"Yeah, I'll have a strawberry milkshake and..." Harlem finally looked up, and her eyes widened when she took me in. "Estella freaking Hawthorne? What the hell are you doing here? Is this a prank?"
"Nope," I smiled sweetly. "I work here now."
"Um, ew," Harlem said, furrowing her brows at me. "Like, for real?" "For real," I replied. "Today's my first day."
"Gross," she muttered before a smile lit up her face. "But weirdly perfect. So I'll take that milkshake with soy milk, and real strawberries - no syrup."
"Of course." I made a note of it on my notepad, then drew horns around Harlem's name on the paper before giving her a sweet smile. "Anything else?"
"Oh, no," she purred before waving someone over. "I'm actually here on a date, darling."
"Hey, Estella." Natan appeared from behind me, sliding into the booth next to Harlem and kissing her right on the lips. "What's good?"
"Estella works here now," Harlem told him. "Isn't that just precious?"
"Very," Nate muttered, distracted by the menu. He didn't seem to care about me being there at all, and I wasn't sure whether that was a relief or a disappointment. "I'll take the cherry deluxe sundae, please."
"You got it."
"Don't forget, Estella," Harlem called out after me. "Soy milk."
"Of course." I headed back to the kitchen to give the staff the order, and Jeff was waiting for me.
"How'd it go?"
"As well as I could have hoped," I groaned. "She's here with my ex-boyfriend."
"Well, just be civil, and don't worry about it," Jeff winked. "It's going to be just fine."
I nodded, cleaning the countertop while I waited for the order to come out of the kitchen. I couldn't help glancing at Harlem and Nate every once in a while, and even though I was completely over my ex, I couldn't help but feel a pang in my chest whenever I looked at them.
Harlem caught me watching them once, and she smiled sweetly before calling out, "Waitress? Can I, like, actually get some service here?"
I rushed over to their table, sighing inwardly but giving them a smile despite the need to smash Harlem's face into the table. "Yes, how can I help?"
"Where's my order?" Harlem demanded.
"The kitchen's still working on it."
"Unacceptable." She glared at me. "I'd like to speak to your manager."
"Ummm," I managed. "Why?"
"I don't think you should question the customer, dear waitress," Harlem purred. "Now get our drinks and send the manager over, go on."
I nodded, walking away and telling Jeff what she'd asked for.
"This one's going to be trouble, isn't she?" he groaned. "Fine, I'll head over there now. You get their orders finished up, okay?"
I nodded and headed into the kitchen, where I made Harlem's milkshake myself, doing everything she'd demanded and refusing the urge to spit in her glass.
Finally, I brought the order out and walked over to their table where Jeff was still standing. I placed their ice cream and drinks on the table and smiled at the manager as he walked away.
"Anything else I can do for you today?" I asked politely.
Harlem ignored me completely, taking a sip out of her straw and dramatically choking on her drink. "Ugh, you got my order wrong. I asked for oat milk, not soy!"
"No, you asked for soy." I furrowed my brows at her, pulling out my notepad and showing her the note I made while covering up the devil face I'd drawn around her name. "See, right there."
"You got it wrong," Harlem insisted. "And I'm like, deathly allergic to soy milk. Are you trying to kill me?"
"No," I replied. "I-"
"I don't care," Harlem kissed. "This is unacceptable, and I can't drink it." She looked right at me as she swiped the glass with her elbow, watching it saunter to the floor. Red foamy liquid sprayed my clothes, and I stared at her in disbelief. Natan didn't say a word, happily digging into his sundae.
"And now you've dropped it," Harlem sighed dramatically.
"You're going to have to pay for that, you know," I told her as I bent down to start cleaning up the mess.
"No way am I paying for your mistakes," Harlem hissed. "Now bring me another milkshake and get it fucking right this time."
In my head, I knew I had two choices. Call her out on what she'd done, get into a huge argument with her and possibly get fired when the catfight ensued. Or I could turn the other cheek and pretend it was nothing, keep doing my job and not let my personal life interfere.
