Please, with a Cherry on top? | 18+

5 | Cerise

Another month had flown by, and Halloween was approaching. It was Friday, with the spooky holiday falling on Tuesday.

Cerise's last exam for the month was scheduled for Monday, so understandably, she was more focused on preparing for her exam than making any Halloween plans.

Unfortunately, her exhaustion was evident. Dark circles adorned her eyes, and she was running on only three hours of sleep and two energy drinks by the time she clocked into work in the evening.

In her spare time, Cerise had her nose buried in notes and textbooks. She would alternate between reviewing past assignments and prior exam content, and then help any clients when they came in.

She was engrossed in her notebook, chewing on the straw of her third Red Bull when Saint stepped into the parlor, a few hours later than his usual time.

"Hey," he greeted, inserting his key into his office door lock.

"Hey," Cerise mumbled, engaged in sketching a diagram.

"Everything good?" he asked as he entered his office and set down his belongings.

"Yep," she replied, quietly cursing to herself as she made a mistake and began erasing furiously.

Little did she know, Saint quickly noticed the change in Cerise's usual demeanor. His attention was immediately drawn to her when she didn't meet his gaze as she typically did.

As Cerise continued studying, unaware of his presence, Saint stood nearby observing her intently.

"A client's been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes," Saint told her.

Cerise's head shot up, ready to apologize, but her words never escaped her mouth when she realized there was no one there. Her furrowed eyebrows softened as she met Saint's intense green gaze. She couldn't miss the hint of concern in his eyes.

"Sorry. Hey Saint, how are you?" she asked softly, trying to break the tension.

Ignoring her question, Saint moved closer, maintaining his steady gaze on her. He asked again, his voice low and probing, "Good?" 

"Yeah," she sighed, "I'm just studying for my exam. Is that okay?"

Cerise sounded a lot more unsure now, becoming more aware of the fact he might not appreciate her multitasking in such a way while clocked in.

"Mhm," he hummed, his eyes flicking over her array of study materials.

Cerise gave him a thankful look before sticking her nose back in her notes. She missed the way Saint's lips turned up a bit at her silent dismissal before he walked off. 

He returned 10 minutes later to set an iced tea and a toasted bagel with strawberry cream cheese in front of her, just as she was slurping the last of her drink.

Cerise immediately looked up at him and was met with a soft pat on the top of her head.

"Take it easy," he stated simply before walking off again, "Come get me at 7."

"Thank you!" Cerise sweetly called after him, her energy seeming to be temporarily regained as she eagerly pulled the bagel closer.

She couldn't tell if her stomach was fluttering due to his sweet gesture, or because she was finally going to eat her first meal of the day.

***

It had been a few hours since she finished her bagel, and Cerise had no choice but to put her studies on pause as the parlor began to have more activity from the incoming clients.