Kill My Time-LH

*Chapter Eighteen*

"Rhi, you need to go see a doctor," Marnie said as Rhiannon ran into the cash register for the third time that morning. Around Rhiannon's eye was now a nasty shade of purple. The eyelid was swollen shut and there were constant tears running down her cheek.

"I can't go see Luke like this! I'm embarrassed," she said. Marnie sighed in disappointment while tucking her cellphone into her back pocket of her jeans. A mischievous grin was plastered on her tan face. "What did you do?" Rhiannon asked with reluctance.

"Marnie don't you dare walk away from me," she shouted as her friend walked into the kitchen.

Customers who weren't regulars looked at Rhiannon with bewilderment. They weren't used to the outbursts from the two women. This was a daily occurrence for them. Some of the regulars came back every day just to see what nonsense Rhiannon and Marnie would be up to that day. It was a source of entertainment for bored soccer moms and busy business people. 

Rhiannon blew her hair out of her pale face and crossed her arms. "Might as well make myself useful," she mumbled to herself. Rhiannon slowly walked around the coffee shop with a bus tub so she could clear the tables. She had lost some of her depth perception because of the eye injury. She couldn't see out of her right eye at the moment and had to turn her head completely to see anything to the right of her. It had become quite the nuisance. She couldn't drive so she was missing out on uber money from the past few days. She also kept bumping into things. Her right arm and leg we're covered in bruises of different colors. She wouldn't admit it to Marnie, but she really needed to go to a doctor. She was too embarrassed to see Luke, but she didn't know anything about eyes and he was going to be an optometrist after all.
Rhiannon had managed to clear all the tables without dropping any dishes. She also made it back to the kitchen to put the dishes in the dishwasher.

She was wiping her hands on her apron when the bell to the door rang. She didn't see another employee manning the register, so she made her way out of the kitchen. She gasped as she looked up at the man at the register. The man smiled at her with all of his artificially whitened teeth.

"Hello, Rhiannon. How have you been doing since you left me with that bar tab?"

"You deserved that and you know it, Dylan," she sneered. Rhiannon folded her arms with a frown on her face. Dylan was the last person she wanted to see, especially with a black and swollen eye. She wasn't sure how he had found her, but she wanted him gone as quickly as he came. "What do you want because you're not welcome here."

"I think that's up to the owner, don't you?" He quipped. Dylan was leaning on the counter, but still towering over Rhiannon's short frame. His brown hair was pushed back with gel. Rhiannon hated the gel. It made his hair look greasy and made him look sleazy. She knew now that he was sleazy, but in the past, she would have fallen for anything Dylan said or did. She fell hard for his maturity and caramel eyes. In the end, she was much more mature than him and she couldn't believe she fell for his act.

"Actually, I'm the owner. So if you're not going to order anything, please leave," she said icily.

Dylan's jaw hung open. His eyes furrowed together. "You own this place? Who knew little Rhi had it in her to open a business. I'm surprised mommy and daddy let you do that."

Rhiannon huffed, "It's time for you to leave now. Don't come back and I don't want to see you again."

Dylan raised his hands in defense. "I only came to deliver some news, but I'll catch you another time. By the way, are you already getting yourself into some more relationship trouble? That black eye doesn't look good."

Marnie was turning the corner by the bathrooms as Dylan spoke to Rhiannon. She went into full bitch mode as soon as she realized what he had said. "You need to get out of here Dylan or I swear I'll castrate you. Don't ever come back here, sleazeball."