Temporary Beach

Chapter Four

The sound of my alarm blaring right next to my head woke me up this morning at 6:15 am. When my eyes adjusted after being asleep for a bit, I noticed I was on my bed, rather than the couch. The events of last night flooded into my head, and I figured Harry must've carried me to my room before he left. 

After finally silencing my alarm, I checked all of my notifications. My eyes landed on a text from Harry, which read, "you fell asleep during the movie, and I carried you back to your room after about an hour. I would've stayed, but I was unsure of how you'd react to a practical stranger just lurking around your apartment while you slept. Good luck on your first day at the new job."

I smiled at the thought of him being so considerate of my comfort, since he moved me to my comfortable bed, along with the fact that he'd remembered I'd start my job today. 

I rolled out of bed and made my way to my bathroom. Not gonna lie, I looked pretty rough. That was the first night of genuinely good sleep I've had since I moved out here. I did my usual skincare routine, as well as the typical light makeup. I brushed through my light hair, but generally left it alone, rather than actually styling it with heat. 

I held the front two strands of hair out of my face with baby pink clips that matched the shirt I planned on wearing. I tried to match the casual attire of the rest of the employees that I'd seen while I was there. I chose a light pink striped t-shirt that I've had since I was probably 17, paired with some light, ripped mom jeans. Considering pink was one of my favorite colors, I really didn't own much clothing in that shade. Most of my wardrobe consisted of neutral shades, and very few patterns.

Once I'd finished getting ready for the day, I glanced over at the clock I had hanging on my bedroom wall. The two hands indicated that it was already 6:45, which meant I'd have to be leaving soon. The nerves definitely started to set in as I started packing my purse. I probably looked like a maniac.

The black, faux leather purse moved around recklessly as I ran through my apartment, seeming to have misplaced everything I needed to pack. I hastily threw my charger, wallet, a pair of sunglasses, and honestly, quite a lot of unnecessary items, into my bag. 

The clock on my phone was practically judging me since I'd taken 10 minutes just to grab everything I "needed." Luckily, my Uber was here right on time, and I was able to sprint out my door and into the car. I could've walked, but I silently thanked myself for choosing not to, since it would've taken longer, and I'm already late. 

Once we arrived, I checked the time on my phone, and, thankfully, I was right on time. 7:00 am, just like Jace requested. "Someone's early," the familiar velvety voice said from the booth in the corner. It would've been creepy if he wasn't actually cleaning it. "Actually, I'm perfectly on time," I stated as I approached him. "I know, just wanted to see if you were paying attention."

Just as I started to sit down on the pink and teal colored seat, I was interrupted by the loud clapping of Jace's hands. "So," he said in a loud, enthusiastic voice. "Let's go to the back and I'll show you the ropes." I nodded my head in response.

He abruptly stopped and turned around to face me. "Wait, no. Not those types of ropes, you weirdo." I can only imagine how red my cheeks got. Jokes in that sense have always embarrassed me a little bit, because it's hard for me to decipher if they're actually joking - unless we're good friends and I know their sense of humor. 

He erupted into a loud fit of laughter. "I'm only kidding, Maddi. C'mon, let's actually go though. Don't wanna waste daylight." Once more, I nodded my head and began following him. We reached the backroom and, like he said, he began "showing me the ropes," aka, telling me what I'd need to do, assuming I didn't wanna get fired.