Crossed
Mavy smiles at me and I attempt my best polite smile but I’m sure it comes out a grimace. Customers I can do, but new people I’m forced to interact with out of my circle? I internally cringe and want to crawl into a hole and die. I suck at girlfriends, I’ve never had them and the way she’s looking at me like she’s craving affection is sending me into my fight or flight response. I take a deep breath to steady myself. I don’t want to come off as a bitch, I just really suck at making friends.
“We’ve already been here longer than we normally stay in a single place, so I’m hopeful this is our final destination,” Mavy said cheerfully. The hope in her gaze made me feel like I had to say something.
“Fingers crossed you can stay. Auburn is a sweet little town. I don’t have plans on ever leaving,” I said.
I started getting my area ready, grabbing clean shot glasses for the drip, refilling the white chocolate powder next to the espresso machine, and checking the chocolate syrup to make sure it wasn’t empty. Graveyard sometimes wasn’t able to keep things stocked and I didn’t like having to do it when customers were waiting on their drinks. I could feel her eyes on me as I worked but I was used to being watched. That wasn’t what bothered me, what did was the fact that I knew she had questions for me. I could feel it, almost taste her questions hanging in the air.
“I haven’t had the chance to make any friends yet. Especially some of our kind. I don’t ind humans but it’s harder to bring them around your family when they aren’t used to dominant… male wolves, you know?” She asked. Before I could answer, she continued. “Do you have plans tonight? I could use some sight seeing and you’re like one of the only locals I know here.”
I coughed in an attempt to cover my face and school my expression. SIt was a little ludicrous. She moved to a human town and didn’t want to make human friends? I was used to keeping my emotions from my face but she’d caught me off guard. I definitely know what she means by dominant male wolves. I’d had one inside of me last night. The idea of hanging out with someone I wasn’t friends with was not my idea of fun. It sounded awkward and even if I didn’t have a second job, I wouldn’t subject myself to it.
“I actually work at night and sleep after this shift,” I said. Her smile drooped and I felt a little bad. “Maybe we can do something on my weekend but I’ll let you know.”
“That works! Other than this job, I have all the time in the world. So let me know whenever you’re free and I’ll be there,” she said.
“Sounds good,” I said as something caught my eye.
A red car pulls up and all too quickly, I turn away from her and rush toward the drive-thru window. I’m more thankful than I should be to end the conversation. Sliding the window open, I ask my first customer for the day what she’d like. Early mornings are always busy and I like it because it makes the day go quickly. She took to being a barista easily enough and only made a few mistakes. I was a lot worse when I first started. When she didn’t know how to make something, she opened the binder of drinks before she asked me for help. By the time we’re able to rest, it’s been four hours and there’s just enough time to restock everything.
“It hasn’t even been that long and I’m already ready to go home,” Mavy whined.
“I know what you mean but if you focus on your list and the customers it’ll be time to go home before you know it,” I said with a smile.
“Ugh. I don’t know how you do two jobs. I wouldn’t be able to do it,” she groaned.
“I like staying busy,” I laughed as I wiped dusted the stray grounds into my hand and dusted it off in the garbage under the counter. I grabbed my clean wet cloth and started wiping my area down.
“How do you have time for your lover?” She asked. My hand froze and I swallowed. This was one of the reasons why I didn’t like girlfriends. They weren’t terrible, they just asked a lot of questions and I didn’t think we were friendly enough to be asking each other about who we had in our lives.
“No lover. I’m married to my jobs and you met Gabe yesterday. He’s a handful so I don’t have any time for a man,” I said. I hated knowing that she could smell a man on me and I knew it made me look like a liar. But this was modern times, I didn’t have to be dating who I was fucking and I wouldn’t be made out to be a whore because of it.
“I see… well, that makes sense,” she said with a forced smile.
Hate it all she wants, I didn’t owe her anything. Everything was stocked and my station was clean. I didn’t want to stand around and make polite conversation with her, so I started refilling and organizing the syrups that sat on the shelves above our heads. It required me using a small latter but her next customer drove up and I was thankful that someone else held her attention.
A sweet scent wafted up from the window she leaned out of but I was so focused I didn’t pay it any mind. The music was loud so I hummed along as I made my way through the many different flavors. After twenty minutes, I was done and I climbed down before putting the latter away. When I came out of the closet, I looked towards the window and found cold obsidian eyes staring at me.
“I see… well, that makes sense,” she said with a forced smile.
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