"I have a dentist appointment," Mia says as soon as I return home from my lectures
"When?" I ask, keeping my bag on the sofa and walking over to grab some water from the fridge. I turn around and notice her nervous expression, making me narrow my eyes at her.
"M?" I prod.
"Well, it's during my shift. I've taken a leave today."
I frown, "Then how will I be able to accompany you?"
She shrugs, "You won't."
I walk over to her and lean behind the sofa, making her turn in her seat and look at me.
"But, what about supporting your scared ass? What about moral support?"
Mia does not like dentists, even though she had braces when she was young. Anyone would think the dentist's clinic would be like a second home to her, having to visit every few weeks. Quite honestly, she was completely fine with dentists. Never terrified, the perfect patient. But one wrong and horribly painful removal of a tooth later, her fear of dentists began and has never vanished.
"Oh I'll handle that," she rolls her eyes, turning and facing me properly, "But are you getting where I'm heading with this?"
"Mia, where are you heading with this?" I ask her, genuinely confused as to why she's acting like this.
She sighs and replies, "Shaye is also out of town. She's visiting colleges."
Then it hits me. I snap my head to Mia as she quickly averts her gaze, "Please don't tell me you're leaving me alone with Mrs Devil reincarnate."
"I'm so sorry, I tried to shift the appointment to a different day!" she tries to reason as I groan and drop my head into my hands. I turn my head in my hands and glare at her, making her grin at me sheepishly.
"I've called for reinforcements though," she comments off-handedly. I narrow my eyes at her and give her a nod to continue, "Eli is coming with me and Nathan is going to fill in for me."
"Wait what?" I sit up straighter and ignore the smirk on her face, "Pretty sure Nathan has work to do. We've been crazy busy for the past two weeks."
"One of the main reasons why I decided to tell him a few days ago. He completed his work early and today, he's yours for the entire day."
A smile takes over my face automatically and she laughs, making me smile wider, "You do know you're the best, right?"
She flips her hair off her shoulder and says dramatically, "You might've mentioned it once or twice."
I laugh and pull her into a side hug. She hugs me even tighter and I whisper in her ear the sentence I've been saying to her ever since she developed her very rational fear of dentists, "The dentist is not going to kill you."
She laughs and pushes me away, making me lose my balance and drop down from the sofa right on the ground. I let out a small ow, she laughs louder and I join in on her contagious laughter.
And soon our unnecessarily loud laughter fills our apartment, warming me from inside out.
⋈ ⋈ ⋈
"Grasshopper, I'm here to help," is the first sentence my boyfriend says when he sees me for the first time in a very very long time. He's dressed in a grey t-shirt and faded jeans, hair dishevelled a little at the top. His eyes hold a certain amount of longing which I'm sure mirrors in my own. He smiles at me, making my skin tingle with happiness and I walk towards him, quickly getting on my toes to peck his lips.
When I pull away, he leans in again and I push him away, a bright teasing smile on my face. He chuckles and pulls me towards him anyway, hugging me close to his body. His familiar cologne reaches my nostrils and I inhale deeply, making up for the two weeks of lost comfort. His arms tighten around me and my smile widens on my own accord, heartbeat increasing. Because there's something genuinely beautiful about hugging the person who's slowly making his way to your heart.
I pull back with a smile as he looks down at me, "I missed you."
His smile gets wider and replies, "I think I might've just missed you more. Just saying."
"And I think you're here to work, not to indulge in PDA," Mrs Warren says, making us spring apart from each other. We both turn towards her and I'm taken aback when I notice a barely visible smile on her face.
"Yes ma'am. I think Shaye might've told you how I'm here to fill in her absence," Nathan explains and Mrs Warren nods. Her gaze lands on me for a split second before going back to Nathan as she passes him an apron, which he gladly accepts and wears. I'm barely able to contain my laughter as the apron fits him a little too small, making him look like a giant in comparison. He looks at me and glares, making it even more difficult for me to control the bubbling laugh. Turning back to Mrs Warren, I hear her telling him how to pack orders when the doorbell rings, indicating a customer's entry. I turn around to greet the customer when the words die on the tip of my tongue.
"Good afternoon, Aliana," Elliot greets, a cruel smirk on his face. This time along, he's not alone. Behind him, I notice two boys, one blonde and one brunette conversing with three girls.
