To Break (Masky X OC)

Chapter Two

"You look like shit," Clara commented as Caoihme walked into the small, local diner. "Did you not sleep enough or did Collin tell you another ghost story?" She smirked and threw the cafe's apron at Caoihme who barely caught it in time.

"I'm okay. Just didn't sleep well," Caoihme half-lied to Clara, not wanting to bring out the mother bear by mentioning someone had broken into her house while she was at work. "Did I miss anything?"

Clara shook her head. "Not yet, hun. Mornin' rush shouldn't start for another half an hour. Gives you enough time to brew some coffee and make a cup for yourself." She handed Caoihme an empty pot of coffee. "I already started decaf," she shuddered. "How people can drink that crap? I know not."

Caoihme laughed at the older woman's antics. Clara was in her late thirties with dark brown hair, amber eyes, and one of the happiest smiles. Clara, to most, was like the local mother. She was always there when someone needed something. "Thank you, Clara," Caoihme yawned, going into the back to brew a fresh pot of regular, caffeinated coffee. Boy, did she need it. Caoihme remembered tossing and turning all night, every noise from the woods making her startle and jump.

Clara raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Whatever ya say, hun. If you need anythin', let me know," she sternly spoke, waving a wooden spoon at her. Half an hour later, the door started dinging as people came in. Caoihme quickly downed her cup of coffee and got her notepad out to take orders with Clara.

Morning rush was Caoihme's favorite. She got to meet most of the locals that way and she found the business of it all to help calm her nerves. It wasn't as calming as gardening, but it was a good second. She slipped her pad into her apron pocket and put on her best customer service smile which wasn't hard considering her personality. She smiled and started putting in orders. Most people she recognized. Caoihme couldn't help but laugh as Clara started conversation with nearly everyone. But, that was Clara for you. Always the conversationalist. Caoimhe could never be on Clara's level with conversation. The woman could talk for hours on one subject. Caoimhe always liked to talk about many different things and get to know people.

"Good morning! What can I get for you?" Caoimhe asked brightly, accent bleeding into her words thicker than usual. Her accent always got more pronounced in the morning and late at night. She flipped open her pad and clicked her pen.

Blue eyes met her green ones, a flirtatious smirk on his face. "Let me guess, Scottish?" Caoimhe gripped her pen tighter, teeth gritting. "No, sir. Irish. Now, what can I get for you this fine morning?"

"Ah, my bad," the man chuckled, taking off his black gloves. He had dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and wore a yellow hoodie with a black jacket over it. "Sorry about that. I'll have coffee with cream and sugar. Do you have an omelet that has peppers, onions, potatoes, and all the good stuff?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, sir, we do," Caoimhe nodded, writing down his order. "Anything else?" she asked, looking at the man. She noticed a ghost flower tattooed onto his neck. 'Must be his soulmate's flower,' she thought. She blinked and looked away before he caught her staring.

"No, that will be all, thanks. My name is Brian, and you are?" he–Brain–asked with a smile and wink. Caoimhe faintly blushed. This man had a soulmate and was flirting with her? Maybe that was just his personality. Caoimhe wasn't one to judge people.

"Caoimhe. Nice to meet you, Brian." She flashed a grin. "Let me put your order in." She turned heel and walked back to the kitchen. "Darren! I have another order!" She called the chef and pinned the order to the line of other orders. She picked up the pot of coffee and poured it into a mug. Once the cream and sugar were added and mixed, she brought it back to Brian's table.

"Here's your coffee, sir. Feel free to flag me down for any refills," Caoimhe informed Brian, setting the hot mug down in front of him. Brian thanked her and carefully sipped it. Caoimhe went back to serving other tables before Darren rang the bell signaling Brian's breakfast was ready to be served. Caoimhe rushed over and took the food, thanking Darren for his work.

"So, are you new here?" Brian asked, taking the food and stuffing a piece of egg into his mouth. "I haven't seen you around here before." Caoimhe nodded. "I just moved here a few months ago. I finally got everything settled," she admitted.

"Thought so," Brian smiled again. "I used to live around here before I had to move away. I'm stopping back to visit some old friends. We have unfinished business." His smile didn't reach his eyes as Caoimhe suppressed a shudder.

"Well," Caoimhe cleared her throat. "I hope you both deal with your business." She left the check for Brian. "And I hope you have a good rest of your day." She gave her best smile and forced herself to ignore the creeped out feelings. Brian nodded and went back to eating, keeping a subtle eye on her.

Caoimhe finished out her shift with no other problems. Brian had left the check on the table with a generous tip. She took the money and the check back to the register, noticing the smiley face and number written on it. Along with a little note that said: Nice Meeting You. Call Anytime. Caoimhe stifled her laugh and rolled her eyes. 'A flirt to the end, I guess.' Though, unease did crawl down her back. Something was off about Brian, but she brushed it off as just a bad day.

Collin and Hayley met Caoimhe at the park and the trio decided to take a walk down the trails. Hayley was shorter than Caoimhe and Collin with light brown hair and honey colored eyes. She always had her hair braided and wore comfy summer clothes in all seasons. The leaves blew in the breeze and all three kept stopping along the trails to inspect different plants.

"So, anything exciting happened today?" Hayley kindly asked, looking over a trillium. "You seemed flustered after work at the cafe."

"Oh, it was nothing," Caoimhe lied. "I just didn't sleep well last night. Work was fine. Though, there was this one guy, Brain, I think?" She tapped her chin. "Yeah, Brian. He was a bit weird, but he must have been having a bad day."

"Brian, eh?' Collin smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. "What was he like?"

"He isn't my soulmate, Collin," Caoimhe deadpanned. "He was nice. I saw a ghost flower on his neck. I know it was a soulmark." She described what the flower looked like in great detail and talked about her shift.

"Poor fella," Hayley shook her head. "Most people who have a flower mark on their neck insinuates the Hanahaki soulbond. It's one of the worst because of its deadly reputation. Most would rather die with Hanahaki then get the surgery and lose all feelings of romance." Hayley looked down sadly. "I knew some people who had it. Brian's lucky. The people I knew died and never found their soulmate."

Caoimhe felt a pang of guilt. "Oh, I'm sorry." A few minutes of silence passed before anyone spoke. "So, umm, you two are welcome anytime Saturday to come visit. My gardens are finished and I think you both would really like them."

"Awe, of course!" Hayley beamed. "We'll be there."

The trio stayed on the trails until the sun started to go down. Caoimhe trailed behind her friends and took in the way nature seemed to change as the sun went down. She found it fascinating as some flowers deflated and others started to bloom. As she turned back once more to look into the woods her eyes widened as she saw a man wearing a black mask with a frown staring at her. Caoimhe ran as fast as she could, faking a laugh as if to tell Hayley and Collin she was racing them.

Though, that wasn't the case at all. Running, she couldn't help but think what if that was the man who broke into her house? 

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BRIAN HAS ARRIVED! MY MANZ! You don't understand how much I love him! 

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I am having so much fun writing this for you all. Votes and comments are greatly appreciated! I love hearing from you all!

Have a wonderful day!

~Kat