrew! Someone's here for the job."

Andrew Millers is a sturdy, tall sort of man in his mid-forties, with kind eyes and ropes of muscle in his arms. He runs this cafe with his wife Julie, who has sharp eyes and a silver tongue, but she often lets me eat the muffins before they go stale and is still so very much in love with her husband. Andrew gestures for me to take over in his coffee making.

Delilah gets the job almost immediately. She is charming and chatty, knowing exactly when to smile and so very good at speaking. She even has several months of experience from her previous local cafe. I am a little in awe as I observe her, because Delilah Bays is extraordinary. Some people are just born standing out. Are able to lift the atmosphere of a room with just their presence, with a charisma that is uniquely theirs. Have to ability to captivate others with their speech and movements, regardless of whatever they are doing. Delilah Bays is both extraordinary and beautiful. Deadly.

I have a shift with her the next morning. She gets there earlier than I do, and is humming perfectly on key to what sounds like Bruno Mars's 'That's what I like', when I walk in.

"Morning." she says casually.

My head throbs. "Good morning."

We make small talk as we set up the café, with Delilah leading us through our conversation. We talk about nice little things, like how my go to coffee order is a classic mocha, and how Delilah absolutely loves watching horror movies during daytime, and then the weather of her old hometown, Toronto. I even manage to make her laugh when I tell her the story of the lady who came in here one morning with a little yapping chihuahua hidden under her jumper. As the shift rolls by, I realise that I rather like the new girl, who wears a bold red lip and has a loud, no-nonsense attitude behind her laugh.

When I see Delilah again on Monday, she grins in greeting and waves with the enthusiasm of a cheerleader. Kyle who is standing next to her, sees this and turns to raise an eyebrow at me. I raise my hand shyly to return her greeting with a more subdued energy.

"Isn't that the new girl?" Sheila asks.

"Yeah, she started working with us. I had a shift with her yesterday." I reply.

I link arms with Shelia, and we begin walking towards the northern block of our school. I think about the way Delilah's hair had looked under the sun, all glossy and thick and shiny like molten waves of copper.

"She's so pretty." I sigh.

"Shut it, you're pretty." Shelia says back.

When the bell rings, we depart ways and I head over to my Advanced English classroom. My heart pounds a little faster in anticipation of seeing Liam. It embarrasses me, although not enough that it dims the prospect enough for me to snap out of it.

I am rubbing mindlessly at the dark circles underneath my eyes, and so I miss the moment he walks in.

Liam seems to be staring at my face as he makes his way towards his spot next to me. He seems oddly fixated, with the vibrant blue of his eyes intense and unwavering. It feels odd and out of place. I have not experienced this for a while. I rub at the corner of my mouth, in case he is noticing some excess dried toothpaste.

Liam takes his seat as the wave of students slowly ebb in.

"Have you been sleeping?" he asks.

His words come out soft and tentative, but his question shocks me fully awake. I gape at him for a moment, wide eyed and confused because he actually looks a little worried. I avert my eyes.

"Yeah." I say back.

Liam speaks again after a while.

"If you're still so cut up over our breakup, you should see someone about it." he says coldly.

A surge of mild embarrassment and white-hot rage courses through me. Prick.

"This isn't about you. I've just been working more hours."

Liam does not reply to this. He shifts his chair to angle himself away from me. I have to bite my lip to resist apologising for being rude.

"Today, we'll be starting a pair project." Miss Laney announces.

She sifts through some handouts and drums her fingers against her desk. Then she looks up, and says something life-shattering.

"Just work with whoever's sitting next to you."

What the actual heck. 

☾☆♔

Dedicated to @We_re_just_Writers for the cover she made !! (sorry this is so late oops)