Please don't chase me

The audacity to sigh

After being rejected in the worst way possible by Luka, Yana headed listlessly home. Usually on her way back, she'd treat herself to something delicious but the encounter with Luka sucked all the energy from her.

This was the worst. Her personality and his didn't mesh at all! How could she make friends with him? She needed the prize for the research project! Nothing was more important than that! Hell, if she had to tie Luka up to force him, she'd do that!

City M was a modern city with skyscrapers everywhere. There wasn't a single building or store that wasn't up to standard and could tarnish the brilliant reputation of the city.

Only those with money could live here, however, as an average student who relied on a part-time job, it was a wonder Yana could even survive here. Most students who weren't well off chose to reside in the cities next to City M and commute to uni everyday.

But Yana was lucky enough to be one of the few that received a student loan which made it possible to finance her apartment. Of course, once she got a job she had to pay back the dreadful debt.

Not far from uni, in a posh area, Yana entered a skyscraper that had at least 60 floors. The entrance hall was elegant and Yana was greeted by the receptionist as she entered the lift and pressed the 38th-floor button.

Yana was a social butterfly but the thing she hated the most was to live with others. She could absolutely not stand having to share a bathroom, most of all, her kitchen.

This was pure hell. That was why Yana got herself an apartment. The city living expenses were high but were covered by an equally high wage.

In other words, Yana's part-time job paid very well even though it was a waitress job. Apart from her time in the orphanage, Yana has lived alone and has grown accustomed to it, hence she loathed the presence of others in her private space.

Once inside her apartment which came with a bed, living room, bathroom and kitchen, Yana fell on the sofa and looked out of the window that took up a whole wall. The skyline was breathtaking.

Today was Friday, that meant Yana could rest before she had to work during the weekends.

Jobs in City M, even low jobs like customer services and hospitality were hard to get. City M was all about money, power and looks. If one had one of the three, they could survive in this city.

And hospitality jobs such as being a host or waiter, even a chef required one to have the necessary looks and Yana was glad that she was above average at least.

But as pretty as City M sounded it was a brutal nest of survival tests for anyone who didn't possess all three of them. A reality of the current world affairs and societal needs were all portrayed in this cold-blooded city.

Wealth and appearance were also important in society even if the masses preached it wasn't, the hard fact mirrored in City M proved it was true.

The next day came quickly and Yana barely slept. The night was full of torturous thoughts of Luka making her life harder as the evil mastermind kept her awake.

Yana brooded over and over again about how to convince him.

In the end, the only option left was to cling onto Luka like her life depended on it.

Sooner or later he had to interact with her and give in. Then in one sweep she would make him agree to be her research partner.

A simple yet foolproof plan or so she believed.

"Wow, your eyebags are bad,'' Linda, Yana's coworker, touched Yana's undereye area. Linda was a tall woman and a few years older than Yana. She had a mature aura but her charm lied in her refreshing appearance.

"I couldn't sleep a lot," Yana closed the locker in the changing room and wore the uniform they had to wear.

For females, it was a knee-high plain black dress. Nothing too fancy but also not too shabby.

Unlike other places, the good thing about this restaurant was that the boss didn't make them wear high-heels.

"Ate too much? Stomach ache?" Linda teased and Yana shook her head, missing the joke, "I'd never get anything bad from my beloved food, we're married in too deep."

"Ok, let's hope there'll be some food to take home with," Linda tied her long blond hair up and clocked herself in for the shift. Yana followed suit.

The restaurant was a one-star Michelin one but contrary to expectations it was more casual than elegant, thus a lot of middle-class or even students came here.

The food was delicious, the atmosphere fun and the guests most of the time pleasant, not snobbish or arrogant.

Almost all of the staff loved working here and the business was great, meaning Yana was occupied for the whole time.

She preferred this over a boring workday with nothing to do. She even liked it if it was more busy and hectic, after all, more customers meant more tip. And more tips equalled more money.

"Oh, Yana! You can take care of this area since Tom's sick, we've got to switch up the location," the manager enthusiastically greeted Yana and Linda, "Linda you can take the same as yesterday."

"What, Tim's sick? Did he cancel last minute?" Linda swung her ponytail and adjusted her dress. The manager, a male in his early 40s, was unfazed however many of the customers' eyes were on Linda. This restaurant really was a feast for the eyes too.

"Got it," Yana headed to her area as the manager's pointed out.

The restaurant was divided into four areas, each for a waiter to take care of, so there were always four in each shift, while there were two bartenders and two helpers in case it got busy.

The restaurant was fairly large and each area had at least 20 tables which even included large round tables of up to 15 people. Yana loathed them as they were much to deal with.

The plates stacked up in no time so that was why helpers were amazing and crucial during busy times.

"Table for one?" Yana heard the manager's voice from behind her as he seated a guest. The manager acted as the host.

Yana took out the small tablet and asked the customer on each table for their orders before she realised the manager sat the lone guest in her area.

Making her way to the table, she briefly froze as her nightmares from yesterday piled up and clouded her vision.

What was he doing here? Out of all people? Out of all places?

What were the odds? Since Yana's started uni she was lucky enough to get this job and never saw him!

"Oh," Yana wore a knowing smile and once again delusional thoughts crept into her mind. She understood. He was here because he felt bad for ignoring her, so that was why he appeared here for the first time ever.

Little did Yana know that Luka was on his way to get some food when he saw the advertisement for this restaurant. The delicate set menu and the massive meat dish looked mouth-watering so he wanted to give it a try.

"Hey, Luka!" Yana wore a brilliant smile and her ponytail swung as she skipped to his table. Luka looked up, their eyes briefly meeting before he looked back at the menu and pointed at the set meal.

A few veins popped on Yana's forehead. It wasn't the fact he once again bluntly ignored her or solely ordered, it was the fact he had the audacity to silently sigh. And she caught him!

If he wanted to sigh then at least do it more discreetly. What was his problem? Why did he keep acting like that?

Yana eyed him weirdly before a sly smirk played on her lips, "I'm sorry, I can't see your order. You have to properly say it."