I counted to five in my head before bending down and cleaning some of the mess. When I got back up, Harlem had a smug smile on her face and she waited for me to take the bait. When I wouldn't, she seemed annoyed, and she spat out another insult.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Look at you, wiping down your mess while I sit here with your ex."
"How lucky you are," I purred, smiling at her. "The luckiest girl in the world." I left them sitting there, breathing a sigh of relief as I arrived at the counter, grabbing some cleaning supplies from under the sink. "Everything okay back there, kid?" Jeff asked.
"Yeah," I muttered. "It's going to be just fine."
He grinned at me, not saying another word about what he'd spoken to Harlem about. I prepared another milkshake, and by the time I was done, I arrived back to an empty table. Natan and his new girlfriend were gone.
I put the milkshake down, telling myself at least they'd left some cash on the table to pay for their drinks. That is until I saw the upside-down glass on the table. In it, water was somehow at the bottom of it, now looking up toward the ceiling, and below it, there was a twenty-dollar bill. Of course, if I lifted the glass, I was going to get the money wet and spill all of the liquid all over the table. And to top it all off, Harlem had left a ring of ketchup around the rim of the glass.
I was about to lose it. The urge to rush outside, catch up with them, and knock that self-satisfied smirk off Harlem's face was strong. But I forced myself to stop in my tracks. I counted to ten in my head before bending down to clean the huge mess they'd made. And I felt better for being patient.
* * *
By the time the six hours were over, Jeffrey informed me I'd have to stay an extra forty-five minutes to clean up Clancy's after the last customers. I mopped and scrubbed those floors until they were shining, and by the time I was finally done, I was exhausted. Jeffrey seemed to notice I was close to my breaking point, and he shook my hand once I finished wiping down the stoves.
"I've got to say, I'm impressed."
"With me?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah, you," he laughed. "You proved me wrong. And I lost a bet with my wife because of you."
"What was the bet?"
"I bet her you'd quit within the first three hours of your shift."
"Hate to disappoint," I grinned. "So, can I come back tomorrow after school?"
"Yes," he nodded. "Definitely. Just maybe don't wear your heels. Your legs are going to be killing you by the end of the week otherwise."
"Got it, boss."
"Oh, after you change out of your uniform," he went on, grinning at me. "I think there's someone waiting for you in the parking lot."
"Okay, I'll hurry up."
I left Jeffrey there and headed for the staff room while my mind raced with the possibilities. I hoped to God it wasn't papa out there, having changed his mind about me working at Clancy's. I changed quickly, groaning when I saw how blistered my feet were from the heels I'd worn. Jeffrey was right. I should've worn something else.
Once I got everything done and ready, I headed out through the back exit and into the parking lot, looking around to see who was waiting for me with my heart pounding in my chest. Please, please, please, don't let it be papa.
"Stells, over here."
I turned in the direction of the voice, smiling wide as soon as I saw who was waiting for me. "Milo?"
He pulled out of the shadows by his car and stepped into the light. "Hi, Princess."
"What's that?" I
walked closer, unable to fight the smile making its way onto my lips. "Is that for me?"
Milo nodded, reaching into his pocket for a lighter and lighting the pink birthday candle on top of the cupcake in his hand. "I thought we should celebrate your first shift. I know you have to be home soon, but I hope you have time for a little treat."
"You're so sweet," I breathed, my stomach doing somersaults as I came closer to him. He extended his hand, waiting for me to blow out the candle, and I took a deep breath, blowing it out on the first try.
"Did you wish for something?" Milo asked with raised brows.
"Of course," I whispered, taking the cupcake out of his hand and embracing him.
"Don't tell me," he warned. "Or else it won't come true. How was your first shift?"
"Exhausting," I sighed, raising the cupcake up to my lips and peeling off the wrapper. "Thank you so much for coming to see me."
"I couldn't miss this, could I?" He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I took a bite of the cupcake, sighing when the taste hit my tongue.
