Shai Soi

Chapter 31

The next five days I only went out of the house to the mall or to the grocer's. There was a pharmacy with pink eye salve down the hall from Café LaFleur. It took me less than five minutes to pick one off the shelf, (there are a lot  of salves for pink eye), and walk into the café.

"Hey, Rebecca." Natalie scooted out of the way to let me through the counter exit. She'd gotten graceful enough to hold open the counter piece and hold a tray, but she'd tripped and spilled something almost every time. Today, she was balancing a hot cup of tea on a shaky saucer.

"Here," I hold the plate and let her maneuver over the place she usually trips.

"Thanks." She mangaged to get to table three without spilling a drop. The man, a regular customer I called Mr. Mustache, nodded in thanks and slurped away. She came into the back room where I had set up my summer school homework. I was almost done. Thanks to Natalie getting me this job, I only had to write a concluding thesis on some Biology crap and then I was done with summer school.

"So," started Natalie. She clipped three orders to a string pulley and sent it to the kitchen. Yes, most cafes don't take orders and send out food. But this one's unique or weird. Take your pick. "You know how I've taken your shift three times?"

I sat down, shuffling the papers. Only three more paragraphs. I put my pencil to the paper. The bustling of the kitchen and Natalie's clacking earphones faded when I turned my good ear away from them. I wasn't really paying attention, but I said," Uh hem."

"Great. Thanks!" She started out the door.

My brain pulled away from science and I slurred, "Wait, huh?"

Natalie bent her knees anxious to leave. She had thrown her apron on the table. "There's a cute guy waiting for me and I don't want him to know I work here."

Half amused half irritated  I asked, "I thought you loved it here?"

She bent her knees again. Her earphones clicked impatiently.  "Yeah, but he doesn't have to know that."

I sighed. "Fine. Have fun."

She paused. "Wait, really?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. I owe you anyway."

She rushed over, planted a kiss on my cheek and practically screamed, "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She tripped out the door.

"Don't have too much fun, okay?" She didn't hear me. Natalie was already gone.

Cook Roux pokes his into the side room. "Are you gonna actually work for a living?"

He was smiling, so I know he was kidding. After all, I was still his best customer. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be out in a sec." After lining up my papers and taking a swig of water, I tied Natalie's apron around my waist. At least this is better than summer school.

I served five cinnamon rolls, three croissants, practically a dozen espressos, and I still didn't see Natalie. It wasn't until I passed what Natalie and I call the 'Couples' Alcove' before I discovered why. She was tucked behind the body of a dark haired boy. Judging by the sounds coming from their booth, it was going quite well.

I took two water glasses and planned to set them on their table and slip away. As I said, that was the plan. As I got closer I saw the natural brown highlights of his hair. I recognized the sharp lines of his shoulder blades and the tightness of his back muscles. So when I dumped the cold water in his lap, I'd call that throwing away the plan.

"Ah! What the he-" Nathaniel looked up from his soaked lap. His lips were disgustingly swollen as were Natalie's. His pupils stayed dialated even when his eyes widened. "R-Rebecca?"

Cook Roux yelled at me to get back there and tell me what that was about. I ignored him, and glared at Nathaniel. I ripped napkins from a dispenser and threw them in his lap. "I'm so terribly sorry, sir." I gave him a mock curtsey.

"Rebecca!" Natalie yelped, finally getting over her shock. Her hair was pushed over to the side in tangles. Her earphones wrapped around her left ear.

I snarled and turned my attention back at Nathaniel. "I guess I wasn't watching what I was doing. Walking is hard but I'll just stick with it  and everything will be fine. Think on that you pathetic jerk." I threw my apron in front of Natalie and stomped into the kitchen.

"What was that?" Cook Roux questioned, a tray of fresh baguettes in his arms.

"That was a jerk from school..." I muttered.

"Rebecca!" Nathaniel started towards the door leading to the kitchens. I growled.

The Cook grunted and moved further into the back. "Next time don't bring personal matters into the café, understood?"

Nathaniel had just burst through the door. "Bec!"

I growled deeper and dodged in between other employees. Until busting out of the door into a storage hall. Boxes and crates were stacked and pushed to the side. High windows and dim fluorescent lights lit the stone hallway. I sprinted. My good ear picked up the pounding footsteps of shoppers on the other side of the walls. "Rebecca!"

"No!" I pushed a chair out, not like it would stop him. "You don't get to explain yourself!"

"Bec!" A hand wrapped around my forearm.

I whipped around. "What Nathaniel? What could you possibly say?"

He narrowed his eyes. "What's your problem?"

I scoffed ripping my hand away. "My problem? My  problem? I'm not the one kissing other girls while my girlfriend's held captive!"

His green eyes solified. "You're going to draw that card? Is that it?"

I rolled my eyes and tried to walk away. He grabbed my other arm. Okay, buddy... "Get off me."

He was really close. His neck craned to level his cold eyes with my blazing ones. Despite my furry, I noted the red rimming his eyelids. His lips parted and I could see his abornally sharp canines clenched. His eyes drooped. His grip tightened and he drew me closer. Nathaniel's voice was but a whisper, "You have no idea what I've gone through. What's happened." Behind his words lurked a deeper meaning, one I couldn't delve into.

Because suddenly his lips were on mine and I could taste sugar glaze. Even though his lips were cold, his kiss made me fell feverish. I'd never been kissed before. At first, I froze up- I didn't know what was happening. All I could do was think Nathaniel's kissing me. Nathaniel Slithan is actually kissing me. And then the anger came in. I slid my hands up to his shoulders and I heard him audibly grunt before slamming my palms into his chest. He flew into the opposite wall. His green eyes as big as saucers.

My vision turned red. I kept wiping my lips on my hoodie's sleeve in an attempt to rub him off of me. "You cheating idiot! How do you think Sadie will react to you kissing other girls when she comes back!"

"If."

"When. That attitude is exactly what started this in the first place!"

A vein popped out of Nathaniel's neck. "Are you blaming me? If I recall, it was you who gave us away in the first place! It was you who  provoked Sadie into yelling! It was you who... I chose..."

"How is that my fault? It was your own selfishness and pride that made you attack Riley and made Derek call for the Namuhi!"

Silence. I knew from the moment I uttered Riley's name that Nathaniel was out for blood. His pupils became pinpricks. His face morphed into a mask of murder. He may have hurt Derek's brother, but I thought that Nathaniel wouldn't be nearly as generous with Derek. After all, it was he who made the phone call that took Sadie away.