Tongue-Tied (Jamie x Reader)

4: Conflict

"Let me be honest with you for a hot second right now. You had some pretty good food, [Name]. Maybe I'll tell my grandma about this place, and I can bring her here. And the pricing is reasonable. With this whole business going on, you'll fit in in no time," Jamie said.

It was right before closing hours, and he and [Name] were chatting at the tiki bar. Everyone else had gone off to their other destinations. "Mhmm... I hope to get used to this place..." she mumbled.

Jamie arched his brow. "Not much of a talker?"

[Name] shook her head. He chuckled and gave a tip; $20. "Well, see ya soon, maybe. Who knows where we could run into each other?"

And with that, Jamie left, signaling closing hours beginning. [Name] closed the doors and turned the sign over so it said, "Sorry! We're closed!" Her phone then went off. "Hello?" [Name] asked as she answered it.

"Hey, sweetie! How's it going?"

It was her Mother! "It's going well! One of my workers counted the money we received, and we got... What was it again? ... Oh! $50 plus a $20 tip from a friend of mine!" [Name] said.

Mother began to cheer in excitement. She rambled on about how excited she was that her daughter would become a worthy businesswoman. [Name] continued talking with her mother but soon had to go, so she hung up and went upstairs to the apartment she bought. It was convenient that her apartment was above her place. It meant not having to walk from a hotel or apartment complex to The Hula Hale.

...

On the streets of Chinatown, Jamie sat against a wall with his earbuds in, listening to music. Most likely 4 Big Guys. Something was stirring in him, but he had no idea what it could be. He leaned back against the wall, sighing. "Man, the food at The Hula Hale was pretty good... And to think it's run by a young woman like [Name]... It's pretty impressive," he thought to himself.

All of a sudden, people began to cheer. Jamie sat up and removed his earbuds, going to check on what it could be. He saw people gathered around two people that happened to be fighting. Someone with a box head and his friend Kimberly! Jamie's eyes widened as he got somewhere where he could see the fight. The box head was limping around, trying to avoid Kimberly's attacks. But, to no avail, with her spray can smoke bomb and a few kicks to the gut, they were down. "Nice one, Kimberly!" Jamie called.

She looked back at him and grinned. As the crowd left, she walked over to him. "Where in the world were you today? I had to step in for you!" she exclaimed.

Jamie stayed silent with confusion, then rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well I didn't know. Besides, the owner of a new Hawaiian restaurant got injured. So I was busy with that, and then I wanted to try the food she had there," he explained.

Kimberly's eyes widened when she heard about it. A new food place?! Bring it on! The two left the fighting area and sat on the roof of a building near The Hula Hale. "So, that's it?" she asked.

"Mhmm. And [Name] is a nice person. I should introduce you to her," Jamie replied.

"Sure! I wanna try her food! Is she a good cook like Chun-Li's sister?" Kimberly questioned.

"Oh, hell yeah."

They continued talking about it, which made the gut feeling come back to Jamie. The same feeling from before hit him again. He was proud of her for running a successful business like a restaurant that originated in Hawaii. He brushed the thought off and unzipped his top, letting the cool air hit his sweaty but toned physique. "You look like you have something on your mind, Jamie. Are you okay?" Kimberly asked.

Jamie's eyes widened as he laughed. "Who, me?! Of course, I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with me! Nothing as bad has affected me before!" Jamie said proudly.

The girl arched her eyebrow, then sighed in dismay. "Anyways, tell me a few things about her. I wanna know! She seems like an interesting person."

He began to think. "Well... [Name] isn't much of a talker. Although, she must enjoy her job, despite starting a few days ago. Her hair is what makes her unique. She's such a kind young woman. People love her," Jamie explained.

Kimberly nodded and took an earbud out of her ear. "Have you made a new playlist yet? Ya know, for the summer?" she asked.

Jamie thought again, then shook his head. That's one thing he should do next. 

...

The next morning, [Name] got up, brushed her teeth, put cream on her face to calm the acne, and put on her working attire. "Now then, I need to run a brush through this... um... mess."

Bedhead was never her friend. [Name] brushed her [color] hair, then braided small chunks, pulling the mass of braided and mostly unbraided hair into a low ponytail with a golden hair tie. Top it off with a colorful flower crown. She ran down the stairs, but not before saying a silent and small prayer in front of her grandma's Hawaiian doll. Chefs were already cleaning the kitchen, saying "aloha" and "good morning" to [Name] as she passed by. "Good morning miss [Name]," the hostess said.

"Morning," [Name] said as she turned the sign over to indicate the place was open for business.

"So, how much do you think you'll get today?" she asked.

It was something she hadn't thought of, but her thoughts were cut short when the door was busted down by someone with blonde dreads and dark skin. "Who's the owner here?" he yelled.

The workers in the back ducked down, and [Name] stood in the opening. "M-Me?" she stammered.

The man smirked and grabbed her wrapped wrist, causing her to scream in pain. He dragged [Name] out of the building, taking her into Chinatown and down through an alleyway. They were in the darkness. His goal was for no one to find out about what he was going to do. But with that scream [Name] let out, would it be possible?