“Bastards! You have no right to kick me out of this dump! Do you know who my father is?? Let me go!! Everyone who chooses to be here and eat is a moron!”
“I guess your father can open his own café now,” one of the guards said coldly. “Leave now. We don’t want to resort to force. You are disturbing our customers.”
“Come on guys, let’s get out of here,” Damian snapped.
Murmurs erupted at the table.
“Come on Damian. The food's amazing.”
“Don’t wanna go yet.”
“Not done.”
“You fools! Ben, you better get your ass up!” Damian stormed out and Ben ran after him.
Noah was just about to open his mouth to ask what had happened from the security when there was a sound from the little raised platform in the corner. It held an address system and a woman was standing there.
“I apologize for the nuisance and the chaos. The Sun Café is a great establishment and we love and respect our customers. And so, we expect such respect from you all as well. We will never condone the harassment of any staff of ours, among other things. We really don’t need to list them out. Simply be a proper upstanding human. That being said, the young man who harassed our staff this afternoon has been blacklisted after a proper investigation. His picture will be put up at the entrance of the café and we hope this serves as a deterrent for everyone. He is not to set his feet into this establishment. Thank you for your time. Enjoy your meal.”
The café broke into loud applause followed by cheers. Apparently, Damian had pissed off every single person in the building.
“That’s not fair,” Lillian said as she sucked on her milkshake.
Natalie rolled her eyes. “What would you do if you were the one he hurt?”
“Oh please, she should consider herself lucky that he was interested in someone like her.”
“So in other words, you wouldn’t mind if someone hurts you, just as long as the person is out of your league,” Natalie countered.
For a moment Lillian was quiet and Noah thought she was actually reflecting on what his sister said. Her next words proved otherwise. She shrugged and said, “Come on, it’s Damian Duran here. He’s the first son of Duran enterprises. He can do no wrong.”
Her reply caused Noah’s hands to clench around his fork and he coughed to cover up his fury. Their second serving was followed by an order of takeout before they left. Noah did not see Destiny again for the rest of the lunch.
“This is a cool joint I’m definitely returning to,” one of them, Flora said.
“True but remember Damian’s aunt owns Freshia. Are we really going to stop going there?”
Noah and Natalie left them arguing and headed out to the car. He kept stealing glances back at the café and even when they were outside, he was still looking in from the outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows which lined a section of the walls.
“I think she’s very busy,” his sister said beside him and he sighed as he nodded.
Noah got into his car and started it up as soon as Natalie got in. The first half of the drive was very quiet until Natalie broke it.
“So, you like her huh? Noah, I’ve never seen you like this before.” Noah didn’t say anything but continued looking at the road as he drove. “Wait, do you think she’s your mate?”
Noah sighed as he looked at his sister and then he shrugged. “I just know that I can’t stop thinking about her. I can’t seem to get her out of my head.”
The rest of the drive was quiet and as soon as he got home, he took the steps two at a time. Once he was on his floor, he locked his room door behind him. The roof was his next stop. Noah laid on the roof with his arms crossed underneath his head as he stared up at the late afternoon sun. A certain curly haired black girl kept slipping into his thoughts. He was glad that his parents were at a Council meeting and they would not be home until very late. He had no idea what to say to them because he was still trying to understand all that had happened on his first day at Havana Academy. His thoughts flitted to a conversation he had with his father on his sixteenth birthday when he complained about not knowing his mate and how he would know.
“What if I already met her and I didn’t know? How do I know dad?” he had asked the older Powers.
Andrew Powers had smiled and patted his shoulder and said, “No two experiences are the same, son. Everyone describes their meeting their mate in their own way but trust me, when you meet your mate, you will just know it. It’s different. You will definitely know son. You will know and you will feel the difference.”
He shut his eyes as Destiny flashed into his head and his heart started hammering once more. He had never felt this way, never. He would have stayed there for the rest of the night, lost in his thoughts, if it was not for the light patters of rain. He did not want to get drenched and so he headed in.
The next morning, Noah managed to avoid his parents' interrogation by claiming he was late. He got to school to see a great shock.
On entering the school building, he looked around for Destiny. I hope she is no longer mad at me. I really need to see that smile on her face. As he walked down the halls, he heard shouts and his feet drew him into a run until he got to the lockers. There against a locker, Damian was hovering over Destiny who was cowering and looked so little. Damian slammed the locker beside her and she jumped.
“Now I ask you for the last time, where can I find that bitch who got me kicked out of that dump yesterday? Tell me!”
He watched Destiny steel herself and despite her fear, looked Damian in his eyes and said fiercely, “I don’t know and even if I did, I won’t be so stupid and tell you.”
Damian grabbed her arm with so much force and in a flash, Noah was there with a firm grip on his shoulder. He held him so tight that as the pain shot through Damian, he let go of Destiny and she fell to the floor, her face down.
“How dare you?” Damian snapped, holding his hurt shoulder.
