by Layla Arts
Veronica disappeared into the kitchen. Clarity and I started laughing, and I slapped her head lightly. “That was mean, Clarity! She is an old woman who has found her passion in knitting.”
“Horrendous clothes, Vicks. No living creature would buy that shit.”
“She has put effort in her creativity!”
“And I don't get a raise on my paycheck,” she said, and she winked before she left with another order.
As the orders came in, I felt pressured; there was so much to do.
“Clarity, pass me the cinnamon!“ I shouted from the other side of the room.
“I'm busy with the milkshakes!“ She groaned. I rolled my eyes, and I took a deep breath.
“Table fifteen, Vicky. Don't forget table eight with the ice cream.“
“I'm working on it, Veronica. Is there some back-up from the kitchen?“
“Not even close. Everyone is busy. It's almost Christmas, Vicky. People love to celebrate Christmas here.”
I hummed along with the music that was playing in the background. I loved Christmas music. It was so cheerful, and it made me feel jolly for the days I was going to NYC.
Hadrian and I were both excited that the last day it would snow so we could enjoy the blissfulness of the Christmas days in the big apple.
I got frequently tapped on my shoulder. “Wait for a moment,” I said. I dried my hands, and I spun around.
I was met with the eyes I hadn't seen in such a long time.
“Can we talk when you have lunch?” Kent asked me nicely.
I hadn't seen Kent for a long time, so I was quite shocked to be confronted by him. I adjusted my apron, and I thought about the lunch break I was having in thirty minutes.
Kent didn't know I was aware of him being William’s little brother. “Yeah, that is fine,” I told him. He smiled at me sweetly. It did hurt that he was actually the brother of someone who I absolutely loathed.
Kent was gone soon after, and I was working the last minutes to get everything sorted out before lunch. It didn't really make sense why he wanted to talk to me. We hadn't seen each other for such a long time, so that was maybe a reason why he was suddenly interested in me.
“Lunchtime, Vicks!” Veronica shouted from the kitchen. I gave her a thumbs up, and I placed my apron in my locker. I grabbed my sandwiches I had made this morning – reluctantly, with Hadrian wrapped around me. Hadrian didn't want me to leave for the café, but I had to.
I saw Kent through the window from the canteen. He was outside, sitting in his car. He was drinking from a mug. I pushed the back door open, and I walked toward him. He dragged his hand through his hair, and he smiled nicely at me. His blonde hair was falling perfectly in front of his face. He didn't even look related to William.
“How are you doing?“ Kent asked me when I sat next to him.
“Good, very good. It surprises me actually.”
“I've missed you at the café, you know. We haven't been working the same shifts anymore,” Kent pointed out.
I nodded, the days were different without him. Not that I was missing him, but he missed me. I was just doing everything to get money, and if that was working without him, I was okay with that
“No, I needed to change my shifts because of the Empire, sadly. I still love to be here and take orders for people. But enough about me, how are you doing?” I questioned him. I had heard nothing from Kent over the past weeks, and my curiosity grew immensely.
“Incredible. I've received some amazing news lately,” he announced. A smile was spread across his face.
“Tell me, Kent,” I told him, I was curious.
“Well, the papers aren't signed yet, but Veronica has asked me to be assistant manager. I've never got this opportunity in my entire life, Vicks. It's amazing how someone can be interested in you because they see potential.“
“That is amazing, Kent. Congratulations!“ I cheered. If I didn't know he was William’s brother, I would've probably hugged him out of happiness.
Kent turned his head towards me, and I saw a tiny smirk appearing on his face. “I'll be working every day at the café then,” he explained. I don't know how but a knot formed in my stomach.
“How amazing then. I haven't worked with you in ages.” I tried to come across as happy.
“How is everything at the Empire?” he questioned me interestingly. “I haven't been to one of your shows.”
“Great. The business is doing wonderful, as far as I know.”
When I wanted to open my mouth and say more about the club, Kent made me shut up because he talked first.
