The Stranger on the Train

Chapter 5: First day

Pov y/n 

The next day my alarm pulls me out of my world of dreams. Normally I would groan and be annoyed but today I'm excited. This will be my first whole day in New York and the start of a new life.

I pick out a neat shirt and put on some jeans before doing my hair and heading downstairs.
On my way to the shop, still guided by my phone, I get a bagel and eat it on the way. I check the time and nod, I'm five minutes early, that's good.

The doors are already open so I enter the shop and see only a few customers. One is standing at the counter, three sit around the shop. I decide that it's probably smart to tell the man behind the counter why I'm here. He finishes of the customer before me and turns to me with a friendly smile.

"How can I help you?" He asks.

"I'm here for the job. I'm supposed to talk to the boss, I think." I reply friendly and feel my heart beating a little faster of the thought to finally have a job and being able to start a life here.

The man nods and excuses himself before getting his boss. I look around the shop until he comes back with a woman walking behind him.
She's tall and wears a white top and tight jeans. Her attentive, grey eyes are almost intimidating but the smile on her lips make her seem less scary.
She holds out her hand for me to shake.

"You must be y/n, I'm Ms. Miller." She introduces herself. I take her hand and shake it. Her grip is firm but not too hard, just enough to make her authoritarian.

"Yes, I'm y/n." I confirm and she gestures to a free table, leading me there.
We sit down and she looks at me for a few seconds as if she wanted to scan me and see if there's anything I might hide.

"So, you want to work here?" She asks and leans back, now the smile back on her lips and I relax a little.

"Yes. I saw the 'help wanted' sign and thought I'd give it a try." I answer truthfully. Ms. Miller nods.

"Have you ever worked in a coffeeshop?" She asks further.
"Yes. When I was in college, I worked part time to pay my student loan, so I have around three years of experience." I tell her and she nods, slightly impressed.

"What did you study?" Her interest seems genuine.

"Marine biology." I say with a small smile, remembering my time in college.

"That sounds really interesting. You'd probably enjoy a visit at the aquarium." She smiles. I'm a little confused by the change of topic but hum in agreement.

"I always liked to watch the fishes swim around. It fascinates me and for some reason has a calming effect on me." I agree and remember how amazed I was when I first visited an aquarium.

"Well, then I know where to send you when the day is hard." Ms. Miller jokes and I grin but nod.

"Okay, but coming back to the job offer. Would you be able to work part time and from around 7:30 am until 1 pm?"
I take a second to think about it and nod.
"Yes, that would fit."

"Great, I'll get the contract ready and if you want to, you can start today." She offers and gets up. I also get up and wait for her at the counter. The man smiles at me, leaning on his arms.

"I'm Jesse, by the way." He introduces himself.

"I'm y/n, nice to meet you." I reply and give him a smile.

But before he can say anything further, Ms. Miller comes back and hands me some papers and a pen. I take them and sit down at a table close by to skim the contract.
The payment is okay, not the best but good for working in a coffee shop but definitely not enough for an apartment. Still a good start and maybe I can start looking for apartments now and rent one when I have a second job.