Back in past

He opened the cafe door and entered, shivering with cold. Winter seemed to be fast approaching since the end of November, as the weather had cooled considerably. He folded his arms across his chest in an attempt to warm himself and looked around. She was the first to arrive again, and if she wasn't mistaken, it was the third time in the last week that all her colleagues were late, and that was going to cause trouble for everyone. The door slammed open, and her friend Kat hurried in and took a deep breath.

- How much is it? the frightened blonde asked.

- Six and two minutes.

He took off his winter jacket and headed for the locker room, letting his girlfriend open the cafe. The weekend had come sooner than she had hoped, and the winter break was getting closer and closer, which meant she had to work every day. He had heard from Sarah Miller, a coworker, that they would have to work even for Christmas, but until their boss told them the news, nothing was certain. He was sure that no one would enjoy spending Christmas in one of the most visited cafes in town. Mr. Moore was proud of the best coffee in the area, and as the cafe was placed next to a large advertising company, the mornings were full.5

The ringing of the bells strategically hung above the front door and Kat's voice made her put on her work uniform faster: a white shirt with the name of the cafe on it and the black pants she had come with. He pulled a sweater over his shirt and went out. Ben had just entered the cafe and was shaking his snowball, saying something only he understood.

- Did you take the children again? Kat asked amusedly, walking past the bar to make her usual coffee.

"Those aren't children," he growled. How are you, Rhea?

The young woman smiled. Ben used to be a good opponent of every elementary school child, and every winter he would get to work in the snow, and in the summer he would get wet from head to toe. The poor children had nothing personal with him, but he always looked for her.

"I'm waiting to find out next month's schedule," he said, answering the question a few moments later.

Her schedule was always the most messy because of high school, but also because of the extracurricular activities she attended monthly. He hoped Mr. Moore would take pity on her and allow him to work in the afternoon, not at night. She was afraid to walk the streets at midnight, and she had no one to follow her. Since her mother worked all day at the newsroom, she had to fend for herself. Her father was only present for the holidays, keeping the service away from home, but he enjoyed every time he surprised her, although it was quite rare.

The first customer showed up quite late, probably because of the weather. What normal person would leave the house when the cold froze even your bones? But whether or not they were customers, the staff had to be present.

- I am going.

Kat picked up her notebook and walked over to the table where the man was sitting. Rhea took his place behind the bar, resting his elbows on its surface. It seemed strange to him that their boss hadn't arrived either, though he shouldn't have. Mr. Moore was an old man, quite kind and communicative, despite the harshness he had shown in his early working days. He had even intended to resign until he got used to the idea that not all bosses are so lenient. In the end, it was his first contact with work. Her mother urged her to keep working, because she thought she had to start at the bottom to be successful, as she had been. Unfortunately, her only success had been an important job in a newsroom, which kept her busy most of the time.

YOU WILL LIKE IT TOO

Reyna Ross is a beautiful 21-year-old woman who has everything anyone else could want, a career, a lot of money, an assured future. Yes, all this is wonderful d ...

She, a mafia angel. He, the strongest man in the mafia who is put in charge of the & quot; girl & quot; best family friend. Ana-Maria Vladimir, the girl adores ...

The ghosts of LeKitts' pas

VOLUME I of "ALWAYS AND FOREVER" How long does it take for everything to turn upside down? For Phoebe Braun Heller it is very clear, fixed a sec ...

Each family has a Demon and an Angel who rule over happiness and peace. When a new member is born, both the Demon and the Angel compete for ...

Jessica Miller after celebrating graduation with her friends. The next day he wakes up next to a stranger. She will try to escape at all costs ...

Hours later, Mr. Moore showed up at the cafe, greeting a few customers he had met over time. Rhea greeted him politely and waited for the usual white sheet to stick on the door to their locker room.

"I guess we don't both fall on the shift anymore," Kat told him, suddenly appearing behind her.

They were classmates from the beginning of high school and good friends, despite the fact that they didn't even have a common course. At the same time, they were employed in India, both by family. Kat lived alone with her mother, and her parents had been divorced since she was a child. She had to work until her mother found a stable job for both of them, but also after that.

