Burnt Sugar

/02/

(For added effect, listen to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly 💕)
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Vivian made her way back to the bathroom to actually take a shower. She turned on the hot water, tossed off her robe, and stepped inside. She had time to spare since her friend hadn't texted her, so she took her time. She spent a good 3 minutes just standing under the water, swaying to the music. She let her mind drift. She thought about life before all of this. Before the house, the cars, the expensive clothes. She remembered laying in her bed looking at the ceiling, hoping things would get better. To be better than waiting on food stamps and disability checks. To be better than her mom, who would only date for money and keep herself detached from men. Vivian snapped herself out of her daze and took a mediocre shower.

The music snapped her back into reality. She could hear her favorite album playing and it gave her a sense of safety. Vivian walked to the large vanity mirror that was surrounded by bulbous lights.
"Alright Viv, lets get shit done."
She danced around in her seat and mouthed the lyrics while putting on her makeup. Today was a light makeup day and wigs weren't necessary, so she went with her natural hair routine and put on a bandanna as a cute touch. Vivian's best friend, Y/N, had planned out a "date" for them to both relax and catch up on all of the drama that might've happened that week.

Vivian made her way to her garage and fiddled around in her purse for her keys to the car. She made a sound of approval after finally grabbing it and unlocking the door. She sat in the car for a bit before starting it up and took in the interior. This car had been with her for about a year or two. It was the first thing Arlo ever got her and she cherished it. Vivian was still caught in the daze when her phone buzzed to life. She quickly scattered to answer it and after fumbling around for a bit she managed to get a grip on the phone.
"Yea, yea, yea. I'm on the way." Her friend let out a muffled snort and hung up. Vivian backed out of the garage and set out to their set meeting place. It had been a minute since she had been in Oakland. Sure she missed it, but there was something felt off. Maybe it was her lifestyle that made her feel like she wasn't supposed to be there or maybe she wasn't used to the constant sight of vegan restaurants and overpriced energy drinks. Either way, she wasn't ready to think past where she was now.

Vivian pulled into a parking spot on the street and walked into a cafe and picked a table. She sat there for a minute, scrolling through her phone and occasionally checking the door to see if she could find her friend. After about 5 minutes, she hears someone plop down into the chair in front of her.

"Did I ever tell you how much I hate traffic?"

She let out a small laugh and nodded her head, "You've told me this a thousand times Y/N."

They both let out a loud laugh that probably was heard by everyone in the cafe but that's how they always were. They weren't perfect but they were sure as hell close to it. From Vivian's first crush to her journey in sugaring, they were behind her for it all. There may have been times where opinions clashed but day's like these made all of that wash away. Vivian was letting out the last few chuckles and trying to squeeze out a sentence in between them, 
" How's work been? You always seem to leave that part out whenever we link up."

"Work is work. Do your job, get paid, go home, possibly swoon over you boss-"

Vivian cackled, " Who the hell swoons over their boss? I mean yea, they can be cute but it's your boss." 

Y/N rolled their eyes and took a sip from their cup. " Whatever you say. On mamas, I wouldn't even think twice if I had the chance at 'em." And just as if on cue, a man walked into the cafe. His hair was a curly mess but it fit him. His face was made of sharp lines that were somehow soft and fragile. All of his movements were confident and sure and had skin the color of  golden sunrises. No one ever told her that corporate casual could be so deadly. It was only some slacks and a white button down but he made it look so extravagant. Vivian looked like a kid in a candy store. She was so involved in him she forgot her friend even existed. After being ignored for almost a minute, Y/N snapped their fingers in-front of Vivian's face.
"Viv? Earth to Vivian?" They turned around to see who caught her attention and they quickly  turned back to her. They smirked and turned to face the tall man.

"Hey there boss man! You got a couple minutes?"

Vivian damn near had a heart attack. She was still in awe of him and talking to him would be a task that she wasn't ready for. The more time she spent in her head, the closer he got. She's talked to rich men before so surely it wouldn't be a problem now. She took a couple of breaths and gave herself a pep talk.

"Come on Viv, get it together. He's only a guy, a cute one at that, but a guy none the less."

The man gave a warm smile to the both of them and took a seat next to her friend. The both of them took a minute to catch up while Vivian sat there and listened to them talk about their day. After about a minute, Vivian's friend turned to her and introduced them to each other.

"Vivian, this is Daveed. Daveed, this is Vivian."

They both waved to each other and gave small smiles. Daveed and Vivian got acquainted pretty easily until they got onto the topic of jobs. He was CEO and she was sugar baby. That's not something you casually bring up and she dreaded the thought of him finding out. She had to be quick on her feet in answering so she said she was working part time at a restaurant nearby while she was going back to school. Luckily it wasn't a complete lie. He gave another warm smile and laughed.

"Damn, you got it rough huh?"

"You don't even no the half of it. College is kickin' my ass."

"Next time you need a break, gimme a call. Believe it or not, I know how to have a good time." He slid his business card over to her and stood up. He said his goodbyes and took off. Vivian picked up the card and tried to sink in what just happened.

"Did he-"

"Yep. And by the looks of it I think you have a bit of a crush."

"You really got me bent." She knew she had some type of feelings for him but she just couldn't admit it. They had two different lifestyles and she's happy where she is.

"Look, I gotta dip but I'll hit you up later." She left money to cover the tip and waved goodbye. She made her way to her car and paused a minute before getting in. She pulled out Daveed's business card and stared at it. She shook the thought of him from her mind and hopped into the car. Guys like him don't go for people in her line of work and she knew that. So why did she even entertain the thought?
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OH GOD THIS TOOK LONGER THAN I WANTED IT TOO!!!! I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter and give me feedback if you have any since I'm trying out a thing💕
- Jasper