Love Is Symphony |✓

| 35 |

Let me stay with you for awhile?

Baby, you can stay with me for as long as you want.

"Miss, are you alright?"

I blinked, suddenly pulled out of my thoughts only to find a short woman standing in front of me. She was watching me with her almond-shaped eyes, a small frown placed on her round face. I cleared my throat and straightened my back; pen poised over my notepad. "Um, yes, ma'am?"

She was startled by the sound of my voice. I couldn't have blame her. I had been a walking ghost for the most part of the day. Her dark brown eyes swept over the room until they settled back on me. "Are you alright? I've been telling you my order and you don't seem like you're—" she motioned with her bejeweled hands, "—absorbing anything that I've said."

Shit. Was I that out of it? "I'm so sorry, ma'am. Uh... is it alright if you repeat your order to me?"

She shook her head, her short, dark bob swinging with her movement. "No," she said, and my stomach dropped, thinking that she wouldn't want to place her order anymore. "You don't have to apologize. It's perfectly fine. I get it. We all have days when we feel like—" a snort went past her glossed lips, "—meh, know?"

I chuckled, relief sweeping over me. "Yeah. So what can I get you then?"

"Just two tall cups of warm peach tea with honey and you're good."

Quickly scribbling down her order, I looked up back at her. "Will that be all?"

Her eyes widened with realization, two dark brown eyes lined with brown eyeliners and adorned with a light color of gold on the lids. "Oh! Two chocolate-blueberry muffins."

"Okay, great," I said, tucking in my pen and notepad into my apron. "I'll be back in a few to bring you your food."

The woman gave me a warm smile and a nod of her head. Just as I spun around, I finally let the smile on my face drop,. From behind the counter, I could see Lucille, our manager shaking her head at me. The visible disappointment on her face made the weight on my shoulders feel heavier than they should be. Mistake upon mistake was what made up my plate today. A customer left with an empty stomach and a couple fought because I gave them the wrong order. I've been trying so hard to do my job right, but having the constant reminder that Imogen and Kristoff weren't so far away wouldn't ease my nerves.

Ever since I arrived this morning, the thick tension had been prominent. Imogen and Kristoff made sure to avoid having eye-contact with me at all costs, mostly keeping to themselves and having hushed conversations that often made my chest tighten.

It was obvious that they had made a pact while I was gone. They had become closer, and the idea that I was no longer part of the group that I once held close to my heart caused tears to brim my eyes. I was rejected again and it was all my fault. My throat tightened when I caught sight of them laughing together while Kristoff was mopping the floor and Imogen was wiping the table out front. I looked at them, trying to catch their eye. Imogen caught me staring at her and my heart fluttered, but as soon as she saw the light of hope in my eyes, her smile instantly fell. I looked away, afraid that if I looked a little longer they would see how fragile I was. It felt like high school all over again and it was choking me. I wanted to leave, but I knew Lucille would fire me. She had been considerate enough for the past few days that I had been gone. The last thing I needed was another person thinking that I was a lost cause.

"Serenity," Lucille said when I reached the counter, her lips pursed. "What's going on? You seem so out of it. Are you alright?"

No, I'm not, I wanted to tell her—no—I wanted to cry to her, but couldn't. Lucille was an independent woman who thought that men were the scumbags of the earth. She'd only think that I was stupid and weak for staying with you, Sean. She'd probably even shake her head at me for begging you to stay.