I swear I should've set a stopwatch or something.
Thomas had posted that advertisement of a picture on his Instagram, tagging me to it and captioning 'Enjoying our Maroon Lagoons, wby?' He also managed to add the location of the café to it.
Not long afterwards, a swarm of, no... A herd of, no... A lot and a lot and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT of people came running into the café. It was as if we had told them that Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' was on sale for two bucks and they'd get a couple of scones with it on the house.
Business was BOOMING. Claire was having a tough time keeping up with all the orders flying in for more and more Maroon Lagoons, that we had to open a second cash register. Yes people, that was a very big deal.
With Bethany and Claire in charge of taking the orders, that left Dylan, Alexander and I to fulfill their requests and make the drinks. To my luck, they were both very quick learners and got the hang of it after watching me just a few times.
Soon enough, we were in the zone, popping out drinks like nobody's business. One after another after another. Working like gears of a clock, finally fitting together, we were an unstoppable force.
To say that Mr Ramirez was happy would be the understatement of the century. He was over the moon, the sun and Jupiter all at once. He kept on snapping pictures of the bustling lines of people, waiting to order and groups of others, sat at tables or in booths, filling the café to the brim.
I scanned the ever so crowded café in search for the mop of light brown hair that had caused the ruckus. My eyes landed on my supermodel friend who was preoccupied with taking selfies with a bunch of girls. I rolled my eyes and got back to making more drinks.
"You should ask for a raise."
I shuddered at the voice, still not used to Alexander speaking. He noticed that and chuckled, shaking his head. "Why should I?" I asked, adding teaspoons of rose water to the batch ready to be blended.
"Because of this?" He motioned to all the people present behind us. "You're the mastermind behind all of this." He popped the lid on the blender and turned it on to pulse mode. "More business equals more cash. You deserve a part of that."
I understood where he was coming from and I wasn't stupid, that money was definitely my right, right? "I just, I cantaskhimformoremoney." I mumbled.
"What?" Alexander smirked, cupping his ear and bending down. He was probably a foot taller than I was, if not more.
"I can't ask him for more money." I repeated. "That's so not like me."
"I can ask him for you, if you want." He shrugged, pouring the blended contents into a couple of plastic cups. "But what fun would that be? I mean, watching you stutter is always such a delight."
I punched him in the arm, making him mumble something about how fragile he was. As if on cue, Thomas began to call for me from the center of his little groupies. "Ria! Come over here for a sec."
If it weren't for his height, I don't think I would've been able to navigate myself through the bodies of people still eagerly waiting for Claire or Bethany to take their orders. Soon enough, I made my way to him and the group of girls that were all drooling over him.
Once they noticed my presence, I received mixed responses. Some faces lit up with recognition, begging me to sign their cups or take selfies with them. Others stared coldly at me, as if their eyes were piercing through my soul.
I'm guessing they're not pleased with my friendship with the love of their lives? Guess who cares? Not me!!
"So are you two a thing?" A petite blonde girl asked, casually sipping on her Maroon Lagoon.
I shook my head. "We're just friends."
An arm found its way over my shoulder and a minty scent suddenly filled my nose. "Yeah, what she said."
I looked up at him, just in time to see him shoot the girl a toothy grin and a wink. Poor thing looked as if she got the wind knocked out of her and fell to the ground.
Oh boy.
***
By the end of the shift, Thomas had received an urgent call and left abruptly, not before telling me of course. Both Claire and Bethany finished counting their profits and left, leaving me and the guys.
Mr Ramirez told us that he had never witnessed a business day like the one we had just ended ever since he opened the joint. He started giving us a speech on how he built the place and how much it meant to him, yada yada.
What a success, was my Maroon Lagoon.
But I'mma have to head home soon.
Cuz I've been working my butt off over here since noon.
All I need is a tub of choco ice cream and a spoon.
And I'mma turn up til the eighth of June.
In a..
Something white was moving rapidly in front of me, ruining my rapper mood. When I snapped back to reality, Mr Ramirez was standing in front of me, shaking an envelope in my face. "Take Marie-Annie."
FOR THE LOVE OF BROWNIES, GET MY DAMN NAME RIGHT !!
"Two hundred dollars inside." He continued.
Call me Marie, Annie, Mary, Angelina, whatever you want. Gimme, gimme, gimme.
I timidly took the envelope from him, not knowing what to say. "Alexander was right. Your idea, your money too." He explained.
I looked over his shoulder to see Alexander watching us as he cleaned the bar. I gave him a grateful smile that he returned with a small one.
"Thanks Mr Ramirez." I grinned. "I'm going to get going if there isn't anything more you need." Excusing myself, I picked up the paper bag containing a packet of chocolate chip muffins. You see, I was heading somewhere.
"No, no, of course you can go. And thank you again for your idea." He sighed, holding my face in both his hands. "You are such a bright child. I'm so glad I hired you."
His words filled me with pride, if I didn't act swiftly I'd probably start tearing up. I smiled at him as he let me go and waved a quick goodbye to Alexander and Dylan who were staying behind to clean up.
Boy, did I have a story for Grams tonight.
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A/N:
My physiology exam was so shit and the whole ordeal was so fucking piss taking because I studied my ass off for that shit and nothing I predicted came up. Let's just say the chances of me having to cut my summer break short to retake it aren't so slim :(
Alexander Norma: played by Moe Adams. (If I had eyes like those, I would never blink. I'd keep my eyes open for the world to stare at, sns..).
Dedicated to dxsconnxcted ♡
Feel free to comment, vote, follow, whatever :')
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