FRAYED (Book 2)

Chapter Two

*A/N: this chapter is 1370 words so it's pretty long, but I really enjoyed writing it so please do enjoy and vote and comment what you think so far!

Chapter Two

Aurora

There is a couple sat in one of the booths that are beginning to get on my nerves. I had sat them down half an hour ago and yet they didn't even move to look at their menus, when I asked them for a drinks order they just mumbled.

If they don't look up from those stupid phones soon I am going to flip out. I mean it's like we still love each other now, and we still feel care and devotion and empathy but we don't know how to properly express it.

I watch them sit there ignoring each other and anger bubbles up inside me. We use heart emojis and like buttons, we scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, looking for who's doing well and who's doing poorly and who we need to reach out to in real life. We still care about each other now. We just don't know how to bridge the gap between our digital selves and our real, live, breathing ones. And so we scroll (and scroll and scroll and scroll). We come across a video, a status, an article or a tweet that we relate to. We share it on somebody's wall. We reach out. We connect. And for a moment, we feel less alone.

"I think they are ready now." Violet says popping her head over my shoulder as she serves a tray of cocktails.

I gasp and snap out of my hard glare at the wall before I hastily tuck falling strands of hair behind my ear, smooth out my black tight skirt and blouse. Maybe I shouldn't have had that burrito for lunch and had the salad instead. The couple have now looked up from their phones but they still sit there on the table next to the neat cutlery, yet the hold each other's hand whilst they look at the menu.

"Are you ready to place your order?" Now I sound like the webpage before you checkout on Amazon. I smile, biting my lip as I feel a wave of nausea wash over me but push it back down with a fake smile.

"Iced tea, the pasta special and a side of the dough balls." The guy shrugs off and a scribble down his food and then look to the girl who gives me a distasteful look.

"You can go now." She snorts and waves me off. Right the order is for both of them. What an asshole.

I grumble to myself as I pass the order on and make the ice tea with rough frustrated movements. "Care to switch tables?" I ask Violet as she grabs 4 beers next to me.

"Nah, my crowd is pretty easy to please." She shrugs and nods her head over to a table. I can't help the smile on my face when I spot familiar baseball jerseys. Chase is sitting with his chair facing the bar, eyes swooping down Violets body causing her to giggle and blush at her husband, Jack and Shaw are sat to the side of him completely lost in each other's eyes acting like teenagers yet expecting no one to know something is going on between them. And Nash looks down at the table, his fingers turning and twirling a coaster between them, I can see from here the little worry lines he gets between his brows as he thinks.

"Lucky bitch." I grumble and walk the tray of drinks over to the couple who are once again transfixed on their phones. I just dump the drinks with them and go look to see if their order is ready, at the same time collecting the pay from another table and wishing them goodbye.

But by the time I clear my head another table is sat in my area, I give a defeated sigh in the direction of Nash's table before grabbing 3 menus and putting on the best game face I can. "Hi, my name is Aurora and I will be your server today, can we start with drinks or do you need a minute?" it comes out in a rush, my pen poised to the little notepad clutched in my hands as wide dark eyes stare at me.

One man in a grey business suit rakes his eyes over me in one long stroke, licking his lips before narrowing his eyes at me. "Sure sugar, I'll have whatever you got to offer." He purrs at me but it does nothing but rattle me with a shudder.

"Just get us a round of your finest bourbon." A softer spoken man in head to toe designer says, he has grey eyes and thick black hair and with a swift nod I scurry away.

The jackasses on table 9 still haven't left, grey eyes barely touches his drink whilst the others call in for another round till they are chuckling and showboating amongst themselves. I wonder if they got the right place, as they haven't even ordered food yet, and I don't think they will. With as much courage as I can muster I slip up to their table trying not to get in their way as they talk so I can collect the empty glasses.

"Hey sugar, how about we take this to a private location?" A big hand slaps down onto my ass as I lean forward, I try bite my tongue as I leave the tray with the glasses on the table top and draw up. Big cold blue eyes shine up at me, a stupid smirk plastered on the guys thin chapped lips and he pulls his chair out a little trying to pull me on his lap.

Before I can tumble down I grab his wrist as tight as I can, yanking it from my ass and twisting it round. "I think you've had enough." I snap coldly.

"I think you better leave." The voice from behind me makes me relax a little more but not completely, I want to lean back into his touch and let him take me from here.

"Fine, I knew the entertainment here was cheap anyway." the drunken man stumbles from his chair so I let go of his grasp but leaves with a final gift of a glob of spit sucked from the back of his throat to the floor next to me shoe.

"I am so sorry, here, and please get your boss to call this card. It won't happen again." The sweet guy with grey eyes rushes out, handing me a pile of bills and a business card as he goes leaving me stunned.

"Are you alright?" Nash asks, his hands soothing my shoulders as I start clearing the glasses, tears blurring my vision as I make my way to the bar placing the tray on the top.

"I'm fine." I whimper, smudging my makeup as I wipe at my eyes, throwing my apron to the counter and making my way out back. I wouldn't let him see me like this.

"It's okay, I'll talk to her." I hear Violet behind me as I make it to the small tiled staff locker/ changing room, slumping to the floor as my body wretches with sobs.

"Oh honey, you're safe, it's been a tough day. Nash would never let them hurt you." Violet coos, stroking my hair softly reminding me of having it brushed and combed after a bath as a small child.

"I'm just so sick and tired of this job. I just feel so stuck, what am I doing? Where am I going with my life? Am I really going to spend the rest of my life doing the same thing day after day?" I whimper pressing myself tighter to her side. She's so comfy!

"We can find you a new job. They are hiring at a bakery down town, you could go there, or we can find something else. Plus don't forget you have another job, you're a mom too, and that must be one of the best jobs out there." And that makes me smile.

I loved being a mom. It was the best thing that happened to me. And I had to stick with it, I had to be happy- for him.