“Are you still seeing that Hadrian guy?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I suddenly got nervous, and I had no idea why because it was Kent. “Often,” I shrugged nonchalantly. “I thought you weren't interested in him.”
“I'm interested in your life, Vicks. Not his,” he said with a scoff. He cleared his throat. “If you want to know more about Hadrian, I heard something. Just ring me whenever you feel like you should know.“
“I'll think about it,“ I assured him – I probably wasn't.
The door flung open, and Veronica appeared. “Kent, come here!” she yelled. “I got something for you.”
Kent said he was coming. The door closed, and he pushed himself off his car. He adjusted the tie around his neck, and he smiled at me.
“Good luck with whatever you need to do.”
“Thanks,” Kent spoke.
He made his way to the door, and before he went inside, he turned around. A smug smile was planted on his face.
“Did you know that your boss always gets what he wants, and who he wants?” Kent spoke, and he winked at me.
***
After I was done working at the café, I had spared some time to go by Hadrian's.
I had taken the bus – not my favorite thing in the universe – and I joined him for dinner. He had ordered some pizza because he didn't feel like cooking tonight. I was sitting on his countertop while he was doing the dishes.
My legs were swinging back and forth while I sat there, admiring him from a distance. His broad shoulders were in my vision, and I saw how tensed his muscles were when he was cleaning up. It was pretty cute to see him like this. I pushed his hair back because it allowed me to look at his features better, and I definitely had a weakness for his jawline.
“So how was not working at the amazing Empire?” Hadrian asked me when he cleaned the plates.
“It was okay, thanks for your concern. How was it to be at your boring office?” I asked him. A chuckle left his mouth.
When he was done, he turned around and faced me. A grin was spread across his face when he saw me sitting here like this.
“Perfectly fine,” he replied.
“Hadrian, can I ask you something?“ I questioned Hadrian eagerly.
He hung the wet towel on the oven handle, and he focused on me. He kicked softly with his feet against mine. The fabric of his sock was hitting my bare feet. I grinned when he softly tickled me with his toe underneath my feet.
“Sure, baby.”
“What if I told you I might have talked to your favorite person in the world?“
“That sounded more like an apprehensive statement, and what has Kent done?“ He stilled immediately.
He wasn't pleased to hear his name, nor the way I spoke suddenly about Kent.
“Calm down. Everything is okay.”
“It better be,” Hadrian pointed out aggressively. “I wouldn't mind kicking his ass one day and tell him he needs to fucking stay away from you.” I sighed out of annoyance when Hadrian was so easily angered.
“That is practically impossible,” I said. “Kent is going to be the new assistant manager, so that means he is working at the café every day.”
Hadrian's eyes grew bigger at the news. He shook his head, hating that I had brought this up for sure. But there was nothing to hide from him. He rested his hands on the counter while he leaned against it. After a while, he rubbed
his eyes, and he looked back to me.
“You are going to quit your job, now. I'll pay you triple,” he insisted.
“I know you don't like Kent, but it's still my decision. I know your concern, but as long as I'm capable of making my own decisions, I will,” I said. “However, being paid triple isn't something I'd decline,” I mentioned while wiggling my eyebrows. “I'm joking, you don't have to pay me more. That wouldn't feel right, Hadrian.”
“Why wouldn't it? You get more money to spend on sexy lingerie you could wear for me.”
Hadrian pushed himself off the counter, and he slowly walked up to me. His hands came in contact with my thighs. I felt him squeezing my limbs now and then.
“Like lace panties. I like that idea. What about those sexy corsets?” He breathed out against my face. “You'd be so hot, baby girl.” He placed a sloppy kiss on the corner of my mouth.
“Getting you out of your hormonal manly thoughts. I need to ask you something.” I broke the sexual tension.
“No, I don't do threesomes,” Hadrian spoke against my skin.
“Hadrian!” I panicked.
When he understood I wasn't going to continue talking if he wouldn't take me seriously, his eyes searched for mine, and I held his hand.
