Katie's Cafe

13

Hannah comes loudly bursting into my bedroom the next morning and dives on my bed. She had been asleep on the sofa when I came home from my date with Tom last night.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head. Why didn't you wake me up when you came home?"

"Because you were fast asleep, that's why," I yawn tiredly.

"So dish the dirt. How did it go then?"

"Nothing dodgy happened if that's what you're asking me. I just gave him a kiss on the cheek when he dropped me off outside".

"That's a really big step for you. So what's his apartment like? Did he mention anything about the investigation?"

"Turns out that he owns a house and it's really nice, and no, we didn't end up talking about work at all".

"He has a house? Someone's clearly loaded. Now get your arse up and jump in the shower or we're going to be late for work".

I swear Hannah is more like my mum than a little sister sometimes, and is by far the more intelligent one out of the two of us. She had to grow up too quickly.

The majority of her old friends from school that she keeps in touch with are already off at uni, but there's a couple of close ones she hangs out with that still live around here.

If anything, I wanted her to be out there enjoying her teenage years more while she still has the chance, and other than that slip up with the party that one time, she's got a sensible head on her shoulders.

She probably views me as a prime example of how having too much fun when you're younger can lead you down a dark path and fuck up your life completely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, we arrive for work and open up, but with Gemma not working until dinner time today, we both know it's going to be a busy Monday morning.

"Morning," I hear Tom's voice while I'm making some bacon sandwiches.

"Morning to you too".

I get a little flustered thinking about last night when he dropped me off. It wasn't even a proper kiss really, but it was somehow still a big deal.

"I know this is fast considering we only had dinner together last night, but are you free this Friday evening by any chance?"

"Yes she is," Hannah tells him when she walks past because she's eavesdropping.

"Apparently I am," I laugh.

"Great. There's a film playing in the park and I thought it would be nice if we took a picnic and watched it together".

"That all depends on the film? You might be the food snob here, but I'm most definitely a film snob".

"Alien? The first one of course".

"Okay, I'm already there. That's one of my top ten favourite films of all time".

"Fantastic. Do you want me to pick you up in front of your building at around seven then?"

"I can't wait. Coffee to go?"

"Please".

The very second he leaves, Hannah comes over to tease me about it. I could already tell she was going to love hearing all about this.

"So you're going to watch a film at the park? How terribly romantic," she smirks and bats her eyelashes.

"I don't often associate an alien bursting out of someone's chest and going on a murderous rampage in space with being a romantic film to be honest".

"I thought men liked to take women to those sorts of films so they get all scared and want to cuddle up to them or something?"

She makes a good point, but would I be ready for that if he did try to make a move on me while we were there?

"I don't think Tom is that kind of man. He seems more mature than that".

"So in other words, he's older and already knows what he wants. He definitely wants you, otherwise he wouldn't keep coming in here for a cup of our crappy coffee".

"What makes you think that?"

"Because he has to walk past three actual coffee shops on his way to work every morning before he even walks past here. Or hadn't you ever noticed that before?"

She's right actually. I'm no good at all when it comes to that ridiculous new coffee machine.

I'd bought it a while ago when we had an actual barista working here in an attempt to be more modern and keep up with the ridiculous amount of Starbucks opening up around here.

Maybe it was time to hire another barista or just ditch that stupid coffee machine all together?

"Do you think we should get a new barista? It's been a while since we've had a decent one working here?"

"It couldn't hurt to have one around. There's no shortage of people looking for jobs these days".

"I'll put an add online later then".

"What about Megan, she's looking for a job?"

"Not a chance in hell, Hannah".

"Why not?"

"Because it's stressful enough having one nineteen year old girl working here without having another knocking about to distract you all day".

"What do you mean? Megan's not that bad".

"She's a bad influence, and I don't know why you still hang around with her".

"I can't even argue with that. She got sacked from her last job for trying to have sex with the manager".

"Didn't she say that her manager was gay when she first started that job?"

"Like that's ever stopped her from trying before," she laughs.

I'd long since decided that I didn't like Megan being friends with my sister, based on how I'd seen her behave in the past, and the many stories I've heard about her.

I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and thought she would've gotten herself together after spectacularly failing her A-levels, unlike Hannah, but it seems that's not the case.

Finding out she was essentially sexually harassing her boss told me everything I needed to know about her. If she worked here, I guarantee she'd quit within a week.