Rhea winced as her friend grabbed her arm and began pulling her toward the locker room. She bit her lips in stress and began to search for her name on the sheet. Rhea Miller - 18:00 - 00:00. Why are you afraid, that's why you can't escape. In the end, it was. For a whole month, he had the most horrible schedule with Ben, Sarah, and Kat. She was glad that Mr. Moore had taken pity on her and left her at least his girlfriend with her, but it didn't suit her that she had to work with Sarah. She was the oldest of all those who worked in India, but also the most arrogant and impatient person she knew. She couldn't stand it, despite being forced to do so.

"I guess I'm beating her," Kat whispered next to her, stopping her finger at the girl's name.

The brunette laughed briefly. She was the only one with whom she shared the same opinion, the rest being either indifferent or enchanted by the girl's physical appearance. It wasn't a rare beauty, but for a twenty-four-year-old waitress she looked really good. Too bad, from her point of view, her attitude was far too arrogant.

"It's going to be an interesting month."1

"I don't think so," said the brunette, and withdrew to take the rest of the orders.

He loved December because he loved Christmas, but he couldn't bear to walk the streets at night. Who knows what might have happened to him? Although she lived a few blocks from the cafe, everyone else lived in the opposite direction to her, and she had to walk alone. On top of that, she was paranoid and couldn't take a few steps without feeling her heart in her throat or turning her head. Anyone who saw her would just follow her to scare her. And it wouldn't have been nice at all. After all, she was scared in the dark when she wasn't in her bedroom looking out the window at the house next door.

It always brought back unpleasant memories in her mind, as if the three years had not passed at all. It was the first place she had fallen in love, but also the first place her suffering was associated with. He had been looking at her for a long time, remembering and hoping, but to no avail. It was just as dark and deserted.

- You fell asleep? Ben pushed her.

She was still leaning against the bar, staring out the window. He only had an hour to work, but no mood.

- I almost didn't have much left. Did you see the program?

The boy said and smiled happily. He didn't know if his happiness was caused by working with her and Kat or working with Sarah. In the end, like any other boy, Sarah was attracted to him, whether he had a chance or not. And most of the time, no one had a chance. Unfortunately for them, the scorpion had been friends for years, and despite her demeanor, she was very faithful. To her she remained an unbearable scorpion, no matter what qualities she possessed.

"Do I understand you're disappointed?"

- Why would I be? she replied.

He shrugged and fell silent. She was disappointed, but in the end she was only one month old and could not comment. He looked up at 11:05. Knowing that he would leave at any moment, his mood returned to him and he got up. Kat motioned to the woman who had just sat down at the corner table, and she picked up her notebook and walked over to her. There was another familiar face, probably an employee of the company next door. He greeted her and smiled politely, and the woman motioned for him to wait a moment.

- An espresso with milk.

He picked it up and turned, placing Ben's command to take the rest. Soon the cafe was filling up and the only vacancies were outside, where no one dared to go out. Throughout the busy atmosphere, someone hit her on the right arm, spilling the coffee cups from the tray onto her shirt. She gasped in surprise, trying to ignore the hot coffee that had reached her skin and held the tray straight. The boy apologized and went to one of the secluded tables, the table where the blonde woman he was about to serve sat.

- You are OK? Kat asked, coming over to her and taking the tray from her hand.

"I think I got a burn."

He touched the coffee stain on his shirt and hissed between his lips in pain. He would certainly choose a beautiful sign for an indefinite period. Kat looked up at the boy who had just hit her friend and frowned briefly. He seemed familiar, but he had no idea where he might get it. Brunet, tall and quite tanned, a sign that he was not from the area. Despite this, it seemed to her that she had once had the opportunity to meet him. He did not return to prove himself. Kat's insistent gaze on the boy caught the brunette's attention.

The surprise on her face showed that she was right. They both knew him, but only one of them realized who he was. Rhea ran to the locker room, slamming the door behind her. She recognized him without even seeing his face, it was impossible not to. She had been with him for a year, a year she would never forget. Kat came in after her, looking almost shocked. They thought he was dead, they had both believed this for three years.

- Are you ok?

The girl denies. What was it like to feel good when she knew he was there, but especially when he didn't even recognize her? What was he saying? She didn't want him to recognize her! It would have been a real disaster for her, and most of all, there was a chance he wouldn't remember anything, which is why he didn't even admit it.

