Chapter 5 Chapter Five
"Nice to meet you, Vanessa. I'm Akilah, and I'll be showing you around and getting you settled for your first day. Follow me, please."
She was stunning. Dark, smooth chocolate skin and glossy black hair that caught the light. She could've been a model with that slim figure, or a spokesperson with the way her voice carried such easy confidence.
I followed her behind the counter and into the kitchen. I didn't know exactly what my job would be so I dressed casually in dark coloured clothes. There was a guy with a long beard at the grills that looked like the head chef, a girl and two other guys who seemed a few years younger than me.
"This is Rocco, he was an italian chef in the past but now he specializes in different cuisines. We have Camille and these are Erin and Nolan," Akilah said, introducing everyone to me.
"Hello," I said as they waved with a smile. Well everyone except the chef. He glared at me before grumbling and turning back to what he was doing.
"Don't mind him. He's like that most of the time," Akelia whispered in my ear.
I nodded.
Upon hearing that, a wave of emotion washed over me. Family? That was something I'd never really had. Still, it warmed my heart knowing that at least here, I might have a work family.
"Welcome, Vanessa," Camille said, offering me a hug, which I accepted awkwardly. I wasn't used to hugging people, and I didn't plan on getting used to it anytime soon.
"Don't worry, as long as you do your job well, we'll get along just fine," Nolan said with a wink.
"Well, that's settled. Follow me," Akilah said, gesturing for me to come along.
I followed her into a small room at the back of the kitchen, where she handed me a black apron. I slipped it on, pulling my hair back into a quick tie.
"You'll be working as a waitress. Frey's also a waitress, but she isn't here yet. Word of advice, don't tell her much, and keep to yourself. She's a gossiper," Akilah said, her eyes fixed on me.
I smiled slightly while nodding. I hate the idea of even gossiping. That's why most people die. If someone tells you something very confidential, keep it to yourself, the whole world doesn't have to know.
After a few more minutes of talking to her, I went to the front to see if there was any customers but there was only one man sitting reading a newspaper. I approached him with a small smile.
"Hello, what can I get for you?" I asked, trying to hide my nervousness.
I wasn't used to being formal.
He looked up at me with a wide smile, setting his newspaper down on the table.
"Hello. Are you new? What's your name?" he asked in a friendly tone.
"Vanessa, and yes, I'm new,” I replied, already starting to feel a bit irritated.
"Nice to meet you Vanessa. I'll have a coffee and a tuna sandwich with lots of onions please," he said, not taking his eyes off me.
"Yes Of course," I replied forcing out a smile.
I went back to the counter, picked up a small notepad, and after jotting down the order, I pinned it to the board.
Business was painfully slow. It was a small place, after all, but it needed something, anything, to draw in more customers.
The bell above the door chimed, and I looked up to see him, the guy from yesterday.
The one who'd held my hand
When his eyes landed me, he released a wide smirk.
I didn't even crack a smile. I wasn't interested in him and I'll never be. Right now, there was more to life for me than ending up in a relationship that's probably not going to last.
Men can never be trusted. And the only one I did trust, died.
"Well, hello gorgeous, nice to see you again. My name is-"
"-I don't care," I cut him off, stepping to the side away from him, towards the left end of the counter.
"My name's Reid," he said with a grin. "And I have to say, you're quite beautiful. Are you, by any chance, single?"
This guy was seriously flirting with me and he wasn't planning to quit. The bell rang, and I went to collect the tray with the man's coffee and sandwich. I carried it over to him, fully aware of Reid's eyes tracing every move I made.
"Thank you," he said. I smiled before making my way back to the kitchen.
Before I could slip behind the counter, Reid grabbed me, pulling me hard against him. His arms locked around my waist. I froze for a second, then felt his breath against my neck.
"Stop!" I shouted, slamming my heel down on his foot. He groaned, his grip loosening enough for me to shove him away.
"I don't know who you think you are but never do that! I'm not interested in you and I'll never be! The next time you try that, it won't be your foot that will get hurt," I spat at him.
Who the hell did he think he was?
His expression turned serious, but I couldn't care less. When I turned, I saw the boss standing there, arms crossed, a faintly amused look on his face.
Crap.
He said nothing, just walked past me and disappeared into his office. A few new customers came in, so I grabbed my pen and got back to work.
Reid left around the same time, brushing past me on his way out. There was something about him, and it wasn't just his obsession. No, it was something deeper, something that made every instinct in me scream to stay far away.
And I had no problem doing that.
It was night by the time my shift finally ended.
I'd stayed longer than scheduled, and now the air was cool as I wrapped my jacket tightly around me. The streets were still busy, for now, and I just hoped to catch a cab before the city started to quiet down.
When I glanced over my shoulder, I froze.
Reid's car was there, trailing slowly behind me. I groaned out loud and quickened my pace. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?
"Hey, need a ride? I just want to apologize for what I did!" he shouted out the car window.
I kept my head straight, completely ignoring him as I continued walking. The sooner he realized I wasn't interested, the better.
"Vanessa!"
I stopped in my tracks and looked to my right. I sighed in relief when I saw Devin coming from a small shop with a brown paper bag in his hand.
"Hey, how was work?" he asked.
I glanced behind me, but Reid was no longer there.
"It was fine," I replied, following him to his car. I got in and took off my shoes, moving my toes all about. As he drove off, I leaned back and closed my eyes.
"You seem really exhausted. Mothing a nice warm bath can't cure," Devin said glancing at me.
I smiled at the thought of being submerged in a warm bath while the water soothed my aching muscles. I think after today, I might need a warm bath every day after work.
"So, how was your boss? Was he mean and aggressive? Or was he one of those jolly men who loves to laugh?" Devin asked, releasing a chuckle at the end.
"I only saw him once today before he went to his office and that was when I got harassed", I replied, seriously remembering what Reid did.
"You got harassed? On your first day... by who?" he asked, looking really concerned.
"A guy named Reid. He just won't leave me alone. He's obsessed with me and he seems to not understand what 'not interested' means," I replied.
"Perhaps he really likes you, or maybe he has some mental issues."
"No, he seemed pretty sane to me. He gives off this bad vibe that makes me want to stay far away from him," I replied, looking out the window.
Still, something told me this wasn't the last I'd see of him.