Trepidation [Book 1]

Chapter 06: familiar customer

I wonder if I'll ever like working. I hope to think that if I'd be doing something I like, I would enjoy it. Working as a barista is not something I want to do though, nor something that I like or enjoy, but the pay is good and my shifts go quickly.

"Fran, there's a customer waiting. Do you want to take your break, and I'll cover for you if Karen comes out?" Leah, one of my coworkers asks me, and I blink slowly before looking up at her.

I didn't realise I spaced out, "No, I'm good, thank you, though."

Doing my job, I serve the nice woman her coffee and muffin, smiling until the bell above the door stops ringing. Leah pulls out the stool and I take a seat, my back aching from standing for the last three hours.

"So, why are you spacing out at work?" she asks and I sigh because that's a loaded question. "Do I need to squeeze it out of you?"

"I met a guy and I'm all confused."

"How come?" she asks, biting into a stolen muffin.

"Because I don't know him. I met him on a run one morning, but now he seems to always be around, which is weird. Before that morning, I had never seen him in my life," I explain, "But now he's in my psych class and I saw him at the store earlier this week. It may be just a coincidence that we keep bumping into each other, or that he is in fact a stalker."

She looks at me like I'm an idiot, "Okay, let me just tell you something my momma once told me. You may see the same stranger so many times in your life because that's just how life is, especially when you're at college. You don't acknowledge or take notice of every single person you pass, you just don't. Before you and this guy met, you probably saw each other several times, but never realised because you didn't know him yet; you've most likely seen this guy so many times in the last year around college. Remember that just because you didn't know him then, doesn't mean he wasn't always there."

I let this all sink in, making me feel much better about the whole possible stalker scenario I vaguely had in mind, "Thank you, that's helped."

"So, do you like the guy?"

"I don't really know him to be honest, but he intrigues me. I want to get to know him, but... my heart has been broken too many times and there's only so much it can take. He seems like a really nice guy, but I really don't know anything about him."

"I say get to know him; there's not much harm in that, is there? You never know, you could be great friend's from this, or even better, you could be lovers," she whispers dramatically, just as the bell above the door chimes. "I'm going on my break now, are you going to be okay on your own for five minutes?"

I nod, standing up to serve the next customer, but when I do, I meet those emerald eyes.

"This is why I think you're a stalker," I blurt out before I can stop myself.

Ethan laughs, arching a brow, "I'm the stalker? Francesca, this is my usual café."

"Yeah, I've served this guy a few times," Leah says before leaning closer to me, "By the way, hot, very hot."

"Ugh, just go on your break," I mutter and she laughs, grabbing her half eaten muffin.

"Just to put it out there, I am not stalking you," Ethan says and I frown at him, "I'm not, I promise."

"I'm sorry, I'm just paranoid. I've worked here since last year and I've never seen you before, it's all very strange," I mutter, "Don't you think it's strange?"

"A little, but I only come in on Tuesdays usually."

"That makes sense, last year I only worked Wednesdays and Thursdays. I'm doing Saturday as well now," I speak my thoughts aloud, "Anyway, hello, I'm your server today, what would you like?"