"Oh god, it's so good. Did you make this?"
"Dads did," he said apologetically, ruffling his hair. "Coconut and chocolate. You like it?"
"It's delicious. Want some?" He nodded and I grinned wickedly before smearing his lips with the coconut frosting. He laughed out loud, trying to back away, but I leaned closer instead, licking his lips with my tongue and tasting more of the cupcake.
"You're such a bad girl," Milo muttered.
"You love it."
"I kind of do," he whispered, and I blushed fiercely when I realized what he was saying. Did we just say the L word? "I wanted to ask you something else." "Oh yeah?" My brows shot up. "What's that?"
"Well, I thought it was about time for me to officially ask you..." He smirked at me, pulling me in by the hips until his lips were inches away from mine and he could whisper the question to me. "Do you want to be my girlfriend, Estella Hawthorne?"
"Are you sure?" I asked softly. "Are you sure you want this?"
"More than sure," he nodded, confident. "Do you?"
"Yeah," I whispered. "I really, really do."
His lips lingered on mine, giving me a sweet little kiss. "So say yes."
"But, my family...papa... Eastvale..." I started counting the reasons we shouldn't be together, but Milo cut me off with another deep kiss, pulling me against him and claiming my mouth in a way that said he was never letting go.
"I don't care about any of that," he told me gently. "All I care about is that you're mine. And I'm not letting anybody else have you. So what do you say?"
"I say..." I smiled, pecking him on the lips again. "Yes. I say yes."
Milo whooped and I laughed as he pulled me even closer. "You'd think we were getting married."
"Calm your tits, Earnshaw."
"I will marry you one day. You know that, don't you, Stells?"
"We'll see, carino."
21
Date: October 1st, 2019, 7 p.m.
Place: Estella's house
Milo
It had been more than a week since my visit to the spa where I found out exactly what Ricardo Hawthorne had been up to, and I still hadn't told Estella what I'd found out. The guilt was eating me up alive, knowing I was leaving her in that house without anyone to protect her. But I also knew it was better to bide my time, otherwise I'd just look like a lunatic with an agenda against the nation's favorite preacher. It wouldn't go over well, and I needed my plan to succeed if I wanted any hope of getting Estella the hell out of there.
For now, I decided to keep the secret. I was supposed to meet Estella that night. Her sister Romilly had told me their parents were heading out on a red-eye flight to go to a sermon in the OC in the morning. Romi wasn't planning on staying at home, either, which meant Estella and I would have the house to ourselves. There was the matter of their maid, of course, but I had a feeling I could bribe her to let me in.
I pulled up in front of Stells' house that night with a bouquet of red roses, feeling like a love strung prick as I rang the doorbell. The maid was the one who opened the door, and she furrowed her brows, crossing her arms as she waited for my explanation.
"I want to see her," I demanded.
"Miss Estella is indisposed," she said loudly.
I pulled out a wad of hundred-dollar bills from my pocket, and her eyes widened at the sight. "Your daughter's starting college next year, right? Here's something to help with that?"
She shook her head in disbelief as I fanned out the bills. "All that? For her?"
"She's worth much more," I muttered, pushing the money in her hands before walking past her into the Hawthorne's house. I glanced around to make sure we were alone before heading up the stairs. The maid made no further comment.
Walking down the hallway, I found Estella's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in," she called out, sounding bored.
I pushed the door open and grinned at her. She was wearing these tiny denim shorts and a buttoned-up crop top, with her feet bare. "Hey, princess."
"Milo?" Her eyes widened at the sight of me, and she smiled wide. "I can't believe you made it!"
She jumped on me, wrapping her legs around my waist, and I kissed her pouty lips. "Romilly told me you'd be alone, so you have her to thank."
"I'm so happy you're here."
I set her down, smoothing down her hair. "How's everything, princess?"
"Well, apart from the fact that I haven't seen you in almost a week because papa's so protective," she sighed. "Work has been hectic, and I'm pretty sure I caught a couple banging in the women's bathroom today."
