MEMOIRS

Chapter 7

When I went inside the big hall then the first thing which my eyes saw was Shane's handsome face. He was impatiently looking at the door as if waiting for someone to show up. For whom is he so impatient? Bethany and his other friends were sitting over there in the fourth row with him; then who's this person on whom he has mustered all his attention? I wanted to avert my eyes but he saw me looking at him and to my very surprise he looked stupefied and horrified as if he got some very serious problem with my presence. That's really ridiculous. It was him and his hag from hell girlfriend who asked for me and now he wants me to vanish away.

"What were you doing all this time? Look you are fifteen minutes late." She accused me in her haughty voice. Hearing her voice makes me feel as if someone has put rancor in my vessel of peace. I rolled my eyes.

"Bethany, this not a small restaurant, this is a palatial hotel. Use your math skills to calculate the time which a person needs to come over here from the kitchen." I could feel the ebullition of my blood in my veins. Shane chuckled and turned to his face to his hot girlfriend who was sitting so close to him that if she advanced one more inch towards him on the sofa then she would be sitting on his laps. "She's correct baby." Is he drunk? Did he just now take my side instead of Bethany's? It wasn't just me who was looking at him with an incredible look but everyone sitting at the table had somewhat the same look but he seemed totally indifferent as if any of it didn't matter him or he's an eccentric who often get those sorta looks? Whatever is the reason, I should have felt happy about it but there was some other feeling consuming me; like I was jealous; jealous to see Bethany sitting so close to Shane and him addressing her with the word baby. Why should I ever feel jealous of the obvious? Do I like him? No, I'm going on the wrong side of the road, I'm not thinking straight. I should be hating him and not liking him; he deserves my hate racy. How can I ever forget what he did to me? I shook my head a little and focused on what was right there in front of me.

Bethany's face became poisonous as if she was having a hard time in believing that her boyfriend just supported her enemy. She quickly shoved away all those expressions and forced on a smile. Yet, after her hard try there were still traces of the feeling of having her pride being wounded was on her pretty face.

"Yea, turtles like her will take their own lazy time to multiply the short distances into an eternal walk." Everyone started laughing. I closed my eyes and clenched my jaws; tried my best to shun away their coincide laughter but the sound was echoing in my head, trying to make me feel small. No, I won't let them hurt me; that was what they want, they want to make me a complete nobody. After taking a few breathes and revitalizing myself I opened my eyes with the determination of showing no traces of being hurt. Goodness! Shane was staring at me and by his expression it did not appear that he joined in their hideous hilarity; in fact it appeared that he was crossed with something; like he does not want to pool in his sense in inflicting me with their torturous language. Those thoughts brought a smile on my face and slowly a smile started appearing on his beautiful lips. Do we have a connection? I unexpectedly started feeling a warm buzz of electricity coming from across him and to my surprise I forgot about every humiliation which I suffered at his cost. He was still looking at him and there was certain serenity on his face which made me feel safe like never before.

"What are you waiting for? Take our orders waitress." She ordered me by putting on a nasty look. I rolled my eyes.

"Did you just rolled your eyes at me?" she couldn't believe that I actually rolled my eyes at her.

"Yes." I said saucily. "Do you want me to do that again?" I drew up an eyebrow; just by the presence of Shane I've got this spirit in me to face her off. Now I'm gonna show who she is. Shane chuckled. Bethany was doubly attacked; cool, I like it.

"How dare you to say that to me?" she was getting infuriated.

"You have not seen my dares yet. I have got a lot of them." Take that. Shane was also enjoying it; it was like we two were in one team and the rest of them in the other. If Shane is standing by my side then I don't care who's on my opponent's side.

Bethany opened her mouth, again but before she could speak her foul words out Shane ordered, "Get me Mexican salad with extra cucumber," even though I was jotting down his orders but from the periphery of eyes I could see that he wasn't looking at the menu book- not even pretending- he was just looking at me with this perpetual smile and Bethany was looking between both of us with her mouth slightly popped open. I've never felt this happy before; holy cow, I could feel my cheeks getting heating up; I must be blushing. This is not the right place for it. "And a glass of strawberry smoothie. That's it." He spoke very affectionately; does that mean he really likes me?

"Steak Frites Chicken Parm" Bethany looked at the menu with a horrible air of attitude.

"Cut it, I want Margarita Grilled Chicken With Steamed Broccoli" she ordered. Taking her order is the most frustrating thing which this stupid job is making me do.

"I want Pasta Italiano" Nina smiled. She was not rough like Bethany but quite benign; which was totally accepted because she was the friend of Shane and not of Bethany.

"Don't be slow. I don't like to eat my food cold." I would like to kick her ass.

"What are you looking at? For some trumpet to announce that you are leaving." She rolled her eyes and I rolled mine too and went away from there. "I don't know how the customers put up with her? She's such a pain in the ass." Even at the door I could hear her fairly well. Of course she was speaking shits about me so that they reach to her intended target; to me. I wish if I too was someone in particular then I would have shown her where she lies in her dirt game. With a lot of force I pulled open the door and the moment I was outside the closed door her jabber was confined to her.

All along the way I was thinking of what just happened back in the room; was that real? Was Shane Stone really looking at me and did he really take my side. I was suddenly filled with indefinable ecstasy; do I like him? Does he have any feeling for me; I wish he does. I was so consumed in my fabric of well knitted thoughts that I hardly realized that I've reached the kitchen. I gave Gary, the pages containing the orders and I was again lost in my Shane daydreams. I couldn't take any of that precious moment out of my mind. I could not wait to go back into the hall. I stood aside and closed my eyes and the first thing which came in front of my eyes was his eyes. The way he was looking at me when I was taking down his order.

"Hale, how it was?" a hand lightly touched my shoulder. Ugh, no, not now. I opened my eyes and looked into Natalie's concerned face. Couldn't she find another time to ask me about my experience with them? It was my experience over here at the hotel. "Uh, alright."

"How do you deal with them; they are so horrible."

"Just imagine I've to deal with them almost everyday."

"From now on I'll look up to you when I'd have to face people having problem in the upstairs." We both laughed.