Behind The Scenes

[Chapter Eighteen]

Chapter 18

"Caramel macchiato with soy milk."

I called out the order, the last one after an extremely exhausting shift, and handed the woman waiting patiently on the other side of the counter her cup. "Have a great night."

Through the glass windows at the front of the café, I could see that the sun had long since set, leaving the sidewalks of Los Angeles relatively empty. The dinner rush, which usually only lasted for an hour, had started in the late hours of the afternoon, and had just ended with the small hand of the clock resting at the eight. The line had been non-stop for hours, and after forgoing my break, I was about ready to fall asleep on my feet.

Once the woman exited the shop, Colette turned to me, leaning up against the counter. "Please tell me it's over," she muttered tiredly, wiping her hands on the underside of her apron. She'd started her shift early this morning when her parents had asked her to come in to help, and if I was feeling tired, I couldn't imagine how she was feeling.

I chuckled at her lack of enthusiasm, but just by my laugh you could tell that exhaustion was slowly washing over me. "I think it's over," I replied safely, knowing that we were only open for another hour. Even now, only two people remained in the café and they looked to be on a date, cuddling up to one another in one of the back booths.

"Thank god." She turned, grabbing a clean rag from beneath the counter to start the clean up. "Do you mind staying a few extra minutes to help cleaning?"

Although I'd been due to clock out a few minutes previous, it was hard to say no to the hopeful look she wore. The sides of my lips tilted upwards as I nodded. "Sure."

Her shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you," she said gratefully, tossing a rag my way. "I'll punch you in a red-velvet cupcake."

I rolled my eyes at her bribery but didn't refuse, because truthfully, there wasn't anything I was craving more in that moment.

Setting to work, I made my way around the counter and began wiping down the empty tables, and by the time I was done, the couple in the back had decided it was time to leave. By the time I'd swept the floor and rearranged a few of the chairs it was quarter after eight, and I made my way to the back of the café, signaling to Colette that I was heading home.

Clocking out, I let the ties of my apron fall around my waist, finding it somewhat freeing as I shed the dirty uniform. Spinning the dial on my locker, I popped open the door, hanging my apron on a hook before reaching into my bag for my phone.

3 missed calls from Ryan.

Curious as to what he had wanted, I punched in his number, leaning my shoulder against the cold metal lockers as I heard the line ringing. It didn't take long for him to answer, perhaps two or three rings, before I heard his voice through the phone.

"Zoe?"

I knew, as my insides fluttered happily, that if we'd been face to face, I wouldn't of been able to resist the urge to kiss him at the sound of his velvety smooth voice. It was warm, welcoming, and something that I was quickly becoming addicted to.

"Hey," I replied softly, smiling to myself.

"How are you?"

"I'm good," I replied, his voice alone succeeding at pulling me from exhaustion. "I just finished work, but how are you? I saw that you called."

"Yeah sorry." I could imagine him running his hand messily through his hair as he spoke. "I forgot you were working tonight. I had to text Emily to make sure I hadn't done anything worth ignoring me."