There hadn't been any more weird occurrences and Sophie found herself slowly relaxing and settling back into her routine. She still shared most of her shifts with Gina, but also got to know some of her other colleagues better. They sometimes went out for drinks in a bar and then moved on to a club, having another person decide the location each time.
Sophie had never particularly enjoyed going clubbing. Just the process of getting ready for a night out seemed tiresome to her. It would take her forever to apply her make-up in a decent manner and the dresses she actually enjoyed wearing were usually plain, comfortable, and not revealing. Yet, her co-workers have found a way to get her into their favourite clubs "looking like a prude", as they called it. She had somehow accidentally managed to get a social life – and she didn't hate going out as much as she had anticipated.
She was aware that the did not turn into a more sociable human being by coincidence, the dust that gathered on her computer and her notebooks proved that. But, heck, it was fun to let go from time to time and spend her time the people her age are apparently supposed to do.
Recently, Sophie had found herself adapting some of her peers' off-handedness, and things like excessive smiling and pleasant small talk became more natural to her. She had never imagined that changing her environment would actually have an impact on her personality. Not that she had thought that her character was set in stone, she had just considered herself… steadier?
Nonetheless, her gained confidence and relaxed attitude made her feel safer in the streets of the metropolis again. She had not given much thought to the men who came to her workplace a couple of months ago and more or less dismissed the incident as a silly nightmare.
It was precisely three months later that Sophie would find herself once again in a similar situation. She was doing the late shift alone and in a particularly good mood as she had had pleasant conversations with interesting customers and even took some notes for her blog during her break. Perhaps that was why the shift of the room's atmosphere hit her even harder than the last time. She felt the little hairs on her arms raise the minute the door was opened, a coldness creeping into the warm and inviting room. Within seconds, the door fell shut, but the air remained chilly and so did the goose bumps on her skin.
Awe-stricken, her eyes followed the suited figures that had entered the café and quickly realized that those were not the same men that had come the last time. Yet, they made her equally nervous - and her customers, too, apparently. Not two minutes after the men had arrived, all her customers had either come to her to pay or simply left their money on the table.
Sophie was alone with the men and forced herself to take a deep breath before making her way to their table and doing her job. In contrast to the last customers she had perceived as threatening, these one actually paid attention to her, increasing her uneasiness. She felt four pairs of eyes watching her every move and also roaming over her body. Uh-oh. "Well, what a pretty waitress we got here, boys! Could you get us four cappuccinos, sweetheart?" She hurried to the coffee machine and tried to catch parts of their conversation. The machine drowned most of the words out, but Sophie got the general idea that the man who had given her the order was most likely in charge of the group as he seemed to be intently telling these men something.
"Would you like to sit with us, darling?" the man inquired as she brought them their drinks. "Oh, that is too kind of you, sir, I really appreciate the offer, but unfortunately, I am not allowed to sit with customers during my shift."- "You're a virtuous one, eh? How about after your shift then?" the man grinned. "I am awfully sorry, sir, but I have a date with my boyfriend later tonight" she lied shamelessly. She saw his eyes narrowing and felt her stomach drop. Perhaps playing the 'I have a boyfriend'-card wasn't the best idea.
The man opened his mouth to speak and then paused with his lips parted like a fish, staring at a point behind Sophie. "How about you go and play with your boyfriend then?" a familiar voice suggested from behind her, making her jump. About 120 degrees behind her stood the bold man, nonchalantly eating one of the café's cookies. It was a bizarre image that did in no way diffuse any of the tension in the room. Sophie could hear the four men shift nervously on their chairs and stared at the hairless figure munching a cookie. Usually, people looked happy while eating their baked goods, and in a way, he did too. The way he was leaning at the counter seemed mockingly relaxed and the way he was starting at the men was more than unnerving.
There were several thoughts crossing Sophie's mind rather quickly. First of all, there is something thoroughly wrong with this guy. Secondly, her four customers which had scared her were actually terrified of him. Thirdly, if anything terrible had happened the last time the bald man was here, he had gotten out of it unharmed and was probably the one having caused it to happen. Fourthly, would anyone miss that cookie? Should she pay for it? And fifthly, she should get out of here.
The man's eyes had fixed themselves on her blank face and he waited patiently as she made her way out of the room. She walked slowly, as if not to startle anyone, and felt barely in control of her legs. Once she opened the door, the cold hit her hard in the face and washed away her dizziness. Her jacket was still inside. With deliberate steps, she walked away from the store and started running as soon as she was around the corner and no longer felt his eyes on her.