Chocolate love

Chapter 4

I flinch when I hear the alarm go off at exactly 7:00 am.
I open my eyes and it burns right when I open them, I'm guessing that's crying mixed with staying up until 3 am trying to get in a better mood. Yep you guessed it, lone dance party. That's all that makes me feel better when family
Stuff just ruins my mood, and that happens oh so many times.
I get up put on skinny black jeans and a red shirt (work place rules).
I take one step and stand in the living room and another one to the kitchen, that's how small my apartment is. All I could afford, and I remember once again how ridicules my "go to collage" dream is.
I open the fridge get some juice and as I approach the door the phone rings. With Not wanting to answer but doing anyways-
"Hi this is Austen"
"Austen it's your cool Canadian brother"
My eyes full up with tears as I can't express my joy in that moment, I exclaim "mark! I can't-"
I get interrupted by a baby screeching on the other side of the line. With confusion I say "mark what's that sound"
"Allison had her baby!"
He says with so much joy, he's always been the one in our family who got it together, he became a successful dentist, married to the sweetest woman Allison, who Now had a baby.
"Mark i'm so-"
He interrupts me again when he gives his thanks from him and Allison. I feel like someone pours an Ice bucket on my head when he has to ruin the joy with asking the question of the family
"How's mom?"
"Still in"-
"Rehab" he interrupted (Again!)
"Yeah But I wanna hear all about the baby? Is it a girl or-"
"A boy, Listen aus, I got to go I just wanted to call to check in"
"Okay mark b-"
Before I can say bye I hear the constant beeping that marks that he had ended the call.
That's mark. Calls long enough to see that i'm alive, but doesn't have the decency or (courage) to have a long conversation because when he asks how mom is and the answer is "rehab" or "on her meds" he is engaged in our family problems enough. He's always suddenly too busy to talk and ask how I am, how I am doing, with having to work until I drop to take care of Aaron. With having to deal with Danny.
In the worst mood- (lone dance parties won't work and will only make me late)
- I slam and lock the door behind me, jazz hands and I rush to work.

I hear the usual ding as I open the door and put on my apron and start looking on the assignment board. Great. I'm on special hot mocha cream duty, our famous drink. Everyone always orders it.
"Lisa! Wanna switch?" I ask with the best smile I can give her
"Honey, i'm on taking orders, no way" she says with a nice but ha ha ha expression
No ones here yet since it 7:20 am so me and her start having out weekly how have u been talk.
I decide to start with "how's the boyfriend?" She looks at me weirdly and asks "what boyfriend? Oh the one from last week? What was his name.... Oh right! Jerry! Ohhhh I got rid of him I mean he never took me out to dinner! And when he did he made ME pay and then-"
I stared tuning her nonstop talk out just because I was on 4 hours of sleep in the last 24. But I was proud of myself for using the best Ice breaker you can use on Lisa- her love life.
I'm cleaning the coffee machine when Gerald comes to me with a smile.
"Austin you look tired, are you sleeping enough" he said as he put both hands on both my cheeks
I chuckled and said "even if I slept all day, it would never be enough"
He laughed harder than I expect he would.
"Ho ho ho, just tell me the name of this boy that's giving you too much action at night and causing these sleeping problems an il beat him up!" He winked after he said that and I laughed so hard I would barely make out "it's not like that Gerald"
I heard the bell and laughed out for 5 seconds and then looked to see who came in.
I see a guy looking straight at me
And I patiently wait for him to come toward me to order. He doesn't seem to be coming to take something to go, but then he's not even looking for a table he's just looking at me. After an awkward couple second I decide to say
"Hi, how can u help you?"