“I had to stop you. You don’t want to get two strikes in two days do you? The juvenile home is no place for a Duran, do you agree?” Noah knew all about diplomacy and how to apply it. Though he wanted more than anything to pull Damian’s teeth out one after the other, he could not do it because that was not the kind of behavior expected from the future Alpha of the clan. At least certainly not in the sight of a large crowd.
“You’re right. Thanks man.” Damian stepped back, glared once more at Destiny then stormed off.
Noah was immediately at her side and he helped her up. His eyes fell on the cut on her bottom lip and he felt a wrenching pain in his chest, like someone just stuck a knife into his heart.
“Come on, let’s get you to the infirmary Destiny. No arguments.”
Noah took her hand and pulled her in the direction she had taken him the previous day when she had been showing him around the school. He pushed the door open and they stepped in. It was quiet.
“We should go, no one’s here,” Destiny said beside him.
Noah turned to her and led her to one of the four beds where he sat her down. He walked to a shelf and it didn’t take long to find a first aid kit. He headed back to her and sat beside her.
“What are you doing?” she started protesting.
“Being a nurse,” Noah said softly as he stroked her hurt lip. He felt her shudder and he felt chills run through him as well. Their eyes met and she quickly averted her gaze but he held her chin softly and turned her face back to him. He pressed the wool that he had soaked in alcohol against her lip and he saw her eyes go cloudy at the stinging pain. “I’m sorry.”
“Its fine, I’m kinda used to it all. It’s the norm around here,” she said softly.
He shook his head as he patted the wound. Their heads were so close and he was able to see how richly brown her eyes were. They were like dark chocolate, warm and soft and as he looked closer, he noticed the grey specks in her eyes. They were barely noticeable. One hand nursing her wound, he used the other to stroke her
hair. She continued staring at him with those pools he was falling deeper into.
He finally stopped dabbing and placed a tiny band-aid which he had reduced in size with a scissors over
the wound. He winced visibly and Destiny smiled ruefully.
“I’m the one that’s hurt, yet you’re the one wincing.”
Noah held her face and stroked her softly and he pulled her into a tight hug. He was afraid she would pull away but she didn’t. She held on to him. He did not know how long they were like that but someone clearing her throat caused them to jump apart.
“I see you’ve done my job for me,” the nurse said as she walked towards them. She was a short and cheery woman and she held Destiny’s face as she observed the first aid. She nodded at Noah. “Good job.”
To Destiny, she said, “Who did this Destiny?”
Destiny shook her head stubbornly and Noah’s eyes widened. Why is she protecting Damian? The nurse sighed, a sigh that made Noah understand that this was not the first time she was getting hurt and it was certainly not the first time she was protecting her attacker.
The nurse handed Destiny a cup with two little pills and pointed to a cooler at the far corner of the infirmary. “Go get some water and take those pills. It will help with the pain.”
“Thanks Tara.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, Nurse Tara turned to Noah and said, “This is the first time she’s ever come here with someone and trust me, she comes here a lot. I’m glad she has a friend by her side, no matter how short the period.”
“I have no plans of ever letting her go ma'am,” and as he said so, Noah knew that he meant it with all his heart. He could not let go of her. Not ever. She tugs at a part of me that I didn’t know existed. She makes me feel so much and I cannot describe or explain a lot but one thing I am sure of is that losing her from my life would be like ripping out a part of me. As I envision my future now, I cannot see it without her, call me crazy. I don’t understand how I feel but I do know that I can’t see her hurt.
Destiny walked towards him and he smiled. Noah placed a hand on her shoulder as he said, “You okay? Pills working yet?”
He watched her lips turn up into a cute little smile and she nodded. “Yea.”
Nurse Tara walked to a small table and she bent over as she detached two sticky notes. She scribbled down some stuff and when she returned to them, she handed Noah two slips. She smiled as she said, “The permission slips will prevent you getting into trouble with your teacher, so relax. All right? I know how important your attendance is to you Destiny.”
Destiny smiled her thanks and Noah held her hand as he led her out. Destiny looked up at him and smiled widely as she said, “Thanks a lot Noah.”
Noah waved her appreciation away. “Why do you let them get away with it?”
“With what?” Destiny asked as she started walking down the hall briskly. Noah was still very much amazed at how someone so little could move so swiftly.
Three long strides and he caught up with her. He smiled as he swung a hand around her shoulder and she jerked out of his hold. She stared up at him, shocked.
“What? We are friends, aren’t we?”
“Fr- friends?” Destiny stammered and Noah chuckled.
“What? You’ve never had any of those?”
Destiny swallowed and she turned her face away and hurried forward. Noah caught up with her at the class door and they walked in. All eyes turned in their direction. Destiny hurried forward and handed the permission slip to Mrs. Baker. She quickly hurried to her seat and Noah’s eyes followed her.
“Mr. Powers?” Mrs. Baker called, drawing his attention.
Noah walked towards his teacher and handed the slip to her. She nodded her head and he hurried to his seat beside Destiny. Noah sat back and he tapped her desk lightly. She turned to look at him and he winked. Destiny rolled her eyes and turned away to look at the front of the class. Noah stifled a chuckle. Throughout roll call and the morning announcement, he stole occasional glances at her. She never answered my question, Noah thought.