I plaster a smile across my face and greet, "Welcome to the Bakery. What would you like today?"
His friends look at me, giving me a once over and returning back to their conversation. I ignore the uncomfortable feeling in my gut, telling me to run as far away from them as possible and continue smiling at them.
"Do you take orders directly at the table?" he asks.
I feel a familiar presence take its place beside me, at Shaye's original space before replying, "I'm sorry sir but we don't."
"Ahh, but you'll bend the rules for me, right Ali?" Elliot smiles. My blood boils and I quickly manage to glance at Nathan when I find him busy practising different packing techniques. Noticing that he's not paying attention, I sigh and nod, making Elliot smile brightly and ushering his friends over to one of the tables.
I turn to Nathan again and I find him looking at the group and back at me, "Do you know that guy?"
I nod, "He was in my high school."
He nods slowly and turns back to them for a second before turning to me, changing the subject, "Alright boss. What do you want me to do?"
I shake my head and gesture to him to stay, "You, stay here. I'll go take their order."
"But you all never take orders by going to the table," he questions. I sigh and avoid his calculating gaze.
"Nope, we don't," I confirm. Dawn of realisation settles on him and before he can say anything, I walk over to their table. Standing in front of their table, they all ignore my presence before I finally clear my throat, grabbing their attention. They look at me as if they're doing me a favour and I bite my tongue to keep my sharp reply inside me.
"Good afternoon. Have you all decided what you're gonna order?" I say instead, flashing them my sweetest smile.
One of the girls smirks and leans over inconspicuously at me, eyes glancing at someone behind me, "Can you get that hottie's number for me?"
I smile tightly and say, "He's my boyfriend."
Her face immediately scrunches up as she looks at me from top to bottom, "Your boyfriend? Oh please. Girl if you wanna say no, just say so. No need to lie."
I struggle to keep the fake smile on my face as my nails dig on the inside of my palm. Deciding that ignoring her is the best way to go about this, I turn back to the rest of the group, "Can I take your-"
The blonde guy interrupts me and sneers, "I don't think it's ethical to ignore your customers, Aliana. Answer her."
"Is there a problem here?" I hear Nathan say from my side, filling me with relief as I turn to him with a fake smile. His eyes are hard, gaze set intently on the group, jaw locked.
"No, everything's fine," I say to him.
"Your co-worker here is lying to everyone, saying that you two are dating just because she doesn't want to give your number to me," the girl speaks up and I cringe, this time not being able to hide my expressions.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Nathan smirk very slightly and say, "Is that so?"
She nods quickly and throws daggers at me with her eyes. I notice as Nathan moves a little closer to me, placing his hand on my lower back and smirking wider, "She isn't lying ma'am. We are very much together. And I don't even work here. I'm filling in for her co-worker, so excuse me for my unethical behaviour. Are you ready to order now?"
I watch as the girl is rendered speechless for a second as she struggles to regain her composure. I watch as Elliot's face breaks out in a small, almost evil smile and he mumbles, "Interesting."
Nathan looks over at him and smiles politely, "I think you know Ali. I'm Nathan, her boyfriend."
"I do know her. We had chemistry," he jokes, the rest of the group joining in on the overused joke. Nathan smiles politely as he waits for him to introduce himself as he continues, "We were lab partners. Elliot Rivers. Nice to meet you, man."
Nathan and he shake hands and the group finally orders, letting us leave and go back to our stations behind the counter. We send the order to the kitchen as more customers arrive slowly. I watch from the corner of my eye as Nathan interacts with everyone, his natural charm making him a crowd favourite. A few of the regular customers ask where Shaye is, and he answers everyone, cracking a joke here and there. When the food comes, I smile at Nathan and go over to the dreaded table to deliver it.
"Here you go," I say, placing the coffees and muffins on their table.
With one last smile, I'm about to leave when Elliot calls out, "Hey Ali!"
"Yes?" I turn to him. He discreetly makes a cross with both his index fingers and I freeze, recognising the familiar sight. It's something he always did in school to mock me before making me do his favours.
"Could you get us a discount? It's this guy's birthday," he points to his friend. I clearly notice the smirks on all their faces, confirming that it isn't the guy's birthday. Any which ways, we don't give birthday discounts.
