"Marnie, wake up," Rhiannon said while urgently shaking the sleeping girl. "We're late to open the shop and if you don't wake up right now, I'm going to pour this glass of water on you," She threatened. Rhiannon slowly let the water trickle from the glass onto Marnie's face.
Marnie sat up, startled and now damp. "Rhi, why the hell did you do that? I was sleeping. You know how much I need my sleep. At this point, Marnie was feeling the effects of the wine from the previous evening. "I warned you that I was going to dump water on you if you didn't wake up. It's not my fault you don't follow directions," Rhiannon said while handing Marnie the glass of water and some ibuprofen. "You know directions aren't my thing, Rhi. Or should I say wildflower," Marnie said in a sing-song voice.
Rhiannon couldn't help the blush that overcame her cheeks. It crawled up her neck, across both cheeks and her nose. She busied herself with folding the blanket she had put over Marnie last night. She didn't want to talk about Luke this morning. She had time to think it over while she was getting ready for work and couldn't believe how forward she was last night. Marnie was right. It was so unlike her to make the first move. She met Dylan by accident all those years ago. And when he finally asked her out, he was the one to always make the first move. Rhiannon had never felt secure enough in herself to be that bold with a man. She was so young when she was with Dylan. She was also naive. She thought all the attention was great at the time until it wasn't enough anymore.
Rhiannon shook herself from her thoughts looking to her best friend who was now scavenging for something to eat in the fridge. "I left some overnight oats for you in that mason jar. There's some berries in there too if you want them." Marnie placed her hand on her heart, "You're an actual angel. I'm so happy to call you my best friend."
Rhiannon's face twisted into disgust, "Please stop with the sappiness. That's my department. You're supposed to be the cynical one who doesn't care about anyone." Marnie's boisterous laugh was heard through the whole apartment, "I am the cynical one, babe. Just not when it comes to you." Rhiannon smiled at her friend. She truly didn't know what she would do without her.
Jitters was packed. It was the lunch rush. There were customers lined out the door and all the tables inside the coffee shop were filled. Marnie was manning the register while Rhiannon and a couple other staff members were making the drinks. Since they were in the city, people would visit the shop for lunch. In addition to coffee and baked goods, they also had small sandwiches and bagels. It was a favorite amongst the business people who worked in the surrounding area.
Rhiannon had just released the other staff to take their lunch breaks as soon as the rush was over. She knew there would be an after work rush in a couple hours. People in the city loved their coffee. If they didn't have at least four cups a day, it seemed like they were dying from withdrawals.
Rhiannon was cashing out the register when she noticed a tall figure hovering over the counter. She glanced up seeing a man she recognized, but couldn't quite place. "Hello, how can I help you today?" "I'd like a cafe latte and to hopefully get the number of your brunette friend from the bar last week," the man said. All the pieces came together for Rhiannon. She had forgotten the bartender who Marnie had shamelessly called dibs on. "I can make you latte, but you'll have to get the number yourself," She smiled sweetly at Mark while yelling to the back of the shop, 'Hey Marnie, someone's here to see you."
Marnie came out of the kitchen with flour all over her apron and some speckled in her brown hair. She was wiping her hands off on a towel when she looked up and spotted Mark at the counter. The color drained from her face as she remembered their encounter at the bar. She was much more forward than Rhiannon, but she didn't usually call dibs on total strangers. Sometimes she wishes she wouldn't let alcohol do the talking.
Mark smiled at Marnie noticing how cute she looked with flour in her hair as she tucked it behind her ears. "I was hoping you'd be here Marnie. I hope you don't mind, but Luke told me I could find you here. Do you have a minute?" Rhiannon grabbed her friend by the wrist, pulling her in front of the counter toward Mark. "Actually, she was just about to take a break. She's all yours," Rhiannon smiled and pushed Marnie closer to Mark. Marnie looked back at Rhiannon as he led her out of the coffee shop's doors giving her a death glare. "Good luck," Rhiannon mouthed.
An hour later Marnie came barging back through the doors of Jitters. Her head moved back and forth quickly looking for the red head she called her best friend. "I cannot believe you did that to me," She exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure you enjoyed yourself because you were gone for an hour so don't give me that sass," Rhiannon said lamely. "That's not the point. The point is, you let me leave here with flour all over me to hang out with a cute guy. You don't think you could have warned me first?" Rhiannon shook her head, "Consider this payback for Luke at the bar. It doesn't feel great to be ambushed, does it Marn?" Rhiannon smiled smugly. It was rare that she had something to hold over Marnie's head. She had never seen her interested in someone so quickly.
