On Sleepless Roads, the Sleepless Go
Five
Monday slowly rolled around and back to work I went. I was in the process of placing fresh pumpkin cupcakes -due to the Thanksgiving season- and breads into the display cases when the bell about the entrance rang. I finished with the last three cupcakes on the tray and brought m attention to the customer.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped at the tall brunette.
“I haven’t even said anything and you’re snapping at me?” Jonathan eyed me.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t particularly like you,” I pointed out. He seemed taken back. “So, I’ll ask again, what are you doing here?” I placed my fists on my hips and glared at him.
“Is this how you treat all of your customers?”
“You’re not a customer,” My patience was wearing thin at this point.
“And why not?”
“Because you’d actually have to buy something first, but as I explained to you at the party, that isn’t going to happen,”
“You can’t not serve me!” I pointed to a sign that hung on the wall by the register.
NIGHT OWL BAKERY
HOLDS THE RIGHT
TO REFUSE SERVICE
TO ANYONE
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
- MANAGEMENT
He read the sign out loud.
“My sign says differently,” I held a smug smile on my face.
“Is that even legal?”
“One-hundred percent,” I glared, “Was there a particular reason why you came in here, you know, since you can’t actually buy anything?”
“I actually came in here to apologize for the way I acted at the party, but now I’m not. Especially now that I know for a fact that you’re a raging bitch.”
“Were you expecting me to be nice to you after the way that you treated me? Is that how it works with you, you act like an asshole and women just fall to your feet?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“You know what? I’m just going to be the bigger person here and say that I’m sorry. Alright? I’m sorry,”
“Did you really just give me a justification for your apology because you’re too thick to actually admit that you were wrong? You are unbelievable,”
“I apologized! What more do you want?!”
“Okay, so you apologized. Now everything is right in the world? Because Jonathan Toews says so?”
“Excuse me?”
“You must either be young and naïve or stupid to think that that is how life works,” He stared at me incredulously. As if I was the first person to speak to him that way. “You don’t know me and I certainly don’t know you. I also don’t know what your motives are, but I have an order to finish filling, so If you’ll excuse me,” I pointed to the door with my eyes.
“No,” He said sternly. I furrowed my eyebrows.
“No?”
“No. I’m not leaving until this is worked out,”
“Why? Are you afraid I’ll just run around Chicago, telling everyone how big of an asshole you are?”
“That is the least of my worries,”
“Oh, I’m sure,” I scoffed. I ignored him and continued to fill up the display case. I went into the kitchen, out of his sight, and gave Marin a suicide worthy look. She was piping a cake that was due for pick-up in a few hours and broke her concentration for a second to look at me.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll stay out here all day if I have to!” Jonathan’s voice shouted. His voice echoed through the kitchen, making me fear for the cakes that were in the ovens.
“He won’t leave!” I whispered to her.
“Who?” I gave her a pointed look. “He’s out there?” She set down her piping bag and tip toed to the edge of the door and peaked her head out. She gave an embarrassed wave and sucked herself back into the kitchen. “Why is he out there?”
“I don’t know!”
“The sooner we work this out, the sooner you can get back to what you were doing,” He called out again.
“Talk to him,” Marin shrugged, a small smile on her face. She sat back on her stool and continued piping away.
“Give me one good reason why. He’s an asshole,”
“An asshole that took time out of his day to come down here and talk to you. He went out of his way and by the looks of it, he will stay here all day if he has to,” She smirked. “Give him a shot,”
“Some days I want to throw you into the oven. Today is one of them,” I sighed and exited the kitchen, taking some more breads with me. He still stood in front of the display case with his arms crossed. He looked directly at me as I came out with a new tray. “You have one minute, then I call the police to have your ass towed out of here,”
“Coffee, that’s all I ask.”
“Coffee?” He nodded. “Are you seriously trying to pick me up? I knew you had ulterior motives, you sneaky son of a-”
“No! O-Of course not,” He rubbed the back of his neck as his face flushed a dark pink. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. You seem to work in mysterious ways,” I said sarcastically. I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder and pull me into a side hug.
“She would love to go,” Marin said with a cheerful smile on her face. Jonathan smirked. “How about now? Does now sound fine?” Oh dear Lord. This girl was going to get her ass kicked. She threw my bag at me and pushed me from behind the counter. “I’ll hold the fort down, boss!”
“You’re going to need to hold your head when I get back,” I glared at her. She smiled back at me and waved good-bye. Jonathan pulled me out of the shop and onto the busy streets of downtown Chicago.
