AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His eyes widen and he goes beet red before scurrying away to the straws, and I press my lips together in a futile attempt to hold back a laugh.
Finn approaches the till again, shaking his head. ‘Poor guy. But I don’t blame him, you look good today.’
‘Shut up,’ I say, fully aware the ponytail I’ve been sporting for hours is very much askew.
‘What?’ He narrows his eyes and I realise he’s being serious. Why do men have no idea what looks good? ‘I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of telling someone they look pretty. Watch.’ He calls over to the other end of the counter, ‘Mateo, te ves bien!’
My coworker turns his face to hide a smile and a playful glint reflects in Finn’s eyes when he looks back at me. This man is a menace. It’s no wonder my alcohol-soaked brain thought he wasinto me the other week.
‘Okay, well, you’re not allowed to say stuff like that to me.’ I don’t need any more ammunition for the next time we’re drunk in each other’s presence.
‘Your ever-increasing list of arbitrary rules is tiring me out.’
‘Your ever-increasing presence in my place of work is tiring me out, so I guess we’re even.’
This isn’t entirely true. I’d never admit it to him, but I’ve come to relish the way he breaks up the monotony of my time. He’s in the shop most days, sometimes in and out for a quick drink, but more often staying for hours, occasionally until closing. He claims it’s because the WiFi’s fast and the LoFi playlist is soothing, but I imagine it’s because I’ve started to slip him free snacks and drinks.
But it’s been kind of nice having someone around who doesn’t have ulterior motives. We set out our agreement and we’re following it. I know his time in London is temporary, so maybe that’s why I care less about making a good impression. Maybe it’s because nothing seems to get under his skin, and I’m beginning to wonder if anything ever could.
‘I quit.’
My head snaps up to find Mateo facing Carl; hands on his hips, power pose very much in play. I want to eavesdrop, but a customer comes in and completely ruins my fun. By the time I’ve finished serving them, Mateo’s back behind the counter with me, sharing the details. Predictably, Carl has left the shop to supposedly run an errand.
‘What’s the plan?’ I ask, refilling the coffee machine with beans and already dreading the fact I’m probably going to work extrahours while they find a replacement for him.
‘I leave at the end of this week. You know that really hot day when it was super busy and we had all the extra customers? It made me want to pull all of my hair out. So I found something better.’ I’m impressed by how quickly he got the ball rolling. ‘I’m twenty-three; I’m too young to feel so angry at work all the time.’
All I can do is laugh. He might have a point.
He wipes the counter and continues, ‘You know, I’ll miss working with you. Especially when you say things to customers and they don’t know if you’re joking or serious. It’s always funny to me. I hope my new coworkers play angry music on the speakers at the end of the day when the manager leaves, too.’
I blink a few times, taken aback. We’ve never chatted much, just worked alongside each other in efficient, civil harmony. I never really thought we took any notice of each other. I wonder if I could’ve made more of an effort, if perhaps we could’ve been friends. ‘Oh. Thanks. I’ll miss working with you too.’
He shrugs. ‘I hope they find a good person to work with you. Or that you find a better job than this.’ He lifts his head to the door, which has just opened with a new customer. ‘It’s your friend with the dog. We can swap lunch breaks and you can take yours if you want to talk with her.’
He goes to clean a table with a smile. If I’m not mistaken, he’s in a better mood than I’ve ever seen him. Amazing what leaving a job you don’t like can do.
‘What are you doing here?’ I ask as Josie approaches, Rudy leading her on the usual route to the counter. ‘You had a talk nearby?’
She’s looking peak Josie today; a seventies-print satin shirt tucked into a pair of high-waisted trousers, half her hair pulled back with a claw clip. She’s even given Rudy a matching bandana in thesame pattern as her top.
‘A meeting, but not yet, it’s in an hour or so. I thought I’d drop in and see my favourite flatmate.’ She reaches down to Rudy’s level and whispers, ‘Don’t worry, she doesn’t need to know the truth.’
‘Well, speaking of favourites, your table’s taken, but the one to the right of it is empty. I’ll bring your drink over in a sec.’
Ten minutes later we’re settled at the table, me finishing off my panini and Josie dabbing her finger on her plate to pick up any remaining pastry crumbs from her cinnamon swirl.
‘My co-worker Mateo is leaving.’ I lean forward and lower my voice in case someone happens to be listening.
‘Was there drama? Please tell me there was drama.’
‘Kind of. He basically told Carl he’s a shit manager. Which is entirely true. I’m just really hoping whoever they bring in to replace him is decent, because I’m gonna end up having to train them.’
‘But you’re good at that stuff,’ she says, finally establishing there are no crumbs left on her plate to pick at. I huff and she says, ‘You are! You’re good at explaining things, and you’re always really patient whenever you’re showing me how to do something new. Which, to be quite frank, is completely at odds with the rest of your personality.Patientisn’t a word I would expect to use to describe you.’
‘Yeah, but you’re a competent person. It’s not a chore to teach you.’
‘What about when you let those kids from our building practise their face paint on you?’
