"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness, has never danced in the rain."
The brown eyed girl laughed as she read this line, scrolling through her feed in the morning while munching down her cocoa pebbles. She had just gotten out of bed and taken a shower, ready to go for work. But this line had her in a fit of laughter, not because the quote was cute or inspirational, but because it was fake.
"Who could possibly love the rain?!" She said as she shook her head, her laughter dying down. She set the empty bowl of cereal to the side, not before drinking the chocolatey milk. Grabbing her bag, she left the apartment, muttering something that often went through her head.
"Who could possibly love Raine."
* * *
The coffeeshop was slow today and well anticipated. Cathy's Cakes & Coffee was at the prime location in New York City, surrounded by many huge industries and office buildings. On the weekdays, the cafe would be packed to the point where there would be a long line of rushing employees waiting to get a cup of the best coffee in the area. However, on the weekends, the cafe was as barren as a desert. The whole financial area of this city was this was, in fact. People stayed as far away as they could from the stress of work on the weekends. Instead, they choose to enjoy their time by going to the downtown or hanging out in the city.
Raine was cleaning up the tables around the cafe and mopping the floor which was sticky from yesterday's coffee spills. She dipped the mob in the soapy water and trailed it along the floor, making patterns while humming softly.
Raine had gotten a job at Cathy's Cakes & Coffee not too long ago. Though it wasn't her desired occupation to be a waitress at a local coffee shop, her options were limited and she was in need of money.
Today was a quiet and slow day. Mike, the man who ran the register was recounting and organizing the cash register. Mike was a blond haired man with bright green eyes, fresh out of community college. He had long wished to go to a university to pursue his career as a business major, however, while dreaming was free, completing those dreams was not. Universities cost a lot and Mike unfortunately didn't have the money he needed. Despite the obstacles, he was still keen on fulfilling his dreams. And to do this, he had two jobs: The cafe in the day time and a waiter at a fine dining restaurant in the evenings.
"Hey Mikey, how many times are you going to count the money?" Raine teased as she noticed this to be his third time shuffling through the cash register.
"Do you have anything better for me to do?" Mike responded with a bored expression plastered to his face.
"You know Daisy is inside making her special Spiced Pumpkin Cookies. She can always use an extra hand." Raine smiled at the way Mike's face brightened up at the mention of Daisy's name. She was the baker at the cafe and in charge of the kitchen. Apart from that, Daisy was also the daughter of Cathy, the owner of the Cathy's Cakes & Coffee.
Cathy had started the coffee shop ten years ago when the near by area was nothing but an empty construction sight. However, as the years passed, the area became incredibly industrialized and now was the home of many top companies worth billions. Unfortunately, Cathy's health was going down hill and she was forced to quit the cafe. Instead of selling it to the top bider, she handed it over to Daisy who was in love with baking. Daisy joined the cafe two months ago when Cathy finally stood down from her position and her addition had made the cafe even more popular with her baking skills.
Mike scratched the back of his head nervously. "Um.....I guess I can go help her. Hey, can you handle the register while I'm in the back? I doubt anyone will be coming here anyways. This side of this city is always dead on the weekends, especially Sundays." He asked with hope in his eyes. Daisy had caught his eye immediately when she walked into the cafe two months ago as their new boss.
"Don't worry. I got your back. I'll handle it." Raine replied with a genuine smile. She never got tired of helping people.
"Thanks Raine."Â Mike gave her a soft smile before disappearing behind the doors that led to the back of the cafe. Raine shook her head and continued to clean the tables and arrange the spoons, stir sticks and paper napkin which were on the counter besides the order line. She was humming to herself when a gust of wind blew into the cafe and the bell attached to the door chimed.
Knowing that a customer had arrived, Raine quickly finished placing the paper napkins into the dispenser and was walking back behind the counter, when her foot slipped on the freshly mopped floor and she came crashing down to the ground.
Raine's eyes shut tight as she braced herself for the impact of the tiled floor. However, the cold surface of the still wet floor didn't hit her body. Instead, she found herself being held up mid way, and felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her petite waist. Slowly, Raine opened her eyes, not knowing that the sight she saw, would take her breath away.
