Once Upon A Slap

(37) And At That Moment I Knew I Was A Goner

"I wasn't able to sleep at all last night and I had to wake up at the crack ass of dawn today so excuse me if my catering techniques aren't up to par, sir." I barely spit out the last few words, beyond annoyed and irritated.

What's bothering me?

Annoying grown ass men bothering young girls just because their tea doesn't seem to hold the exact amount of sweetness that they wanted. Suddenly, the bald and rather picky man stood up, throwing his napkin down onto the table.

"Don't expect my business anytime soon." He glared at me and I rolled my eyes; what a drama queen. If he really thinks his angry exit is going to bother me, then he's sadly mistaken because he's the third customer so far to do so and honestly, I couldn't care less.

Cameron's been ignoring me for the entire 45 minutes I've been here; only pulling me aside to instruct me on the proper etiquette of writing down somebody's order. I thought I would be relieved if Cameron left me alone but I'm wrong; I took him for granted and thought I could do just fine without him. It astounds me how involved he is in my life and how much I depend on him. It makes me want to run for the hills but I know it's pointless because I'll just end up coming back.

That's the way it's always been with Cameron and I; back and forth. Back and forth.

"Come here, Katie." I see a stern looking Cameron motion me towards him from the kitchen doors.

A small part of me is glad that he's actually acknowledging my existence even if it's just to chastise me. God, I'm desperate. I push my giddiness down and roll my eyes, making my way to him.

"What's wrong with you? That's the second customer so far. I can't believe y-" I interrupt Cameron's ranting because frankly, I'm too tired for this.

"Third, actually. And I don't like this job. Can't I just work in the kitchen with y-"

"Tough luck," Cameron sneered, a frown overtaking his features.

Dick.

"Whatever." I roll my eyes for what seems like the billionth time and start walk away from Cameron, knowing that this conversation is going nowhere. I refuse to feed into this crap. I feel Cameron hand on my shoulder, whirling me around.

"Don't walk away from me." His eyes are ablaze and from the way his mouth is set into a scowl, I can tell he's mad. When isn't he?

When he's promising to be your reason.

"Don't tell me what to do." I snapped, glaring. With one fluid motion, I pushed Cameron's hand off of me.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" Cameron narrowed his eyes, glaring holes into my head. Truthfully, even I don't know what's wrong with me today.

"And on the contrary, I'm your boss; I can tell you what to do and guess what? You have to listen." Cameron retaliated, a smirk embroidered onto his lips.

His lips.

Damn.

His lips.

I blinked once before nodding, the mere thought of his lips leaving me breathless. All I know is that I'm aching to reach out to him.

To touch him.

To love him.

To give myself a chance to learn to love him.

"I'm sorry. I'll do a better job from now on." I ducked my head, flushed from my thoughts that I yearn to be a reality. Cameron returned my gaze with an odd look.

"That's it?" He widened his eyes in disbelief, mouth parting into an o.

"You're not going to argue? You'll actually listen to me?" His questions didn't cease and it was evident that he was surprised. Actually, that's an understatement. I shrugged.

"The boss is always right." With that, I walked away, promising to myself that I'll try harder at this job.

Not for myself, but for Cameron. This bakery obviously means a lot to him and I don't want to be the person to ruin it for him. That's the last thing I would ever dream of doing.
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"Let me treat you to dinner." Cameron didn't bother looking up at me as he continued to lock up the bakery.

Okay, let me rewind a little. After the conversation I had with Cameron, I worked my ass off for 4 straight hours, skipping my lunch break. Of course, Cameron had disappeared into the kitchen and hadn't shown his face since. Now, it's about 7:00 p.m and finally, the gruelling day of work is over. My head snapped up at what Cameron was saying, surprised.

"I'm sorry-what?" Confusion leaked through my voice. He wants to treat me to dinner after not showing his face and ignoring me the entire day, only hours after promising me that he'll be my reason to be happy?

The worst part of it all is that I don't know whether I want to kiss Cameron or slap him. Cameron continued to fumble with the lock.

"I always treat my employees to dinner after their first day." The lock clicked and Cameron turned me, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

"It's kind of like a tradition." Cameron cocked his head expectantly, awaiting my reply. I quickly snap out of my reverie.

"Uh, yeah sure." I fumble over my words, clasping and twisting my hands repetitively, trying to keep my face from going red. Of course, it was to no avail. Cameron's eyes twinkled and he let out a hearty chuckle. I felt my heart do a flop.

No, no, no, no. No. This cannot be happening. I cannot be falling for Cameron.

But you are.

And at that very moment, I knew I was a goner.