I downed the fruit cup quickly as I didn't really eat anything for breakfast like an idiot. The juices ran down my chin sloppily, causing me to wince at the stickiness. I supposed now was a good time to find a restroom so I stood up from the chair I was sitting in and made my way to the nearest trash can. After throwing away the disposable cup and fork I hauled myself to the hallway. I looked both ways to scan for any restrooms, but my eyes landed onto the door at the end of the hall. Mr. Jamie's office was the plainest door, no signs, no colorful drawings, just a plain door, but it held the most feelings I have had in a while. I wanted to see him again. It wasn't like I was in love with him, just desperate for the comfort he gave me.
I pushed those thoughts deep down and decided to go in the direction of the stairs since I didn't check that way yet. At the end where the stairs were there was a bathroom right around the corner as the hallway was shaped like a "T" almost with the top part opening up to the stairs. Across from this bathroom was an elevator, showing there was indeed 5 stories. Beside this was a plaque showing what was contained in all floors, but the stickiness of the fruit became unbearable for me to focus on what it said.
I popped into the bathroom and splashed my face with water to wipe the juice away. After feeling refreshed I stepped back out, wondering what to do next as napping was now not an option to me. The hall was silent for a moment until I heard the pitter-patter of feet running down the stairs. I looked up to see Eme running down at full speed as Mr. King struggled to keep up. She stopped when she saw me and ran up, engulfing me into a hug with her sparkly band-aid covered arms.
"Ro-ra!", she squealed, her mood completely changed from the one before. Mr. King snatched her from behind like she was a rag-doll and she yelped in response. He spun her around a few times, letting out loud laughter.
"Don't you remember? Those hugs are only for me!", his booming voice filled the air as he swung her around. She giggled in unison and kicked her feet.
"Noooo! Put me down Kingy! Put me down!", she playfully whined, and he set her down gently. He gave me a lopsided smile and ruffled my hair, and I grumbled in protest. I pushed his hands away from messing up my hair and he let out a deep rumbling laugh.
"Thanks squirt, for doing the right thing.", he spoke almost kindly. He shot Eme a wink, "Stay here shorty I have to take care of something." He shuffled away with his hands in his pockets, whistling an old tune. He was overly jolly now, a grand 180 from how he was before. I turned to Eme with a puzzled look on my face.
"Isn't he so sweet?", she gushed, holding her hands on her face. She grabbed my hand and started swaying it back and forth. I laughed at her in disbelief.
"Are you guys official or something?", I mumbled around my pacifier that I placed back into my mouth without thinking. Eme turned to me, a love-stricken glaze in her eyes.
"Of course we are! We're gonna get married and he's gonna take care of me. Oh! Did you know he used to be a police officer!", she rambled on, and I waved my hands to cut her off.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on. You can't marry someone you just met! What if you don't actually like each other that much, he doesn't even know your favorite color!", I stumbled over my words as I tried to get her to understand the situation. She just shook her head, a large smile crossing her face.
"I can, I will, and it's green, he knows this.", she triumphantly stated, and I couldn't help but feel like a disappointed older sibling, no matter if we were both clearly twenty. I looked down the hallway in mild curiosity or maybe for a distraction from the crazy conversation I was having. It was then I saw Mr. King slide into Mr. Jamie's office.
The curiosity was just too great to bear, I had to hear what he was talking about. "C'mon Eme!", I half whispered, half yelled. I grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway to the office door, where muffled talking could be heard. I pressed my ear to the door and waved for her to follow suit. She pressed her ear to the door with a mischievous smile and the conversation became clearer.
"But why?", Mr. Jamie was clearly speaking. He sounded almost as if he was stifling laughter rather than upset.
"I fell in love with her, I have to hand in my stuff", a deep voice answered, clearly Mr. King. Eme's eyes and smile widened at this, but I held a finger over my mouth to stop her from squealing with happiness. Instead, she nodded and continued listening.
"Look Princeton-", Mr. Jamie started but Mr. King cut him off.
"Oh, come on, you only call me by my real name when you are talking down on me!", Mr. King almost whined. A laugh erupted from Mr. Jamie.
"Fine, King, listen we can't lose you. You're the best damn security guard we have, you just so happen to double as a Daddy. Well in the Daddy department you're lacking, you can't help it, you're built mean looking. I'm glad you found a little that does not care about that, but it doesn't mean you have to quit. If that was the case, I would have fired quite a few workers here. Sometimes it comes with the territory. When the Daddies fight over one little is when it becomes a problem.", Mr. Jamie explained, "It's in the contract but it's more of a guild line than anything."
"You're only saying that because you have your eye on the new little girl", Ms. Rose chimed in. It didn't even occur to me that she was there.