- I'm shocked.3

She was just as shocked. He did not imagine that it was possible to see him again, nor did he want it to exist. What would her parents say if she saw him again? It was unimaginable for her! It was certain that the best idea was to forget that this had happened, but not before checking to see if he had moved to the same place as four years ago. What was he saying? Hadn't he forgotten everything in three years, what would it be like to do it now? Almost impossible.

- Our tour is over. I think we should go.

He nodded and took his jacket, scarf, and buttocks from the nail. They dressed in complete silence, then came out with the same affected expression. Rhea glanced at the boy again, as if making sure she had no vision. And she was sure that everything was more than real. He was there, and that would bring back sleepless nights and thoughts over and over again. Not that he ever got rid of it. Her mother always wanted to remind her of what had happened, hoping that this would prevent her daughter from taking the wrong step. She was not a problem child, she had never been, she had only been influenced at an inopportune moment. As lucky as she was, it was as if he was only bringing her bad luck.

"Do you think he has any reason to return?" It went unnoticed for three years, after all.

Rhea shrugged and reached into her pockets. She tried not to care that she had just seen him and not to be scared.

"Didn't you see him move back?"

- Kat, I haven't seen my head for homework plus work in the last few days. Even if he had demolished his house and rebuilt it, I probably wouldn't have noticed. It's been so long since I've considered him dead, Kat! Dead...

He spoke too loudly for the crowded area where he sat and caught people's eye.

- Calm down. After all, it wasn't that bad.

"My mother still thinks that could happen again." I was fifteen years old, not even those over. I was a child.4

Her friend said nothing more. After a few moments of silence, he said goodbye, and Rhea strode home. He even forgot about the shopping he had to do, remembering only when he arrived in front of the house. She went in and up the stairs, then hurried to her bedroom window. The house was just as deserted, deserted, and no one seemed to have lived there for years. Was it just an illusion? It certainly wasn't just that. Kat had seen the same person, and she was sure she could feel the vibrations in her voice as she apologized. Sounds so changed for her!

Caught in the naivete of her childhood, she had fallen in love exactly with the wrong person. She wasn't sure what love was at that age, but the encouragement she received from her friends had been enough to set her on the wrong path. She was handsome, she had no reputation, and on top of that, she was her neighbor. She didn't know anything about him anymore, but that hadn't stopped her from admiring him from a distance for a while. That was until his attention was drawn to her. It had been a happy time then, but it turned out that he would regret it in the future.2

He shuddered when he heard a car park. She looked up again and saw him get out of the car right in front of his former house. The blonde woman in the cafe followed him and they both headed for the entrance to the house. They were not relatives, he had no living relatives except his mother, who did not look like that woman at all. It would have seemed familiar to her since she took the order. Moments later, he left the house without company. Had he sold it?

- Rhea! his mother's voice came from the ground floor.

He turned and left the bedroom, opening his jacket at the same time. His mother was at the bottom of the stairs, untying and shaking off the snow. Like her daughter, she caught the scene of the exact person she didn't want to see, especially around Rheea.

"You came back earlier," said the brunette.

Her mother approves and heads to the kitchen, followed by her daughter. He knew that he would reopen that subject, a subject he would take care of for the rest of his life. Mistakes pay way too much.

- I don't want it to happen again, Rhea. I hope you understand. I'm your mother and I didn't raise a criminal.

- Mom, I know. I've had this discussion before. I told you it wouldn't happen again, you can trust me.

The woman looked at him suspiciously, but said nothing more. She trusted her, but she knew that boy could easily influence her. She had no idea what relationship she had with her daughter, but his return was not auspicious. Despite her daughter's beliefs, she had always known she was not dead. He had just disappeared and abandoned her after doing his job with her.

"I'm glad he sold the house." The farther away we are, the better.

- Maybe it's changed since then.8

Her mother's sour look silenced her. He wasn't a bad boy, and time had passed. As time goes on, things change so much that the memories seem like lifeless illusions. As if you hadn't experienced all those things, you weren't there, it was just in your mind. As for her past, she was sure of what had happened, and his coming had brought back to her old memories she had tried to forget.

