Not So Secret

(33) Dreams

"There's my favorite employee!" Mike greets me as I clock in. I roll my eyes and laugh.

"Shh, someone might hear you."

"I don't give a fuck. They all know you're my favorite." Mike chuckles loudly and I bite my lip to stop from smiling.

"Good to know," I stifle back a laugh and grab my apron and booklet. I make my way onto the floor and spot a filled table with three girls and three guys.

"Hey, what can I get you guys tonight?" My eyes scan over the small crowd and I meet the familiar eyes of none other than Ryder.

"Chloe? You work here?" He speaks up, making his friends chatter come to a stop. I feel slightly embarrassed to have all eyes on me.

"Yes, I started a while back." I tell him and his buddies eye me up and down. I give them a friendly smile.

"Oh, cool. I'll have a corona lime," Ryder says quickly, letting his friends order after him. I write down their orders and walk over toward the bartender, handing him the ticket. It's pretty slow tonight so I check my phone in hopes of a text from Ethan but unfortunately my phone is bone dry.

"Hey, sorry about my friends." Ryder approaches me and I shrug, shoving my phone back into my apron.

"It's no biggie. They're actually really nice compared to what I've dealt with before," I laugh softly and he raises an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?" He asks concerned.

"Oh, nothing. It's a long story." I admit, trying not to recall the dreadful memories of those horrible, vulgar-minded guys a few days ago.

"Order up!" I grab the tray full of drinks and follow Ryder back to his table. I give everyone their drinks and a plate of buffalo chips and make my way to a different table.

"Hey, how can I help you ladies?" I smile at the table full of women and they return their own smiles.

"Oh my gosh. I am in love with your hair! Is it natural?" A girl with a tight corset and big hair squeals and I'm a little taken aback.

"Oh, no this isn't natural. I'm actually a brunette; dying my hair was my friend's idea, actually." I tell her and she smiles and another girl speaks up.

"Brunettes do it better, honey." Her Brooklyn accent is thick and rolls nicely off her tongue. I smile big, feeling appreciative of the compliment.

"Thank you!" I beam.

"Who is that boy you were talking to when we walked in? Is that your boyfriend?" A girl with deep brown eyes asks me and I look toward Ryder and shake my head quickly.

"Ryder? No. No way. He's in my English class at the university. We're just buds. My boyfriend is in Florida." I tell them, even though they probably weren't looking for my backstory.

"He's a cutie. Mind swiping me his number?" The pretty girl smiles at me and I shrug sort of hesitant. He just got dumped by his lesbian girlfriend so I'm not sure if he's up for playing the field just yet.

"I'll talk to him about it. Can I get your orders first?" I realize I've probably been standing here for a while. I don't want Mike to think I'm slacking because I know I'm his favorite.

"Strawberry martinis for all of us! My name is Julie, by the way." The girl who wanted Ryder's number flashes a smile at me and I nod, smiling back. She seems nice enough for him but then again, you can never be too sure from first impressions. I take their order to the bar and hand the ticket over to be bartender. I scan the bar and make sure no new customers have arrived in my section. Luckily I only have Ryder's table and that girl Julie's table. I make my way over to Ryder's group and check on them.