LAYERS

The Cafe

Mint's reappearance was acknowledged by Ashley looking up from his phone.

Water dripped from Mint's hair, pooling around the collar of her shirt and darkening the maroon fabric into a shade more resembling wine. The only two new additions to her appearance, beyond her poorly dried hair, was a backpack hanging over her shoulder, and jeans.

She sauntered past Ashely to reach her shoes, finally addressing Ashely with a, "You ready?" as she busied herself with tying her shoelaces.

The couch squeaked as Ashely got to his feet, pocketing his phone. "Where are we going again?" he asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Work," Mint said, standing up. "I'll introduce you to my manager, and then you can wait in the cafe or walk around the mall." Mint opened her front door, leaning against the frame as she waited for Ashley to slide his shoes on.

"The café?" Ashley asked, walking ahead of Mint and watching as she closed the door.

"Yeah, I'm a waitress at the maid café by the mall." Mint locked the door and lead Ashley down the stairs.

Ashley choked back a laugh. "So you wear a maid outfit?" he teased, aligning his steps with Mint's.

Mint side-eyed Ashley. "I wasn't aware it was something to be embarrassed about."

For the most part, the walk was quiet. Though perhaps how short the walk was part of the reason, as the mall was merely down the road from Mint's apartment complex.

They didn't slow their pace until they reached Mint's place of employment. The ringing of the bell above the door of the café was music to Ashley's ears, though the sound was quickly run over by Mint calling out, "Renee! I have someone to introduce to you!"

Mint strolled towards a woman setting out the condiments at a the tables. The woman, presumably Renee, smiled when she turned to look at Mint, and Ashley, who lingered closely behind.

"Oh?" Renee said. She looked Ashley up and down. "And who's this?"

"This is Ashley," Mint introduced, gesturing towards Ashley cooly. "He's staying with me temporarily. Ashley, this is Renee, my manager."

Ashley's spine straightened under the gaze of Renee. The authority of the woman was somewhat intimidating. "Hello," Ashley stuttered out in an attempt to be polite.

Renee chuckled and placed a hand on Ashley's shoulder well-naturedly. "Nice to meet you, Ashley," Renee said. "You've got some really nice hair."

"Oh," Ashley breathed, absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair around his finger. "Thanks."

Mint cleared her throat to catch the attention of her manager. "I was wondering if you could possibly offer him a job? Or at least write him a recommendation." Mint's smile widened when Renee shot her a look.

"He'd have to apply like everyone else, Mint. I can't just hand out jobs," Renee said firmly, though there was a note of apology somewhere behind her words.

Mint hummed with defeat. "Fine." She returned her attention to Ashley. "I'll get you an application after my shift." She then turned to look at a clock situated on the wall, and quickly added, "Which starts soon."

Mint moved to the door leading to the back of the store. Before she closed the door flaunting an 'employees only' sign in bold letters, she regarded Ashley. "You can stay here or walk around the mall. I only work for an hour on Saturdays."

The door then shut, and Ashley was left alone with Renee, who had resumed in placing condiments on tables. They made eye contact, and Ashley immediately decided he'd rather walk around the mall and come back later, if only to avoid having to sit with with Mint's admittedly scary manager.

He turned right out the entrance door, the ringing of the door's bell leaving Ashley to wander the mall.