"A person like him can't change, Rhea."

- Let's end the subject. We won't see him too often, anyway.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

The girl did not comment, but returned upstairs to take off her clothes. She was kind of negative, but in that situation she didn't want to put harm in front of her. She had to continue as she had done before, not thinking that he could remember her. Jax Howard was a thing of the past.

Once confidence is lost, it becomes almost impossible to regain it. That, of course, depends on the person. For the Millerites, regaining their trust in their daughter had been a constant concern for three years. On the one hand, they knew that Rhea would not repeat her mistake for anything in the world, she was just their daughter, but on the other hand ... not everything depended on her. They hoped that the boy would not return and that their daughter would not be negatively influenced by anyone, but sometimes their hopes were dashed. For some unsuspecting reason, he was back in Bristford.

- What are you thinking about?

Rhea looked up at her mother, then shrugged. She wasn't sure if she was thinking of something. She had had a white night and was more than tired. Who would have thought that he could remember so many things after so long? And when she was sure she really had a bad memory ...

"I'm making one last shift this month," she muttered at last.

Her mother frowned, but said nothing. She had to make time to get her daughter out of work if she didn't want that boy back in her life. How many problems he had managed to do in such a short time! She was controlled by a constant uneasiness every time she remembered. The first impression of him had been quite different from the present one. Who would have thought that this handsome and polite boy was a criminal in the true sense of the word? Whether they wanted to or not, their thoughts were only on the past. After all, the person who is so easily escaped the effects of his past mistakes has not yet been born.

- How's Kat? Mrs. Miller asked in an attempt to change the subject and the direction of her daughter's thoughts.

- It's good. She's looking forward to the holidays.

─ You have one more week, you can handle it.

The girl approves.

- How come you're not at work?

The woman shrugged. She didn't have a good reason, but she felt better when she knew Rhea was with her and not alone. He would have felt even better if he had known that the boy had not returned. Rhea was a child, no matter how old she was. He was still easy to influence, especially when that boy didn't care at all. No matter how hard he pulled her, she couldn't figure out the nature of her daughter's relationship with him.

"Don't you want me to stay with you?"

Rhea sighed.

"Mom, Jax won't be here for so long." He didn't even recognize me yesterday, he probably forgot what happened then. You worry in vain!4

She got up from the table and went to her bedroom. They had had the same subject for three years, and it was becoming more and more tiring for her to listen to lectures on how bad she could be hurt or how bad she had been. Yes, Jax had used her, then disappeared without a trace, making her think she was dead. It wasn't something she was too happy about, but she couldn't fear for the rest of her life that he might ask her the same thing over and over again.

Reyna Ross is a beautiful 21-year-old woman who has everything anyone else could want, a career, a lot of money, an assured future. Yes, all this is wonderful d ...

She, a mafia angel. He, the strongest man in the mafia who is put in charge of the & quot; girl & quot; best family friend. Ana-Maria Vladimir, the girl adores ...

VOLUME II of "ALWAYS AND FOREVER" How long does it take for everything to turn upside down? For Phoebe Braun Heller it is very clear, fixed a sec ...

Each family has a Demon and an Angel who rule over happiness and peace. When a new member is born, both the Demon and the Angel compete for ...

Jessica Miller after celebrating graduation with her friends. The next day he wakes up next to a stranger. She will try to escape at all costs ...

His room had curtains drawn last night so that his attention would not be drawn. After all, her universe didn't have to revolve around the past. Or around a boy, no matter how much she had suffered because of him, and especially because she had really trusted him. She didn't hate him for those things, he had made her feel happy about his attention until she realized what she really wanted. She was the one who had been wrong, because she accepted, she was not forced.7

