Alex was scrubbing the steam wand, gazing thoughtfully at .
It was a little weird, but I was feeling good despite the chaos of the Starmaids. Charlotte was watching more intently now. She thought I didn't notice but I felt the shift.
“What?” I asked Alex finally.
“Your tail is wagging,” they explained.
“My tail?” I asked.
“Like you're in a good mood. If you had a tail it'd be thrashing about happily.”
I blushed a little. “I don't know, I'm just happy.”
“Right,” Alex said. “And the hot rich girlfriend has nothing to do with it.”
My face heated up more intensely.
“Yeah,” Alex concluded. “That's what I thought. Glad soone’s getting so action.” They sighed a little dejectedly and cleaned the steam wand a little less passionately. “Why not just quit? She definitely cares about you, I’m sure she’d support you until you found an actually good job.”
I was quiet, still pretending to organize the milks in the fridge under the counter.
“It’s not about money, is it?” they asked.
I shook my head. “I needed so normalcy,” I explained. “Alisha is more than capable of taking care of my needs even if I stayed ho and did nothing all day. But that wouldn’t help…”
They nodded. “That’s incredibly mature of you,” they observed.
“Mature?” I asked.
“To not let yourself just bed rot. That’s what I’d do in your situation… speaking of which, how do I find a rich girl to fawn over ?”
I blinked.
“How did you two et?” they rephrased.
“Oh… I don’t know…” on the street, because she saw and decided to adopt a stray and after I was clean and fed, she decided I was cute. “I guess we just kind of happened to cross paths one day. And it went from there.”
“Hm… and she treats you right?”
I nodded. “I couldn’t ask for a better partner. Her job is… stressful. And I try to make her days at ho a little more relaxed but even when she has to make so really difficult decisions, she’s really sweet to .”
“...but does she care about your ntal health?” they asked. “And your physical health?”
I took a deep breath. “In an ideal world, she’d be able to simply put in a nice little playpen and let exist in safety. But being that safe would be suffocating. So instead I have a job at Starmaids.”
It was then Charlotte decided she'd had enough of us conversing and ca over. I pushed a single milk container a bit more in line before shutting the cooler and standing.
Charlotte had her arms crossed. “Princess and the Pronouns,” she stated.
I flinched, expecting Alex to protest this, but they kept their cool.
“I've watched you both clean the sa thing for ten minutes now. Go find sothing real to do. That doesn't need conversation.”
And then she turned on her heel and left us with that label hanging over our heads.
Princess and the Pronouns.
I wanted to throttle her.
I boredly waited at the register, half heartedly cleaning the counter space next to it.
Alex was minding their business on the other end of the line, recognizing an explosive situation when it ca up with cruel nicknas to sha them. To sha us, I corrected. Because we dared to be friends.
I sighed. Kye was leaning against the counter behind .
And then I felt my heart rate pick up. A shadow outside triggering so deeper panic instinct.
I took a deep breath, let my eyes find what had been so alarming.
My blood ran cold.
Sergei pushed the front door open. He had a smirk on his face already, made eye contact with .
I froze for a mont and then turned to get off the line.
Charlotte was standing there, her eyes sharp and calculating as she took in the panic on my face.
“Where are you going?” she asked slowly.
“Uhm—” I scrambled ntally to find the words. “It's …” I glanced at Sergei, now waiting at the register, staring at . I dropped my voice lower so he couldn't hear . “I can't serve that man.”
Charlotte looked at Sergei, then at . “Why?”
I was silent, my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth.
“Just do it,” she ordered and turned around, giving a little nudge forward.
My hands shook as I took Sergei in.
“W-what can I get for you?” I mumbled.
“It's okay sweetie. I just want a coffee,” he said.
My stomach twisted a little at sweetie but I held my composure. For a brief mont I made eye contact with Alex out in the dining room and they put the broom aside, started to co around the line.