"Well, tell me what happened! You were gone for an hour so that has to mean something good. Right?" Rhiannon said hopefully. "We had so much fun. He took me for ice cream and we just talked. We're going out again tomorrow night." Marnie was giddy. Mark was handsome with his dark hair and his tanned complexion. He had a lopsided grin that made her want to smile too. She couldn't wait for their date tomorrow night. "That's great! I'll be over to help you pick out an outfit before he shows up," Rhiannon said while glancing at her watch. "Do you have the shop under control from now on? I have to get some uber rides in for rush hour." "You got it boss," Marnie said sarcastically while saluting Rhiannon.
Rhiannon pulled up to a familiar doctor's office. She was scrolling through her phone when she heard a light knock on her window. She jumped at the sudden noise and dropped her phone clumsily into her lap. She glanced to the window out of the corner of her eye hoping it wasn't some creep. There was Luke with his knuckles tapping the glass and his backpack lazily slung over his shoulder. Rhiannon rolled down her window just enough so Luke could hear her. The smell of the autumn leaves filling her car. "I thought you were a murderer! You can't just sneak up on a girl when she's trying to find the perfect song to listen to," Rhiannon sassed. "What did you come up with, hm?" "Well if you must know, I didn't get to pick a song yet. I was rudely interrupted."
Luke chuckled. His dimpled showing on one of his cheeks. "How about this, you let me in the car and I'll pick a song. I promise not to let you down." Rhiannon unlocked the door and Luke climbed into the passenger side, but not in the back this time. He was in the front next to Rhiannon. Her eyes looked widely at Luke not expecting him to be in the front seat with her. "Oh um, is this okay? I assumed it was since we know each other now," Luke said as he fiddled with the zipper of his backpack. "Course it's okay. I just wasn't expecting it."
Rhiannon handed Luke her phone. "I'm trusting you here. You better pick a good song, blondie." "Blondie, huh. I don't think I like that very much," Luke said as he turned on a song. Pretty Boy by The Neighborhood played quietly through the speakers as Rhiannon pulled away from the curb in the direction of Luke's apartment. Luke sang softly to the song, his hand resting on the console, fingers dangerously close to Rhiannon's thigh. Luke looked out the window watching the buildings go by in a blur, his hand creeping over to gently cup Rhiannon's knee. Rhiannon looked out of the corner of her eye at Luke trying to concentrate on driving. He seemed unfazed by his actions.
Rhiannon was having a hard time keeping her eyes on the road. Her eyes glanced to the large hand engulfing her leg. The warmth of his hand seeped through her leggings. She wished she would have worn something a little thicker today because of the cold, but Luke's hand was keeping her plenty warm. "How did you know I liked The Neighborhood?" Luke's attention was now on Rhiannon. His thumb running back and forth on her thigh. "Lucky guess. It's one of my favorite bands," Luke admitted. Luke's hand crept up higher on Rhiannon's thigh and she sucked in a harsh breath. "I was hoping you'd be my driver again. I left so quickly last night that I didn't get your number or get to ask when I'd see you again."
Rhiannon was having a hard time forming a sentence. All she could concentrate on was Luke and his gentle touch. "Um, go ahead and put your number in my phone. I'll be sure to text you," Rhiannon said through a strained voice. "You okay, Wildflower? Is something wrong?" Luke teased. She shook her head, "I'm perfectly fine. Thank you very much."
Luke shook his head, not believing Rhiannon's calm attitude for a second. A grin found its way onto Luke's face. His eyes bright with excitement. "It looks like we're here, Luke," Rhiannon whispered, pulling him from his thoughts. "I guess it does. I can't wait to hear from you," Luke said as he pulled Rhiannon's hand from the steering wheel. He pulled it towards his lips leaving a soft kiss on the back of her hand. A blush shone on her cheeks. "Thanks for the ride, Rhiannon. I'll be seeing you soon." "Bye Blondie. You're not so bad company. You can ride in my car anytime." A look of horror flashed across Rhiannon's face as Luke laughed at her. "I think I'd like you to ride something else instead." And with that Luke was jogging up the steps of his apartment leaving Rhiannon shocked on her car.
As she was pulling away, she spotted Luke's hoodie in the back seat. "That sneaky bastard," She thought, "Now I have to see him again."
*Two days in a row! Who am I?*
*We're finally getting more into the story*
*What's your favorite book outside of wattpad? I love Harry Potter, but my all time favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. How cliche and unoriginal is that?*
*Thank you so much for reading! Love you guys lots!*