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THE NIGHT IS QUIET, and the diner is empty except for a curly-haired girl, whose head is resting on the counter as she dozes off for the third time that night. There's only the sound of cars driving past and the ticking of the clock signaling another thirty minutes have passed. Ambar groans loudly, staring at the clock and trying to decipher what the handles are telling her in her half-asleep state, all whilst regretting so much to have taken Rhy's shift tonight. Were his extra £30 really worth it? Because right now, Ambar is tired, hungry, and cold—a combination that never ends well, if you ask her. She isn't in the best mood, clearly, and all she wants is to drive home and pass out on her warm and cozy bed. Instead, she's stuck at Novak's until after midnight.
The clock reads 11:30PM. Just thirty more minutes, she tells herself. That's only half an hour, I can do this.
She looks around, just now realizing that the diner is sort of a mess. A group of children had come by earlier—one of Ambar's only customers of the night—and they'd left a mess on their table. There are cups of coffee halfway drunk and trash cans overflowing. The tables need to be wiped, the chairs stacked, and the counters cleaned until they squeak, so Ambar gets to work. Now, it's just her and her cleaning supplies.
Novak's is quite a popular place, especially for their amazing breakfast food, so there's always people coming and going. Still, tonight's shift had been lonely and boring: she only had to attend to the group of kids and their mother, and two teenagers that ordered nothing more than two lattes and worked on what she guessed was school work until 10PM in one of the booths hidden from view. That's why she usually likes afternoon shifts, because not only are they busy, but they are also shared—either with one of her best friends or another coworker, but she loves the company all the same.
Ambar started working at Novak's a little less than a year ago. As a student in need of money, she got dragged by her best friend Rhy towards his family's small but fastly growing diner, and he gave her the job. Ambar thought it wouldn't work, since Rhy was only a waiter at the time (and still is), meaning he had no power over who got hired and who didn't. His aunt hadn't complained when Ambar joined the team, though, and in no more than two weeks she started considering Novak's one of her favorite places. Especially Saturday evening shifts—the only time the four of London Most Wanted share a shift, and the time that first got them to become as close as they are now.
Yeah, Ambar loves Novak's, if she's being honest.
Still, she doesn't love closing shifts, and she doesn't love being on her own for hours. Stacking up the chairs is a boring task, and soon she moves on to the counter, grabbing the cleaning cloth and scrubbing until she can practically see her reflection on the white mock-marble. She's so focused on her task that she almost screams when she hears the bell announcing a new customer—the most annoying feature the place has, that goddamn bell. Jasmine has tried to get rid of it eight times, and none have worked. Despite being able to control her scream, Ambar still jumps in fright when she takes notice of the boy standing awkwardly by the door.