"The new girl? Is that the one with the white bow and overalls? She's the one that helped me!", Mr. King questioned, purely intrigued.
"I- no! It's not what you think!", Mr. Jamie stuttered. "A-anyways, what about your 'Teddy Bear' Rose? And why wasn't Aurora put down for a nap?" He struggled to switch the conversation. Ms. Rose cleared her throat in embarrassment.
"I have no idea what you're talking about", she said clearly, but with a twinge of guilt. Her feet shuffled nervously and my mind turned to the boy wearing the bear onesie. It seemed like they were all guilty of pressing favorites. But Mr. Jamie, he couldn't have been talking about me could he? I heard footsteps heading to the door and I scrambled away, taking Eme's hand to pull her with me. Ms. Rose stormed out. Red creeping up in her cheeks as she swiftly walked past us as if we weren't there.
Through the now open door I heard Mr. Jamie clear his throat. "You're a damn good man King, you can still be part of the team.", King in turn breathed a deep sigh of relief.
"Thanks boss", he simply thanked and walked out. He saw Eme and I standing a few feet away from the door, trying our best to not look guilty. He let out a small laugh under his breath and held his arms open. Eme rushed to him and jumped into his arms, snuggling her small body against his large one. He gave me an odd look, probably knowing we were listening in, but he was smiling.
"See you sometime squirt", he nodded and walked away. Eme leaned up to wave and I got a sense of Deja vu. I shook my head and heard someone's throat clear. Mr. Jamie.
"Come here Aurora", I heard him speak with a soft but commanding voice. I tip-toed into the room, my hands behind my back. I looked up at him and he was sitting at his desk, an unreadable look on his face. "Closer Aurora, I need to speak with you." I only dared to slink forward a few feet before stopping, my heart thumping a little harder in my chest. He snapped his fingers to get my attention and pointed to the floor next to him. He wasn't playing games, and I just knew I had to listen. It felt like a part of me had easily obtainable obedience to him. I crept my way over behind his desk and next to him. When he was satisfied with the distance I closed he pointed to his monitor that sat on his desk. "Tell me, what do you see here?", he asked firmly.
I looked over the screen and saw various cameras. One for the outside of the building, the foyer, the different first floor rooms, some others I didn't recognize the location of, and one for the hallway. My heart fluttered up in my throat as I realized he could see me listening in. I bit my paci hard in embarrassment and looked to the ground. I felt his gentle touch on my chin as he forced me to look at him. He looked over my face for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Little Aurora, what am I to do with you?", he whispered loud enough for me to hear. It sounded more as if he was speaking with himself rather than me. He let go of my face and turned his attention to my curls, curling one around his finger.
"Mr. Jamie?", I asked, my voice sounding a little too small around the pacifier. He pulled his attention back on me, supposedly moving him out of serious thought. All I got was a humming sound as a response, but his deep brown eyes were focused on mine. "I'm sorry for snooping, I was just curious is all", I bashfully replied. His relaxed face grew into a dashing smile, and he raised his free hand to cup my face.
"It's alright princess, you should know better for next time, okay?", he softly spoke. His words shocked me immensely. I was usually met with words that were like venom and threats, nothing ever like this. I never expect to be forgiven so easily. My chest tightened and I felt something snap in me. Before I could stop it, hot tears spilled out along with a wailing cry. His eyes widened in concern, and he reached out to me, engulfing me into a tight hug. "Oh no bebita I'm so sorry, shhhh, papi's got you. It's all going to be okay cariño. There's nothing you need to worry about anymore, let it out.", he quickly comforted me, spilling over his words like he couldn't tell me fast enough. His arms held me tightly and gave me such a high sense of warmth. I choked out a sob, overcome with the kindness I was faced with. He tried pulling me into his lap, but I pushed against his chest to stop him.
"N-no, I'm too big!", I choked in between crying breaths. He shook his head and continued to pull me up, somehow successfully getting me into his grasp. I settled onto his lap and laid my head against him on his shoulder, fitting my body closely with his. He had one arm placed behind me, supporting my back and with his other hand he brushed my hair out of my face so he could wipe my tears away. I looked up at him with blurry vision and felt my heart stir when I saw his look down at me with a loving gaze.
"You're never too big bebita, mi pequeña niña", his voice relaxed every muscle in my body, and I felt the fatigue finally take me. The fatigue of years of sleepless nights, of heartbreaks felt alone, and pain. As I lay there in his arms, I drifted off, too exhausted to even care. So much had happened in a few hours and it took a massive toll on me. I let myself slip away but heard one small thing before my sleepiness overcame me. "My little one", I overheard Mr. Jamie whisper and then everything slipped away.