(Hi guys, again apologies for the late update! As I said unfortunately I'm back to work and won't have a lot to time to write but I'm working extra hard to write as much a night as I can physically push myself to do lol. I thought I'd try something new and change things up a bit by writing this chapter in first person from Emma's POV. Let me know how you feel about it, as I am thinking about adding more first person chapters to this story!

As always, thank you so much for coming back to my story and continuing to read. I hope you enjoy!xx)

Twenty one.

I turn to look at Blue, red with embarrassment. Why did she have to go and pick something like this?! Even if I glanced at it only for a few seconds, I already know what that this... piece of clothing is way to sexy and revealing!

Ruby is laughing out loud, and Blue is acting innocent.

"What? You might need it sooner than you think."

"Blue! How could you buy me such an embarrassing thing?! It barely has any fabric!"

"Well, it's not meant to be worn for very long, after all..."

"Blue!"

Oh my Goddess, is she enjoying getting me embarrassed, or what? I can't believe it! I'm still struggling with having Killian touch me, how could I be thinking about the... appropriate outfit for a physical relationship now?! I'm already stressed about tonight's date enough as it is!

While the two sisters are still laughing at me, I take a shy peek at the piece of clothing once again. It's a night blue ensemble, with a touch of embroidery, laces and ribbons. I do have to admit that it's actually really pretty, but I could never picture myself wearing it. I push the box aside, for now, trying to regain my composure.

Ruby holds in her laugh and gives me a big box.

"This ones from me."

I really hope her present is less embarrassing than her sisters... I open it, and to my surprise, it's a brand new pair of boxing gloves! I can't believe it! I turn to Ruby, who is already smiling.

"I knew you'd like them. Next time you need to throw some punches with me, too, okay?"

I nod, totally happy with it. I love my new gloves. I pull them on my hands and to no surprise they fit perfectly. After playing with them for a while, I place them back in the box and thank Ruby. Aside from the lingerie, Blue also found the time to buy my a really pretty winter dress for tonight's date. I wonder when she got it? I like it a lot, it looks really warm and comfortable, but beautiful at the same time. I'll definitely put it on tonight. Blue also booked me an appointment at some famous salon after work so I can have my hair and makeup done by a professional. She always complains that I don't let her put makeup on me, so I guess this is her way of cornering me into wearing some...

Graham's gift is a very expensive looking pair of gorgeous heals from a french brand, which I'm guessing is suppose to go with my new dress. I am a bit worried about wearing high heals, but they do make my legs look beautiful when I try them on.

Peter, on the other hand, offered me a selection of movies and CD albums of his own choosing. He was a bit surprised of my lack of knowledge in pop culture last time we talked about it, so I guess it gave him this idea. I really appreciate it though, as I do feel like I've missed a lot all these years. He even put sticky notes on some of them, stating which ones we should watch together, or his favourite songs and lyrics from the albums. I love that he actually took the time to write all these down!

Once all my presents are open, I turn to Ruby and Blue, thanking them once again.

"This is definitely the best birthday ever!" I say, ecstatic. Blue laughs and gives me a wink while pushing me into the kitchen.

"Save that for your date, baby girl! Now let's get to breakfast before you're late for your first day of work."

Ruby agreed with her sister, and I happily start preparing breakfast. I'm in the best mood today and even put one of Peters CD's on the music station to play while I'm cooking and dancing around in the kitchen. Ruby joyfully joins me in my dancing, trying to teach me a few steps of Latino dancing and makes me laugh, while her sister takes pictures of us on her phone. I really love having my Ruby in her human form. She wasn't a big talker, as expected, but I find that she does express herself with her gestures and smiles. I looked at her like a big sister, but a caring one. We get along incredibly well, though Blue does all the talking while we eat, and Ruby only focuses on the food.

Once we are done with breakfast, I go to get ready for my first day. I'm quite nervous actually, but I do want to make a good impression, so I pick an ivory shirt with black trousers. Robert always made me wear short skirts whenever I was working at the bar, and I hated it.

Blue helps me put on a bit of mascara and lip gloss, and styles my hair into a pretty bun. While she goes out of my bedroom to go get her own makeup done, Ruby swiftly enters as I'm anxiously examining myself in the mirror.

"Hey, pretty girl."

"It's not to much, is it? I don't want to make a bad impression..."

Ruby shakes her head and walks up to me.

"Don't worry, you look great! And it'll look perfect with this."

She takes out a small box from her jeans back pocket and gives it to me. What is this? There's only a small ribbon on it. Is it another gift? I look at her confused, but Ruby just smiles.

"It's another present, for your birthday. I didn't want to show it to my sister, since she can be a bit naggy about this kind of stuff... Open it."

