002

Chapter 12

                                                               ~You Love Him~

The next morning I get to scoops early to open up. I sit in the break room whilst I wait for Robin and Steve to arrive.
Steve walks in through the back door and takes of his glasses that I gave back to him.
"Your here early" he says.
"Well someone has to open up" I say.
Steve puts his bag under the table and sits opposite me.
"I'm sorry for the way things ended between us" I say.
"It's my fault I shouldn't have done what I did" Steve reply's.
"No I over reacted I mean it's not like you cheated you just drove her somewhere and I'm sorry" I say.
"I'm sorry too and I should try to accept the fact that your friends with Tommy H" Steve apologises.
"Trust me I'm not friends with Tommy H anymore he's a bit of a moron" Steve laughs.
Robin walks in and stops she looks from me to Steve and back at me.

Later on in the day Dustin comes in.
"Hi I'm dustin" he says to Robin
"I'm Robin" she responds confused.
"I he here?" Dustin asks.
"Is who here?" Robin repeats.
Steve bursts through the door and goes up to Dustin.
I poke my head out the window to see them both laughing I climb through the window and stand next to Robin.
"Hi Nat" Dustin says.
"Hey" I reply.
"How many children are you friends with?" Robin ask Steve and I.
We both share a look before serving dustin some ice cream and siting at a booth.
Dustin tells us about his girlfriend.
"No, no way hotter than Phoebe Cates? No" Steve says in denial.
"Brilliant too and she doesn't even care that my real pearls are still coming in she says kissing is better without teeth" Dustin says
Steve and I share a look.
"Wow yeah that's great proud of you man" Steve kicks me under the table so I say something as well.
"Yeah totally that kinda romantic" I say.
"Hey dipshits can one of you clean the tables whilst I serve you know cause I don't have a billion hands" Robin shouts from the counter.
I roll my eyes and climb out of the booth I pick up a cloth and spray and start cleaning.
"So you really just get to eat as much of this as you want" I hear Dustin ask.
"Yeah sure but I got to keep in shape for the ladies" Steve responds.
"Yeah how's that working out for ya" I shout.
"Ignore her" Steve says.
"Wait are you to not together?" Dustin asks.
"Uh not exactly" Stev says.
"What does that mean? Your either dating her or your not there's no in between man" Dustin argues.
"We're not dating alright just drop it" Steve spits.
I throw the cloth down and bang my head on a wooden column.
"Chop chop these tables don't clean themselves" Robin picks up the cloth and puts it in my hand.
"Boy problems?" She asks.
"I don't get it" I say.
"Don't get what?" Robin asks.
"Why I feel like I do" I complain.
"Ohhh" Robin says. "Your in love with Steve"
"Robin I told you before I don't know what being in loves like" I argue.
"Do you like spending time with him?" She asks.
"Yes"
"Do you like the way he does his silly hair"
"Yes"
"Do you like working with him?"
"Yes"
"Do you wish you where still with him?"
"Yes"
"So you love him!" Robin shouts.
I put a hand over her mouth and pull her into a break room.
"Ok I'm so in love with Steve the stupid hair Harrington it hurts to watch him flirt with other girls and fail miserably it hurts that he tells people we're over and I replay the night of the party all the time knowing if I hadn't of walked out that room I would be so much happier it hurts that I am full blow over my head in love with everything about him from the way his lips move to how he raises his eyebrows at every little inconvenience and it kills me that he doesn't love me back and that he never did" I pace the room ranting.
Robin just stands there in utter shock.
"I intercepted a secret Russian communication" We head Dusin shout
We both run to the window to see Steve shushing him and everyone staring.
"You tell a living soul I said that you will not live to see another day understand?" I order.
Robin nods her head before running out the break room to serve customers.
I walk out after her and continue to clean tables.

After hours of giving samples out to Erica Sinclair and her friends whilst Steve and Dustin refuse to let Robin and I in the break room.
"You know what" Robin barges through the door and disappears into the break room.
Moments later Steve comes out.
"I'm taking over from Robin" Steve say.
"What exactly are you doing in there?" I ask.
"That is top secret" he says.
El and Max walk over to the counter.
"Can we get one strawberry ice cream and one vanilla with sprinkles?" Max asks Steve.
"Sure" Steve grabs two cones and scoops up the ice cream.
I look at el and raise my eyebrows.
"Does hop know your out?" I ask Steve hands them there ice creams and takes the money from them.
They both giggle and leave.
"Hey" I shout running around the counter
"They'll be fine" Steve says and I reluctantly walk back behind the counter
Then Steve looks like he has a light bulb moment.
"Your fluent in Russian!" He says.
"Yes" I respond.
Steve leads me into the break room.
"She can translate it" he announces.
"Why didn't we think of that hours ago?" Dustin asks
"I'm sorry I'm confused" Robin says.
"I'm fluent in Russian" I explain.
They hand me the tape and I listen to it.
"The week is long the silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west" I say.
"I mean it just it can't be right" Steve says locking up the shop. Everyone had gone home and it was just Steve, Robin, Dustin and I.
"It's right" I respond.
"Honestly I think it's great news" dustin says.
"How is it great news?" Steve asks "I mean so much for being American heroes it's total nonsense"
"It's not nonsense it's too specific it's obviously a code" Dustin argues.
"What do you mean a code?" Steve asks.
"Like a super secret spy code" Dustin responds.
"That's a total stretch" Steve says.
"I don't know is it?" Robin asks.
"Your buying into this!" Steve says.
"Listen just for kicks let's entertain the possibility that it is a secret Russian transmission what'd you think they were gonna say fire the war head at noon?" Robin asks.
"Exactly" Dustin agrees.
"And my translation is correct I know that for sure so the silver cat feeds why would anyone talk like that unless they're trying to mask the true meaning of there message" I say.
"Exactly" Dustin repeats.
"Why would anyone mask the true meaning of their message unless the message was somehow sensitive?" I ask.
"Exactly" Dustin repeats again.
"So I guess that confirms your suspicion" Robin says.
"Evil Russians" Dustin responds.
"I can't believe I'm about to agree with this strange child but yeah evil Russians" Robin laughs.
"So how do we crack it?" Dustin asks.
"Well I guess we translate the rest and hopefully a pattern emerges" Robin responds.
"A pattern like maybe silver cat is a meeting place?" Dustin asks.
"Or a person" Robin finishes.
"Where's Steve?" I ask.
We all turn around and see him digging in his pockets standing in front of a toy horse.
"Hey Steve!" I shout. "What are you doing"
"Uh quarter I need a quarter do you have a quarter?" He asks.
We all run over to him.
"You sure your tall enough for that ride" robin laughs.
"Quarter!" Steve shouts and Robin throws one over to him.
He puts it into the machine and the horse starts to move.
"You need help getting up little stevie?" Robin asks but Steve shushes her.
We all stare at the horse.
I hit Dustin and Robin in the arm.
"The music" I turn Dustin around and pull out the tape.
I play the tape and the music in the background matches.
"Maybe they have horses like this in Russia?" Robin says.
"Indiana flyer? I don't think so this code it didn't come from Russia it came from here" Steve says.
We all watch the horse and I feel a lump form in my throat that I couldn't push down.
If the Russians were here it wouldn't take them long to find me.