Okay, so!
Hi, new readers. Hi, old readers.
This is kind of a re-write? Not exactly. I just realized that some of the chapters are really short so I just combined them so it's a bit less… short. Yeah. Umm, you don't have to go re-read since nothing's really… changed… except some basic grammar errors.
Sorry if you got notifications and were hoping for more!
But, since I didn't want you to come on and leave with nothing, I posted a new chapter (which would've been chapter 15 had I not… redone… the chapters).
I will let you know once I'm done doing… maintenance!
Credits to my co-author (MANation) for the idea!
Thank you!
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It was Percy's first day on the job.
"Hello there, miss, what would you like to order?" The young woman looked up from her sketchpad. She looked like any other stereotypical Californian girl - blonde hair, tan skin, athletic figure, except for 1 thing - her eyes. They were gray, but not just any gray. It was a stormy gray, a calculating gray that somehow gave her an ethereal quality. No, this was not just any 'dumb blonde'.
She smiled at him and he felt a sudden warmth. "I'd like a cup of coffee and some waffles, please."
"A cup of coffee and some waffles, coming right up!" he whisked away her menu and returned to the kitchen. When he came back, she was holding a black colored pencil and seemed to be shading something in. Not that it was his business or anything.
"Here's your order, ma'am." he said politely, waiting for her smile again. She did not disappoint.
"Thank you."
He nodded and walked to a different customer.
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He looked up when he heard the tinkle of bells. She was leaving. On her way out the door, she paused and caught his eye. She smiled, one more time. And then she was gone.
He was only starting to clean up her table when a piece of carefully folded paper under her plate of waffles grabbed his attention. He unfolded it, being careful to not damage the damp paper.
It was a drawing of himself. Right down to the black hair and green eyes. She must have drawn it when he was getting her food. He folded it up again and was about to tuck it in his shirt pocket when he noticed that she had signed the bottom right corner. A cursive Annabeth Chase, with a flourish. He smiled slightly and put it away, continuing on to the next customer.
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"How was your first day, sweetie?" His mom was cooking her famous 7-layer dip lasagna in the kitchen. He smiled faintly.
"I'm not fired yet, so that's good." she kissed his forehead.
"I'm so proud of you, honey. Not getting fired as soon as you're hired!" she tousled his hair. "Now we can have a celebratory meal! I'm so glad you can help with the bills now. My baby is all grown up!"
He laughed. "Mo-om! I'm not a kid anymore!"
She smiled fondly at him. "You'll always be my baby."
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She was there the next day, too. And the day after that. And the day after...
He never got the chance to be her waiter again. But he wanted to meet her again, get to know her, get her to smile at him over an ice cream food fight. Er, not that he had ever had one, of course. Totally.
He became obsessed. Looked her up on the internet, followed her Facebook, stalked her Instagram, monitored her Twitter, you name it. No one knew, except for his mom. Because moms always knew.
He didn't know what caused him to do it. Heck, he doubted she even knew his name. But he knew hers. And that was all that mattered.
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"Look, Percy, you're a great waiter and all, but you're too easily distracted."
"But sir-"
"I'm sorry, Percy."
He had lasted a week. Okay, granted, that was the longest he had ever lasted, but still. He had liked his job. He had gotten to see her. Every. Single. Day. As a matter of fact, she was probably the reason he got fired. He was always sneaking glances at her when he should have been working. Not that was was stalker-ish in any way. Not at all.
Not at all.
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He got hired at a pizza place. He did like pizza. A lot. But still...
His first delivery was at Crescent Way 1573. A/N: if that's a real street, and you, as the reader are living on it, please excuse me if that is not an actual house number. If it is your house number, don't tell me that.
He knocked lightly on the door.
"Hello?"
Annabeth Chase.
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He mentally smacked himself on the forehead. What was he thinking? He really should have checked the name on the customer (er, client? Order-er?). Not that he didn't want to see her, but it had been so long and he'd never been good with talking to girls in general... especially pretty ones. And she was nothing if not pretty. Oh, and artistic. And probably...
Focus. Cool.
She cleared her throat, jerking him out of his thoughts. He could have sworn he saw the faintest spark of recognition in her eyes before they were swallowed up by the gray. He didn't believe in fortune-telling and hippie stuff, but it felt like she was staring into the depths of his soul.
Gray.
"Uh, hello, miss, are you, um, Annabeth Chase?"
Something along the lines of amusement danced in her eyes. Or maybe it was just his imagination. "Why, yes, I am. And may I ask what you are doing at my doorstep at this time?"
He felt a flush creeping up his neck. "This, uh, is the pizza you ordered from [insert name of pizza place, whatever suits you]." There was a heavy tension in the air. Or maybe he was just going crazy. He was trying really, really, really hard not to notice the fact she was wearing shorts - which, by the way, showed off her legs - or that she was wearing a tank top.
Who knew shoulders could seem so attractive?
Yep, definitely going crazy.
She reached out for the box, before pausing. "Actually, why don't you come on in? It looks cold." That was unexpected. He dimly remembered his mom saying something about not talking to strangers, let alone going into their homes!
But she wasn't a stranger. Not really.
"No, I have to get back home, 'cause, you know, curfew and all and my mom she would just uhh-" she placed her hand lightly on his arm.
"I insist. Besides, I have something I want to speak to you about. It's not about the pizza."
So he nodded, took a deep breath, and crossed the threshold.