“Alright, calm yourself. I’m going,”
+
Jonathan and I walked a block towards the center of downtown and into a small coffee shop. I’ve passed by it on numerous occasions, but I had never actually been in it, until now. It was small, quaint, but cozy nonetheless. It had a relaxing atmosphere as I sat back in my chair that was directly across from Jonathan. The malice was gone from his dark, brown eyes. He looked somewhat comfortable, but I could tell that my presence kept him on edge. I took a sip of my soy vanilla latté and sighed.
“So,” I started. “I’m not going to lie, this is a little weird for me,”
“That’s the opposite of what I want this to be,” He leaned on the table, making him closer to me.
“And what is this supposed to be?” I did the same. A small smirk pulled the right side of his lips up.
“I…want to get to know you,” He shrugged nonchalantly, then leaned back in his chair.
“Why is that?”
“I just-I feel like there’s something there,”
“You what?” He looked away, embarrassed.
“You don’t feel it?”
“Oh I feel something, alright,”
“So, tell me about you,”
“Well,” I leaned back, “I’m a thirty-two year old ex-Porn Star. I have had three Sugar Daddies and I have -at least- six children. Oh, and I have three white Chihuahuas, all named Tinkerbelle. Your turn,” I smiled in a condescending way to Jonathan.
“Cute,” He crossed his muscular arms across his chest, his smirk growing by the second.
“Take it or leave it,” I shrugged and took another sip of my latté.
“Fine, I’ll start,” He sighed.
“Be my guest,”
“I’m twenty-two, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, and I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. There, not so bad is it?”
“See here’s the thing. I feel like my life may be too much for you to handle,”
“Try me,”
“Suit yourself.” I took a deep breath, then looked him in the eyes. “I’m a twenty-five year old pastry chef. I am originally from Boston, Massachusetts, and I am a divorced, single mother of one.” His eyes widened a bit. He didn’t say anything for a minute. I set my cup down and stood up, taking my purse with me. “You obviously weren’t expecting me to say any of that, which leads me to believe that your plan was to take me out for coffee, woo me, then take me home. Sorry to tell you, but this isn’t my first ballgame. Better luck with someone else, Mr. Toews,” I exited the coffee shop and went directly back to the bakery. There was no use getting my hopes up for a kid that wasn’t anywhere near what I should be looking for. It was a damn shame, too.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped at the tall brunette.
“I haven’t even said anything and you’re snapping at me?” Jonathan eyed me.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t particularly like you,” I pointed out. He seemed taken back. “So, I’ll ask again, what are you doing here?” I placed my fists on my hips and glared at him.
“Is this how you treat all of your customers?”
“You’re not a customer,” My patience was wearing thin at this point.
“And why not?”
“Because you’d actually have to buy something first, but as I explained to you at the party, that isn’t going to happen,”
“You can’t not serve me!” I pointed to a sign that hung on the wall by the register.
NIGHT OWL BAKERY
HOLDS THE RIGHT
TO REFUSE SERVICE
TO ANYONE
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
- MANAGEMENT
He read the sign out loud.
“My sign says differently,” I held a smug smile on my face.
“Is that even legal?”
“One-hundred percent,” I glared, “Was there a particular reason why you came in here, you know, since you can’t actually buy anything?”
“I actually came in here to apologize for the way I acted at the party, but now I’m not. Especially now that I know for a fact that you’re a raging bitch.”
“Were you expecting me to be nice to you after the way that you treated me? Is that how it works with you, you act like an asshole and women just fall to your feet?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“You know what? I’m just going to be the bigger person here and say that I’m sorry. Alright? I’m sorry,”
“Did you really just give me a justification for your apology because you’re too thick to actually admit that you were wrong? You are unbelievable,”
“I apologized! What more do you want?!”
“Okay, so you apologized. Now everything is right in the world? Because Jonathan Toews says so?”
“Excuse me?”
“You must either be young and naïve or stupid to think that that is how life works,” He stared at me incredulously. As if I was the first person to speak to him that way. “You don’t know me and I certainly don’t know you. I also don’t know what your motives are, but I have an order to finish filling, so If you’ll excuse me,” I pointed to the door with my eyes.
“No,” He said sternly. I furrowed my eyebrows.
“No?”
“No. I’m not leaving until this is worked out,”
“Why? Are you afraid I’ll just run around Chicago, telling everyone how big of an asshole you are?”
