Levy hated the smell of cigarettes. Whenever she would breathe in the chemical laced smoke her stomach would flop, her blue hair would stand up, and her throat felt as though it lurched up, prepared to empty the contents of her stomach.
That's why she liked where she worked, It was a small café that was kept in immaculant shape, by her of course. It smelled of pasteries, bread, and the sweet perfumes of her regular customers. There were even two metal "No Smoking" signs that although had been dented around the corners and slighty deformed by the elements, had not succumbed to any vulgur graffiti. Everyone followed the rule, in her two years of working at the small café not a single person ever exhaled the vile substance into the air.
Until he started coming.
She didn't know his name but everday she saw his face, his hard face, uncaring face. It filled with metal piercings that lead up the bridge of his prominent nose and replaced his eyebrows. His eyes were a hungry red and looked around like a hidden predator searching for its prey.
He was a tall man, around 6'2 give or take an inch and he was well built, as if everyday since birth he had religiously gone to the gym. He always wore a tight fit navy blue tshirt that showed off his burly chest and sweatpants accompanied by dirty white sneakers that were falling apart in almost every area which lead Levy to believe they were only still wearable by the means of Gorilla Glue or some other long-lasting adhesive.
His hair was jungle of black sitting on top of his head, going to his mid-back. It flung in every direction and gave off the impression of jagged edges and whenever he'd run his hand through it Levy whole heartedly believed it would come back at least two fingers short.
He would stand with his back facing the freshly cleaned glass windows, slowly take out the dreaded green Newport box, remove a cigarette, take out a neon green lighter, and smoke.
Right next to the "No Smoking" sign.
He would then dye it out right on top of the rusted green metal pole that held the sign and nonchalantly walk in and order a large cup of dark roast coffee, black.
Levy wanted to say something, she wanted to scream at him actually, scream that he was ruining the fresh aroma of her café mixing in his sent, the sent of a broken rule, the sent of a obviously ignored sign.
She was too scared though and she figured he knew it, she figured that the smell of her fear fueled him, gave him more energy than his disgusting coffee. She knew by the way he looked at her that she was nervous.
When he walked in to order he'd stare at her, his lion like gaze staring into her chocolate doe eyes. His eyes were knowing, he knew what he did, he knew it probably ticked her off and he was daring her to speak up, oh and she did.
"Large Dark Roast Black, that will be $2.06!" and then she hit him with the brutal
"Here's your change! Have a wonderful afternoon" oh yeah, she stuck in to him alright.
He would then raise the 5 piercings in his forhead where his eyebrows should have been and he would smile, his perfectly white shark like teeth glistening with pride and he would take his change and walk out nonchalantly, making sure to step one last time on the cigarette he had dyed out and with that small gesture she felt as though he was stomping on her very soul.
Today would be different though, today she would speak up, she would give him hell, she would crush him like the 32 cigarettes she had to clean up before closing so her boss wouldn't find out he hired a chicken.
It was the same day she decided to give the walking chimney a piece of her mind that she couldn't find peace at mind.
She messed up a total of 9 orders, simple ones at that, and couldn't help but pace back and forth, fumbling around with objects, moving cups a few inches one way, taking out straws from the metal bucket and placing them back in. She felt absolutely restless and she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that seemed to slowly be swallowing her whole.
Time whirled by and before Levy knew it the sky was beginning to darken and the lump in her throat tumbled downward and caused a huge kurplunk in her stomach.
He didn't come today…..she thought to herself as her eyes skimmed the empty room.
He comes every day…..Levy tried to shake off the feeling of dissapointment that swam around her heart. She should be happy, he wasn't here, she didn't have to deal with him smoking, and she wouldn't have to tell him off. She should be happy but…..she wasn't.
She gave a harsh sigh hoping if she exhaled hard enough she could get rid of the ache in her stomach and she started to clean up the café, usually she would lock up but she had left the keys in the employee lounge and didn't bother to fetch them.
After an hour brutal cleaning which included: Windexing round tables as well as the windows, cleaning the glass casing by the register, dusting the chairs and putting them up, and sweeping the floor she walked out to the back to throw out the garbage. The last thing on her list before locking up and heading home to her kind, loving mattress.
As she walked over to the large, buldging black garbage bag her delicate hands quickly cleneched at her small nostrils. Yes, the café usually smelled wonderful but the pastries that were thrown away over time did not. She sucked in air into her mouth, puffing her cheeks out like a chipmunk and grabbed the heavy bag, throwing it over her bag as if she was Santa Clause, except instead of a new bike or cell phone it was half eaten strawberry shortcakes and mold.
The exit door that lead to the back was a rusted over metal that squealed in protest when Levy opened it, unsettling her. She had taken out the garbage many times, in fact, almost everynight but tonight she felt as if eyes were watching her. Her mind quickly shifted to the red eyed man, she imagined his cold eyes watching her, teeth bared like an animal, ready to go in for the kill ready to….. snap she heard it from the distance and quickly bolted upright, shrieking. She threw the garbage into the bin which made loud bang and dashed inside, slamming the large metal door behind her with as much strength as she could muster.
As she looked around everything seemed fine, her eyes went over the oven in the corner, the pastel purple couch across from it, multiple bags of flour, a slightly stained white fridge, everything was normal, everything was okay. She blinked away the tears that formed in her eyes and grabbed her keys off of a small metal hook next to the door and went out to the cash register, ready to lock up. Trying to push the image of her wonderful mattress back into her mind instead of a vicious serial killer with a metal face.
Before Levy could make it past the cash register she noticed a sillouhoutte by the "No Smoking" sign and felt her heart creep up her chest and she couldn't tell if she was excited or afraid. She took a few seconds to look it over when something stood out to her.
Short hair.
