Roses in the Rain

Jobs

A waiter comes by and hands Jake a menu. "The usual, Em?" Katy, the waiter, asks me.

"Yes, thanks."

Jake smiles at her and glances over his menu as she leaves. "I can tell you come here a lot."

"Well, my workplace is right down the street, so it works out in my favor that they have this place. I can get my food and drinks and then go on ahead to work."

"Where do you work?" He asks briefly looking up at me and smiling mischievously. 

"Forward Design." I look away so I don't see, but rather just sense his shock.

"H-how did you get a job there?" 

I take a chance to look over at him and he's staring  in awe I think. 

The waiter comes back and asks what Jake would like. He gives a slightly agitated look, but then composes himself. "A Cobb salad with everything on it and tea."

"Coming right up. Your meal is almost ready, Em. We had to make a new batch of bagels. The others came out wrong." 

I smile at her and she walks away quickly, obviously overworked.

"Well?" He asks me expectantly.

"Ugh, it's such a long story," I sigh.

"Oh, come on. Please? I don't mean to push you on something you don't want to talk about, but I'm genuinely curious," He's looking at me sincerely and has a small smile on his face. Maybe of pity? Does he already know? 

"My parents were relaxed when I was kid. I don't know what changed, but when I hit high school something happened. They just changed. I wasn't allowed to do the sports I wanted. I was only allowed to music and art. My father is co-CEO of Forward Design. He got me a job there when he noticed my interest in it.

"I ended up starting at the bottom. I just had a simple job. Then, I showed some of my animation work and they decided I was perfect for a position that had just recently opened up at the time. I gradually got higher and higher. My dad is my boss's boss if that is any indication. They have me at the head of every meeting and coaching some of the newer people like they gave to me," I breathe out another sigh of exhaustion and look back up at Jake. His smile is one of pride. His eyes whisper so many things. 

"That's amazing. So, why are you going to Curtis Institute?"

"Because it's what I enjoy doing. I love music and art, but my passion leads more to music. It's just not what my parents want for me," My voice trails off.

Jake's hand reaches across the table and touches mine. The waiter comes back and he moves his hand back into his hair, landing in his lap.

She sets both of our teas on the table. Mine is fully prepared with my strawberry cream cheese bagel. His water is piping hot and when he reaches for it, his finger burns. He catches his finger and I take it from him gently kissing it and grabbing an ice cube from an iced water she had previously given to me. He sits there staring in shock. Katy gives a knowing smile placing his salad in front of him. 

"Th-thanks," He stutters. A slow blush moves across his cheeks, joining the freckles. She smiles warmly at the two of us. As she leaves, she winks at me and mouths something at him before going silently. 

Jake's eyes are wide. With what, I can't tell. 

"What do you do then?" I release his finger and kiss it again so it's warm. It's cold from the ice, but he doesn't wince at it this time. 

"I don't really have a job, I think. They call me a prodigy which is okay. I guess I have a hard time accepting the fact that all of my money comes from performing shows and winning contests and playing in schools. I happen to teach lessons at  your school, actually," He blushes a bit more and smiles at me. His smile is so genuine. 

"Congrats," I begin to tear my bagel into pieces so it's easier to eat. He, too, begins to eat his salad taking more bites of chicken first and then moving to the egg and leaves. 

"Thank you," He says between bites. "This is amazing. Remind me to come here more often, would you?" 

"Sure," I smile at him. He can be really cute. I completely forgot about how cute he can be. 

We talk a bit more about our memories from high school. The minutes seem to pass so quickly and then minutes turn to an hour. Then two. I check my watch, now on my fourth cup of tea. I really need to go to the bathroom. Jake is laughing and smiling at our shared memory of a previous teacher in our 10th year.

"Will you excuse me a moment? I have to use the ladies room," I get up quietly.

"Of course, still so old school," He mumbles the next part, but I hear it anyway. "Ladies room." He's shaking his head smiling at my phrasing. 

I walk into the bathroom and do my business. As I walk out, I check myself in the mirror. My hair is wavy, blunt, and short. My bangs are misbehaving and a strand is in one of my eyes. I take the time to fix it and open my purse for a comb. 

As I'm trying to find the comb, I find a ring. A promise ring. I've had this purse since middle school and I stopped using it after a while. Until I found it again when I moved here. I never did bother emptying it out. There, at the bottom of the purse, is a silver band. The hands coming together around an opal heart with a crown on top. I remember when I received this ring.

"The hands stand for our friendship, the heart for love, and the crown for loyalty. If you point the crown towards you it means you are taken and if it's pointed away it means you aren't," Jake is smiling happily at a ring he's given me for my 12th birthday. 

"Thank you! I love it!" I hug him tightly and put the ring on my right hand's ring finger. I end up putting it on the wrong way, so it's saying I'm taken. We both blush and he pulls it off and puts it back on the right way.

"Perfect," I whisper, happily. 

What he says next shocks me and I pretend I didn't hear it because it was so quiet anyway, "You're perfect."

I slip the ring onto my left hand's middle finger. I didn't expect it to fit, but I guess not eating bad stuff has really kept me in shape. The ring fits perfectly. I whisper to it, "Perfect."

 A woman walks in and I run out and back to Jake. He's gazing out the window watching people walk by. 

"Having fun?" I ask, humorously. 

"Bunches," He replies, putting down his recently refilled mug of tea.