Fearless

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I whispered to Niall, careful to stay quiet enough that Rachel couldn’t hear what we were saying, even though she was only about ten feet behind us. “She can be kind of a handful, especially when she’s doing something against her will.”

Niall glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and shrugged almost imperceptibly. “I can handle it, Mocha. You’re not giving me any credit.”

“It’s not that I’m not giving you any credit,” I whispered back. “It’s just that I don’t think you understand how difficult she can be.”

He rolled his eyes. “And I don’t think you understand how patient I can be.”

I let out a sigh. “Whatever you say, Niall.”

* * *

I watched from one of the small tables placed around the Dunkin’ Donuts counter, amused beyond belief at the look of frustration that was starting to etch itself into Niall’s face. He tried his hardest to shove it down when it appeared, so Rachel wouldn’t see him and get fed up, but he wasn’t doing such a great job of it.

I snickered into my hand and crossed my legs, hoping that I was quiet enough to avoid their detection. But from the sour look Niall gave me, I figured I was probably wrong in thinking so.

“No, Rachel,” Niall interjected, trying his hardest not to let his angry tone seep into his direction, “you hit that button.”

“Ugh!” Rachel groaned, slapping the top of the machine. “This is fucking impossible.”

“It’s not impossible,” Niall insisted. “Just watch me one more time.”

“Jazzy!” Rachel whined loudly. “I hate your boyfriend. Can’t I just stop already?”

“No,” I replied, trying not to sound a little smug. I knew Niall was underestimating Rachel. “Just watch what he’s doing.”

Another loud groan, but she turned back to Niall and watched the series of buttons he pushed, the way he moved the cup around so the nozzle distributed the liquid evenly.

There was a long time where neither of them talked. She just watched Niall demonstrate how to make various different drinks, her eyes slightly narrowed, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“Got it?” Niall asked once he was finished. There was an optimistic twinkle in his eye as he turned to my cousin, wiping his hands off on his dark-wash jeans.

“No,” she answered honestly. “This is going to suck.”

I couldn’t contain myself from letting out my goose call laugh.

* * *

“Alright, fine,” Niall mumbled against my hair while the two of us lied together on my couch in a dark apartment, watching some television. His thumb traced soft patterns on the back of my hand, his lips occasionally pressing against my head.

“Alright what?” I replied nearly incoherently, since I’d almost been asleep.

“Rachel’s not easy to train. You were right.”

I nudged my elbow into his stomach playfully. “I warned you, didn’t I?”

“You did,” he agreed. “But I figured I had the patient of a saint, and I’d be able to deal with it. Apparently, I was wrong.”

“No, you do have the patience of a saint,” I confirmed, “but to deal with Rachel, you need to have the patience of God himself, or you’re going to go crazy.”

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “If you tell me something about her, I’m never going to doubt you again.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

* * *

I smirked when I walked into Dunkin’ Donuts the next day to find Rachel manning the front counter. A few hairs had escaped her otherwise sleek ponytail, framing her face and making her look a tad slovenly. And the fact that her eyes were drooping, framed by dark circles that she’d gotten from her long night, added to her tired appearance.

“Jaz!” she exclaimed when she saw me. “Hi!”

“Hey,” I responded. . “Where’s Niall?”

“On his break,” she told me, blowing a stray hair out of her face. “Talking to some kid named Zayn or something.”

I nodded. “Gotcha. Have you had any customers while you’ve been on your own?”

She groaned loudly and closed her eyes, as if trying to find her Zen place. “Yes. And the guy was total dick, I’m telling you. I had to make him one of those bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, and the bagel was never toasted perfectly enough for him; it was either too raw or too cooked. So I wasted, like, five bagels on that asshole.”

“I’m sorry,” I snickered. “But if you work in food, there are always going to be rough customers.”

“I know.” She let out a long, sad sigh. “God, I wish I didn’t have to work.”

“Where did this come from?” I asked her. “I mean, I know that you never wanted to work, but you’ve never been this against it before.”

“There are only so many times you can be fired from somewhere before you start to get fed up,” she answered shortly. “Large mocha almond iced with just cream, right?”

“And an extra shot of caffeine,” I added.

She shook her head. “I don’t know where the extra shots of caffeine are, so you’re going to have to go without. Deal.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but she started hurrying around to make my coffee, looking like a tornado ripping through the restaurant, so I just shut my mouth, figuring that I could go without the extra shot of caffeine for once.

Just as I turned around, Niall walked back into the place, a grin on his face. “Hey, Mocha,” he greeted, coming over to peck me on the lips. “How’s she doing?”

“Eh.” I put my hand up and tilted it back and forth, signaling so-so. “She can’t do the extra shot of caffeine, so…”

“I’ll take care of that,” he assured me. “One second.”

“Too late!” Rachel called out, slamming the finished coffee on the counter. “Already done.”

“It takes a second to put in the caffeine,” he told her, leaving me and going back behind the counter. “Come here. I’ll show you how to do it.”

She shot him a venomous glare, which he ignored as he took my coffee off the counter and took it somewhere out of my view.

When he came back, he slid it toward me and told me the price. I handed over the cash and picked it up, taking a sip. There was a little too much of the flavored syrup for my taste, but for Rachel’s beginner status, it was pretty good.

“See?” Rachel bragged, leaning her back against the wall next to the counter. “I did a fantastic job. She loves it.”

Niall sent me a secret smirk, as if he could tell from the look in my eyes that love was too strong of a word. “I didn’t say she wouldn’t,” he defended. “But good job, Rachel.”

She beamed with pride as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Alright, I have to get to class,” I chuckled. “I’ll see you two crazy kids later.”