Chocolate love

Chapter 8

I send the text with a smile on my face and I could have sworn to have heard him chuckle when he read it.
I'm at home laying in front of the tv, watching cooking shows. If I do end up ever getting the chance and money to open a court case for full custody of Aaron, I want to be able to show that i'm able to take care of him. Give him nutritious food and walk him to school, hopefully move into a bigger place and get him his real own room. And above all that, he has Down syndrome and he sees me as his person. I can't keep letting him go to the boarding school it's plain cruel. I can't help myself thinking of Chen, the random guy I met, yummy random guy I met.
"God Austen stop" I say out loud and laugh. I feel myself fall asleep in front of the tv not long after that.

Having changed my outfit over 3 times I am finally able to look in the mirror and say "I look okay".
Even though work requires work clothes, the red shirt i'm wearing now is different than the first outfit I tried on. I'm sure of it. Laughing at myself again, I leave the house. That's what I do, laugh. When i'm nervous, when i'm shy or unsure of myself I always let out a little laugh to make It less uncomfortable I guess.
I walk down my building smiling at my neighbors who happen to be outside. When I open the door to the street I notice it. Snow!
It's snowing! I look up and all the beautiful snow flakes fall down on my face I turn round and round and smile at the snow. I almost dance my way to work. The last few steps to the front door I see an old lady walking and I say to her "it's snowing!" She smiles at me and I go in. While putting my coat on the hanger I look in the mirror. My cheeks are pink from the cold and my hair that's in a French braid is a little messy but I can still say "I look okay".
I almost jump when I hear Chen say "you sure do".
Crap Austen that was out loud I think to myself.
"Hi Chen! Um I Didn't mean to say that out loud haha I just.. I.. Umm let's get to work"
He smiles and says "yeah I didn't mean to... I just--
"Coffee!" I interrupt the awkwardness.
I let out a laugh and think to myself that it was such an Austen thing to laugh at this moment. God.
He follows me behind the bar.
I grab an apron and throw it to him, he catches it and puts it on.
He's trying to put the two strings in the back together when I see him struggle.
I walk towards him and begin to help. "No I got it I don't need help" he stammers but I push his hands away from the strings and tie them together "here you go cowboy"
He turns a little red. I love it when boys allow themselves to blush, I mean what's the big deal? It doesn't always mean it's out of liking someone, I blush at old people or kids all the time! And I can't stand guys who think men aren't allowed to be shy or blush! So matcho! "What am I doing first boss?" He says eager but careful. I snap back into reality when he says that. "What?" I ask confused
"Work, me student, you teacher, this earth" he jokes.
I give him an annoyed but nice smile. "Shut up, i'm on earth,  I was just-
"Spacing out, you've done that before, don't apologize it's kinda cute"
I gasp slightly and he adds really quickly
"In a professional way, I mean I, not that you're, uch, I did not just say this"
He waits for me to say it's okay, instead I ignore him and reach behind me to take the menus. I give them to him and say "you can start with putting a menu on each table. Il teach you the machines and protocol after that.
As he walks away I almost run to the back room and turn bright red. I smile and at the same time think how awkward that was! I'm so weird around him! C'mon Austen where is your shield!
"Austen i'm done!" I hear from afar.
Taking a deep breath i walk toward that adorable voice. As I think that I slap the palm of my hand to my forehead. "Austen!" I say
I didn't  realize that Chen was already next to me, I look up and he looks at me with a mocking smile. "We're on earth Austen"
I shove him aside with my hand pushing on his chest in a playful way  and start explaining all the machine stuff. It takes me over 20 minutes to explain all of it. I end my lecture with "so if anyone calls the phone you call me okay, don't answer it. And never under any circumstance tell a client we ran out of hot chocolate, even if we did, you tell me and I watch the place while you run the store, understood?"
He waits before he answers and then says "you got it cap'n"
We both look at the door when the first client comes in, his first client.
He looks at me unsure and I try to be as confident in him as I can when i say "go get em' cowboy"
He winks at me and walks to the old lady who came in "would you like a table miss?" I hear him say
I turn around and wash my hands because boy, this is gonna be a long day.