You know how people say they lock eyes with this special someone, time just.. stops and everything comes to a halt? Yeah, I can relate to that. Except, not the first part, but the second one, where time seems to stop functioning. Because although I love my job, I'm pretty sure it's been going on for forever now.
I checked my watch and sighed a sigh of relief.. 30 more minutes to go.
To pass time, I passed by every single table, checking for any scattered rubbish that people may have left over. I started to tidy up the place by cleaning the coffee tables, with an old rag and a spray cleaner, and returning any stray trays to the little kitchen. I rested my elbows on the counter, leaning onto the counter. I twisted one black strand of my hair that sat loosely on my shoulder, braiding it into a tiny braid.
A lonesome teenager, and probably our last costumer for the day, sitting on his own caught my attention. He looked like he could be my age.. if not a year older. His eyes were really tired.. and worn out, yet I couldn't stop gazing at them. They were focused on the screen of a laptop, and they were slowly dozing off every few seconds. There was a black book resting right next to his arm, and for some peculiar reason, it gave me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Nova, dear, I have to go. David has prepared dinner for us so I have to get home early. Is it okay if you lock up the place behind you?" Spoke a guilty looking Maddy.
"Don't give me that look. Of course I will. I'll handle the cafe, you go join David on your fancy dinner." I smiled at her, adding a wink.
She smiled, her wrinkles making a grand appearance, decorating her face with signs of excitement made prominent with age and exhaustion.
"You have free access to the muffins for a week." She gave me a sly smile. "But I wouldn't eat them, if I were you."
"Are you calling me fat?" I feigned offense, bringing a dramatic hand up to my chest.
"No, I'm just trying to save some muffins for the store." She reasoned, before grabbing her bag and heading towards the exit. With taps of her cane stamping against the floor, she closed the door, the bell ringing after her, announcing her exit. My smile faded as her shadows disappeared. I glanced at the teenager to see him looking right back at me.
His stare was making me uncomfortable, so with a forced smile, I made my way over to him.
"Can I help you with something?" I asked, politely. Or at least I hoped I was.
"I don't think you can." He replied. I was taken aback but how deep his voice was.
"Uh.. Oh. Okay. I'll just let you be then." I stuttered. Why was I stuttering.
"I found this left on the chair when I first arrived." He said, handing me the black book resting on the table right next to him. I took it from his hand, studying the book gently.
"Okay, I'll make sure it gets to its owner.." I pressed my lips together in a thin line, a stupid habit I've been doing since I was 8.
"I'm pretty positive this owner would be you." His eyes were boring through me, taking note of every little detail. I tried to shrug off the self consciousness I felt creeping its way up.
"No, it's not." I remarked, tilting my head to the side, taking notice of how the corners of his mouth slightly creased whenever he spoke.
"Your name tag says November Gray."
"And?" I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"Says November Gray on the first page." He shrugged, nonchalantly.
YOU ARE READING
November
Teen FictionA second. So many things could happen in a mere, fleeting second. But what if a second was all it took. For her, all it took was a simple second, and her life came crashing down in flames. She lost everything she's ever held close to her heart. She...
