Dream of Us ✔️

chapter four

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Ani's POV.

The shrill beep of my alarm breaks through my dream. I groan in frustration and press my head further under the pillow. I was so close to having some answers, to finding out who that man was. I bang my fists against the pillow before letting out another groan and dragging my body into a sitting position.

I rub the sleepy dust from my eyes with my fisted hands and blink a couple times to dispel the stars they cause in my vision. One glance at my clock tells me that it is 7:31AM. I have one hour to get to the diner before my shift starts. I sigh heavily and swing my legs round, getting up from the warm, cosy bed.

A shower is the first thing I go for. I scrub my scalp, brush out my tangles and shave my legs. When I'm done, I dry myself off and add some product to tame the mass of curls that is my light brown hair. I apply my make-up in the mirror in under fifteen minutes, which would horrify my friend, Sian, who likes to spend a good hour on her make-up each morning.

Once that's done, I pull on my uniform. It's pretty basic, but I like it. I'm required to wear a black skirt or trousers, flat shoes are recommended because I'm on my feet a lot, and a white shirt with the restaurant's logo stitched on the left breast. I eat an apple and a banana for breakfast, clean my teeth and then pull on my coat. I'm out of my flat before 8AM.

My small Ford Fiesta is waiting for me on the road. I pull out of my spot and drive the ten minutes through the city to the restaurant I started working at a month ago. Before I worked at Camille's, I used to work at a diner on the other side of the city. My foster mum says I'm wasting my life being a waitress, she thinks I should be working my way up the career ladder at some corporate company. She doesn't understand that I love waitressing.

I'm good at customer service and I like giving customers the best experience possible when they dine with us. I receive some very generous tips and I get on with my work colleagues. I have everything I could need working at Camille's.

Except adventure.

I'll confess, it's hardly an exciting job. Sure, it changes every day and you never know who is going to walk through the door, but it's not exactly an adrenaline rush when my shift starts. I'm only twenty-five, I want to have adventures and travel and see things. Unfortunately, Jaymie doesn't strike me as the kind of man who shares those dreams. His goals are to settle down; buy a house, get married and have a family. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm not sure that I'm the woman to give him that life.

Camille's is still closed to the public when I arrive. I enter through the staff entrance at the back and find the chefs already in the kitchen. Michel, the maître-d, is setting up in the front while Sian restocks the condiments. I hang up my coat and put my bag in the staff work room. I come back out into the front of the restaurant and look around for things to do.

"Morning," I call out breezily, getting their attention.

"Morning, Ani," Michel replies without looking up from the table he is setting.

Sian comes over and bumps her hip with mine. "Morning, beautiful. Ten minute make-up job again?"

"You know it," I reply with a smirk.

"Ugh." She rolls her eyes dramatically. "When will you let me teach you how to blend? You must contour those lovely cheekbones, Ani."

"Yeah, yeah. These cheekbones are just fine not being blended, thank you very much."

"Whatever, I'll wear you down one day."

"Keep dreaming, Sian," I reply sassily and help her to set one of our larger tables. I call out over my shoulder, "Any high-flyers today, Michel?"