CHAPTER NINE
DESTINY
She sighed as Kimberly walked up to her one more time and looked at her face intently. It was like the fifth time that afternoon already. From the moment she walked into the café about thirty minutes ago, she had been staring at her intently whenever she got the chance. Kimberly set the empty tray in her hands down on the counter. Destiny was working behind the counter today because one of the staff called in sick. She was filling in for him.
“Do you have anything that you would like to tell me?” Kimberly asked.
“Nope, nothing at all,” Destiny told her as she smiled at the customer in front of her, a blond woman with a little girl bouncing back and forth beside her. She handed the woman the to-go paper bag which had The Sun Café and its logo emblazoned on it. The bag contained two Chocolate-Banana milkshakes and scones. To the woman, she said, “Thanks for coming. Please come again.”
“Sure. Thank you.”
As soon as the woman’s back was turned, Kimberly drew nearer and tilted her head, waiting for Destiny to say something. Destiny sighed and she said, “What exactly do you want to hear, Kimberly? Why don’t you tell me and I will see if I can help you out?”
“How did you hurt your lip? And you better not say you stumbled and fell at home or something like that.”
Destiny shrugged and decided to tell the truth. “The guy from yesterday, you know, the one that was kicked out for harassing you. Well, let’s just say that he was not too pleased with the fact that I was not willing to dish out any information about you. It’s really no big deal.”
“So the bastard hurt you?”
“Language, Kimberly. And hey, wasn’t that your number I just heard? Your order is up.”
“I’ll be back. Stay still.”
Destiny chuckled. As if I have anywhere else to be. She looked up at the sound of the wind chimes and her breathing quickened as he stepped in. He looked very carefree as he walked towards her with his wavy black hair an orderly mess. The sleeves of his navy shirt were rolled up and the first two buttons were popped open. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jeans and his smile widened as he approached her. She squinted as she tried to remember if they were what he had on that morning.
Noah got to the counter and she got that overpowering whiff that she always got when she was around him. It was a sweet and beautiful aroma and it always enveloped her. She had no idea why she was drawn to him and his strength.
“Hey Destiny, you still here?”
“Uh, here, I am. What are you getting?” Destiny asked hurriedly. She averted her gaze, embarrassed and hoping that he would not realize that she had been staring and thinking about him.
“I am determined to try out every single delicacy in this café, so I believe I’ll go with…” as Noah spoke, his eyes flitted over the screens behind the counter. Aside from the menu cards at every table, the screens also displayed the day’s menu. Unlike the table menus but just like the little blackboard on the curb in front of the café, the screens were updated every day. “Chicken noodle salad and Blueberry-buttermilk. How does that sound?”
“Great choice. That will be fifteen minutes. Will you be having your meal here or to go?” Destiny asked quietly.
“Definitely here,” Noah replied quickly. He handed her his credit card and she got to work on the cash register. She turned around and sent the order to the kitchen.
“So, I’ll let you know when your order is ready,” Destiny told him with a nod.
“Cool, can I wait here?” he pointed to the high wicker stools that lined the side of the counter where he stood.
“Sure, it’s your call. I guess you are very hungry then,” Destiny said softly.
“Oh very, very.”
“Ah, capable of eating a bull?” Destiny made an attempt at a joke.
“You have no idea,” Noah said solemnly. He looked away and turned his back on her and pointed
to the different pastry displays at different points in the café.
“Are they free?” his voice bubbled with glee and Destiny laughed loudly. He turned to look at her fully and Destiny gulped as he kept staring at her intently.
“Is something wrong? What? Do I have flour on my face or what?”
“Oh no, it’s just that you look so beautiful and hey, has anyone told you that your laughter sounds like music?”
“And has anyone told you that you are tone deaf?” she retorted.
“Touché,” Noah laughed. Another customer walked up just then and Destiny stifled a chuckle as she turned to the customer.
As soon as the customer headed to a table, Noah asked, “What time do you get off work?”
Destiny shrugged. “I get off work and then I have stuff that I do over here. So, I guess I will have to say real late.”
“I see.”
The bell beside the cash register buzzed just then, signifying that an order was ready. Destiny turned around and through the little window which connected the kitchen and the dining area of the café, she picked up the tray, turned around and set it down before him. She smiled as she set a couple of paper napkins on the tray.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thanks.”
As she worked and attended to the customers, Destiny stole occasional glances at Noah. He was eating his food voraciously and the smacking sounds that he was making showed that he was certainly enjoying the meal. He looked up just then and smiled at her and she smiled right back. Destiny turned away and she sighed as she caught her reflection in the glass behind her. The band-aid over her lower lip was sticking out like a sore thumb. Why do you let them do this to you? The question that Noah asked her earlier that day resounded in her head. Because I am smart enough to know that it is the only option I have if I want to get what I need. Having a voice will only draw the kind of attention that I don’t need in my life. She sighed and turned to the customer who was walking towards her.
Destiny: BWWM High School Romance Page 7