At first glance, Jax had been the boy any girl would have wanted. Tall, brunette and with a very serene expression. She had never seen him sad, she hadn't even wanted one like that. The fact that he didn't pay any attention to her intrigued her more and more, though she was often discouraged. She was two years older than her, a difference she never valued. She didn't try to make him like her because she didn't know how, but she always looked at him from a distance and sighed in silence after him. She was in love. It had only taken her two weeks to make him love her without even looking at her or knowing of her existence. Meanwhile, her mother had befriended his mother and eventually met her. He looked prettier, more beautiful, and his eyes were so black! No matter how much attention he gave her, he didn't seem interested in her in any way. She was more withdrawn and colder than she thought she could be, but to her that meant nothing. She had a chance to talk to him when she asked her mother to go to Mrs. Howard's together. When he began to speak to her, he was in the ninth heaven. She ignored the people around her, thought only of him, and talked only to him. No matter how much Kat told her she wasn't okay, that he was going to make fun of her, she didn't want to listen to anyone. Everyone was lying to her, only he was telling the truth and only she mattered to her. Letting him mean so much to her was one of the biggest mistakes. He was a child at the time, naive and easy to manipulate. No one would have thought that the boy would become completely different in the absence of his mother. No one knew what the relationship between the two had become,3

He had been her first disappointment. First and foremost, she promised herself.1

- Rhea, the phone!

He jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs, then took the phone from his mother's hand.

- What's up, Ben? he replied to the boy.

It was not uncommon for him to call her, but each time he had a good reason, important or less.

"Tell me you're bored."

"I'm bored," she repeated.

- Perfect. In ten minutes I'm in front of your house.

She looked confused at the phone screen when he turned it off abruptly. He rolled his eyes and ran back to the room to put on something thicker. It was still morning, he had plenty of time until he left for work. And don't wait for that moment. Her turn was one of the most annoying and tiring, it was the moment when she had unmerciful clients of all possible ages. Since doubling the number of nightclubs in Bristford, customers her age didn't come in such large numbers, but she was happy. They were such a nuisance and had so many whims! Each time, at midnight, the cafe was empty. That was one of the reasons he hated working at that hour. The streets were not crowded, especially during the week, and she was far too easy to get scared.

- Rhea, move once! he heard Ben's voice on the ground floor.

He looked in the mirror for the last time, then started downstairs, going down three steps at a time. Kat was leaning against a wall, nibbling on a cereal bar, while Ben was kicking stressed. Her mother watched her cautiously, rolling her eyes. If she had considered herself paranoid until then, she should have given her mother the title of "exaggerated paranoia," for she was sure that she was beginning to have a fixed idea of ​​Jax and to be a little illogical in her thinking. If she thought about it, there was a chance that her friend would get infected because, since they left the house, she would keep pushing her and trying to turn her gaze back to the house next door. The people around her could not be called normal. At least they didn't go down without explaining themselves first.

He hadn't asked where they were going, but he began to regret when they came to India . As if it wasn't enough that she had to be hired, she was also a client! It wasn't as if she was part of her plans to give back money to Mr. Moore. Kat pushed her inside and made her way to a table as Ben went to greet his friend and co-worker. She would open the same subject as her mother, so she silenced her with a wave of her hand.

"Don't you dare talk about what I think you want to talk about." If that's why you got him out of the house, find out I have to finish a report for tomorrow and no, there's no one else to do it for me and yes, I'll probably take a three as big as me if I don't I do, he said with a sigh, then took a deep breath.

Yes, the subject of Jax still affected her, but she did not want those around her to continue talking about what had happened as if he had been a serial killer.3

"I wanted to ask you how to get Hareton noticed."

She ran her fingers through her hair in embarrassment, then smiled at her friend. Hareton was one of Kat's classmates in theater classes every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. She had developed a passion for him a year ago, but the only time she had the courage to talk to him was when they performed something together. He wasn't the kind of arrogant boy, he was really nice and communicative, but she was frightened by the idea that maybe he wouldn't like her or that he might make fun of him. She wasn't a love expert, but she was sure that wouldn't happen. Kat was talented. Kat was beautiful. Kat was almost perfect, only she talked too much. And she wasn't exactly discreet about certain subjects. And when he wanted to explain something, he shouted enough for all the people of Bristford to hear. And maybe all the polar bears in the Antarctic. But in addition to these insignificant flaws, her girlfriend was an excellent girlfriend. Not that she knew it from her own experience, but being such a good friend, she had no doubt that she would easily occupy Hareton's job as a girlfriend.

"Since you don't even talk to him, he may think you can't stand him," she said uncertainly.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then looked at her as if it were the light at the end of her dark tunnel. After a few moments of insistent stare, he resumed his gloomy expression.

