SEVENTEEN: TEMPORARY.

SEVENTEEN: TEMPORARY.
The bed was comfortable. Familiar, too. Enough to make Juliet sleep in for a couple of hours longer than she should have.
 But the moment her eyes opened, the comfort vanished, the familiarity immediately replaced with fear.
  Once again, she wasn’t in her bed.
It was barely any consolation, but she also wasn’t in Xavier’s bed. She was on the bed in his guest room, all curled up like a baby who’d just had the greatest night’s rest of his life.
Except her night had been far from the best of her life.
A burning house. A burning sensation. And burning embarrassment as she walked into the mansion with Xavier by her side, his words cold and emotionless as he asked her to spend the night in the guest room while he found the way to his own room. Not like she was expecting anything else- heck, her legs could barely take anything else- but it would have been nice if he wasn’t as cold. Especially when his body was anything but cold just few moments ago.
 She felt conflicted. Like she had felt ever since the first day she met Xavier. And that feeling definitely didn’t go away as she got up from the bed, freshened up and changed into the clothes she had apparently forgotten to take with her the last time and then stepped out of the room, immediately crossing paths with Xavier.
 She froze as she met his gaze, watching him slowly halt his steps. His eyes followed her body from head to toe, his hands sliding into his pockets before he spoke up.

“You’re awake.”

“I am,” she replied, immediately clearing her throat so she could sound more audible. “Um, thank you for yesterday.”

He raised his brow in confusion, the confusion immediately getting to Juliet. She could list a dozen reasons she was thankful to him without including the wonders he did to her body.

“I wouldn’t have had a place to spend the night if it wasn’t for you.”

“Do you have a place to stay now then?”

“What?” The question came out fast, fast enough to immediately task her brain and have her come to a conclusion easily. She didn’t have a place to say. Not yet. “How bad was the fire? Do you think I can still-“

“The entire building was burnt to the ground,” his responses were as sharp as ever. “I’ll take that as you saying you have no place to say. Okay. You can stay here then.”

“What?” She blinked then blinked again. She couldn’t stay at his place. Not again. Not like that. “Why?”

“Would you rather spend the night on the streets?”

“No, I don’t mean that,” she was racking her brains as quickly as possible. “It’s just that- the last time you-“

She took a deep exhale, gathered her thoughts then spoke up again. “You’ve already done so much for me without me doing anything for you in return. I don’t have anything to give you in return. I don’t have money, my body is useless to you and you don’t need me working in your house. So how could I accept another favor as huge as living here again?”

“You don’t have to repay me,” he replied her the second she uttered her last word. “I’m only going to allow you stay here temporarily. So get a new job if you would. It’s up to you. Just know I’m only going to allow you stay here until you can afford a new decent job.”

The words settled in her brain quickly. He was only allowing her to stay temporarily. Until she got a job and could finally afford a new place. 

That made sense.

“Oh, thank you,” she exhaled softly. “Really. I-“

He didn’t let her finish before turning around, leaving Juliet in the living room. She swallowed the rest of her words as she watched him slam the door then leave the house, her fingers curling in her palm.

“Okay,” she muttered to herself, resuming her steps slowly. “Okay, that’s understandable. That makes sense. He’s just being nice.”

She allowed herself feel a little less conflicted. He was only doing that because he watched her house burn to ash the previous day. It was basic human decency. Not more.

By the time she stepped out of the house, there was no trace of him. She nodded to herself and continued walking, only to be suddenly startled by the sound of the horn from behind her.

“Holy-“

The car pulled over and the door was opened to reveal Carlos. She immediately felt her cheeks heat up, her gaze falling to the floor as she uselessly hoped he wasn’t walking up to her.

“Miss, get in. I’m here to drive you to school.”

“What?” She was forced to meet his gaze. “Why would you-“

“Here,” he handed over a paper bag to her. “It’s a new phone and some basic things you’d need. Your old phone got burnt yesterday so here.”

Her tongue curled in her cheek. For a split second, her pride almost got in the way but remembering she had nothing with her after the accident, she slowly reached for the bag.

“Thank you,” she nodded, mentally increasing the list of things she owed Xavier. “I’m really grateful.”

He bowed his head in response and once again, signaled for her to get into the car. Realizing how useless it’ll be to fight it, she simply nodded and got into the car.

