Rise To Stardom

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was lunchtime and the restaurant was buzzing with a combination of our regulars and newcomers. A cacophony of customer chatter, pots and pans from the kitchen and other waiters and waitresses shouting out orders were in harmony.

There sat a kid with his seemingly healthy parents and a chocolate milkshake in his grubby hands, completely oblivious to the hard work that he would have to endure once he grew into an adult my age.

Envy permeated my body as I observed that kid. I took hurried steps toward the kitchen where the chefs were moving non-stop to gather everyone's orders. "I need a cheeseburger and fries, a steak with a side of asparagus and corn, and a Caesar salad with extra veggies."

I spun on my heel to see Aubrey amidst the crowd in the dining area. She was sitting alone at a table for two, her brunette hair in its iconic ponytail and her amber eyes scanning the menu.

She was in her red one-shoulder bodysuit, baggy and torn jeans and her nails looked freshly painted white based on how much space she added in between fingers. Of course, in true Aubrey fashion, an iced tea was already in her hand.

"Hey, Aubs. What can I get you?"

Her face lit up when she saw me. "I'll have a cheese flatbread pizza with a side of Caesar salad and..." Her eyes trailed somewhere behind me. Still facing her, I instantly knew where she was going with this. "that hunk of meat over there, if you may."

Liam Wynwood - the sole reason Aubrey stopped by my work almost everyday. In her defense, Liam had ocean eyes that Aubrey always admired in a guy.

He had dark hair that contrasted against his tanned skin tone, high cheekbones, a strong jawline that would pierce through your finger at the slightest touch and muscled arms that would make his waiter uniform pop at any given moment.

When Aubrey went with me to apply for jobs for mural support, we stepped through the threshold of this five-star restaurant and he was the one who greeted us. Aubrey was already making googly eyes at the good-looking man in front of us. She practically begged me to send in an application so visiting me would give her an excuse to see him everyday.

That explained the seducing attire she wore in an attempt to get his attention - especially the freshly-done nails. Both of them had a habit of flirting with each other, but it never escalated to anything as big as actually sleeping together. It was Aubrey's mission to change that.

"Could you... bring him over here?"

I chuckled at the sight of her finger twirling her hair and her teeth clamped over her bottom lip in a seductive manner. Rolling my eyes, I obliged nonetheless.

I strode over toward Liam, casually with my hands in my pockets and waited for him to finish assisting a customer who complained that she didn't want seeds in her salad.

Once he was done, I whispered in his ear that someone was here to see him. My finger pointed him in the direction of my best friend looking like she had nothing to do with me bringing him over. The staff continued to attend to the customers that poured in during their lunch hour until things started to simmer down.

The restaurant population winded down to a few couples and families scattered here and there, new customers filtering in every now and then. Time got away from me, but my feet hurt and all the running around increased my body temperature to the point where I was burning up.

It was definitely break time. I was on my way to the break room when I felt a hand lightly grab my wrist.

"Aubrey? You're still here?"