❝ I CAN'T STAND YOU...
BUT I CAN'T STAND TO
BE AWAY FROM YOU EITHER ❞
Billie needed some place to live.
She couldn't live alone, it
was too expensive
with her poorly paying job
and student loans.
She finds a advertisement online
where...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
BILLIE ROSE PUSHED THE COFFEE CUP ONTO THE TABLE WITH A SMILE.
"Thank's for your order," She says softly and the man barely glances up to acknowledge her.
She nods to him before walking away towards another customer. She puts another coffee mug on the table, "Thanks for your order,"
"Thank you," The woman says, before turning her attention back to her laptop.
Billie returns to her post behind the counter and continues to make coffee's for people taking away and staying in. Most people that passed through Gloria's Coffee Stop were grabbing lunch while they had their 10 minute break from their 9 to 5 office job. Billie usually worked a 9 till 6 shift. It was close to 6 now, most the people in store were those who ventured out of their apartments to do some work in a quiet environment. People who wanted to have a little walk, to then sit somewhere with a decent cup of coffee and perhaps a sandwich or a cake.
The woman herself, Gloria Bakeworth was stood at the door to the back of the store, where the small staff locker room was and the kitchenette where Gino the chef was working away preparing baguettes and cakes and whatever else Gloria had added to the menu. Gloria watches as Billie serves and serves and serves and as 6o'clock strikes which is actually when the store closes, Gloria calls her over. Billie luckily never had to clean up after the store closed, and luckily she always started an hour after the place opened. Billie was the only full time staff member other than Gino and Gloria. The others were all part timers, mostly students or the self employed who needed a little extra to get by.
"C'mon miss, time for you to get outta' here," Gloria smiles as Billie finally lets out the loud breath of relief. Her feet felt like they were on fire, she'd been running from the tables to behind the counter to the stock room- all day.
She pulls off her apron and throws it onto the countertop before stretching her arms and hands and following Gloria into the locker room.
"Tired?" Gloria asks, taking a seat at the little table that was situated for staff members to sit at during their break.
"Exhausted," Billie sighs, sitting down opposite Gloria, "I worked pretty much the whole day alone,"
"I know, I'm sorry about that, Maria called in sick...Again," Gloria shrugs.
"She's not sick, she's just hungover," Billie says, rolling her eyes as she then gets up. She opens her locker and takes out her bag and her coat.
"I know," Gloria nods, she was playing with a thread on her cardigan. Gloria was a woman in her 50's, her hair was starting to show grey through the box-dye blonde. She had old, blue eyes, from a life time of working in this old coffee shop that her father once owned. She was a chubby woman who always wore summer dresses, no matter the weather, and she wore the same polkadot kitten heels everyday too.
"I wanted to talk to you about this place," Gloria says, "Apart from myself, you're the hardest worker in this joint, and I don't think I deserve you as a worker. You have this amazing degree and you don't even use it! You need a job in a museum or something!"
Billie laughs, "Trust me, Gloria, I've been looking for jobs...I appreciate your words, but...I don't know,"
"You'll get there eventually," Gloria says, standing up, "Now, I must go and clean up, you however, get your skinny butt home to that stupid boy you live with!"
"Oh god, don't get me started!" Billie laughs, it'd been a week since the bathroom incident, which she'd told Gloria about the day after it had happened. Gloria had asked only one question 'was he gifted...down there?', which had made Billie cry laugh in the stockroom, "He is so rude!"
"Perhaps he has a crush!"
Billie nearly chokes, "Gloria!"
"What?! Its probably true!" Gloria chuckles, shaking her head as she laughs.
"You're ridiculous. He's got a girlfriend," Billie says, zipping up her coat. It was starting to get cold in New York City on the run up to Christmas.
"A girlfriend never stopped anyone!" Gloria chuckles, "I had plenty of boyfriends all at once back in my day,"
"Oh wow, Gloria you absolute animal," Billie smiles, pulling her bag onto her shoulder, "Right, I must love and leave you,"
"You have a good evening my dear," Gloria says, waving as Billie heads out of the coffee shop and on her way home.
Its a 20 minute walk back to her flat. She took the stairs rather than the dodgy, smelly elevator. She opens the front door and steps inside, letting out a sigh of relief when she realises Timothée isn't in the living room or the kitchen. If he was in, he was either occupying the bathroom or his bedroom.
She closes the door loudly, just to let him know she's home if he is here, and walks over to the kitchen. She checks the fridge and see's theres a sticky note stuck to a container. She takes it out and reads the little note.
Dear Billie,
A little apology.
From, Timmy
Billie opens the lid and see's a red velvet cupcake sitting inside with cream cheese on top. She can't help the smile that comes over her face as she glances over towards his bedroom door. She closes the fridge and walks over to his room. She knocks on the door and steps back to wait. A few moments pass before the door clicks open, and Timothée stands there, wearing nothing but a pair of sports shorts.
"I see you got my gift," He says, nodding towards her hands.
"Yeah, I was just coming to say apology accepted, for now," She says, "So yeah, thanks,"
"Cool, I hope its nice...Catherine brought a box of them over this afternoon so," He shrugs, "Anyway, I got shit to do soo...."
"Right. I'll leave you to it, speak to you later," She nods and he lifts to fingers to his forehead and does a strange salute before closing the door.
She rolls her eyes and steps into her bedroom, closing the door behind her and placing the container with the cupcake inside, onto her desk. She kicks off her trainers and dumps her coat on the floor and flops onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. A loud sigh filled the room. And from the bedroom next door she hear the soft sound of Timothée playing his keyboard. He rarely played without his headphones plugged in and for some reason, Billie felt honoured to be able to hear it. It was the first time he's started playing while she was in the house. There had been one time previously where she heard a snippet after getting home from seeing Emma and Rochelle, and he stopped playing a few moments after she got in.
She sat up a little and listened to the melancholic melody that flowed so easily and gently. It was perfect. She stared out at the busy New York City streets below and couldn't help the tears that started pouring down her face. Everything seemed to catch up with her in that moment. And as she cried silently, she grabbed the cupcake off the desktop and took a bite. It might have been the most incredible cupcake she's ever eaten.
_________________
Thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed!
Much love to everyone who's decided to give this little book a read so far!!!
