UNCONDITIONALLY YOURS

Emerald Eyes // 2

After walking for about forty-five minutes, I approached the small café. From the outside, it was not much. There were a few wooden tables, with two old chairs to each of them. There was a small shelter, shielding the tables from unexpected bursts of rainfall that often occurred in the area. There was a large window to the left, of which light from outdoors beamed through, the luminosity constantly flooding the café. I noticed the small yet beautiful details, as the café meant so much to me, but I was afraid to any other person, they would see my beautiful café as merely ordinary, maybe the same as other small city cafés. The inside was charming, even more so than the outside. I would always remember the feeling I got each time I entered the café. A sort-of warm feeling. It was cosy, and on most days as peaceful as you could imagine a city café to be. I had always felt thoroughly comfortable, maybe even as far as at home, at the café. I didn't know if this was purely based on the fact my real life was so dissimilar, and in that life I felt I needed an escape, or maybe everyone secretly had the same feeling as I did as they walked into such a warm and sweet-looking environment.

It had seemed  such an ordinary day, as I first walked inside. The warmth instantly enveloped my icy cold skin. I had stamped a smile upon my face that day, as I knew how easily I was devoured by my continuously active mind. Mia, the owner of the café, gave me a quick grin and a wave as I came through the doors. She was such a sweet and caring lady, she was strict on me when needed as she was my boss after all, but I noticed she cared about me, at least a little. It was a nice feeling, and I was glad she was there for me.

"Hey, Riley." I whipped my head around in an instant to the sound of a familiar voice.  My only friend who was not some bratty daddy's girl enforced upon me was Logan, another waiter at the café, like me. We weren't the closest, definitely not what someone would call 'best friends', but I was reluctant to let anyone closer to me that he was anyway. I still enjoyed having someone to chat to.

"Logan. How are you?"

We ended up chatting for around ten minutes, briefly catching up with each other, although with a clear lack of detail from my contribution, most likely from his as well. Before long, the first few customers began to come in. Every time the door would open I felt a short gust of winter's breeze momentarily setting my hair into flight.

Something I had always found particularly noticeable about the customers of the café, was how each person somewhat blended in amongst the crowd. It was most likely purely based on the fact the café attracted only lower to middle class clients, meaning everything seemed just so ordinary. I certainly did not mean this in a bad way, there was nothing I would have longed for more than to always blend in. I thought this because the people were so dissimilar from the powerful, wealthy people I grew up around. I would not lie and say I disliked the normality, yet it was so distant from the lifestyle 'meant for me' based solely on the family I was born into. But the somewhat helpful part of the ordinary scene constantly created in the café, was that anybody different, anybody higher class, someone possibly powerful, they would unmistakably and undeniably stick out like a sore thumb.

When I first noticed him, I had not a doubt in my mind that he was not like anybody else that had every entered the building. Without glancing at me for a split second, his emerald eyes somehow found a way to pierce through me. His jet-black hair was scruffy yet well styled and cut in a way that complemented his vivid eyes so perfectly. I studied his sharp jawline leading flawlessly to his impeccable features, hysterically trying to work out what was just so different about him. I had barely noticed how much of a moron I must have looked, my eyes fixed upon him, until his dazzling green eyes flashed upon me. All of a sudden, I was overwhelmed with butterflies gnawing in my stomach. I attempted to direct my eyes in another direction, yet failed, finding myself hooked on those two emerald gems. I already loathed him for so confidently gazing back at me, certainly not feeling half of what I did, just glancing back at the gawking imbecile. But most of all, I despised the fact he was the first person in years to unleash my deepest emotions, ones I thought I had banished from my mind for an eternity. I was hopelessly lost in his eyes. His face screamed danger, trouble and worst of all, heartache. Though, I could not look away, I desperately felt the need to know everything about him. I did not think like this. I had not felt like this for years, and I swore myself never to again. I wanted to run. And so I did. It was all I could process my thoughts enough to do, so I tore my eyes away from his and dashed out the door, submerging myself in the icy winter air.

I slowly scrunched my eyes closed and exhaled deeply, discovering I had been subconsciously holding my breath. I could feel my heart rapidly thumping in my chest. The butterflies did not fade. I wanted to scream, I wanted to somehow let out my anger that I knew was only aimed at myself for acting so foolishly. Yet I could, I would look like some form of a psychopath releasing my tension in any way openly. As I allowed myself to open my eyes again, I spotted a man I had not seen around the café who was clearly smoking directly around a non-smoking zone. I had never been one who liked to play by the rules, but I knew Mia would want me to do something, and I was grateful for all she had done for me. I believed I owed her to do my job properly at the least. I was also fully aware I was in need of a distraction of a sort, so I walked over to him.

I sighed to myself before opening my mouth. "Excuse me Sir." He smirked back at me, and I rolled my eyes, though I hoped he did not notice. "You aren't actually aloud to smoke outside the café, so please, if you wish to continue, may you do so elsewhere?" His devilish smirk did not leave his face.

"Like playing by the rules do we beautiful?"

I realised how utterly disgusted I was by the man. He had the audacity to call me beautiful as I was attempting to direct him and his filthy cigarettes far from the café, and quite preferably far for me. Even the way he spoke was so off putting. I wanted nothing more in that moment than for him to get out of my sight. Although, I was suddenly conscious of the fact nobody was around, and due the short days of the winter, the sun had almost fully set. I shivered.

"Sir, I am going to have to ask you again to leave." I obviously had a clear sense of annoyance in my voice this time. I could not even work out if I were trying to sound sterner than my previous request, or if I simply could not hide my disgust towards the man any longer. To my dismay, the man just began to laugh. Not a normal laugh. A horrible, cackle that sent shivers down my spine. As his laughs became increasingly loud, I stood watching him, my jaw clenched, my fists clenched.

I opened my mouth, planning this time to demand him to leave. I knew I had a particularly sharp tongue when wanted, or when necessary. But before I could say a word, he grabbed onto my wrist, pulling me to the wall right by the back entrance to the café. He chained my wrist onto the walls with his hand. A sharp pain burst through my wrist. I tensed up, in shock. My breath quickened.

"How about I take you out for a drink instead sweetheart?"