Diamonds *One Direction* [Liam Payne]

Chapter 5

Lexi's POV:

"Good afternoon," Niall greeted me with a large smile as he emerged from the large kitchen of his restaurant.

"Good afternoon Niall," I replied as I tied my black, waist apron around my hips.

I pulled my hair into a pony tail as I looked around at the finished restaurant. The blue-grey walls were decorated in flags from all over the world that hung high above booths that lined the sides of the large pub. The dark wood of the booths and tables were accented perfectly with the yellow and blue designs that fanned out over the large dark grey ceiling, and the large bar that sat in the middle of the room was carved with a classical European style. The waiter station where I stood contained two touch-screen computers for employees to punch in orders and print tickets. The host station was set up at the very front of the pub directly under a large and elaborate chandelier that illuminated the dark wood of the floor, and near the back of the pub was a stage lined with speakers and lights that focused on the center of the stage. "It looks beautiful, more like a place for fine dining than a pub," I told Niall genuinely.

"I want it to be a casual and fancy place. It will bring in more customers," he replied as he walked behind the bar to slide a few wine glasses into a wine-glass rack. "Ready for the opening night, it's going to be busy."

"As ready as I'll ever be; at least loads of people agreed to work tonight even if they wouldn't usually be scheduled to. We will definitely need to be heavily staffed." I gave Niall a grin as I stuffed a few pens, straws, and my order book into the pockets of my apron.

"Grae, Libby, and Amelia will all be working as hostesses; you, Jessica, Neil, Nick, Olivia, Steven, and Liam will all be waiting tables; Hayley, Kevin, and Ethan will be working at the bar; and Harry, Samantha, Karen, Jeff, and I will be working away in the kitchen. We pretty much have the whole staff on board," he informed with a chuckle as he ruffled his blonde hair.

"Dang, that's a ton of people! How many aren't working tonight?" I curiously asked.

"Four," he said casually.

"Wow, only four people aren't working tonight! Geez Ni, you don't have that many people hired yet," I said as Neil walked through the kitchen doors.

"That's what I said, but he still wants to open now. He says he is confident that he will be able to find well prepared staff members after we've opened. Personally, I think he is just overanxious to open," Neil said cockily as he strutted to the waiter's station and began to fill his apron.

"Thanks Neil," Niall sarcastically stated.

"Welcome buddy." Neil grinned up at the blonde.

After a few seconds of silence, Libby waltzed through the kitchen into the main dining area in a black skirt with a low-cut, yellow top adorning her abdomen. Neil quickly stood up, straightened out his black shirt, and flashed a smile in her direction. When she saw his gesture, she pointed her head at her feet, and I could see a hint of pink spread through her cheeks.

"Hey Libby," Niall called, his Irish accent sounding as thick as ever at the sound of her name.

"Hey Niall. Hey Neil," she shyly called from her position at the host stand as she pushed a piece of her strawberry hair behind her ear.

"Hi," Neil practicality whispered in awe of Libby.

"So Neil, could you be any more obvious?" I whispered so only he would hear.

"About what?" he asked nervously as his cheeks violently changed to red.

"Don't worry, I can tell she likes you too."

"Who?" he pretended to not know what I was talking about.

"Libby you idgit. Ask her on a date."

"Really?"

"Yes really! She likes you," I assured the now not-so-cocky male.

"Okay, but after we close. Tonight is going to be busy."

I looked out the window, and could already see a pool of people outside the front doors waiting to get a table first.

"Alright guys!" Niall exclaimed as he made his way to the stage. He jumped onto the platform so everyone could see him, and began to speak to the small crowd of his faculty. "I'm so excited for what is about to happen! I have a gut feeling that this is going to be a successful pub and that people are going to love it. All of the customers know that this is a grand opening, but they also expect it to be running at tip-top performance. If you do your best and carry a smile and positive attitude, the customers will love you. We have about 5 minutes until we are supposed to open, so could someone call Grae to make sure she is almost here?"

As if on cue, Grae burst through the kitchen door. "Am I late?" she asked slightly embarrassed. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she clutched her black heels in her hand.

"Barely," Niall said with a chuckle. "Hurry and get yourself together. Good luck guys! Lets open this place."

With that, Grae untied her hair and began to walk to her station. The rest of the staff followed suit and took their places for Niall to open Mad House Kitchen. After about 3 minutes, I could hear the mummer of people entering the building and taking their seats.

I walked over to the cute couple that had been seated in my section, and took my very first order. "Hello, my name is Lexi, and I will be your server for the evening. Can I get you something to drink?" I spoke with confidence.

***

"Have a nice night," I said a I laid the credit card and receipt down on the table. I walked back to the waiter station and the clock read 12:27a.m; the restaurant was supposed to close at 11:30, but Niall refused to turn people away. Everyone had complemented the delicious food, and the pristine service of the staff. I felt so accomplished to have earned over £250 in tips on the first night, and I knew Niall's business would be successful.

I walked into the kitchen, hung up my apron, and signed out before exiting out the back door of the building. Immediately, I spotted a figure leaning against Niall's silver Volkswagen, but he was taller and more muscular than Niall. I began to pick up my pace as I moved toward the familiar male, and finally my lips collided with his.

"Hey Lexi," Liam's husky voice melted my insides.

"Hey Li. I though you left a half hour ago?" I questioned his presence.

"No, my last customer left half an hour ago. I stayed. To wait for you."

"How sweet." I gently pecked his lips. "Where is your car?" I looked around the lot for my favorite vehicle until my eyes landed on an object that screamed Liam. "That yours?" I asked pointing to the shiny vehicle.

"Yep, bought it yesterday, and you got here before me so I guess you didn't see it. Do you like it?"

"Well, it's definitely YOU, but what about your Audi?" I asked concerned.

"She's all yours," he said with a grin before walking over to the shiny new automobile.

"Are you being serious!" I screamed running after him. "Thank you Liam! Oh my gosh, this is amazing!" I jumped onto his back, and hugged his neck tightly. "I love you," I whispered as he continued to walk with me on his back.

"I love you too Lexi," he whispered. "Do you need a ride?" he asked, and I could tell his smile was extremely large.

"Actually yes, Caitlin drove me, and I was going to hitch a ride from Louis when Grae left, but she left an hour ago."

"Well then," he began mischievously before letting me down. "Hop on," he winked before motioning me to get on the shiny black motorcycle.

________Author's Note_____

Thank you all so so much for reading! And I am so sorry it has been so long since my last update, it's just that I have been so busy lately! Please comment any suggestions and constructive criticism and vote! I love you all!!! -AgAu52

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