hypnotic- wilbur soot

𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚍

the day had gone by so, so fucking slow. i woke up that morning still in wilburs sweater and my shorts, and rolled out of bed to head to my all-day shift at the café.

i still wore his sweater now, the sleeves rolled up slightly on my arms to avoid spilling any coffee on them. i paired the sweater with some ripped mom jeans and my black converse. and of course the opal necklace wilbur had gifted me.

i found my mind drifting to him when my hands were busy making coffee, or preparing sweets. i hadn't seen him all day, which was odd. he had been checking in on the cafe pretty much every day since we'd met.

it was 1:48 pm now, and i'd been in the cafe since it opened. i decided to be nice and cover niki's shift, but she still came in. her attempts at making conversation went in one ear and out the other as i completed my normal tasks behind the counter.

i was in the middle of heating up a batch of muffins when she caught me off guard, causing my to slam my hand into the side of the oven.

i hiss, pulling my hand away and slamming the oven, holding my burnt hand gently and fast-walking over to the sink to run cold water over it. "fuck niki, you can't sneak up on me like that." i grumble, frowning slightly at the pulsing burn of my hand under the tap.

"shit! jamie i'm sorry- i didn't think i snuck up on you." she apologizes, to which i shake my head.

"don't worry about it niki. i should've been paying more attention." i admit, grimacing at the skin peeling off my hand. niki rushes off to find our first-aid kit that we kept somewhere in the back, and i take the time to think. shutting off the water and resting my forearms against the sink, standing there silently.

niki returns to the sink with bandages, immediately pulling my body toward hers and starting to apply some cream to my hand. we sit in silence for a moment before she begins to wrap my hand in bandages, and finally speaks.

"what's on your mind, jamie? i haven't seen you this unfocused in awhile." she asks softly, her voice dripping with concern.

i sigh, closing my eyes and shaking my head. "that boy that's been coming in? i haven't seen him today. i usually see him." i mumble, and she chuckles.

"people have lives yknow? i love you jj but he's probably just busy." she explains, and i agree. i knew my anxiousness was ridiculous, considering i barely knew anything about this guy, but damn i wanted to see him walk through the cafe door.

wanted to see his smile. hear him call me his 'pretty girl.' watch him drink his tea, and give me one of his stupid smirks or shoot a flirty comment at me.

i shiver at the thought of him, my face turning a soft shade of pink under the shitty lighting of the kitchen.

"let's just finish our shift and close up for the night, k? i'm exhausted." i complain, and niki nods. she makes her way out of the kitchen and announces our closing, and i hear the scuffle of feet as customers get up and leave.

i follow her lead, exiting the kitchen and watching our last few stragglers grab up their belongings and abandon their half-finished sweets with distasteful expressions.

after the customers leave niki and i spend another hour or two actually closing up the cafe. cleaning counters, coffee machines, the kitchen, pretty much everything.

as niki places the last chair on the table, she turns to me, giving me a little smile. "things are gonna be alright, okay? you can't be sad! it's your birthday next week." she reminds me, and her infectious smile transfers to my expression.

"yeah! i'd nearly forgotten.. the big two-two." i joke, wrapping her in a goodbye hug and grabbing my bag from the counter.

she gives me a few more parting words as we exit the cafe. i make sure to lock it behind us and retreat to my car, flopping down in the drivers seat and placing my head against the wheel in defeat. i wasn't sure why it bothered me so much that i hadn't seen wilbur, but it did. his number would be helpful now, but i never remembered to ask, and he always left just as quick as he came.

i groan, starting my car and beginning the same old ride back to the flat.