Irresistible (A Liam Payne Fanfic)

chapter one: My Life

As of a year ago, my life has been a nonstop blur of work. But I guess that was okay. I didn’t have to think so much, I got things done and my emotions haven’t gotten in the way. My motto has always been “you slow down, you die”. I remind myself of this every time I get stressed out about school or work. Those are two things I need to survive. I wouldn’t have either of those things if it weren’t for Joshua. He was kind of like a second father. Last year when I first arrived in New York, I was alone, looking for a job and a place to live so I could afford going to Columbia University. The forty year old man found me playing down the street from his café. Moved by the fact I was from a small town in Utah and had big dreams, he took me in. He gave me a job at his café and let me live in the vacant apartment above it. Lucky for me that apartment had its own entry way so I wouldn’t have to walk through the café every time I had to go somewhere.

A bus passed by and its strong fumes brought me out of my thoughts. A year ago, it would’ve made me gag but I’ve grown used to it. My fingers traveled along my guitar as melodic words drifted from my lips.

Settle down with me

And I’ll be your safety

If you’ll be my baby

I didn’t have many viewers but every now and then someone would pass by and drop a dollar or some change into my guitar case. I noticed a woman with dirty blond hair, a strong nose and wearing a leopard print coat, drop a bill into my case then walk away.

The alarm on my phone went off signaling it was time to pack up and get to work. I counted my tips (forty eight all together) then put my guitar in its case and headed down the street. As I crossed the street, some guy in a cab rolled down his window and shouted “Move it prissy!” My New York sass instincts kicked in. “Bite me!” I shouted back. He grinned. “Keep walking like that and I will!”

I rolled my eyes and continued walking. The good thing about New York is that it was big enough that it was rare you ever saw the same person twice, unless you kept tabs on them. It made being yourself easy. It wasn’t like anyone here was judging you anyways. Not like they did in Utah. Everywhere I went people judged me because I didn’t go to church or because I dressed how I wanted or because I dreamed big crazy dreams. I liked not being judged. I was pretty sure I would never go back.

The bell chimed as I walked through the front door of the Crimson café. It was fairly busy tonight; thank goodness I arrived when I did.

“Amy! Where the hell have you been? This place is chaos!” Said Amarie, my over dramatic best friend, coworker, and academic competition. She had bright, red orange, curly hair but she was exceptionally gorgeous for a ginger. I set my guitar down behind the counter, grabbed my apron off the rack and threw it on. “Oh come on.” I said. “We’re not that busy.”

“Are you kidding? Gaddot was in here waiting for a table then he got impatient and left.” It took me a moment to realize she was referencing a play she read in her English class. “I hope you know I rarely have any idea what you’re talking about.” I said and put the forty eight bucks I made in the cash register.

“You know, you can keep that money. Use it to buy a new outfit? Maybe go clubbing with me?” she said as she watched me.

I shook my head. “No. Joshua needs this money and I owe him.” She poured some coffee into some mugs and set them on a tray. “Sheesh, I bet you weren’t this good to your parents.” I took the tray from her and balanced it on my arm as I grabbed the pot. I furrowed my eyebrows at the memory of my parents. “I treated them the way they treated me.”  

I passed out the coffee and took a few orders then handed them to Amarie. “I love it when you work fast.” She said and gave the orders to Ricardo, our cook. Three meals were done in about three minutes. I handed them out as fast as possible without making any mistakes. After a half hour, half of our tables were cleared.