“Is there maybe something you are hiding from me?” I asked him
“Why would you think that I'm hiding something from you?” He quickly shot up in defense.
“I don't know, Kent just s-” I wanted to finish my sentence, but Hadrian had a habit of cutting me off sometimes when it was about Kent.
“Kent can say anything he wants, he doesn't know shit about me,” Hadrian said, and he was angry. His tone didn't please me, but neither did my words please him. “I'm sorry that I'm getting pissed, but that asshole is saying things when he doesn't even know me.”
“But he is William’s little brother. We both are clearly aware that things between William and you are incredibly fucked up. I just wanted to ask you something personal, that's it. And if you don't have something to hide then so be it,” I explained to Hadrian normally.
He raised my chin so that my head was on his level. His thumb touched my cheek, and I sighed out of confusion.
“You don't trust me, do you?” he asked in a whisper.
I stayed silent.
“Yes, I'm beginning to doubt you.” I finally managed to say.
“I'm honest, Vicky. I really am.”
“All right.”
“All right? You don't have an explanation on why you feel the need to question me?” He suddenly spoke out of surprise.
“Should I? I can confuse the shit out myself.”
“Really, are we having this discussion right now? You don't suddenly start to doubt me when we are going to New York the day after tomorrow. Seriously, I'm going to get extremely mad at you.”
“I thought you already were.” I huffed. “I just asked you one thing, and you make a whole scene about it. If you are on your period, then you should have enlightened me.” I held my temples. “I don't want to fight before we go to New York. I don't want to have this tension between the two of us. That would be a waste of our time, and I'm not up for it.”
“It is okay.” Hadrian breathed out. Again silence was between us, but Hadrian took the courage to break the silence. “Do I need to drop you off at home?”
“Yes, I took the bus to get here,” I said.
“Since when do you take the bus, West?” he asked me.
“Since you started taking me home.”
“You could drive yourself home.”
“No, I like the Bentley.”
***
The car rides with Hadrian were always the ones I loved. The music would be blasting through the stereo, and I would close my eyes while he held my hand when we were driving. It was tough for me to keep my eyes open when we were driving in the dark. It always made me tired.
Luckily, we arrived at my apartment quickly. Hadrian was patting my bum repeatedly when I was walking on the stairs. I giggled whenever he was slapping me again. I tried to be faster, but it was impossible when I laughed.
“I'll call you tomorrow, babe,” Hadrian said when we stood in front of my apartment. My back was pressed against the door.
“Just call after my shift, okay?“
“Always, Vicks.“ He promised. “It could be late, I have a meeting.“ He pressed his lips against my forehead.
“I'll wait for your call, Hadrian.“
“Goodnight, Vicks.” Hadrian kissed my lips forcefully, and he left soon afterward.
I unlocked my door, and I got inside. I got rid of the make-up, and I brushed my teeth insanely fast. I added moisturizer to my face, and I brushed my hair. When I was wearing my oversized pajamas, I was ready to head to bed. I crawled under the sheets, and I set my alarm for tomorrow.
Thoughts were wandering through my head. Something in Hadrian's tone made me doubt about him. It seemed like he was defending himself so quickly that I wouldn't go through with asking him things. I tossed and turned, but I couldn't find a way to fall asleep. I looked at the bright screen of my phone, and I cursed under my breath when I realized it was pretty late, and I was still awake.
Just the unawareness of Hadrian made me want to do one thing. I picked up my phone, and I sat up in my bed. I scrolled through my contact list, and I pressed the number I hadn't called or texted for such a long time. I heard the phone going over, and I looked impatiently into the dark.
“Hey, it's Vicky,” I spoke into the receiver.
“Hello.”
“Kent, can I talk to you tomorrow after my shift?”
“You know I'm always there for you, Vicks.”
***
As I got ready, for another working day, I knew I'd be talking to Kent after my shift. He would be working the entire day, needing to learn the in's and out's before becoming assistant manager at the café.
Besides meeting with Kent, more pressing matters cluttered my mind – like what am I going to wear in New York?