“One coffee,” I repeated. “What size?”
“The smallest you have,” Sergei said. “But make it as sweet as you.”
That was another wrenching twist in my guy.
“Sugars on the counter,” I told him.
“You can sweeten it yourself,” he said.
My hands shook a little more violently. I made eye contact with Charlotte, who was now leaning against the back counter, watching. Alex was beyond her, they were also watching but Charlotte was not about to let them through.
I finally smiled, grabbed the mini cup and filled it from the carafe, set it down, grabbed the salt shaker and shook a solid tablespoon in without breaking eye contact.
I had no sweetness for him. And Charlotte wouldn't be able to tell it was salt and not sugar.
Then I handed it to him.
“I hope you choke on it,” I told him lowly, then gave him a smile.
I stepped away from the register as he stared down.
Charlotte grabbed my arm before I could get too far.
“Was that so bad?” she asked.
“No,” I told her numbly. “It wasn't. I'm going to the bathroom.” I pulled my arm free and continued on my way. She was dissatisfied but didn't try to stop as I hurried past.
Yes I was numb, but I could feel the shifting under the surface.
I needed space.
I got to the employee bathroom and slid in quietly.
And then the dam broke.
It wasn't dramatic. Just my hands shaking bad, just my heart rate thundering away and the sick feeling under my skin that made want to claw it off. But I had survived.
Even so I took my phone out. I didn't know why Sergei was here, if he really did just want so coffee, but I doubted it. No one ordered the mini coffee size, and he didn't strike as the kind of person who wanted his coffee sickeningly sweet.
He just wanted to tornt .
I started to text Alisha but stopped. She had her own stuff going on. I didn't need Alisha herself and she would co in person to rip Sergei into pieces.
So instead I texted Tye. Quite simply: ‘Sergei at Starmaid's. I don't know why.’
It wasn't even thirty seconds before he responded: ‘4 minutes.’
I released a tense breath and ran the cold water, holding my hands under it for a long mont. The jitteriness started to steady. I controlled my breathing, being mindful of ti and finally straightened my hair out, smoothed the front of my apron back into unfrazzled professionalism and left the bathroom.
My hair was still prickling along the back of my neck. Sergei was at the counter, sweet talking Charlotte.
Alex ca to walk beside as I scampered to be behind the line again.
“Everything okay?” they asked under their breath.
“I'm fine,” I told them. “Nothing to worry about.”
I went back to the register. Kye happily going back to leaning against the back counter as I took few more custors. Sergei was still watching as he finally chose a high top positioned perfectly to stare across the dining room.
At the very least, Alex was next to , watching as they started to polish so of the glass pitchers.
My hands were still trembling a little, but I was more steady. Sergei couldn't do anything here. If he did it would be incredibly stupid.
Tye arrived shortly. He was serious when he said four minutes. I felt a wave of relief as he opened the door, made explicit eye contact with Sergei, who was still pretending to drink his coffee, and then approached at the counter.
I leaned forward so we could talk a little more discreetly.
“Did he say anything?” Tye asked lowly.
I shook my head. “Nothing… explicit.”
Tye flicked his eyes to Alex, almost territorially. “We'll talk later.” Then he relaxed his deanor. “I'd like a black coffee.”
“Sure thing,” I said, and filled a to go cup from the hot water tap. Alex examined this with so scrutiny but said nothing, nor did they say anything when I told Tye he was fine to not pay.
Tye took his cup of water and walked over to Sergei's table, set it down and leaned forward to talk with him.
“So uh…” Alex observed. “You know that guy too?”
I nodded. “Don't worry about it,” I told them, sighed and watched as Sergei lumbered out of the store front as Tye took over that high top and simply sat there, texting, occasionally drinking his hot water, probably purely for the appearance of being a custor.
And then I noticed Charlotte staring down. She looked at Tye only briefly but she noticed.
I tried to take another steadying breath but this stress was deeper than that.
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