"I can't talk to him," she said.

And it started again. He would stop and talk to all the animals on the street, but every time he was face to face with Hareton, he would adopt the dumb position. And to the deaf man, for the boy took pity on her and asked her if she was well, but she stared blankly as if she had visions of a possible end of the world.1

- And why not? The brunette dared to ask.

"She thinks I'm weird," he said to his friend.

"And where did you find out, please?"

He was very good at pulling people's tongues. Both literally and figuratively. When it came to Hareton, he also found out how many pairs of socks he had in the drawer next to his head - another detail he also knew from Kat.

"I asked Katherine," he said simply.

"You can't stand it because he stole your name."5

She shrugged indifferently. She had a strange being as her friend! He knew he couldn't stand Katherine, in fact, because he'd had a chance to talk to Hareton too many times, and he was paying attention. That's because she was his best friend's girlfriend, but it didn't matter to Kat. She was jealous. And when she was jealous of someone, there was no reason to put up with that person, no matter how nice she was. And Kathrine was really pretty!

- The point is, I don't know what to do. I like to die, she complained.

"Stop behaving like you've just gotten into his veins when he approaches you." It's not like talking to Brad Pitt in person.

Kat was sure she wasn't behaving so strangely around him. He was a boy after all, nothing more. That was until he was in front of her and became a kind of god. He didn't look like a god or anything, but since he'd heard him play the guitar, and especially since he'd saved his cat — how clichéd! - She was absolutely crazy about him. So crazy she could even act like a real drug addict. And alcohol. And maybe chalk dust can cause hallucinations anyway.

"Why doesn't anyone take our order?" she asked indignantly. Marco! You, yes, you!

The boy left Ben alone and approached them. He took the notebook from her hand and began to write an entire command, then handed it to her with a smile.

"And try to hurry, I'm starving!" I didn't get my share of sugar today and I think I'm going crazy.

Or he would go mad when he saw Sarah at the next table, looking at her amused, a sign that he had heard her little problem in love. This was more of a disaster for her than a possible rejection from Hareton. Being the reason for a scorpion's bad jokes was a matter of colossal gravity! Not that she cared so little about the girl's problems, since she was paying full attention to her boyfriend. Kat's cheeks flushed, a sign that she was about to suffocate. No one was holding her by the neck, but the scorpion just smiled friendly at her. Ben appeared at their table before the girl made a jump worthy of the Olympics and strangled the innocent girl at the other table.

"Looks like there was a scandal here this morning," Ben told the girls.

They both gave him curious looks, making him go on.

- Two guys got into a fight. Nobody knows why, but it looks like Smith was set up by someone.

Smith - that was his first name because no one knew his last name - was a guy about three years older than them. He made sure that he made weekly visits to his father at the ward and not of his own free will, however, they were not on good terms, but because he was involved in various scandals and was always picked up by the police, he was the one who started them all. He was repeatedly charged with bodily harm and even rape, but his father's job always got him out of trouble.

- Of whom? Kat asked curiously.3

"I asked Marco, but he doesn't know." It is certain that Smith is in the hospital at the moment.

Interesting things always happened in Bristford. The people who came and went left a lot of gossip for the people of the city. It was not impressively large, but it was not very small. The inhabitants were not recognized for their discretion, each immediately waiting for a new subject to fill the city with gossip for a while. If you did not find out the information from the source, it was a very good chance to understand something completely different, because the situations were more and more flourishing. The good news was that not everyone knew each other, otherwise it would have been a real disaster for a person as quiet as Rhea. She was glad that her parents did not keep such a tradition in the family. Or bad habit, she would have told him.

- Are you sure? the brunette asked incredulously.

"More than sure." All he knows about the guy is that he's brunette and has a tattoo on his neck.

The girls looked at each other curiously. No one knew a brunette with a tattoo on her neck. Except if Jax had decided to make a name for himself as a bad boy when he returned to Bristford. Rhea wasn't sure he wanted one like this, but she wanted to be completely invisible. After looking at his girlfriend, he realized that only she would think of him as a possible culprit. All he knew was that Jax had never been, but never, a bad boy. He was just indifferent and cold. He was just the kind of person who would sell your soul without caring. He had something to gain, you didn't. He didn't care.