Heartbroken and lonely, Lola is forced to spend her nights cuddling her cold, squished pillow. With the help of her best friend, Annalise, she finds a service offering the thing she needs most, cuddles. Upon obtaining the service, Lola is in for mor...
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Chapter Four
The warm rays of sunlight burn my eyes as I walk down the street. No, I'm not a vampire, but 'I shouldn't dink anymore' does circulate through my mind. Reaching for my sunglasses, I slip them on. At least I'm not running late this time. I can cruise down the road before pulling myself together for work.
Despite the glow of the warm sun, there's a slight chill in the fresh morning air. A shiver crawls up my spine as I think about my jumper sitting on the end of my bed. I should have grabbed it just in case but due to the short trip, I didn't think it would be necessary. It's always warm standing beside the coffee machine and the morning breeze never finds the entrance of the café.
I cross my arms over my chest as I rub my arms for warmth. Quickening my pace, I walk around the corner and down to the shop.
As I walk through the doors, I shuffle past the bench as Natalie hands me a coffee. As I grab the moderately hot takeaway cup, it brings an instant sense of warmth radiating through my body.
However, when the store manager is finished serving the customer at the till, she looks at me and it sends a whole new round of chills coursing through my system. It's the kind that can't be cured by a toasty cup of coffee.
Darla's choppy black hair brushes over her shoulder as she turns to look at me. Her overuse of black eyeliner sharpens her cold gaze which has me half smiling back at her. When Darla crosses her arms over her chest, my smile widens with nerves.
I place my coffee on the bench and take off the sunglasses. Her half smile turns into a troubled frown which makes me panic. She takes a step towards me and frowns down her nose.
"Please don't come into work hungover again," she warns.
"Sorry, won't happen again." I sharply nod.
"Good." Darla sternly nods her head, sending more displeasure through my system.
Darla takes off her apron and tosses it under the bench before walking further down the narrow strip behind the bench. At the end of the shop, there's a door that leads into a small office space that's used for the shop's accounting. I think Darla just sits around and plays music all day, I've never seen her do paper work before.
When she's out of sight, I grab my apron from under the bench and put it on. I look around for a new customer before I grab my coffee and take a sip. I cringe as the hot milk slides down my throat and burns my inside. But the idea of caffeine now coursing through my system is enough for a second sip.
"Today is going to be a great day," I mutter to Natalie, rolling my eyes with annoyance.
"Cheer up, Lola, it can only get better." With her words of wisdom in mind, I hope she's right.
The day rolls over slower than a walking turtle. In between customers I drink the coffee's Natalie passes to me but none of them cure the tiredness consuming my body. The only thing I want is my bed and perhaps Kol with me.
