Touched by an Angel, Though I Fall Out of Grace

*December 9, 2011*

Brittany's POV

I had been working at Inkredible for about three weeks now and I loved it. Sure, I didn't do much besides keep the shop clean and book appointments, but it certainly did beat staying at home alone all day. I pulled up behind the building into the employee parking lot and killed the engine to my car, sighing as I opened the door and getting hit by the harsh, cold winter air. Getting out, I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and wrapped y coat tight around my body before hastily making my way to the front door of the shop. I unlocked it and turned on all the lights. It was fifteen minutes past nine o'clock when Lorenzo walked through the door, bundled up in a coat, beanie and a scarf; he smiled when his eyes landed on me sitting behind the counter.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning," I smiled.

"I brought you coffee," Lorenzo informed me, setting a cardboard cup carrier on the counter.

"Thank you," I said, "but you didn't have to do that."

He shook his head. "I wanted to."

"Well, okay," I muttered, picking up the coffee cup with my name on it.

"So," Lorenzo started, shrugging his coat off and hanging on the hook next to the door. "What's on the agenda for today?"

I turned to the computer next to me and pulled up our schedule book. "Umm, not much; three tattoo appointments and four piercing appointments. But they're all somewhat early."

"Cool, cool. If all goes well today, we might get to clock out early."

I nodded and sipped my coffee, not knowing what to say. A couple of seconds passed and then Lorenzo headed to his work station. It wasn't long before the door opened and in walked Carina, Lorenzo's sister and Antonio Romano, Lorenzo's best friend, the other employees. They were both nice people but I didn't talk to them as much as I talked to Lorenzo; the two of them smiled at me before hanging up their coats and then headed on back to their work stations.

**~**~**~**~**~**

As predicted, it was a slow work day and I was currently playing Solitaire on the computer. I stifled a yawn as I heard my name being called. I turned my head to see Lorenzo heading over to the counter.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go and get lunch with me?" he said, grabbing his coat.

"Umm, sure," I said, putting the computer into hibernate mode and standing up. Lorenzo handed me my coat and I put it on, before grabbing my phone and wallet out of my bag. Once Lorenzo had put up the "Sorry, we're closed signed", we walked outside and I locked the shop door, seeing as Carina and Antonio weren't back from their lunch break yet.

"Is it cool if we take my car?" he asked and I nodded. He led me over to a shiny, dark red Chevy Impala. He opened the passenger door for me before hastily going over to the side of the car and getting in. I put on my seatbelt as he started the car and backed out of the parking lot. I sat in the car awkwardly, picking at my fingernails.

"So," Lorenzo began, "what are you in the mood for?"

I shrugged, "Umm, whatever is alright with me."

"Do you like Italian?" he wondered and I swear there was a double meaning in there somewhere, but I ignored it.

"Yeah, Italian is fine," I told him and then went silent again.

"You're being really quiet; are you okay?" he asked me as he pulled into a parking lot.

I nodded. "Mhmm, I'm just thinking about things," I said, which was technically true; my mind was reeling, wondering if this lunch meant something different to him than it did to me. He killed the engine and we exited the vehicle; the two of us walked side-by-side on the cracked, gray sidewalk up to a set of glass double doors. He opened the door for me and I was hit with the smell of garlic; we entered the restaurant and didn't even take two steps from the door when a woman rushed forward.

"Lorenzo," she cried, wiping her hands on her apron. "Il mio figlio."

"Hi, Mama," Lorenzo said, hugging the woman. My eyes widened at the word Mama. He had brought me to his mother's restaurant, surely that meant something although I hoped that it didn't. I just didn't see Lorenzo that way; he was nothing but a friend to me and not to mention my boss.

"And who is this?" his mom asked, looking at me.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," I said, politely.

"Nice to meet you, too, dear," she told me before nudging Lorenzo in the arm. "Lei è una bella ragazza, Lorenzo. Anyway, let me get you two a table." she led us a table in an area that wasn't surrounded by too many people and then left us alone. I sat there facing Lorenzo feeling extremely uncomfortable because he kept looking at me and smiling.

Throughout the entire lunch, my leg was shaking uncontrollably and I could barely keep up with the conversation. Once we were finished, he layed some money on the table, said goodbye to his mother and then we were on our way back to the tattoo parlor. As soon as we were back in the shop, I went to my computer and he headed back to his work station.

