It was boring as hell at the sweet shop. Naomi found herself staring at the clock every few minutes, willing to move so she could go home. Though, home would maybe not be the calmest place right now. She found herself, while again staring wistfully at the clock, for her housemates to be gone when she got home in. . . 3 hours. Naomi sighed.
She worked at a small sweet shop, not too far from her apartment block, called 'Mellow Land'. It doubled up as a coffee shop on the other side, behind a door. The shop was pink and yellow, covered with rows of sweet delights behind plastic slide-away lids. Behind her desk were more sweets and on the desk a glitter covered pink till. By the yellow front door of the shop was a large window that had one edge covered by posters advertising Japanese sweets sold inside. Naomi despised the shop with every ounce of her soul, but without it she would have to move back in with her parents in England. So, she worked at the shop.
"Do you want some tea?" a sweet voice rang out around the empty shop. Naomi tore her gaze from the ticking clock and focused it on Valentine. Valentine was an attractive employee of 'Mellow Land: Coffee" who worked the same hours as Naomi. He often, on slow days, would slip through the door to talk to her. In his hand he clasped a hot container of tea. He knew how partial to tea she was.
"Thanks. I need this." Naomi took a long sip of the drink and pulled out her purse. "How much?" Valentine blushed and frantically waved his hands around.
"No, no, you don't have to pay!" Naomi scrunched up her face, confused. "I'll pay. If you are willing to maybe," he blushed harder and rubbed the back of his neck. A second later, the bell tingled, alerting Naomi to a customer. "Aw, shucks, will you go on a date with me?"
Naomi had only been asked out once before, the other two times; she had asked the boy out, and she didn't know how to respond. Do I like him? She thought. She had to answer soon because of the customer.
"Um, sure. Tell me when, yeah. In fact," she grabbed a pen off of his shirt and scribbled her number on his shaking arm. "Call me. Bye, Valentine." Valentine seemed to be shocked she even acknowledged the fact he asked her out, let alone that she agreed, albeit hastily. Then he grinned from ear to ear and waved, calling out a bye. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Naomi turned her head to see Leah, and Mello by the desk, both with surprised looks on their faces.
"What was that? How did you get a date with someone actually attractive?" Leah gasped, the first to recover from the surprise.
"Rude! And how the hell did you know I work here?" Naomi didn't want the noisy people who took over her apartment ruining the job she already hated for her too.
"We didn't know, I needed chocolate and here is closer than the convenience store." Mello explained, throwing about thirteen chocolate bars on the counter, next to the till. Of course he did. Sighing, Naomi put them in a yellow paper bag with 'Mellow Land' written in pink bubble writing on the middle and gave them back to him.
"That's $12.00, please." she said, practically snatching the money from his hand and shoving it in the register before he could change his mind about paying, with a fake smile on her lips.
"So, who was the hottie?" Mello glared at his girlfriend.
"His name is Valentine. He's part Italian." Naomi smiled, nearly dreamily.
"Matt's going to be so mad! It's like a love triangle or some shit!" squealed Leah. Naomi tilted her head. "He likes you, you know, Matt does. Naomi rolled her eyes and shooed them out of the shop before her boss came in and saw her chatting.
In the shop window, Naomi saw Leah making a triangle shape through the glass, mouthing off to her irritated boyfriend about love, and flipped her off. As soon as they were out of sight, Naomi smiled at the thought of having two men like her.