Celestia wants to leave her home and get as far away as possible from her alcoholic mother. When she stumbles into a drunk man and helps him home, what happens when he becomes her way out?
#2 in Smile
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July 11th
I don't remember the rest of my shift. Not like I usually remember the boring bits and pieces of my repetitive job but today, right now, I really don't remember. I remember the odd glances of confusion and the lingering questions from Rosie but other than that, there's nothing but a blank screen with the faint lettering that spelt out his name.
Kai.
When I was done—which I got off earlier than usual as someone decided they wanted to come in early, get some extra hours in—I walked through the back like usual.
I felt guilty because I never got to pick up our conversation. After I asked him to step aside it only got busier and my occasional glances in his direction in between making coffees and peppermint cold chocolates, unfortunately weren't enough to replace a conversation and eventually, I glanced and he wasn't there anymore.
I swung my bookbag to my front as I remembered that I still had the baked goods from the day before and my stomach had been begging for sustenance since 7 pm yesterday. I unpackaged a chocolate croissant, stuffed it in my mouth and continued walking at a slower pace than usual.
I get paid in a week and that'll be the one check closer to leaving my mother. Truthfully, I could've been left. And truthfully, I was scared to. My mother was still my mother, a shell or not. She looked like her and had her voice. Even when she's yelling at me I can still hear the praises of the past when I would win first in a track competition or her cheers after I won my spelling bee in 6th grade.
Three checks. Two months. One less problem.
"Are you off?"
A jolt went through my body as I looked up and saw him. The unexpected. Kai was there in all of his smiling glory waiting for me and here I was, a croissant stuffed in my mouth, bags that reached hell, and a shitty mood.
"W-" I removed the croissant from my mouth, basically spitting it out between my fingers "what? Did you wait for me? It's been six hours Kai.."
He chuckled softly, his cheeks red from the heat and his fingers clasped tightly around the bamboo cup from earlier. "I know. We didn't finish talking."
In the most of casual tones with the sweetest smile, he made my heart flutter for the fifth time today. "We weren't having that interesting of a conversation for you to wait...that long." I stepped toward him slowly, my cheeks hurting like there were resistance bands that refused to stretch.
He hummed as he took a small step toward me, our efforts now putting us right in front of each other. His sweet almond shaped eyes oozed of dark honey that dripped directly into mine as I stared up at him.
