"That's my daughter, her name's Harriet. Didn't cause you too much grief, did she?"
"No, I love it when the kids ask questions, it reminds me of myself at their age. Can I get a latte, please? To stay in?"
He thought he'd masterfully weaved in his request, and Matt didn't seem annoyed as he poured his coffee.
However, just before he was able to weave out of the conversation, Matt continued it. "You know, the assistant baker position's still open at your dad's bakery."
He froze. "Really?"
"I don't think he ever did replace you." Matt said, thoughtfully. Xeno assumed that he didn't know the full story as to the reasons he'd left his family and the bakery, nor that he hadn't wanted to look back since.
"Well.. that's a shame." He replied.
"You know, Xeno.. Not that it's my place to say, or anything, but I really do think you should give your dad a call."
He struggled to find the right words to say. Luckily, he didn't need to. Another customer whisked Matt's attention away, leaving him with his mocha latte with a chocolate chip biscuit in a separate bag. That'd been his order for a very long time.
As he sat down in his usual space, the booth with a view out of the window, the thought of the Astronomy department getting cut. What would he do? It had been his dream to work there since he was young, and he had to succeed, otherwise..
Clearing his mind, he forced himself to be in the present moment, sipping his latte. The cafe was one of the few places that Xeno felt he could truly relax. He could spend hours under the watchful gaze of the porcelain animals on the shelves.
Checking his watch, he realised that he'd be late to Jess' if he waited any longer. He gulped down his drink and walked briskly to his car, mentally preparing himself to go shopping for goodness knows how long.
CHAPTER FOUR:
Jess' house was on the outskirts of Willowheath, only a couple of miles from Xeno's. It was a smallish bungalow, only slightly larger than Xeno's own apartment (or so he told himself), which she had inherited from her grandparents after they had left to "travel the world". Xeno didn't know whether they had passed away- Jess often talked in euphemisms. He rang the camera doorbell and heard a clattering from inside. Had he startled her? Hopefully not.
As he waited for her to open the door, he looked around and noticed her garden. Slightly overgrown as it was, her grandparents had clearly possessed a green thumb, and despite the slight chill of the early autumn air, the garden was alive with beautiful blossoms, pops of sweet-smelling colour against an emerald sea.
Finally, Jess opened the door. She looked like some kind of fashion student- she wore a red, knee-length coat and jeans, complete with a beret. Her hair was pinned out of her face, with clips masterfully employed so as to use as few as possible. "Hey, I was wondering when you were gonna get here. You were only.." She checked her phone. "Five minutes early, instead of your usual fifteen." She grinned at him.
"Hey, I'm not that bad." He replied. "Besides, I'd rather be early than late. Remember when you rocked up to that department meeting half an hour late, with a coffee in your hand?"
"Oi." She said, folding her arms in mock annoyance, "I'd gotten told the wrong time, that wasn't my fault."
Xeno began to laugh. "Didn't you say "Why is everyone here so early?"?"
"Yes, I did. Thanks for the reminder, I should ask Dr. Carmazan to make you my assistant."
He rolled his eyes. "Right, I take it we're going to the shopping centre?"
"Where else?" She asked, beginning to walk towards the car. "I wish you'd let me do this sooner, I don't know if we'll be able to find anything for a reasonable price."
"Why?"
She looked at him like he'd just asked her if he could drive his car into her house. "It's.. prom season? Honestly, Xeno, what planet are you living on?" Xeno hardly thought that prom was something that would be on the average adult's mind, but he decided not to retaliate. As they got into his car, Jess began updating him on her life. Despite seeing each-other every day at work, it seemed like she always had something new going on. And while she could never rival Dr. Aruda in terms of gossip, she still had her fair share.
"Oh, by the way, you don't have to drop me home after this, I'm going out with some friends."
"That's fine, saves me the trip." He replied, even though her house wasn't a massive detour from his.
Along the way, he tried to be a good listener as she told him about her friend getting married and that her current boyfriend was "100 percent the one", but he got a sense that there was something she wasn't telling him. Whenever he tried to discuss what they were going to do should the department get cut, she changed the subject.
When they arrived, Jess gave him strict instructions to show her whatever he was looking to buy before he bought it, pointing at the nearby Department store. He stepped out of the car and put on his coat; Despite being late August, the afternoon air was surprisingly chilly. They walked to the shopping centre with a quiet hum of chatter between them, doing that weird thing where they talked without actually saying much to each-other.
Xeno remembered when Jess had just joined the museum, only a year after he had. She hadn't always been as confident as she was now, but there were signs of her true character, like her strong opinions on fashion and her office decor. Xeno had been jealous when she got promoted to shift manager despite having worked there for half the time, but he never let it show because he was, as he liked to think, a good friend.
"All right, Xeno, I'm thinking.. A black button up shirt with some nice dark trousers, and a red tie, too."