Just the thought of leaving tomorrow morning with Hadrian got me excited. I wanted to know how it felt to be somewhere magical, celebrating Christmas with the one you love. The all-consuming power of being in love with Hadrian weighed heavily on my mind. I had to talk with my parents about this – about him.
I had four hours until I was required to be at the café for work. I was absolutely ecstatic that Clarity was my colleague for the day. I didn't want my interrogation of Kent to interfere with work, so it was better left until the end of my shift.
I had no idea what Kent wanted to tell me. I was absolutely dumbstruck on what Hadrian could be hiding from me, but his behavior toward me had definitely changed since I started seeing Hadrian. He wasn't as carefree and innocent as I had once believed; his new action reminded me that of William’s.
His words yesterday about the boss getting everything made me nervous. It was a clear reference that he held power over me now. Kent had once been my closest companion – my friend.
It frankly pissed me off that he was willing to destroy that because I was with Hadrian.
Was Kent jealous?
Maybe I was overthinking it, but I trusted that whatever Kent had to say to me was for my own benefit; I had to speak to him. Hadrian's stand-offish behavior last night had me less-than-satisfied that he was telling the truth; something just didn't feel right. Hadrian insisted that he was being completely honest with me, but his defensive attitude said otherwise.
If there was nothing to hide, why would he be angry when I asked? Sure Kent was an asshole in Hadrian's eyes, but why would Hadrian be worried about what Kent had to say? It was all too confusing.
I made it a priority to push the unresolved matter of Hadrian's honesty to the side, and call my parents. I spoke to my dad last week about their plans for Christmas and New Year's Eve; he said that my entire family would be celebrating the New Year together. He asked me about my plans, but I just brushed it off, not really committing to anyth
ing. I didn't know how to tell my parents about Hadrian – my boss, who I am currently fucking, and in love with; not necessarily in that order.
“Hi mom, it's Vicky,” I spoke into the receiver. I was sitting on the kitchen counter keeping myself entertained. A mug of vanilla caramel tea was stationed between my crossed legs. I twirled the spoon in the cup in an attempt to keep my nervousness at bay.
“Vicky! Love! What a surprise you're calling at this moment,” My mother replied. Her voice made me smile instantly. My mother always made me happy, and I was so desperate to see her. Unfortunately, my lack of funds kept me from flying out to visit her.
“I just wanted to tell you something,” I blurted out. I wanted to do this quick – like ripping off a Band-Aid.
“Go on,” she instructed me. I could hear my mother cough a few times before silence once again flooded the line.
“Well, I'm leaving Los Angeles tomorrow morning for New York City,” I announced. I bit my nails while I waited for her response. My mother's unpredictability had me nearly shit my pants when it came to moments like this; I never really knew what to expect from her.
“New York City?! Where did that absurd idea come from? Vicky, you're insane. You can barely afford your rent and food, how the hell do you expect to pay for this?” She panicked through the phone. I sighed with the inevitability of telling her about Hadrian, worried about how she might take the news if she was already pissed off at me.
“I'm not paying for it myself, mom. Someone, uhm, is taking me for Christmas. He goes there every year, and thought I would enjoy it.”
“He? Am I missing something?” she inquired.
“Uhm, yeah,” I told her right away. “I kind of met someone, and we talked about how you, dad, and I always used to go camping. I told him how I had never been anywhere except for Los Angeles and Texas, so he asked me to go on the trip to New York with him.” I added simply.
“So you're dating then? Things must be serious if he's asked you to travel across the country with him at his expense. I'm not happy that I'm only hearing of this now, Victoria.” I internally groaned when my mother called me Victoria. It wasn't even my real name, but she was trying to sound more authoritative.
“Mom,” I pleaded. “Seriously, I am twenty-three. I'm old enough to decide for myself, besides we aren't dating,” I stated the obvious. I rubbed my forehead when I heard my mother gasp. I knew she was confused on what exactly Hadrian and I were – hell, so was I – and that an interrogation was soon to follow.
