ELENA
"And here's a strawberry milkshake for the sweet girl!" Little giggles followed as I put the glass down. The diner was a little less crowded compared to other Friday evenings.
"Thank you, Elena." I bent down to her height and she placed her lips on my cheek. This was our usual. Almost a few months ago she had walked in with Stacey, her babysitter. She was kind of bummed because apparently some kids at her school had been mean to her.
Some kids can be really cruel. The other night I was serving this table and a little boy after a brief observation had stated that I was dumb because all blondes are supposedly dumb. I had kept my mouth shut and walked away, knowing very well that nothing decent would have come out of it.
Well as I was saying, back then I had cheered her up with a milkshake on the house and at the end of the day she had officiated that we were best friends. Making friends can be so easy for children!
"You're welcome, sweetheart." I kissed her cheek causing her to grin widely.
"I am sure Ava comes here mostly to see you. Milkshakes are just an excuse." Stacey smiled at me, the skin at the corner of her eyes wrinkling with the action. Ava had been visiting the Treats for almost a year now and I had never seen her with her parents or family. I wouldn't lie that I had not been a little curious but I didn't like my nose where it didn't belong.
"If it's so, I am glad. I love seeing her." I passed Stacey a smile and lightly ruffled Ava's hair before excusing myself from there. Walking inside the kitchen I put the tray down, a smile tugging at my mouth from the latest conversation I had with that sweet kid which was a rare occurrence considering the number of unpleasant customers we had to deal with on a daily basis.
It however, turned into a frown as soon as the latest concerns came swimming back to my mind.
My Dad's health, let's say, had been better than this and the treatments had been charging a hefty price. After the blockage in his heart was diagnosed, he couldn't continue with his job and our savings were being sizeably drained out. A surgery was required to be performed and it would be expensive to say the least. Though Dad had been trying to hide it from us but it didn't get past us that all that had left him feeling helpless. I pressed my fingers against my forehead and shut my eyes.
"Elena." I looked up, surprised that I hadn't noticed Olivia walk in.
"Liv, hey!" I tried forcing a small smile which at best came out as a grimace. Balancing emotions was never a strong pursuit of mine. Putting on a facade and smiling when I got matters pressing me was out of my abilities.
Liv exhaled. "You are worrying too much!" Concern reflected in her voice. Olivia had been my best friend from primary school and we had been inseparable ever since. She had been there for my first breakup, she had consoled me after I had embarrassed myself in front of the whole class and the list went on.
"I can't help it. Things are not the best and my income is hardly helping." Saying it out loud only added to the weight of the predicament I was in.
"I know but stressing this much can't be good for you! You're already working two jobs." I worked as an HR executive at Sailspace and I took up serving at Treats as my second job. My current financial conditions had me in this predicament.
"You don't understand!" It wasn't loud but dismissive? Yes. I meant it. She was an event manager and quite successful might I add. Her parents weren't dependent on her either. Don't get me wrong, I was happy that she was in a good place in her life but she wouldn't completely understand how stressful things currently were for me.
"Yeah I don't! Nobody understands what it's like unless they are in your shoes but what I understand is that you're working your ass off. You're doing your best!" She was almost shouting and I was grateful that the diner was almost empty.
"No I'm not. I shouldn't have left my last job." I spoke, gently hitting the edge of the counter with my foot. Before Treats, I worked as a bartender in a club where I was making much more than this.
"That wasn't an option. How could you have possibly worked under that perverted guy?" She sounded shocked that I was at all considering it. A few weeks back I wouldn't have actually. Workplace harassment by a sleazy perverted boss— the same old thing.
Pressing my lips in a tight line, I ran my hand through the length of my hair. I had applied to a number of firms, hoping I could switch to a better paying job but I was yet to hear back from them. "I don't know Liv, I just-" I was cut off by a squeaky voice.
"Elena? Are you sad?" Ava stood there , looking up at me with her bright doey eyes. I sighed before a small yet genuine smile touched my lips. I crouched down in front of her.
"Maybe." I shrugged.
"Don't be sad. Do you want candy ?" The corners of her lips dipped down in distress. I smiled and shook my head at her suggestion.
"Although, I would very much want a hug." She stuck her arms out towards me eagerly. Wrapping her hands around my neck, she kissed my cheek before pulling back and smiling at me. "Are you happy now?" Her eyes shone hopefully which had be nodding at once
"I am. See, I'm smiling." I flicked her nose causing a small giggle to escape her lips. She was precious. For a child her age to care so much was rare.
"Ava, we need to go home now ." Stacey, who had been standing behind her, said.
"Okay." She looked back at me and waved.
"Bye,Elena." I smiled at her.
"Bye, Ava." The bell rang as Stacey and Ava left the diner.
"The kid is so sweet!" Liv smiled.
"She is. Kids have got such simple lives. Candy is the solution to all their problems." I chuckled and Liv joined before we fell into a comfortable silence.
She brought her hand forward and encouraged me. "You are applying for the jobs. I know you're going to land one."
"Hope so."