"Classy," I grinned.
"Very." She was still smiling. "But I like it. It's different, and I think that's good. Are those for me?"
I nodded, handing her the bouquet, and she smiled even wider before finding a vase and setting them up on her desk.
"Hey, your parents aren't here until tomorrow, right?" I asked, and she glanced at me, nodding.
"Yes, but if I go anywhere, Mabel will tell them for sure."
"We don't have to go anywhere," I said, motioning to the backpack. "I got everything we need right here. Microwave buttered popcorn, my laptop so we can Netflix and chill, and all the junk food in the world."
She opened my backpack and pulled out snack after snack, giggling. "You weren't lying."
We set up a cheesy rom com and got the snacks ready. Stells nestled against me as we started watching, and I caught her stealing glances at me throughout the movie. I smiled to myself as my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
* * *
I don't know how long we'd been asleep for, but when I opened my eyes, the sky was inky and dark, and Estella was snoring softly next to me on the bed. The movie had ended long ago. I put the bowl of popcorn on her nightstand and started trailing my fingertips over her back in an effort to wake her up. She stirred awake slowly, smiling before she even opened her eyes. When she slowly came to, she pulled me in for a kiss.
"That's officially my favorite new way to wake up."
I pulled her body against mine, making contact with her skin as I inhaled her clean, sexy scent.
"Good morning, princess," I muttered against her bare skin. "I missed you."
"I know. Me too." Her voice was a whisper against my shoulder, and I hooked my thumbs in the belt loop of her denim shorts. Her eyes flew open, and she drank me in, those big doe-eyes making my cock swell.
"Get on top of me." I tugged on the jean fabric. "Right now."
In seconds, she switched from sweet, content Estella to a girl needy for more. She straddled me, her Daisy Dukes pressing against my cock and making me groan out loud.
"Like this?" she asked, giving me a wicked grin as she grabbed my hands, placing them on her waist instead, right under the waistband of her cropped T-shirt.
"Yeah," I muttered. "Stop, princess. I thought we agreed not to do this until you get that prescription." A few days ago, she told me she was going
to find a way to get contraception. It had been a night-time call of whispered promises and quietly blown kisses. A night during which I stroked my cock to her sweet voice telling me I'd never fuck her with a condom on, always bare, without anything between us. The memory alone made me push one hand up in her hair, tugging on the silky strands. "Remember, you made me promise not to fuck you?"
"Yeah." She liked her heart-shaped lips. "I like teasing you."
"No way," I shook my head, pulling my hand out and attempting to pull her out of my lap. But she wouldn't let go. Instead, she wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me in against her. Estella's lips were on mine, and she was kissing me, nipping at me, demanding my attention. "Stells, don't. You're going to get me in trouble."
"You don't have to come inside me," she whispered against my lips as if I'd said nothing at all. "You can come in my mouth."
"Convince me, princess," I groaned. She gave me a wicked grin before pushing her butt up in the air and slowly bending down until her lips touched the fabric of my jeans. "Jesus."
"Don't take the Lord's name in vain," Stells reminded me with an innocent wink. "Help me get these off."
"No." I shook my head, smirking at her. "You're not getting my help that easily. I want you to suck my cock like a pro, and then we'll see if you get my cum anywhere."
She pouted, but merely for a second. The next, her competitive nature came back into play, reminding me of the last few years we'd been classmates, how we'd always fought over that top spot. Eastvale wasn't the beginning, it was a victory on a years long war. And now here I was, ready to give up my trophy and let her carry it instead. Fuck, the girl had me whipped.
Her fingers pulled my belt loop open before tackling the zipper. She stripped my jeans and boxers off with purpose, like an impatient little nympho. I touched my fingers to her chin, making her look at me and nodding for her to go on. But she didn't take her eyes off mine, not for a second. Instead, she wrapped those lips around the tip and started sucking me off. Her spit slid along my shift as she smiled innocently at me, letting the juice drip off her bottom lip.
Boys That Read: A High School Romance Page 18