Her eyes opened to meet a pair of the prettiest blue eyes that she had ever seen. The eyes were as blue as a bright summer sky and deeper than the ocean. They stared back at her with curiosity, as if searching her for answers to his thousands of unsaid questions.
Her eyes focused on the owner of those mesmerizing eyes. Those captivating eyes belonged to an even more captivating man. She notices his dark brown hair that looked as soft as a feather, pulled behind with gel. His sharp jaw with a slight stubble made him look even more gorgeous. His electrifying blue eyes and the eyebrows that were scrunched together in confusion. The way his lips looked, pink, soft, and luring her in. He was tall and muscular, his arms holding her tightly. Saving, almost protecting her from falling. Her body was tingling in every part that the man made contact with.
Realizing the situation they were in, Raine immediately stood straighter and took a step back, away from the intimidating, yet mysterious man.
"I-I...I..." Unable to form words, Raine stuttered with a flushed face and tints of pink on her cheeks.
"Are you ok?" The blue eyed man asked with concern evident in his voice. He looked at Raine, searching her for injuries or signs of dicomfort. His eyes made their way back up to Raine's brown ones, waiting for her to speak but she was in a loss of words. His eyes had Raine getting lost in their depths. She noticed how well dressed the man was. The perfect black suit with a white shirt and blue tie. His attire made his eyes stand out even more, showcasing them as they shined on his face.
"Um....yeah, s-sorry about that......" The man held his eye to her's as she spoke softly and carefully. The man looked intimidating and the last thing Raine wanted to do was cause more trouble in her life. She had enough to worry about and an angry young man would definitely not help at all.
"No worries." For the first time a smile broke out on the mysterious man's face. The once confused eyes, shined with brightness and Raine felt the temperature in the cafe suddenly rise as heat flowed to her cheeks. The way his skin wrinkled near his eyes and the slight dimple on his cheek made Raine feel weird emotions, never felt before.
Realizing that he was nothing more than a customer, Raine rushed behind the counter leaving the man's side who had his eye glued on her the entire time. "U-uh....can I help you?"
Breaking out of some sort of trance, the man shook his head and came closer to the counter, still eyeing the small girl in front of him. He briefly looked up at the menu that hung from about the counter before once again meeting the beautiful brown eyes that had him lured. "Can I get a black coffee, no sugar?"
"A black, no sugar. Would that be all for you sir?"
"Yeah." The man said handing over a gold credit card from his leather wallet.
"That will be out in just a minute. Thank you." Raine said with a soft smile as she looked up from the cash register and back into those blue eyes that seemed to be an addiction of some sort.
The man nodded and slowly turned back and sat at a single chair that looked out to the street. Eyeing him for a second longer, Raine diverted her attention back to the appliances she was putting away after sending the order into the kitchen. The bell from the kitchen dinged as Daisy set a cup on the counter for Raine to deliver.
Setting her work aside, she took the cup and made her way back to the man who was facing his back to her. Silently, she came by his side and set the cup down in front of the man, who once again looked at Raine with curiosity. Raine gave him another soft smile, however, the man simply nodded and looked away, leaving Raine disheartened.
Not letting it get to her head, Raine walked back to what she was doing, not for once looking back at the blue eyed man. As Raine continued her work, the man looked out the window. But oblivious to Raine, the man was merely looking at the reflection in the window. The reflection of Raine.
A couple minutes passed and the peaceful silence between the two was disturbed when the back door opened and Mike came out. Seeing the lone customer sitting in the corner, Mike glanced back at Raine.
"Hey, sorry you had to handle that. Daisy was having trouble with the cookie dough."
"No worries. It's nothing I can't handle Mikey." Raine smiled brightly as Mike went behind the register and Raine took the mop and empty boxes, heading towards the back door. She was about to leave the room when she turned around once more to get the last glimpse of the blue eyed man. But when her eyes fell on him, she found him already staring at her intently. Quickly turning around, Raine disappeared to the back.
