Naomi hates when people underestimate her. She wants to do as much work as possible to show people what she's capable of. If her boss tells her to take a day off, she sees it as an insult. She doesn't need a day off because she's strong enough to handle all the assholes that come to her screaming that they want their coffee faster,even though she can't do anything about it.
When her boss said that he plans on hiring someone new she almost lost her mind. She doesn't need help. She can handle all the costumers and do a good job without someone that is there next to her to help her. What she hates the most is the fact that she has to teach this new person how to work in the café and how to use the precious time in their advantage. The orders have to be served on time. Nobody likes drinking a cold coffee.
Sometimes Nicholas and Leo think that Naomi is like this because of what happened two years ago. When her mother died, Naomi got lost in work. Overworking made her think less about what happened but it had a very bad impact on her relationship with her father because she was rarely home and he missed her. It's been like this since then and Leo always needs to call her so he's sure that she isn't overworking again. If she's not at the café she always find something to do at home. Either chores or creating a mess just to clean up. It doesn't really take her mind off things. It's more like a failed distraction that became a bad habit she just can't grow out of.
"Bottoms up! Fuck this shit!" Naomi says while drinking whiskey straight from the bottle.
"That should be my new personal motto!" Nicholas laughs and elbows Leo who just raises an eyebrow at him.
"I thought we were grabbing dinner.... You're lucky my mom is working the night shift again"
"Working on a weekend night? Man that sucks" Nicholas says as he grabs the bottle from Naomi's hands taking a big gulp from it.
"Who wants to watch Drag Race?" Leo asks and Nicholas immediately stands up clapping in a childish way.
"Let's go over to the couch but be careful not to spill anything on it or my mom will kill all of us"
Naomi follows Nicholas towards the couch in the living room and they both jump on it with their hands in the air.
"Hey! I said be careful! Behave or I'm not even gonna bother to turn on the TV"
"C'mon Leo! Don't be mean! Don't ruin the party!" Nicholas looks at him with his eyes almost closed.
"What party?" Leo asks and there is a heavy silence in the air until Naomi bursts out laughing.
"Oh Jesus... I missed drinking with you guys. Remember when we used to get drunk in high school and play truth or dare and other shit like that? Man... Those were the days"
"You talk like we're all old now" Nicholas elbows Naomi who only smiles thinking of all the memories that she has with her drunk friends.
"Somehow I was stupid enough to get drunk in high school" Leo turns on the TV and sits on the couch between Naomi and Nicholas.
"You know.... Sometimes I'm an asshole.... And I don't want to be an asshole. I want to be good. Leo! Am I a good friend?"
"Sure you are" Leo pats Nicholas' head that is now on his shoulder.
"What about me Leo? Am I a good friend even though I sometimes scream at you?" Naomi says while her eyes become glossy and Leo knows she's about to start crying.
"You are a good friend Naomi" He also pats her head that is on his chest and sighs looking at the ceiling.
It's always the same when they get drunk. During these last years Leo has spotted a pattern. First they both drink and want to scream at the top of their lungs. Surprisingly, drunk Nicholas is much more easier to handle than sober Nicholas but it's not the same story when it comes to Naomi. She acts like a child and has energy for days. It's exhausting to even watch her jump around the house. Last time they got drunk she almost broke Leo's bed because of how hard she jumped on it. Leo swore that she's not allowed in his room ever again. After they run out of energy they start to become emotional and question every single little thing in their lifes. Leo feels like he has to make them feel better somehow so he always has cookies prepared when he knows that they come over. Finally they fall asleep while eating their cookies happily.
This time is no different.
Leo gives them two cookies and stands up from the couch scratching the back of his head. His mother is not gonna be happy when she sees this. She's not very fond of alcohol and that's why Leo doesn't even drink. It reminds them of the mistakes his father did in the past.
He walks over to the kitchen and looks at the clock on the wall.
2:45 A.M.
He can't sleep so he's not even going to try that. There's not much to do other than eating so he grabs the rest of the cookies and eats them silently while looking at the TV. After finishing the cookies the only interesting thing that remains doing is looking at the ceiling and counting the cracks on it. There aren't many so he gets bored of doing that before even starting.
He goes to his bedroom lying down on his bed trying to get some sleep. His legs can't stop moving and his body feels restless, like something or someone is pulling him by some imaginary strings, not letting him stay steady. Slowly his eyelids start getting heavier and he closes his eyes ,resting them for a bit, falling asleep without knowing.
YOU ARE READING
Pumpkin Spice Mocha
General FictionLeo doesn't need much except a good book and a coffee to relax. He always puts his family and friends first no matter what and he never had trouble getting close to new people. That was until an anxious boy, Aaron, that has trouble opening up, appea...