I take it and open it to find a pair of earrings. They are so cute and pretty, too! They are blue and tear shaped, about the size of my pinky nail.

"It's blue topaz, your birth stone. I noticed your ears were pierced."

That's true, my dad had them pierced when I was young because I wanted to wear pretty earrings like mum... But I didn't get to wear any jewellery for years after they passed.

"Oh Moon Goddess, Ruby, I love them!"

I really do. They are delicate and not too garish, perfectly suitable to wear any time. I immediately put them in to show her. Ruby smiles wide and nods, visibly satisfied.

"Thank you, Ruby. I really do love them."

I hug her quickly as thanks before looking at them once more in the mirror. Funnily enough, they matched Killian's eye colour perfectly. An deep ocean blue with specs of lighter shades here and there. I don't know if that was Ruby's intentions, but either way they were stunning. I look in the mirror again, but as always, the red line running down my face is very hard to miss. Ruby seems to follow my trail of thought, and lifts my chin up gently, giving me a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about details, baby girl. Okay?"

I nod obediently. She's right. No matter what, my scar is there and won't go away, so I might as well just cope with it. It's my first day at this job, so I can't start with negative thoughts like this in mind. I need this change.

About an hour later, Blue drives us into the city. I'm nervous but quite excited at the same time. I keep playing with my phone between my hands, and Ruby is observing me with an amused smile, but says nothing. While Blue is looking for a parking spot, my phone suddenly vibrates. It's Killian! I blush before I even get to answer.

"Hi..."

"Happy birthday, Emma."

"Thanks. Are you at work?"

"I am. Trying to get it all done so I can have a date with my princess tonight."

I blush and chuckle a bit. Ruby taps her sisters shoulder and they both exit the car to give me some privacy.

"Please tell me you're not saying this in front of a lot of people again."

It's like I can hear him smiling.

"No, I'm not."

"Good. Because it's really embarrassing."

"Not for me."

Well, it should be! I know he is playing with me, but still fall for it and blush.

"How's your day so far?" He asks.

"It's... Really great! No one has celebrated my birthday in years, you know. But this morning, I woke up, and I had people wishing me a happy birthday, birthday cards and presents all over the place!"

I keep talking, and I realise how happy I am while doing so. Killian listens to me, and we discuss for a few minutes about things like my presents, Peter's music, and how happy I was to see Ruby in her human form. I love how we can have trivial conversations like these over the phone. I feel a bit closer to him that way. However, there is still this wall between us, something that is holding me back and making me shy.

"I've got a couple surprises for you tonight, too."

I smile and bite my lip. What plans did he make? We barely talked about our date since the last time. We only agreed we would both diligently go to work, as I didn't want to ditch my first day, and Killian would do his job as a busy CEO as usual. Only at night did we plan to reunite to celebrate my birthday together. I wanted to go as soon as I'd finished work, but Blue intervened, saying I needed to 'doll up' first, and would need a few hours for that. I didn't dare oppose to it. It's my first date, after all, so I should at least listen to her advise on this.

"I can't wait for it," I whisper. "But I still want to go to work."

"I know. Have a good first day, then."

"Aren't you going to wish my good luck or something?"

"What luck? I'll get rid of anyone who dares-"

"Killian!"

How can he say such things so easily? That is ridiculous! I'm just going to start a new job, why does it have to be a threatening situation for some people? And what could possibly happen? I'm just going to work...

"Okay. I'll call you later. Just let Graham know if there's anything you need. And stay with Ruby."

I know. Have a good day!"

We both hang up, and I sigh. My bodyguards presence was the only condition Killian refused to discuss. No matter what, if I wanted to work, Ruby had to be there. Even Graham agreed to it right away. I was the only reticent one. Who goes to work with a bodyguard? I'm not some royalty! But no matter how long I argued, no one agreed to let me go to work alone, be it the siblings or the Black brothers.

I exit the car, and Ruby is waiting for me. Blue isn't suppose to come with us, so she leaves with the car, leaving us to walk into the restaurant. I'm as nervous as one can be, so I try to focus on my breathing.

When we get there, Ruby opens the front door for me, and a gorgeous young woman comes to meet us right away.

"Hello! You must be Emma, right? I'm Aurora Rose, nice to meet you."

We shake hands, and she has this perfect smile on all the time. I feel a bit intimidated. Her brown hair is tied in a perfect chignon, and her velvet dress is impeccable as well. There is not a single thing out of place. I'm glad I took the time to dress up and am wearing my new earrings.

"Graham asked me to show you around, so you will be under my wing today!" She says with a smile.

"Thank you for that."

"Please, I'm doing my job. So, please, follow me."

Aurora gives me a tour of the restaurant. I love it. The decoration is delicate, but not too fancy. Glass, pale cherry wood, white velvet, some floral elements, and marble. It's big enough to hold about fifty people, and it does look as high class as I heard it is. I can't believe I have my shot of working here!