For some reason this unsettled her, yes she feared the guy with the red eyes but this guy was unfamiliar. The man who plagued her everyday had more of a playful stature, the type that enjoys to peeve someone off but not actually harm. This guy, she had no idea about and suddenly she wished it had been red eyes watching her.
She took a deep breath and weighed her options before she reasoned that she shouldn't be afraid. He was just a guy smoking, he probably had no ill intentions, he just wanted to smoke. That's all, an she would kindly let him and be honored to pick up the remains.
As she began to calm herself down suddenly he turned towards the door and she felt her blue hair stand on end.
He looked up and she could see him perfectly, a boney hand gripping the handle of the door tightly. His eyes were a lifeless green and underneath were dark bags, as if he hadn't slept in days. His hair was a vibrant orange a contrast to his white skin that had a sickening grayish hue.
He didn't look well and his eyes had a crazy glint to them.
I didn't lock the door! Levy screamed to herself Oh my god I didn't lock it, I…..What if he kills me, oh no, oh no…..
He dropped his cigarette and with one quick kick it was flung aside, dead. Suddenly that word weighed heavily on Levy, dead.
He opened the door and the little bell above dinged which made Levy's eardrums pound, matching her heart. In that moment she hoped for a heart attack. She took a deep breath and managed to squeak out.
"We're closed, I'm sorry" but she knew he wasn't there for a muffin, although she prayed he'd nod his head and turn around.
"Your door ain't locked though sweetie, so you're not technically closed now are yah?" the man said in a raspy voice that sounded like it belonged to an older man that swallowed a worn down razor.
She swallowed hard fiddling with her black top nervously. "Well, if you'd like something then I'd be happy to get it."
She would do anything, give anything to get out of this situation. He gave a low laugh and shook his head slightly
"What I want is right in front of me darling."
Levy felt tears flow down her cheeks, she hadn't realized they had started, it didn't matter, she looked over him, he was too tall, she couldn't fight him, she couldn't do anything.
"Shhhhhhh" he began "Don't cry, trust me, I'm not a bad guy."
She was inside, she couldn't scream, no one would hear her, her phone was in the longue. He began to creep towards her with nonchalance, something she wished she could feel, and suddenly she felt like she took every situation that was not this one for granted.
Then the bell to the door screamed furiously and she heard a deep voice.
"No Smoking you son-of-a-bitch" and a loud crack and she watched the red head fell to the hardwoord floor.
"Levy stared in front of her and saw him. He was rubbing his large fist as angry red eyes glared down at the unconscious body. He looked up at her finally and dropped his hands and suddenly appeared awkward and unsure.
"You….uh…..you alright?" she felt her knees weakened as she collapsed onto them, hands covering her face as sobs rocked her body.
It was an hour later she found herself on the purple couch in the lounge with him. He had called the cops, they said since the orange haired man hadn't done anything and he technically didn't break in all they could do was send him home, something that angered Levy's savior that she learned went by the name of Gajeel Redfox and caused him to spit acid at all of the policemen present. Levy was able to calm him down and offered him a cup of coffee, on her, and now here they were.
"You alright?" he asked again, sipping his coffee, he seemed nervous, as if he had never been in a social situation before or maybe he just assumed she would break down again at any second, which maybe she would. She took a deep breath before answering, she hadn't yet gained complete control over her voice./p
"Y-yeah, I was just scared, I…I didn't know what to do….I thought it was just over for me but you came in and…..why were you here?"
He groaned an took another swig of coffee. He looked off into the distance as if wondering if he was willing to answer the question. Just when Levy was about to speak again he started.
"I go to the bar down the street a lot after work ya' know, unwind and shit. And I heard this fucker talkin' real loud to the bartender, drunk off his ass, he said 'that café girl is so cute, I think I'm gonna give her a little visit tomorrow night, I watch her every day and oh man'"
"So I'm sure anyone would have ignored his dumbass ramblings, probably wouldn't understand what he was talkin' about but I understood. I didn't come earlier I know I piss you off real good by smokin' and I didn't want today to be the day you grew balls and kicked me out, you following?"
Levy gave a weak nod, her mind swirling in her skull, he continued.
"So I layed in bed and I wasn't even gonna come tonight, I was thinkin' 'that drunken bastard won't do shit I shouldn't have skipped my coffee I was a real dick at work' but it bothered me because what if he did come tonight? So I pop outta bed and I say 'this better be worth my fuckin' time. And right before that shit had a chance to do anythin' I got here. Guess it's fate eh?"
Levy rubbed at her goosebump ridden arms anxiously and nodded
"Guess so but….I've never seen him before, I think…..I think I would have remembered eyes like…..like that" she shivered, remembering the crazy gaze the man held.
"Yeah, but I do, he's a real fuckin' creep, he's always on the street, eyeing done-up girls, he peers in the window of the café a lot, fucker takes good look at you, catches me glaring, scampers off"
Levy shook her head
"Yeah and he got off easy too, if only I locked that door, I guess it's a lesson learned."
"No shit, better lock it up every night cause' I'm not gonna be here to save yer ass all the time." Levy looked up at him and he was staring at her, smiling but not his usual, predator smile, a more playful one, a kinder one.
Levy smiled back and gave a slight chuckle when suddenly it hit her and she felt her cheeks grow warm with frustration.
"If you know that your smoking peeves me off so much then why do you do it every day!" she said throwing her small arms into the air
It was his turn to chuckle
"Maybe I was hopin' you might talk to me shorty, or maybe I just liked to see that scrunched up face you give me when ya see me right by that old sign."
Levy groaned and suddenly the man she feared became the most infuriating person on the planet.
She went home that night with a smile on her face though and the next day he returned but didn't smoke to her surprise and excitement.
His order did change though, one larger dark roast, black, and a blue haired girls phone number.