“I can’t wait to get out of here tonight. No offence Rosie,”Scott says while hanging up his apron and I finish wiping down the sandwich area.
“None taken sweet cheeks.”
“Got a hot date with Mr Rockstar tonight, Cal?” Scott asks, his tone a little too familiar. I’m still so cautious of him, and at times, it’s awkward as hell. The elephant in the room has not been mentioned since the whole thing came out a week ago. It’s the most bizarre situation, but I’ve decided not to push myself and take this one step at a time. I need to get used to being around him. I swear he’s caught me staring a few times. Something inside me wants to analyse his features, just to see if we have any similarities.
“Not tonight. I wanted to see Angie, but she was already busy.”
I’m deep in thought while mindlessly wiping over the surface I’ve cleaned ten times already. Scott breaks the daze I’m in when I realise, he’s kind of hanging around and still looking my way. Although I don’t want to make small talk, I ask him out of courtesy, “You up to anything?”
“Nah, not tonight. It’s a quiet one.” We exchange an awkward smile, Scott lifting his chin with a huff. “Right then, I’ll head off. See you Tuesday, ladies.” He picks up his keys from the shelf, slips his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans and shoots out the door quicker than a rabbit.
“Bye, Scott,” Rosie calls after him, but the door is already closing to a slow stop before his name leaves her lips.
“He’s in a hurry tonight,” Rosie comments while mopping the floor.
“Hmm?”
“I thought he was a little more comfortable around you today, probably because he got so much off his mind.”
“Lucky him,” I mutter. We had no time to talk today as the café was packed solid.
“Are you still feeling unsettled?”
“That’s an understatement.”
Rosie’s lips form a kind smile. “I’m never sure if I should say anything or not. I don’t want to intrude.”
“You could never intrude, Rosie. You know pretty much everything about me.”
She carries on mopping when she asks, “Does he make you feel uneasy?”
I bite my lip before I answer. “Yes… and no. I mean, it’s not every day you find out the boy who caused you nothing but grief at school is your brother. It's early days, but we’re getting used to each other I suppose. I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact we’re related. I keep expecting him to burst into laughter and tell me it’s all a horrible joke.”
Rosie glances towards me, her hand gripping the pole of her mop. “If this is upsetting you, babe, I can move shifts around, give him reduced hours. You know, the only reason I didn’t move your shifts around before was because I thought it would help you both heal a few wounds. I truly believe he deserves a second chance.”
“No, yeah, of course. Yeah.”
“Calla?” Rosie questions as if I haven’t been listening.
“Honestly, it’s all good, almost like a weird therapy or something.”
“That’s the spirit and talking of weird therapy, have you spoken to your mother about all this?”
The mention of my mum sends a shiver down my spine. “No.” Just the thought of seeing her puts me in a foul mood. “Please don’t hassle me, Rosie. I’ve literally just found this out myself. I’ll call her next week.”
“Why not tonight? You’ve got a spare evening now.”
“Because I’m not in the mood for her sarcasm and to behonest, I’m still getting to grips with it all. Honestly, I have so many questions floating in my head.”
“Calla, you really should?—”
A knock to the locked café door interrupts us. “I’ll get that.” I’m grateful for the diversion, and as I get closer, my smile grows at the sight of beautiful blues smiling back my way.
“You could not have come at a better time,” I whisper towards Ash, almost dragging him inside.
“Really?” He gives me a quizzical glance.
“Look who’s here, Rosie.”
