HeartBreaker | Book 1

The Lioness

Chapter Four

The Lioness

It's Friday morning and I'm cleaning out a gutter of a busy street. The noise is overpowering, too many people in one place as they scatter in every direction on their ways to school or work.

Every ten minutes a tram stops by picking up and dropping off passengers who do nothing except litter the very place that I'm cleaning. I hate Fridays. And I hate Jeremy, the bastard got sick and now I'm stuck cleaning his territory. King's Street. A bloody nightmare.

I put in my headphones in an attempt to drown out the noise but it's no use, not to mention Ramen would kick my ass if he finds out I'm listening to music while at work, God forbid I do anything to make this shift less miserable.

As much as I hate this city, I love the people in it. You wouldn't find anywhere as colourful as Melbourne. But still, I hate being in a place that's this crowded, I don't know how Jeremy does it.

I'm relieved to see that it's nearly lunch time when I feel somebody impatiently tap on my shoulder.

I turn around, it's a short, plump middle aged man who looks pissed, pink faced and fuming in his tailored suit.

He was quiet cute actually, a very small man with a very tiny temper.

"Yes?" I say as polite as possible,

"Excuse me kid, but there's vomit on the footpath over there," he says sternly.

There is absolutely no way in heaven or hell that I am going to clean vomit off anywhere let alone a pavement. Ramen could fire me, for all I care.

I smile slightly and he stares back, bewildered.

"Well aren't you going to clean it?!" he says losing his cool.

"Sorry sir, not my territory," I say simply

"Not your territ-?!" he stutters, clearly overwhelmed. He gives me a deathly glare and walks away cussing me out under his breath.

I stare after him, glad that it was over. I rest my head on the broom in my grasp, taking a minute to myself for once today as people from every direction walk around me.

A tram approaches and people enter and exit the vehicle. I wonder the type of life these people live, who they love and who loves them. I know everyone has a story, but I only, truly know my own.

As the tram doors open and people step out, I catch a glimpse of a girl. An unusually dressed girl. Actually, the more I look at her, the more unusual everything about her is.

Even in a city that is as colourful and creative as this, this girl for some reason stands out to me. Why?

She has an aura about her, it was like she was the gleaming light source on this dull, grey day. Her copper-brown hair defied gravity, she reminded me of a dandelion in the spring and her breathtakingly beautiful face was the flower.

She looked exotic, so unusually beautiful; kind of like the lioness from The Lion King.

I snap back into reality. I'm a twenty-year-old man and I still watch Disney movies, utterly shameful.

She looks around and checks the time on her wristwatch. She's average height but I guess she would be considered tall for a girl. Definitely shorter than me, but who isn't?

She's in a red summer dress with black stockings, brown coat and brown shoes. She's either an artist or a person from a different time.

For some reason I feel extremely drawn to her, like we have history, like we were significant others in a different lifetime. Something, no, everything about her strikes me.

What am I on about?

I snap back out of it for the second time. What on earth is wrong with me?

For two years of working here, all I've seen are faceless strangers, I wouldn't bother remembering the details of their faces let alone what they were wearing or who they were.

Man, I gotta lay off the Disney movies.

I watch as she gets on the tram and it starts to depart. I feel a deep sense of regret for not saying something.

I try to convince myself that it's probably best, I mean, who needs unwanted feelings?

But can I really go on with the rest of my life living this way? Huh... I've never thought about that.

I walk into the Brioche Café and I see the kind old lady who owns the café behind the counter, her face lights up when she sees me and I can't help but do the same.

I walk and sit in my regular spot, a table in the quiet corner of the café, thinking now more than ever about the girl whose name I don't know.

I've seen some pretty girls before, some prettier than she, but why can't I get her out of my mind?

It was more than a physical attraction, it was like she was radiating an energy, an energy I felt, drawing me towards her.

Like I said, I'm very good with this stuff; spending so much time on your own; you learn a lot about yourself.

I understand how I'm feeling but I don't understand why. I've been numb to any kind of human emotion for years now since I lost the only girl I've ever loved.

But something about that girl seem to ignite a flame in my stone-cold heart.

I'd think she was my soulmate if I believed in that stuff.

I head back to work and walk towards my locker. My stomach drops when I see a very agitated looking Ramen.

I know what this is about, if it hadn't of been for that girl, I would've prepared an excuse.

"I got a call from an aggrieved civilian today, saying that you refused to do your job?!" he spits, every detail of his face etched with fury; the plump man in the suit must've given him a hard time.

I have to be careful what I say and how I say it because if I'm not careful, it might cost me my job.

I think, giving him a moment or two to calm down but he only seems to be getting angrier.

"Don't even think about denying it you snow demon, I know you were assigned to King's Street today,"

"Raymond, sir, you got it all wrong, it technically wasn't my duty to clean it because I was on my lunch break. I don't wanna be scraping puke from the pavement during my lunch break... plus it's going to rain tonight anyway-"

"Watch it kid!"

"Alright, I'm sorry, it won't happen again boss,"

"You're on your last warning Christopher."

Sparks shoot up my spine. Ramen has called me many things, but this, by far is the worst. I take a deep breath in, trying to control my anger.

"Don't... call me that." I say bluntly, Ramen stands back, bemused, he stares down at me like he's trying to figure me out. I don't flinch.

"I'll see you Monday Chris," he says walking away.

I'm left alone in an empty, dull locker room feeling all kinds of hurt.

I've never felt more human emotion in one day since my childhood.

I was triggered by that name, it brought up memories that I've tried many years to suppressed.

There's too much attached to that name. It was what the only girl I've ever loved used to call me.