Samuel's POV
"I don't get it." Olivia groans. "It's been two days. Two days since I gave them the partial license plate and still nothing."
She is pacing behind the counter, with the usual black apron tied around her waist. Every few seconds she glances in my direction to where I'm seated on the third stool from the left. Because the café is packed with humans, she is wearing a wireless earpiece. This allows her to claim that she's on the phone whenever someone overhears her talking with me. It was my idea, of course, after I realized how abysmal she is at not talking to me when other humans or Guardians are present.
While Olivia is complaining about the lack of progress the police have made, I'm just glad she hasn't done anything reckless since the incident at the intersection.
"Which brings me back to why you're still here." She stops at the other end of the counter and slams her palms against its surface. "Don't you have other charges to take care of?"
"I do." While speaking, I make sure to keep the movement of my mouth to a minimum, so I don't draw the attention of the fellow Guardians scattered around the café. "I check on them while you're asleep."
"So, you've downgraded from a pervert to a simple stalker?"
Because she has called me a stalker many times before, I don't notice it anymore. It's the pervert part that holds my attention. I open my mouth to set her straight when the annoying entrance bell goes off. Olivia and I turn in its direction, but while Olivia's lips stretch into a wide smile, mine shrink into a frown.
"Why's he here?" I follow the newcomer with my eyes as he makes his way over to one of the empty tables.
Instead of answering, Olivia continues to gawk at the muscular quarterback from her high school, who also happens to be her crushâWeston.
"I forgot how good he looks," she whispers, while I feel my hands tighten into fists. "Especially in a tight shirt like that. I never get to see his muscles on such display at school."
"You said he was just a school crush," I remind her, remembering what she said when her friend Brooke set her up on the date with Nick.
Olivia, however, doesn't glance at me as she walks around the counter and heads for Weston's table. I follow behind her while noting the way the guy brushes his hair to the side and straightens the shirt he's wearing. Not to mention how he wipes his hands into his jeans twice before we even reach his table. Where's the guy I've seen swagger down the hallways of Olivia's high school with a bucketful of confidence in each hand?
"Weston," Olivia greets him with a wide smile. "Funny seeing you here."
Her smile makes my urge to pull her away from the human ten times stronger, but I force myself to keep my arms folded in front of my chest.
"Olivia?" Weston snaps his eyes to hers and the honest surprise written on his face tells me their run-in is nothing but a coincidence. "I had no idea you work here."
"I've been here for almost two weeks now, but I've never seen you here before. Is this your first time here?"
"No, but it's been a while." Despite the smile he's shooting Olivia, I don't miss the way he keeps one eye on the front entrance. "I got a part-time job as well. It's how I finally managed to buy myself a car. It's a used one, but it's all mine. What are you saving up for?"
"Nothing really." Olivia shrugs. "I just like the owner of the café and agreed to work for her when she offered me the job. So, what can I get you?"
"I'll have a vanilla Latte."
"Coming right up." Olivia sends him another smile and then heads back to the counter.
I remain for a second longer to make sure the guy doesn't dare ogle Olivia. He, however, pulls a phone out of his pocket, checks for any missed calls, and then glances back at the front door; obviously waiting for someone.
Satisfied with the news, I head back to Olivia and watch her as she prepares his order. I contemplate adding some salt into his coffee when Olivia isn't looking, but I somehow resist the urge.
When Olivia finishes his order, I follow her back to Weston's table, but this time I stop beside the guy and not across the table beside Olivia.
"How can you smile at him with me right here?" I fold my arms in front of my chest and glare at Olivia, who sets the cup onto the table.
Despite the earpiece she's still wearing, she ignores me and continues to smile at Weston. This is why when he reaches for the cup, I can't stop myself. As he tilts the cup toward his lips, I press my finger underneath the cup's bottom and tilt it further than he intended. The coffee goes spilling down his jaw and shirt, which brings an instant smile to my lips. Now, this is something I don't mind Olivia smiling at.
"Shit." Weston leans forward and puts the now half-empty cup onto the table. He positions his hand underneath his chin to stop the drops from staining his shirt any further.
"Are you okay?" Olivia pulls out a napkin from the front pocket in her apron.
Before she can try to help him, I grab her hand and tug her a step away from him. Right then the entrance bell goes off again and an old couple enters the café.
"New customers." I nudge her in the direction of the couple, which luckily happens to be far away from Weston's table.
Weston, on the other hand, jumps to his feet without glancing at Olivia and hurries over to the bathroom. With my mission being a success, I head back to the counter and sit on what is now already my usual seat. Olivia soon follows and moves to the other side of the counter, where she begins to prepare the order I assume the old couple placed.
"What was that?" She presses the start button on the coffee machine and then glares at me. "I thought you weren't supposed to mess with human lives? What if your action just now causes Weston to be able to see Guardians?"
Before I have a chance to respond to her absurd question, the annoying bell goes off again.
With a pointed glare at me, Olivia turns in the front door's direction and greets the customer. "Welâ" The greeting dies on her throat when we both recognize the newcomer. "Brooke."
This time I don't mind Olivia's smile as she waves at her childhood friend. The blonde girl stops a step inside and glances around the room. Her eyes don't stop on anyone, which is why she soon continues over to the counter.
My eyes move over her long exposed legs and tight shirt, and I find myself grateful that Olivia doesn't like to wear the same type of clothes. The thought of humans turning their heads after Olivia as they do with Brooke leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
Once Brooke reaches the counter, she sits on the stool beside me. Underneath the counter, away from Olivia's eyes, she pulls out her phone and glances at it.
"What are you doing here?" Brooke asks with an impatient tone. A tone that doesn't seem anything like Olivia's childhood friend I remember.
"I work here." Olivia, however, doesn't seem to notice anything different about her friend. "Give me a second."
While Olivia takes two coffees to the older couple from before, I remain in my seat. From the corner of my eye, I watch Brooke as she types something into her phone. Then when she rests her forearms on the counter, I crane my neck to see who she's writing to.
While the person she's texting is saved under the name boyfriend and a heart, the text she writes tells me everything I need to know. Whoever her boyfriend is, she tells him to meet her outside the café and not inside.
The moment Brooke hits the send button Weston walks out of the bathroom. He stops a step away from the door and pulls out his phone. One brief glance is all he needs before he snaps his head up and surveils the rest of the café. When his eyes meet Brooke's, she shakes her head and then turns back toward the counter just as Olivia returns.
"How are you?" Olivia asks, oblivious to what just happened.
"I'm actually in a hurry, so can I get a vanilla Latte to go?" Brooke says.
While Olivia begins to prepare her order, Weston makes his way over to us. The moment he stops on Brooke's other side the girl tightens her hands around her phone. Whatever she expects to happen doesn't happen, though. Weston only asks to pay for his coffee and then leaves the café with only three quick glances at Brooke. Three glances I'm positive Olivia missed.
"Isn't it funny how all three of us ran into each other here?" Olivia lays the cup of coffee to go in front of Brooke.
"Yeah, funny," Brooke murmurs and then pulls out a few bills from her bag. "I'll see you around."
"Come by some other day when you'll have more time," Olivia calls after her, while Brooke runs out of the café. "What are you smiling about?"
I turn from Brooke's fleeing figure to Olivia and find her staring at me with narrowed eyes. But I'm more focused on her words than her glare. I reach to my mouth and discover that she's right. I'm smiling.
And no matter how strange of a sensation it is, I can't stop myself. Not after the good news I just discovered.
***
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Much love
- E