I groaned when my alarm went off around 6 in the morning. I had an early shift at my job, and I honestly should have been getting up earlier, but I needed the sleep. I finally convinced myself to sit up, feeling like a rag doll as I struggled to stay up. I finally shuffled to the bathroom, hurriedly brushing my teeth before putting on light makeup. I literally just whipped out the tinted BB creme and added brown mascara, so it would look more natural. I went ahead and added some light pink lipgloss. I used my trusty wavy iron that made my hair in perfect, natural waves in minutes. I then pulled half of my dark brown hair straight back from my forehead, securing it in the back before adding a cute, black bow. That was my signature hair style, and I always felt like a cute Disney princess in it. I ran to grab my purse before hearing my dog's little bark. He was a Pomeranian and I almost forgot to feed him, which he reminded me.
"I'm so sorry, Pooh Bear," I apologized. I had given him that name since he reminded me of the iconic cartoon character. "Here you go. Have a good day today, okay? I'll see you tonight." I petted his head before rushing out the door, driving straight to the restaurant, Bob Evan's. Thankfully I wasn't late, and I had a chance to breathe once I was behind the front counter. None of the customers had arrived for breakfast yet and I was relieved, since I needed a few moments to collect myself. I was just fixing my hair when the first people arrived, me putting on my best smile.
"Welcome to Bob Evan's. Thank you for dining with us today...," I trailed off after realizing that it was my neighbor from across the street. He was a middle aged man with dark brown hair, but he was attractive. We just never thought of each other like that, since I was younger. "Hey, Ned. How are you?"
"I'm good. I just came here after picking up my friend from the airport. I haven't seen him in years."
"That's nice. Where is he," I curiously wondered as I grabbed a couple of laminated menus.
"He's still in the car, since he got a phone call, but he should be in any minute."
"I can go ahead and lead you to a table if you want, or you can wait here for him."
"No, a table will be fine. I don't think he'll have much trouble finding me," he softly chuckled as I led the way. I explained our specials before going ahead and taking his order for the drink he wanted. I grabbed a water in a jiffy, hurrying back to give it to him. I sighed softly as I went back up front, anxiously waiting for his friend to show up. I was fiddling with my fingers when I heard the door open, autumn air drifting in. When I lifted my head I saw a man with a navy baseball cap over his eyes. He seemed tired as he looked around the small area.
"Are you eating with Ned? I already led him to the table," I explained.
"Yeah. Thank you," he politely reacted.
"What would you like to drink," I asked him once he was settled.
"I'd like the caramel mocha. Thank you."
I nodded as I went off to the kitchens, while he went over the menu. His voice had felt eerily familiar but in a comforting way. It was like I had known him for years instead of mere minutes, and I almost felt butterflies from his voice alone. I knew he was close in age to Ned, but he didn't seem as old. When I came back over the guy had taken off his hat, and I gasped as I dropped the white coffee cup, the beverage going all over the floor.
"I'm so sorry," I stammered, feeling shaky and like I was about to cry as I stooped down to clean up. I wasn't sure what I was doing, since I had nothing to wipe it up with. "I'm so sorry," I repeated, but I realized someone had handed me napkins as they helped with cleaning.
"It's alright. Don't worry about it. I can pay for two drinks, so you won't get into trouble for the one you dropped."
"No, that's not necessary. I'm so embarrassed. I've never dropped anything while on the job. I'm sorry," I apologized for the umpteenth time.
