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‘Go, girl!’ She waggled her eyebrows at me. ‘So, was he as big as I thought?’ Her ebony eyes glinted with mischievousness.
‘Oh, shut up, Deb.’ I blushed and hit her with the red cushion. A splash of coffee flicked up on her pyjama top. She stared at the spillage for a moment, then ignored it like it never happened. Her face went blank again as she swallowed hard and stared at the ground before speaking.
‘Na-o-mi?’ Her voice wavered.
‘Yes?’
‘You’re my best friend, and I don’t want to lose you, okay?’
‘Of course. You’re mine too,’ I assured her.
‘Okay, good.’
She sucked in a sharp breath and turned to me as if she was about to say something, but she just looked at me. It was as if the words were stuck in her throat, so lodged in there I’d need tweezers to pull them out. Her face was pained as she swallowed down the words, and I felt a sick feeling slice through my gut.
Whatever happened was obviously bad enough for her to act really strangely for days and bad enough for her to fear losing me.What on earth was going on?
‘Is everything okay, Deb?’ I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder for comfort.
‘Yeah, all good.’ She nodded. ‘I’m going to have a smoke. I need to clear my head.’ She half-smiled and stood.
‘Okay. Just remember you can tell me anything.’
‘Yeah.’ She nodded again and slipped a cigarette from her bra, then pinched it between her lips, heading for the back door.
That sick feeling returned as she left the room, and I let out a long sigh. The deeper I thought, the more I was certain the new guy she was seeing was the cause of her strange behaviour. And what about this guy made her so silent? She, without a doubt,would always brag about every lucky man she’d been shagging and all the sexual activities they’d been up to. What had this guy done?
I checked the time on my phone and realised with a jolt if I didn’t get a move on, I’d be late for work. I’d been too worried about Deb to keep track.
***
As I walked into Mon Amour, Daniel blocked me from walking into the kitchen with his hands spread-eagled as his six-foot-something body towered over mine. There was no way I’d be able to get past him unless I ducked and crawled through. His muscles were tensed as his veiny hands gripped the doorframe. And I could have sworn he was either wearing a tighter shirt or it had shrunk because his nipples were a whole lot bigger.Weird.
His wide hazel eyes studied my face closely, with a look that made me instantly uncomfortable.
‘Naomi, we need to have achatafter your shift, okay?’ he said with a sharpness in his voice and his chin lifted high.
‘Uh. Is everything okay?’ I asked in my syrupiest way as my heart jumped into my throat.
What is he going to chat to me about? Oh my God. This is so unnerving. Deb was acting weird and now Daniel wants to ‘chat’.This was too much for one day. A bead of sweat trickled down my neck, and I swallowed hard, so hard Daniel eyed me with amusement as he tilted his head.
My first day back at work for the week was definitely getting off to a rocky start. There’s no way I’d be able to focus. I looked at his smarmy face and eyebrows and noticed his left one had a slit of hair missing. My thoughts raced as I waited for answers to put my panic-stricken mind at ease.
‘Talk later.’ His tone was blunt as he dropped his arms and folded them. He made a sharp turn and headed towards the coffee machine. An overpowering smell of plum and fig perfume mixed with a sharp reek of perspiration hit my nose.
‘Okay,’ I said quietly. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my gut was sinking by the second.
The rapid flow of pizza orders and desserts kept me running around the kitchen like I was competing in a marathon. My continually racing heart must’ve done wonders for my metabolism. But no matter how many orders came flying in, nothing could take my mind away from what Daniel was going to say to me.
***
After my shift, Daniel called me over with a hand for ‘that chat’, once everyone had left. My heart pounded some more as I walked to the table at the back of the restaurant where Deb and I usually sat for a latte. I took a seat next to him and swallowed as I observed his serious expression and stiffened shoulders. His usual slicked-back hair had a loose dangling strand that fell on his forehead.
‘Naomi, you aren’t as good as you think, you know,’ Daniel said, looking down at me, his chin lifted high as he tried to give off that superior vibe.
‘Huh?’ My head turned, perplexed.
‘I’m sick of your slackness in the kitchen. You need to work faster, woman.’