Aurora is the Maitre d'Hotel and quickly introduces me to the rest of the staff, including the people from the kitchen. Most of the staff are part of the Eclipse Moon or Black Moon clan, as expected, but they all act friendly and welcoming to me. All of them seem to know Ruby, though they all share the same surprise seeing her in her human form.

"I heard you have a bit of experience as a waitress?" Aurora asks.

"Yes, but just in a local pub."

"I see. Then you can grab one of the menus and start learning it. The other waiters will arrive in about an hour or so to get ready, you can join them then."

I did as told, though I found the menu quite easy to remember. Once the rest of the staff arrived, I joined the other waiters and helped with the dressing. Though they all acted very professional, I befriended the others quite quickly, especially two girls my age, Kathie and Elise. Apparently, aside from Aurora and the chef, no one really knew who I was and how I was related to the Black brothers. Some did question Ruby's imposing presence in the corner, but Aurora dismisses them, just saying she was here to observe.

Truthfully, I felt quite happy to be working and useful. As soon as they saw I was helping and learning the ropes quite quickly, everyone was willing to let me participate. Aurora did protest a few times that I was only suppose to observe for now, but as the day went on, I couldn't ignore it when someone needed help, so I stepped in where I could. As the lunch went on, I acted as a support to all the waiters, and Aurora had no choice but to let me do so, considering she was rather busy herself. Graham didn't lie when he said the restaurant was under staffed: I ran around all day to help one waiter then another, and even the chefs started asking my help for the service.

As expected, La Rose de l'Aube was busy, due to its reputation, but nothing I couldn't handle. I made sure to clear or set the tables quickly, assist anyone who seemed in need, and keep an eye on all the tables to make sure nothing was amiss. By the end of service, I was quite satisfied. Everything went well. However, Aurora called everyone in the restaurant, including the kitchen staff, and didn't seem happy about it.

"What was with today? I said Emma should observe! Why did you guys make her work?"

"I volunteered, Aurora. I couldn't just stand aside while some of the waiters were struggling."

Aurora answered with a smile, that was clearly only for me.

"They should have been able to handle it themselves, Emma."

I frown. What does she mean? They are clearly understaffed! Though it was all very professional, everyone was running around until the end of service thirty minutes ago! How is it their fault? No one made a mistake, they just had too much to handle!

"Oh, shut it, Aurora." Said the head chef, Robin. "The girl did just fine, and she was exactly where we needed her to be. It's been weeks since we had a service go so well since we lack waiting staff and everyone's overworked! Let them breath a little."

Robin is a strong man in his mid forties, and a force of nature, as expected of a head chef. He was a bit surprised to see me come at the pass a few times today, but let me take the dishes without saying a thing.

Behind him, Elise nods.

"That's right. I had to handle fifteen tables by myself, and if it wasn't for Emma, I'm not sure I could have made it. Every time I thought I had forgotten something or missed a detail, Emma had already taken care of it."

"And she helped everyone that way, the whole restaurant. I barely noticed her for the full service, but she was always there ready to handle things when I thought a problem might arise!" Adds Kathie.

I start blushing from their compliments, not knowing what to say. Aurora still looks pissed, but she rolls her eyes and puts her hands on her hips.

"All right, if all you guys are ganging up against me, I won't argue anymore. But I insist that no matter how efficient Emma might be, she is still in training. Emma, you will keep working as a busser for now. Let me know if you have any problems."

Yes! I guess that means my first day went well! Aurora sighs and joins the head chef to discuss the menus and other kitchen issues, while everyone else disperses to start the cleaning. Kathie and Elise run up to me, smiling.

"You were great, Emma!"

"I can't believe you memorised all the menus and table numbers so fast!" Says Kathie. "And you can endure the pressure like it's nothing, too!"

Well, try working for a hungry pack that won't hesitate to hit you if you're late... I just smile at them and nod.

"Thank you, guys, but you were the ones that helped me. I couldn't have learned the ropes so fast if it wasn't for your help."

They both laugh and disagree, and Kathie puts her hand in her apron, going to pass me a bit of money, after which Elise done the same. I look at them, confused.

"What is this?"

"Oh, come on, Emma. We want to share with you!"

"Bussers don't get any tips, but you helped us so much today, I will feel bad if you don't get your share. Here!"

They put the money in my hands before I get to say anything. I'm so shocked, I can't say a word for a few seconds. I can't believe they are sharing their tips with me! I start tearing up unwillingly, and Kathie frowns, while Elise puts a hand on my shoulder, worried.

"Are you okay? Emma, what's wrong?"

"I'm okay, I just... This is the first time I've earned money for myself!"