The Movies Make It Look Easy

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

 Shannon's P.O.V:

It was a slow day at the Café. It was so slow that Rick had actually gone out and left us in charge. Jenny had barely done anything since she walked in the door and the moment that Rick left she had sat down and refused to do any work at all. Her phone was more important apparently - and then she'd abruptly gotten up around half an hour later and sauntered out the door, leaving Becky and I watching the slowly closing door in confusion.

I was sitting on a stool I'd found out back, behind the counter throwing a tennis ball in the air when I heard the bell above the door jingle. I quickly stowed the ball beneath the counter and pasted a smile on my face before looking up. When I saw who it was my fake smile immediately dropped and I pulled the ball back out and began to throw it in the air again.

His eyebrows rose, "Don't look too happy to see me" he said dryly as he made his way towards me. When he was leaning against the counter I looked at him and smiled, "So what brings you here?"

He shrugged, "I was bored." 

There was a faint whine in his tone that made me snort. "You could of course go to class?"

"Nah..."

"Didn't think so" I laughed. I put the ball away and rested my elbows on the counter, placing my chin in my hands so I was facing him. "So you just decided to come visit me?"

"I had nothing better to do" he said, smirking.

"Ouch." I stuck my tongue out at him. I barely registered a door opening and closing behind me as we smiled at each other.

"Who's this then?" I heard Becky's voice behind me.

I sat up and turned to face her. She was watching us curiously with one eyebrow raised in question. I laid my hand gently on Nick's back as he rested his chin on his hands. "This is Nick" I told her, "my roommate."

Her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline. "You're the guy who made Jenny late for work and got Shannon in trouble?"

He sighed and glanced contritely at me before nodding.

She rounded on me, "I see you've forgiven him."

I didn't reply. She looked back at Nick and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Well I don't forgive so easily, you can't win me over with one of those million dollar smiles. Someone's got to look out for her." She stabbed her finger at me as she spoke.

He raised his hands in mock defeat, but didn't seem to know what to say. I didn't either as a matter of fact.

We were saved - well, saved isn't really the right word - from having to think of a response when the bell above the door jingled again. Becky and I looked up while Nick absently played with a strand of my hair as it trailed on the countertop.

Jenny walked in from God knows where. When she saw Nick she stopped before a smile spread across her face. She hurried over to the counter and threw me a venomous look when she saw my hand on his back and my hair twirled around one of his fingers. "Nick!" she practically squealed.

He froze, letting go of my hair. He didn't stand up straight though and I slowly removed my hand and sat up, away from the counter, not really sure what was going to happen. Becky stopped what she was doing as she watched with unmitigated interest to see what Nick was going to do - she really didn't trust him.