when we collided [e.s.]

Five

Audrey's POV

Ed is calming. I finish my shift happier than I've been in a few years.

But when I get home, my blood starts to boil again.

I open the door to a complete mess. There's popcorn littering the floor, a few blankets spaced around the room, and a red stain on our brand new carpet.

I hate to be the mother of the house but this is really getting out of hand.

"Cassie?" I yell, unaware of her location in the apartment. The anger in my voice is noticable. "Audrey?" She answers from our bedroom. Her figure emerges from the hallway with a clear understanding that she forgot to pick up her mess. "Audrey, I'm so sorry I was going to clean this up," she says, a nervous look in her eyes. I decide that I can't let this ruin my day. "You know what Cassie, it's okay," I say with a smile. "It is?" She says, the corners of her lips turning up. "Yeah. I'm going to ask a few of our neighbors if they have carpet cleaner and you can pick up the popcorn," I say, walking back to the door. She looks completely awestruck, her mouth is hanging wide open. I can tell from here, things are only going to get better.

I'm woken with a shake. "Audrey," I hear Cassie say. "Mm," I groan, rolling over. "We were supposed to be there 2 minutes ago," she says nervously. I jolt upright in my bed. "Cassie!" I almost scream, scrambling for any appropriate article of clothing. I manage to grab a white tee shirt and some blue floral shorts. I also pull out a clean pair of undies and a bra. I'm in such a rush I don't even care if Cassie is looking while I change into my new clothes. "It's going to take ages to get a cab," I say. I straightened my hair yesterday, so it's still in pretty good shape, but I throw it up in a ponytail for good measure. My books are in my bag thankfully, so I just grab that and run down the stairs in a hurry to get there as soon as possible. I don't bother even waiting for Cassie.

Before my shift at Celeste's, I go back to the apartment and change into some jeans, a red sweater, and a grey beanie. I didn't get the chance to put makeup on this morning so I just dab some concealer under my eyes and draw on a thin line of eyeliner. I still look pretty beat up but it will have to do. As I'm leaving I grab bottle of water and a pack of skittles and throw them in my purse, since I had to study during lunch. I lock the door behind me and catch an elevator downstairs just as I see Cassie walk out of the doorway to the stairs.

Ed's POV

"Audrey?" I half whisper to her as I see her leaning against the coffee grinder, asleep. Her beanie is falling over her eyes as her knees start to buckle and I have to run to catch her before she falls over. This wakes her up with a jolt. Her back is against my chest and my arms are around her waist as she starts to regain conciousness and stand up. "Oh my god did I fall asleep?" She asks with sleep in her voice. I try so desprately to ignore how perfect my arms fit around her waist. She stands up on her own and I take that as a cue to let go. "Ed, I'm so sorry," She says apologetically, repositioning her beanie. "Want to take your break now?" I ask her, untying my apron as she nods yes. She unties hers and drapes it over the one stool we have behind the counter. I grab a muffin from the display and leave 2 dollars near the cash register. "Do you mind?" I ask, sliding into the seat across from her in the booth. "Of course not," she says, forcing a smile. She digs around in her purse and takes out a bottle of water and a pack of skittles. "Want some?" She asks, motioning to the skittles. "I'm alright," I say, peeling the wrapper of the muffin off. "So, you're a beanie girl," I say, trying to spark conversation. Ugh, god, a beanie girl? Really? "I guess. I know you must be thinking i'm some sort of hipster american wannabe, but I wear what makes me feel good. Whether it's considered socially popular or nerdy. It's kind of a thing I live by," She says, ripping open the bag of skittles and popping a green in her mouth. I set my muffin aside, untouched. "So, you just wear whatever makes you feel good? That's really cool," I say, snaging a red skittle and watching her giggle. "So, what about you?" She asks, taking a sip of water. "You want to know why I dress like this?" I ask with a chuckle, motioning to my plain black tee shirt and jeans. "No, I mean, what do you do with your free time, what were you hiding behind the fridge yesterday..." She says with a smirk.

Audrey's POV

I try to make it subtle, but it comes out so obvious. He laughs, grabbing an orange skittle. "What do you think it was?" He asks, looking me in the eyes. "Where do I start?" I ask with a smile. "A machete, a hachet, maybe a sack full of drugs," I continue with a smile. I can see it in his eyes, he's contemplating telling me. He takes a deep breath. "It's a notebook," he admits. "A notebook of?" I try to continue. "Songs. Lyrics," he says, now nervously grabbing his muffin again and picking off crumbs. "Ed! That's amazing," I say with a happy grin. "But don't think I'm going to let you read any of them," he says, quickly getting up and running behind the counter. "Ed!" I chase after him, in a rush to get the notebook. "No way," he says, running into the backroom. I laugh and run behind him. He's already got the notebook in his hands when I get back there. "I'll be hiding this next chance I get," He says with victory in his voice. While Ed's preoccupied with his ringing phone, I try to steal the notebook. Unfortunately, Ed has longer arms and legs than I do, and he's able to hold the notebook high enough so that I can't reach. "Hello?" He answers whoever's calling. There's a pause and Ed laughs at my struggle. "Audrey, quit it!" He laughs, pulling the notebook close to his chest and walking back out to the counter. "No, sorry mate I'm at work," he says into the phone. Ed kneels down and opens a cabinet to reveal a safe, and quickly shoves his notebook in and locks it. "You didn't tell me we had a safe!" I object in defeat. I hear the person on the other line say "Who is that?" And laugh, putting my apron back around my waist. Ed glances up at me. "That's Audrey. They hired her two days ago," he smiles. More inaudiable sounds from the other line. "She's great," he laughs. I give him a thumbs up and turn around so he doesn't see me blush.