RYLAN "I want this report completed by the end of the day." I slammed the poor excuse of a report on the desk and glared at the man who kept standing there like a stupid. It has been only a week since he had joined and my patience was running thin. "Do you understand?" He flinched at my hard tone. "Yes, Mr. Parker." Just then the door to my cabin opened and my Dad walked in followed by our lawyer. If I were to go by my Dad's expression, it was something concerning. I shifted my gaze back to my personal assistant still standing in front of me. "Leave!" He quickly grabbed hold of the file and scurried out of the cabin. "Dad?" Both him and Mr. Davis took the seats opposite me. "Rylan, Mr. Davis is here to show you your grandfather's will." It wasn't something I was expecting. Granddad passed away about a month ago and his will hadn't been brought up since. I leaned back in my seat and loosened the tie around my neck. "I am busy right now, Dad. Can't
RYLAN I discarded the coat and leaned back against the couch. There had been a lot of work pressure since the last few days and topping that was Granddad's will that had me stressed. I had been pushing it for some months now. "Daddy?" I opened my eyes to look at my daughter who stood there with a cup of coffee, Stacey close behind her. "Yes, sweetie." I smiled at her. "I brought you coffee." She carefully brought the cup forward, her eyes trained on them like splitting a moment of attention would spill the drink. "You did? That's so sweet!" Taking the cup from her hand I placed it on the table beside me. "Come here." I picked her up and sat her on my lap. "I'll put her to sleep." I told Stacey. "No, it's okay, son. I'll wait." Ava put her head on my chest and played with the shirt button. Stacey had been staying with our family for as long as I could remember. She had always been there for me, treated me like her own. If I trusted any person with Ava m
RYLAN This wasn't how I had imagined the day to turn out. This day was supposed to be enjoyable for Ava. Instead she shed tears. I was one second away from getting the hell out of this place but stopped when Ava nodded to a milkshake. That brought me back to the thoughts of a feisty little waitress. Elena. I was intrigued the moment she stepped in and shielded Ava. Why would she do it? Out of pure goodwill? Or was it how she planned on earning Ava's complete trust for some reason? That would justify Ava's undue attachment to her. It's difficult to believe that in today's world people would lift a finger for someone else unless it's serving some ulterior motives of their own. Could be depressing, seeing things from my perspective but I deemed it advisable. That's how things work in the real world, one works their way up the ladder and stays on top of their business. My thoughts were interrupted when I saw her walking up to us. "A chocolate milks
ELENA "Mom!" I called after closing the door behind me. I had moved back in the day Dad was back from the hospital. I wanted to be there for him. Well the other half of the reason was that it actually helped with minimizing the expenses. "In here." I followed her voice to the kitchen. She stood behind the counter making dinner for Dad. I went straight for a hug. She patted my shoulder, returning the hug. "Well, you are happy! What is it?" I loosened my hold around her. "I got the job at the Knight's." Her face broke in a grin once the news settled in. "You got the job! Well done, honey!" She gushed. "I never doubted my daughter for a second! I knew you would get it." Dad's eyes shone with pride and that one sight alone could compensate for all of my hard work. "I know, Dad. You always believe in me." I sat down beside him. Putting my head on his shoulder, I heaved a sigh of relief. Dad placed his hand on mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I need
ELENA "Elena. Here me out." The way my name rolled off his tongue did something stupid to my stomach. Did I just relish the sound of my name from the mouth of the person who had offered me a marriage contract? Yeah, I was worried for myself. I sat back down and tilted my head to the side, waiting for him to get on with it. "You would get a job here and I'll offer you thrice your current salary. You won't have to work two jobs. We need to be married for only a year. After that we can go our separate ways." I replayed his words in my mind. Yep. He did miss the part where he explained what he would get out of it. "What's in it for you?" He seemed to be reflecting on his answer, stroking his chin in the process. "My grandfather's will. I need to get married by the end of this year or I'll lose the business to someone." The first thought that came to me was that this 'granddaddy' must have been demented while alive. Mom always thought that we should
ELENA "You're late." Rylan declared as soon as I got into the passenger seat of his shiny black Maserati. The inside of the car smelled of musk and rich leather. I tsked, annoyed at him and it had been only a couple of seconds in his vicinity. It was what, five minutes past the stipulated time? "Can you shut up? I don't wanna hear your voice right now." He did shut up but sat there staring ahead. Weren't we getting late like a minute ago? Being in such a closed space with him was enough of a punishment. "Can you drive already?" I watched Rylan cock his head to the side and assess me with one silent gaze before he leaned towards me till he was completely in my space. I squeaked, the spice and musk in his cologne making me feel a little dazed. The coffee and hazel eyes turned into something relatively darker, an indecipherable look passing through them. His overwhelming proximity had screwed with my head because my gaze dropped to his lips for a quick second.
ELENA "You have a beautiful room, Ava!" She looked up at me, a toothy grin splitting her face. It was all shades of pink put together. Pink was probably Ava's favorite color. Explained her obsession with strawberry milkshakes. The bed was in the middle of the room, almost filled with plushies. My eyes fell on a drawing, presumably the one Ava was at before she got distracted. "Do you like butterflies?" I asked picking up the sketchbook. "Yes. They're so pretty!" I smiled at her. My eyes were still lingering on the partly coloured wings of the butterfly when Ava blurted the question out of the blue. "Are you Daddy's girlfriend?" My hand stilled on the sketchbook before I put it down. "Who told you that?" I casually asked. "I heard Daddy telling Stacey that you're his girlfriend." She replied, unhesitant. Did she snoop in on our conversation? I sighed. "Well, that's true." "Are you going to marry him?" Ava fired the question just as soon. I l
ELENA "Girl, I still can't believe you bagged that God-like man." Liv's eyes sparkled with excitement as she loudly whispered to me. I chuckled. Me neither! "Such a cliché! The hotshot billionaire falls in love with the beautiful little waitress." I resisted the urge to scoff at her dreamy expression. Love! Right! She couldn't have been farther away from the truth! A week back, Liv wasn't this ecstatic about the whole affair when I first broke it to her. First on the list was suspicion. Can't blame her! You just don't one day out of a sudden announce your boyfriend to your best friend. They know from the very first eye contact. So this abrupt relationship was a bit much for her to stomach. It took a whole lot of convincing and when we were finally past that phase, she felt betrayed. She said that I had curbed her rights as my best friend and it was an absolute breach of best friend policy. Yep, she could be a bit dramatic. It made me feel even worse about lyi