“That is the least of my worries,”
“Oh, I’m sure,” I scoffed. I ignored him and continued to fill up the display case. I went into the kitchen, out of his sight, and gave Marin a suicide worthy look. She was piping a cake that was due for pick-up in a few hours and broke her concentration for a second to look at me.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll stay out here all day if I have to!” Jonathan’s voice shouted. His voice echoed through the kitchen, making me fear for the cakes that were in the ovens.
“He won’t leave!” I whispered to her.
“Who?” I gave her a pointed look. “He’s out there?” She set down her piping bag and tip toed to the edge of the door and peaked her head out. She gave an embarrassed wave and sucked herself back into the kitchen. “Why is he out there?”
“I don’t know!”
“The sooner we work this out, the sooner you can get back to what you were doing,” He called out again.
“Talk to him,” Marin shrugged, a small smile on her face. She sat back on her stool and continued piping away.
“Give me one good reason why. He’s an asshole,”
“An asshole that took time out of his day to come down here and talk to you. He went out of his way and by the looks of it, he will stay here all day if he has to,” She smirked. “Give him a shot,”
“Some days I want to throw you into the oven. Today is one of them,” I sighed and exited the kitchen, taking some more breads with me. He still stood in front of the display case with his arms crossed. He looked directly at me as I came out with a new tray. “You have one minute, then I call the police to have your ass towed out of here,”
“Coffee, that’s all I ask.”
“Coffee?” He nodded. “Are you seriously trying to pick me up? I knew you had ulterior motives, you sneaky son of a-”
“No! O-Of course not,” He rubbed the back of his neck as his face flushed a dark pink. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. You seem to work in mysterious ways,” I said sarcastically. I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder and pull me into a side hug.
“She would love to go,” Marin said with a cheerful smile on her face. Jonathan smirked. “How about now? Does now sound fine?” Oh dear Lord. This girl was going to get her ass kicked. She threw my bag at me and pushed me from behind the counter. “I’ll hold the fort down, boss!”
“You’re going to need to hold your head when I get back,” I glared at her. She smiled back at me and waved good-bye. Jonathan pulled me out of the shop and onto the busy streets of downtown Chicago.
“Alright, calm yourself. I’m going,”
+
Jonathan and I walked a block towards the center of downtown and into a small coffee shop. I’ve passed by it on numerous occasions, but I had never actually been in it, until now. It was small, quaint, but cozy nonetheless. It had a relaxing atmosphere as I sat back in my chair that was directly across from Jonathan. The malice was gone from his dark, brown eyes. He looked somewhat comfortable, but I could tell that my presence kept him on edge. I took a sip of my soy vanilla latté and sighed.
“So,” I started. “I’m not going to lie, this is a little weird for me,”
“That’s the opposite of what I want this to be,” He leaned on the table, making him closer to me.
“And what is this supposed to be?” I did the same. A small smirk pulled the right side of his lips up.
“I…want to get to know you,” He shrugged nonchalantly, then leaned back in his chair.
“Why is that?”
“I just-I feel like there’s something there,”
“You what?” He looked away, embarrassed.
“You don’t feel it?”
“Oh I feel something, alright,”
“So, tell me about you,”
“Well,” I leaned back, “I’m a thirty-two year old ex-Porn Star. I have had three Sugar Daddies and I have -at least- six children. Oh, and I have three white Chihuahuas, all named Tinkerbelle. Your turn,” I smiled in a condescending way to Jonathan.
“Cute,” He crossed his muscular arms across his chest, his smirk growing by the second.
“Take it or leave it,” I shrugged and took another sip of my latté.
“Fine, I’ll start,” He sighed.
“Be my guest,”
“I’m twenty-two, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, and I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. There, not so bad is it?”
“See here’s the thing. I feel like my life may be too much for you to handle,”
“Try me,”
“Suit yourself.” I took a deep breath, then looked him in the eyes. “I’m a twenty-five year old pastry chef. I am originally from Boston, Massachusetts, and I am a divorced, single mother of one.” His eyes widened a bit. He didn’t say anything for a minute. I set my cup down and stood up, taking my purse with me. “You obviously weren’t expecting me to say any of that, which leads me to believe that your plan was to take me out for coffee, woo me, then take me home. Sorry to tell you, but this isn’t my first ballgame. Better luck with someone else, Mr. Toews,” I exited the coffee shop and went directly back to the bakery. There was no use getting my hopes up for a kid that wasn’t anywhere near what I should be looking for. It was a damn shame, too.