𝐼 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝐴𝑛𝑦𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒

chapter eight

Alejandro drops me off in front of the coffee shop a few minutes early and yet I feel jittery as hell, my fingers strumming constantly against the car window.

"Okay...what are you gonna do when you get in there baby?".

"Get the job?" I smile nervously and he sighs, looking directly into my eyes.

"No. Your going to walk in with confidence, let them know your a fucking piece of art, and ace the interview..okay? You got this.. alright?".

I nod and take a deep breath, letting his words comfort me.

"I love you" I tell him and kiss him sweetly, pulling away quickly before getting sucked in too quickly. I didn't want to be late, not now.

"I love you more. Now go..do you want me to wait?" He asks and I nod, I would feel better if I knew he was waiting In case something went wrong...like I threw up or something...

"Okay..you got this remember that baby". He tells me as I step out the car, nodding before I close the car door. From the outside it looks cozy, clear windows showing the bright lights of the shop. Chandeliers hung around everywhere, tables lined up, it was empty so I'm guessing they cleared it out for my interview...just great.

I step towards the door and push it open, the bell above my head ringing loudly.

I step inside and scan the room, floors were cleaned and hardwood, shinier than my whole future it seemed. Tables cleared and spotless, lined with sugar and salt. A board hung on the wall filled with random dates drawn.

"Ah...you must be the new victim" a voice spoke and I look up to see a tall figure from behind the counter, a smile on his face. He was hard to miss I'll say, his eyes a blue color so dark it looked like a dark ocean. His hair was brown, split down the middle into a parted mess. He's skinny and slim, his uniform barely fitting him completely.

"Victim?" I spoke, finding my voice again.

"Yes..you are Anna aren't you?" He eyes me up and down and I take a deep breath finding my voice again.

"Yeah. And you are?" I ask trying to sound polite but it comes out bitter.

He doesn't answer instead he motions towards his name tag, which read "Austin".

"Oh cool..." I say and stand there looking around hoping the person who was going to interview me hurried up, the air felt uncomfortable already.

"So? You ready?" He grabs a clipboard and climbs over the counter, careful not to knock anything over as he takes a seat at the empty table.

"...wait are you gonna be the one to interview me?"

"Smart learner look at that!" He smiled and I sigh, sitting down across from him, keeping my distance. He looked so young to work here which makes me question if it's just gonna be us working here...

"Okay so...Anna carsow? That's you right?".

I nod.

"So..do you have any experience with working in a kitchen? With machines and ovens and all that?" He asks but there's a smirk on his lips...does he think this is funny?

Alright then I guess thats how this is going...

"Yes..I'm a woman,I'm always in the kitchen cooking" I joke and he's taken back, before he starts laughing. I can't help but crack a smile too, I hadn't known it would be funny until I said it out loud.

"I see...look at you sexualizing women..wow I'm not sure I should hire you".

I shake my head, becoming serious.

"I'm kidding..I have experience. Not much but I am a quick learner" I add, confidence boosting through my veins.

He writes it down quickly before looking back up at me.

"Tell me what are some skills you have? Things I should know your good at?".

"Well..I am good with communication. I like helping people with whatever they need. I am usually helpful with whatever...." I could feel myself getting flustered as I stop speaking, stammering over my words.

"It's okay. That's good to know " he writes it down before tapping his chin with the pen.

"Can I ask something?" I ask and he nods.

"Where is everyone else?".

He sets the pen and clipboard down before looking back up at me.

"It's my cafe. Well...my dad owns it because he bought it..don't ask why. But yeah I work here, just me. I usually get alot of people applying here but alot of them don't usually...meet the requirements or seem like they fit perfectly for this job. I'm very picky so I just...I wanna find someone right for this job if that makes sense?" He spoke and I nod, understanding completely. He spoke fast but I understood him quicker than I thought.

"I get that, with your dad as your boss it's a lot of pressure on you both. So I understand".

He nods and meets my eyes, keeping quiet as he studies me, eyes watching my every move. Some part of me felt like this was a bad idea, but I also knew I needed a job and just wanted to work to help someone else. And from how sad he seemed when he talked about it he could use someone here.

The interview goes on awhile longer and he asks questions, alot more than Expected. Some personal but some not that personal so I answered everything brutally honestly.
I wanted him to know he could trust me if I did work there, I was trustworthy, it was up to him to decide if I was. It was easy to talk to him, and he seemed comfortable enough to be brutally honest and I appreciated that alot.

Finally he stands up, clipboard in his hand.

"So?" I ask and he looks me over, scanning me.

"I think it went really well. Not many people are that honest when it comes to interviews so..thank you".

I nod and smile.

".. you're hired. Ill give you some time before you can start so next week come at 8 a.m sharp. Don't be late for your first day" he smiles and I nod, shaking his hand.

"Thank you..this means a lot" I tell him and he nods.

"The pleasure is mine. Now..scram and be prepared to work your ass off".

I nod and then around to leave, feeling myself smile the whole walk out the door.