Change (Published under The Change For Her)

Forty-Two

~Hi guys, I made a playlist on Apple Music of the songs I used/inspires this story. Click the link in my bio to save it 💞~

"Okay! Wake your butt up!" I hear Maria yell before hitting me with something. There's laughter in the background and I know it belongs to the lovely Ava.

"Ava, make this crazy chick stop hitting me with a pillow," I groan out. I rolled over to face the two, just to get hit straight in the face with the stupid pillow. "Maria!" My hands went straight to my face while Maria and Ava burst into laughter. I grumble something under my breath while sitting up in bed, glaring at my annoying friends.

My eyes stay on Ava and Maria laughing like hyenas and reach for my phone off the nightstand. I swipe up on the lit-up screen to check the message Liam sent me about thirty minutes ago.

Liam: I realize that I don't exactly know where you work, so I'm gonna take you to work today. See you around 11:30 babe;)

A smile appears on my face but slowly changes when I realize that means he'll be showing up in thirty minutes. I kick my blanket off of me and hurry my way to my closet. Liam planned on taking me somewhere after work but he didn't tell me where. So what the heck am I supposed to wear? Conor always took me to fancy restaurants but Liam doesn't seem like the type to do the same.

"So are you going to tell us what happened the other night?" Maria questions.

"I will but I need to get ready for work because I have to be there at twelve," I told them.

"Why are you looking so hard to find something to wear? You never care about how you dress for work," Ava comments.

"I have a date after I get off," I grab a pair of black skinny jeans and a baggy pastel blue sweater, speeding into the bathroom before the two had time to say something. I turn on a random playlist, blasting the volume so I can't hear the two behind the locked door. I do the normal morning routine, wash my face, brush my teeth then change out of my nightclothes into the outfit I picked out. Undo my messy hair bun, shaking my hair around before I brush out the tangles to braid it into a side braid.

I grab my phone, along with my nightclothes, and exit the bathroom tossing my clothes onto my bed, while walking back to my closest to put on my brown ankle boots. "Chloe, what the heck is going on? What date? Who are you going on a date with?" Ava bombs me with questions but before I could answer there's a knock on our door signaling Liam has arrived to take me to work.

"I'll explain everything when I get back, I promise," I tell them both as I slide my phone into my back pocket and grab my purse.

"Ready to go?" Liam asks me when I open the door. I nod my head while smiling at him and shut the door behind me.

******

"Okay, it's magic carpet time!" I announce to the little kids roaming around me. "Who's turn is it to pick out today's storybook?" I move a small chair onto the colorful rug laying by the bookcase. All the little ones make their way towards me and sit down.

"It's my turn," Kenzie tells me while raising her hand.

"Okay, go pick out a book," I smile down at her. Kenzie looked adorable wearing all pink. I remember when I first started working here, she told me that her favorite color was pink. Her dark black hair was braided into pigtails with a pink ribbon on the ends. Kenzie has a big smile on her face as she brings me a book.

Kenzie sits back down next to her friends, while I exam the book laying on my lap. "Curious George gets a medal," I read out loud. I picked the book up and showed the group sitting in front of me. Curious George was my favorite little monkey that I loved watching on tv and reading with my parents.

I flip through the pages until I turn to where the story begins. I angle the book to where they can see the pages and so I can read the printed words. "This is George. He lived with his friend, the man with the yellow hat. He was a good little monkey but he was always curious. George was alone this morning, looking at a picture book when the doorbell rang. It was the mailman. "Here is a letter for you," he said. "Put it on your friend's desk. He'll read it to you when he comes home." George was curious. It was not often that somebody wrote to him. Too bad he could not read the letter but maybe he could write one himself! In the top drawer of the desk, there was paper and ink and a fountain pen." I read out the first page, a smile grew on my face looking among the little faces so fascinated at what I'm reading to them.

******

"It was the happiest day in George's life." I read the last sentence. "The end." My eyes move towards the direction of the little ones while closing the book just to see Liam smiling at me as he leans against the wall by the front door. My face starts heating up realizing he could have been watching me for god knows how long. Clapping from tiny little hands turned my attention back to what I was doing. "Okay, you guys can go back to playing. If you need anything you can go to Mrs. Susan," I smile and get up from the small chair.

They all scattered to their favorite section while I moved the small chair back where it belongs. "Now I can see why you want to teach," The familiar voice said from behind. I bite the inside of my lip to hold back the smile, I keep my eyes on the adorable messy coloring sheet of a butterfly on the table in front of me.

"How can you tell just by watching me read to them?" I pick up the random crayons and put them back into their boxes.

Liam moves to the other side of the table and decides to help me clean up. "Doesn't mean I couldn't see how much you love being around them," He places the scissors in the container in the middle of the crafts table.

I pick up all the coloring sheets and walk over to the art wall full of so many creations that the little kids have made. "You can tell that by just me reading? Can you hand me the small container of thumbtacks?" I point to what I was talking about.

He hands me the container and watches me hang up the artwork. "If you didn't enjoy what you do, didn't want to be a teacher, you wouldn't be smiling and enjoy being around all these little kids."

"How couldn't someone enjoy spending time with these precious little things?" I laugh while hanging up the last art piece.

Liam chuckles beside me, "So when are you able to leave?"

"Right now," I softly smile. "I just need to get my things." He follows behind me to the front desk and waited as I grab my things so we could begin our date.