Turning Larissa (GirlxGirl)

Chapter One

"You should really quit, you know."

The deep voice startled me, almost making me drop the cigarette I just lit.

"I'll only be a minute, Tom," I promised, inhaling as much smoke as I could possibly fit into my lungs.

"It's alright, we're not exactly busy right now. And that's not why you should quit anyway," he replied.

I turned to face my boss, blowing the smoke away from him. I knew he used to smoke, and I didn't want to tempt him into starting again.

The forty-something year old was about a foot taller than me. His dark brown hair was slowly gathering more grey strands, as was his beard, but nobody ever mentioned it to him. As well as being over six foot tall, Tom was very muscular, and sported several tattoos, so he was quite intimidating.

I'd known him for four years, and I'd never known anybody to mess with him. I knew he was a big teddy bear really though, and he had done so much for me.

"I'll quit when I want to quit. It's pointless trying to do it before," I told him, taking another puff on my cigarette.

"I know, it's about timing. Everything is always about timing."

"Any more wise words?" I asked sarcastically.

"Not right now, I'll let you know later," he laughed. "I'm gonna go check on the cake."

"Okay," I smiled, and he walked away from me.

Tom owned a small coffee shop, where I had worked for the past four years. It was definitely not my dream job, but I liked it. The hours were good, the money was acceptable, and I met a lot of interesting people. Plus, Tom rented the apartment above the shop to me, for next to nothing.

I finished my cigarette quickly, then walked back into the coffee shop. I washed my hands, and put my burgundy apron back on.

"Ivy, can you load the dishwasher please?" Tom shouted to me.

I went into the kitchen and started to pile all the coffee cups and plates into the dishwasher, then went back into the dining area to clear the tables.

The shop was empty, which almost never happened. I used this to my advantage, and cleaned up as much as possible, so I wouldn't need to do as much at the end of the day.

I had a date tonight, and the sooner I could leave work, the more time I had to get ready. I was really indecisive when it came to dressing for dates, or special events, or anything else really.

"Do you want a drink?" Tom asked, seeing that I had almost finished cleaning.

"I'll have a caramel latte please," I replied, while wiping coffee and crumbs from a table.

By the time I had finished wiping all the tables down, Tom had my drink waiting on the counter. He pulled two stools up, and gestured for me to sit. I sat on one of the stools, and sipped on my latte. It was delicious, as always.

"Try the cake," he said, putting a plate in front of me.

"Thanks," I grinned. I always loved Tom's cakes.

"Rob's on his way," Tom informed me, brushing cake crumbs from his beard.
I grinned in response. Rob was Tom's son, and my best friend. He had been out of town for a week, visiting his mum.

"Good, I've missed him," I mumbled happily, with a mouthful of the best chocolate cake I'd ever tasted.

"Me too, but he's only been home an hour, and I already know it's gonna take me a week to clean up whatever mess he's made."