"Well, you see we aren't-" I start, once again being interrupted by Elliot.
"Yes or no, Aliana," he asks. I gulp nervously, my hand automatically going to my hair to tuck it behind my ear, my nervous tick completely visible to anyone watching. I look back at Nathan, who is busy packing orders and talking to an elderly couple. He catches my eye and raises his eyebrows in question.
I shake my head at him, plastering a small smile to my face before turning back to Elliot and reply, "Yes. A free complimentary muffin for the birthday boy?"
He nods, "Perfect. Just the word I wanted to hear. Now do me a favour and pick up those papers lying by our feet. You'll do that, right?"
I look at the ground to find a few newly ripped papers by their feet. The fact that they're squeaky clean and quite wrinkle-free confirms the fact they're only down there to humiliate me. I try to shake my head no, I really do. I try to force myself to say no, say anything which would help me keep my dignity intact. One last time, my eyes search for Nathan. I know I'm not supposed to depend on him, but it's the only form of strength I have as I try to learn how to say no. Looking back at where he is supposed to be at, I'm surprised to find the counter empty as he's conversing with Mrs Warren. They both seem to be engrossed in an important conversation, making it clear that I'm going to lose yet again.
"We're waiting. This is awful service by the way," the brunette beside Elliot remarks as my attention snaps back to them. I nod meekly, biting my lower lip to control the angry tears which prick me at the back of my eyes and crouch down, picking up every single piece of ripped paper.
My mom's words echo in my head, Don't do it, Ali. Why are you doing this? Say no!
The fifteen-year-old in me, covered in mud which she had helped clean off a friend's car in exchange for nothing, looks at a very pissed younger version of her mom and shakes her head, I can't.
I can't.
Snapping back to reality, I get up and look back at them, faking the widest smile I can, "All done. Enjoy your food."
"We will," Elliot nods, before finally dismissing me with a flick of his hand. I walk over to the counter and continue my routine like a robot. Taking orders, making a bill, returning change. Soon, Elliot's group leaves along with him, but not before one final mock salute at me. My skin pricks uncomfortably all over my body again.
"I don't like him. I don't know what it is about him but I just don't," I hear Nathan remark from my side. I jump a little at the suddenness of his voice beside me. When the sentence finally registers in my head, an overwhelming sense of relief fills me. I look at him and find him looking intently at the door. He feels my gaze on him and he searches my face. I put on my bravest face and smile at him.
"Enough about that guy. When does our shift end?"
I glance at the clock right above the door and sigh in relief, "In about, 10 minutes."
He hunches down to the counter and rests his head against it, "Today was tiring," I hear him say in a muffled tone. Instantly, my mood lifts a little as I hug his back, resting my head on his.
"You have no idea," I mumble, rubbing slow circles on his back.
He immediately gets up and looks at me with concern, "Did something happen, Grasshopper? You seem really low today."
I shake my head no and lie through my teeth, "I'm just tired today."
He nods and pulls me closer, his hands resting on my waist, "So, you kinda said no to that girl who was asking for my number."
I furrow my eyebrows and he continues, "Granted you didn't actually say the word, but you did tell her that I'm yours."
"Of course you're mine. No girl can just randomly walk in and demand your number," I huff, making him chuckle adorably.
"I'm proud of you. My little grasshopper is learning," he says and I'm suddenly unable to breathe. I quickly hug him to hide my face from him, because I can't help but feel shit about myself.
He's proud of me when he shouldn't be. I completely failed to stand up for myself, let them treat me in whichever way they wanted and paid for more free food. To say I failed would be an understatement. So, I just nod into his chest because there's no way I'm going to tell him what happened today. Not after my failure.
I don't want to disappoint him, even if that requires me to keep it all in. For as long as I can.
⋈ ⋈ ⋈
It is not Saturday where I am. In my defence, I just had a very very good day and I wasn't happy with the earlier version of this chp so I rewrote it again. I'm so sorry I'm so late. How is everyone though? Tell me about your week! Give me your feedback about this chapter pls?
Question of the week then?
Q. What kind of texture is your hair? and colour? how does your hair look?
Anyway, comment vote or do anything you'd like to do. I'm gonna go now. Talk to you later!
Love,
Anya <3