Coffee and Three Wishes (On going-unedited)

Chapter 5

Giselle

We were preparing for closing up for the day. I wiped the surfaces and while Mike swept and took out the trash. I wanted to say we did better than yesterday, but whom am I kidding?

As I put away the cleaning supplies, I remembered the question that kept slipping my mind with all what was going. "By the way, Mike, how is the job hunt going?"

"Good," he mumbled and proceeded to wash his hands and then extensively focused on drying them.

We've been friends for a long time that I knew when he was hiding something or lying. Mumbling and avoiding eye contact were involuntarily ticks that always sold him out.

Placing both hands on my hips, I started chiding tapping my foot, "Mi~ke?"

His shoulders pinched up and he instantly turned the other way. If he thought I would drop it, then oh boy, he was mistaken.

I whipped at him, "You know you won't get your dream job working at a coffee house."

He sheepish glance. "Yeah, I know."

"What's your excuse this time?" I crossed my arms squinting at him. He always came up with something.

Mike pressed his lips together for a minute before blurting out, "They're all unpaid, intern jobs. It's like starting from below zero. Now, why would I leave a paying job to go work for a company that won't even pay me?"

"What paying job?" I screeched. My hand shot out gesturing to the empty seats. "We're making peanuts here!"

Mike shrugged and droned, "Still better than nothing if you ask me." He saw my eyebrow quirk up over his lame pretext and went on, "And I would hate to leave you like this. Plus, you don't even deduct my paychecks when I go in for interviews."

As expected, a lame excuse.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Listen, I really appreciate your help and that you're always there for me."

"Bu~t?" He stretched.

"Bu~t, you won't get the job you want if your ass was buried here." My sisterly side made and entrance and I let him have it- the blunt honesty of tough love. "There is nothing wrong with starting as an intern and it's only a temporary position. You know you have to start somewhere –other than the coffee house."

Then I twisted the seriousness to a joke, "Don't get me wrong, I love having you here, but you're too noisy and annoying."

Mike gasped pretending to be hurt and making me laugh. He had a small smile on, and I could see that he was considering it but concern was there too. I would too if I was in his place.

"How about this," my mouth ran as soon as the idea formed in my head. "You get that internship, and work halftime, fully stipend at the coffee house?"

Mike's eyebrows disappeared behind his hair, his eyes bugged out and his mouth hung open; the resulting combination gave him a funny look making me chuckle.

It took him a moment to regain his speech abilities.

"I- I..." he stuttered.

Or, maybe not.

"I- accept? I- thank you? I- will name my first born after you?" I shrugged. "Just saying."

Mike shook his head like he was snapping out of it, "No, no that's not right. No way will I accept that. Didn't you just say we make peanuts?" His hands went in every direction as he spoke.

As I flicked my wrest dismissively, heat climbed up my face. I did the same silly move while talking to Jayce earlier and my hand couldn't drop faster. Pushing the thought down for a moment, I focused on Mike. "It won't be the first time we share the peanuts."