Her eyes were shut the entire ride, the back seat harboring more memories than she’d have liked. Her legs were squeezed together, her arms folded more than half the time until Carlos announced their arrival at her college.

With muttered thanks, she hurriedly made her way to her classes and for the next couple of hours, was able to center her thoughts around getting a new job.

“Boo!”

Juliet nearly jumped, the paper bag in her hand immediately slipping out to empty the contents on the floor. Her eyes widened as Wale appeared out of nowhere, quickly falling to the floor to pack her things.

“I really need to stop trying to surprise you,” he flashed her an apologetic smile as he returned the phone and cash into the bag. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she collected the bag from him. “I wasn’t scared.”

“Yeah, you were,” he chuckled as they continued walking. “By the way, why are you walking around with so much cash. You withdrew them to get a new phone and it ended up being too much?”

“Something like that?” Her chuckle was awkward and his eyes as he peered at her were no different. “What?”

“Did you rob a bank?” His tone was playful as he continued peering. “Or was it a store? Don’t tell me you did something that fun without me?”

“Oh I wish,” Juliet actually laughed. “If it was that easy I wouldn’t be stressing over ways to get a new job.”

“You need a new job?” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. “What kind?”

“Anyone,” she shrugged. Ever since her dad died and mum got hospitalized, she had juggled all sorts of jobs so she was the last person to be picky over jobs. “As long as I get paid, I’ll take it.”

“Even if I pay you to hang out with me?” He asked then quickly laughed, dissolving the tension almost the second it formed. “Just kidding. But if you need a job, then I can help. My parents just opened a new restaurant and they’re still searching for part time waiters.”

“Are you for real?” She paused her steps, scanning his face for any signs of a smirk. “Tell me you aren’t joking.”

“I’m not,” he pat her by the shoulders. “I’m pretty sure you can start today if you’re down.”

“Yes, yes, I am,” she nodded. “Oh my God, Wale, thank you.”

“You owe me one then,” he winked then took his arm around her to take out a card from his pocket. “Here. The address is on this card. I’d have loved to go with you but I have somewhere to be right now. Just go there and tell them you’re from Wale. You’ll get the job in seconds, I promise.”

She could have hugged him. Excitedly, she collected the card from him and flashed him a huge smile, gushing out thanks as she bid him goodbye to hit the road.
Following the directions from the card, she left for the restaurant. Her heart raced the entire way, the familiar mix of nerves and determination settling in her chest. It felt just like the old days—rushing between part-time jobs, calculating hours and pay—but for the first time in a long while, she didn’t mind. All that mattered was getting a job. One good enough to help her repay Xavier and leave his house—and his life.
 The restaurant was easy to locate. It was a tall building, fancier than all the restaurants she’d worked part time at combined. It was clearly new, the paint fresh, the furniture all in the latest designs to hit the market.

She could spot a few servers around, all dressed in uniform with their hair neatly tied up. She swallowed, suddenly feeling pressured to work in such a fancy place.

“Excuse me, may I help you?”

The unfamiliar voice snapped her out of it. She turned quickly, flashing the rehearsed smile she’d perfected over the years and holding up the card in her hand. Moments later, she was being escorted inside, past the warmth of the dining area and into a quieter space to meet a woman who seemed pleased to meet her.

It happened so fast it could barely be considered an interview. All she needed to know was her experience level, clothes size and availability to start work immediately to confirm Juliet had gotten the job. It felt surreal but in the span of minutes, Juliet was dressed in the same uniform as the rest of the waitresses, a tray in her hand as she set out to attend to her first customer.

Her breathing was steady as she took careful calculated steps towards the table she was meant to serve. She’d quickly memorized the name of the dish in her hand, her lips moving as she repeated it silently to make sure she got the accent right.

It was no big deal. It wasn’t her first restaurant job but it could be her best. The pay was attractive and she was certain all she needed was to do a good job for a couple of months to be able to save enough to move out of Xavier’s mansion.

“Your meal is here,” she smiled as she lowered the tray to the table. “Special Alfredo-“

Her goal was to ensure her smile remained on her face as she recited everything she had memorized about the meal to the customer. But that goal immediately became impossible as she locked gazes with the customer seated right in front of her.

Her smile vanished in an instant, a slow, satisfied one immediately appearing on Damon’s face.