Keeping his eyes glued to the door a minute longer, the man turned, taking his empty coffee cup and tossing it in the trash before leaving the shop.
* * *
The shift was coming to an end. It had been a quiet day with four to five customers lurking in. However, Raine could not get one set of eyes out of her head. They had been playing with her mind all day and she couldn't focus on anything but the deep blue ocean that lived within those orbs.
"Earth to Raine!!" Daisy hollered as she attempted to get Raine's attention for the fifth time during the conversation.
Raine broke out of her trance and looked back at Daisy to find her standing with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. "I'm really sorry Daisy. What were you say?"
"Forget about what I am saying and tell me what the hell is going on with you? Ever since you came back into the kitchen you've been lost somewhere else!"
"Sorry, I-I'm just really caught up on a couple of things. My apartment owner gave me a notice to empty it out in a month and I don't know what to do. It was the only apartment that fit my budget and now I have to leave because the owner wants to remodel it and move back in. It already took me forever to find a good place to live in and now I have to leave it. And you know how hard it is to find a decent place around here? I don't know what to do." Raine put her hands on her head and sat on the empty table with a frown on her face.
"I would totally let you room with me but I live on campus so they won't allow it. I'm really so Raine." Daisy responded with a saddened expression on her face. She was still trying to finish her college education so that she could take the Cathy's Cakes & Coffee to the next level, hopefully opening up another branch in downtown.
"Hey, don't say sorry Daisy. It's not your fault anyways. I just don't know what to do. This job barely pays the bills to the cheapest apartment in the city. How am I supposed to afford anything more than what I'm paying right now?"
"Why don't you try getting another job?" Mike advised as he walked out from behind the counter and sat down at the table with Daisy and Raine, as they were the only people in the cafe.
"I've been looking for one for the past month. I applied to a couple of places but got no response back. I'm trying everything I can but since when has luck ever been on my side anyways?"
"I'm sure you will get another job soon Raine. And as far as the apartment is concerned, you can stay with me until you find another place that you can afford." Mike said as he placed a hand on Raine's shoulder and smiled at her.
"Thanks Mike. I-I just don't want to be a burden." Raine looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers.
"You could never be a burden Raine. You're like my little sister." Mike ruffled her hair and gave her a pat.
"Ok guys, enough of the emotional talks! Let's close this cafe up and head out! Wanna go to the club or something??" Daisy suggested excitedly as she rushed to grab her bags and the keys to the cafe.
"Sorry guys, I have a late night shift to attend" Mike said as he stood up, taking off the name tag and grabbing his uniform for the other restaurant he worked at.
"I'm not feeling it either Daisy. I think I just want to go home and sleep." Raine said as she reached to grab her purse from behind the counter.
"Seriously guys!? You're so boring! Well, if you don't want to come then it's fine! I'll go and have all the fun for you."
"Daisy, I don't think you should be out late at night. Especially since you're going alone." Mike protested.
"And who are you to tell me what to do? Dad? Brother? Husband? Or boyfriend? Hummm, let me think. Oh! None of the above! So I suggest you keep you friendly advice to yourself." Daisy said with a tight lipped, sarcastic smile.
"I think you should----"
"I think you're getting late for your shift. Bye Mikey." Daisy waves as she pushed him out the front door and turned back to Raine who was walking out herself.
Raine looked at Daisy and shook her head with a grin on her face.
"What?"
"Why do you alway push the poor guy away?" Raine said as she laughed seeing Mike pull his car out of the parking lot and leave. Let's just say he was horrible at reversing.
"Hey, I hate it when people tell me what to do! And plus, he treats me like a baby! I don't know what his problem is."
"Maybe it's because he cares." Raine said with a small smile that reached her eyes.
"Please, I mean who could possibly care about me in the first place? I'm a mess Raine and I don't want Mike to be a part of it. He won't understand and I have to focus on my mom right now, Mike doesn't need that in his life." Daisy said as she rolled her eyes and locked the door.
"You'd be surprised if you gave someone a chance."
"I can say the same to you" And with that Daisy left Raine as she stood there frozen.
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