**~**~**~**~**~**

The bell above the door chimed as the last customer of the day left the shop. I shut down my computer and stood up from my chair, making my way to the back closet to get the cleaning supplies. When I got there, Lorenzo was already there grabbing the cleaner and some paper towels.

"What are you doing?" I asked, grabbing the broom.

"I figured that I'd help you clean up today," he said, as if it were obvious.

"Umm, you don't have to," I said.

"I want to," he told me.

I shrugged, clearly not going to able to change his mind and then started sweeping the floor. With his help, I was finished cleaning the shop in half the time it usually takes me and soon, we were back out into the cold weather and once again, I locked the door behind me. In silence, we walked to the back parking lot, our cars were parked next to each other and I was throwing my things into the passenger side of my car as Lorenzo was unlocking the driver's side door to his own vehicle.

"I'll see you on Monday, yeah?" Lorenzo wondered.

"Obviously," I said and he laughed. When his laughter stopped, he looked at me for a second before leaning towards me. I panicked and turned my head, causing his lips to make contact with my cheek.

"Umm, I've gotta go," I said and quickly went around the car and got in, strapping the seatbelt across my body and then putting my car in gear. As I drove out of the parking lot, I checked the rearview mirror and seen Lorenzo watching me leave. I left out a sigh of relief when I could no longer see him and I was on my way home.

As I pulled into my driveway, I noticed that my mom wasn't off of work yet. I grabbed my stuff before getting out and walking to the front door. I set my things down by the stairs and hung my coat on the banister. I kicked off my shoes and then made me way over to the couch and picked up the remote from the coffee table. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I turned on the TV and began flipping through the guide. After searching for a while, I found the fourth Harry Potter movie, which was just coming on. I got really excited as I selected it and heard the familiar tune at the start of the film; while I was away, I had missed the premiere of the last movies which had bummed me out, but this channel was playing movies four through six, so this was my opportunity to get caught up.

I wasn't even halfway through the movie, when the front door opened and in walked my mother. "Hi, Britt," she said as she kicked off her shoes.

I waved, my attention on the television screen. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her take a seat in the chair next to me, tucking her legs under her. When there was a commercial, I muted the TV as my mom asked, "How was work?"

I groaned, thinking of Lorenzo. "Work was fine, after work not so much."

"Oh, no," my mom said, picking up on my tone. "What happened?"

"He kissed me. My boss kissed me, Mom. What do I do?" I asked, in a whiny voice.

"That's quite a problem," she muttered. "Do you have feelings for this man?"

"No!" I shouted, receiving a stern look. "Sorry, it's just that I see Lorenzo as my boss, first and foremost and then my friend. I don't like him that way... I can't like him that way."

"Because of Gerard?" my mom wondered. I averted my gaze and slowly nodded my head, causing my mother to sigh. "Brittany, you cannot and should not hold on to the idea of the two of you getting back together."

"Mom, you don't understand. I still love Gerard and he's the only one I want to be with."

"What are you going to do if that doesn't happen?"

I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to think that was an option. The only option I would accept is Gerard and I getting back together. "That's something you need to think about," my mom added when I didn't say anything. Now with more on my mind, I unmuted the TV as my movie returned.

"You want to order a pizza?" my mom wondered as she came out of the kitchen. I hadn't even noticed that she had gotten off the couch.

"Yeah," I answered. "Pizza's fine."

"What kind?"

I shrugged again, too into my movie. "Whatever's okay with me."

"Okay," she said, dialing the number on her phone. I tuned her out as she ordered, watching as Harry faced the Hungarian Horntail.

The rest of our evening was spent eating pizza and those really delicious cinnamon sticks while we finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and then watched the next movie. Around eleven o'clock, we shut off the television and cleaned up the living room before heading upstairs.

"Goodnight, Britt," my mom said, going to her room.

"Night!" I called, walking in to the bathroom and shutting the door. I lifted my shirt over my head, stepped out of my jeans and discarded my bra and underwear before turning on the shower and getting in.

After my shower, I wrapped a towel around my body and shuffled to my room. I slipped on clean underwear and an oversized shirt before drying my hair and throwing it into a bun and crawling into bed.