Chapter 1
Serena’s POV
It was a Monday morning and it was currently 7.30am. Which meant that I had to get up if I didn’t want to be late for my job. I did my morning routine which was just a normal brush the teeth, shower and dress up procedure but it did take about a half hour to get this done.
I glanced at myself through the mirror. Not bad...
I made sure my apartment wasn’t messed up but according to my OCD, it answered my question.
(Serena’s tiny apartment from where she’s standing)
I turn around to see my cereal sitting on the tiny counter which sat in front of the tiny kitchen...
I quickly gulped everything down since, I had no time to waste. I had to run to my usual coffee stop to get my usual order and got to my work place or should I say, tattoo parlor.
You’re probably wondering... where are my parents? Why is your apartment tiny? Why do you work in a tattoo parlor out of all places to work in? How are you living like this? Answers will come soon...
My parents died in a car accident and I had to live on my own from there. Thank god, I had a little money for rent in this apartment ’cause I have no other choice. It’s kind of hard to get jobs here in U.K since, most of the jobs here are taken by more qualified people. I, on the other hand, love art so I decided to just do what I know and earn from there. I still can’t believe I work in one of the biggest tattoo parlors in the city. I started promoting my skills by posting on social media, I guess that’s where I was discovered. I had to do demonstrations and become trainee for almost a month, but now, I’m finally an official tattoo artists. Based on the salary, I couldn’t have been more satisfied. I do have a twin sister but she’s a model in L.A so we barely speak to each other but that’s not really an issue since I’m busy almost every day of the week.
I left the apartment building and walked to the coffee shop, Cup of Dreams, only to be greeted by my best friend, Claire. She waved at me from the counter. “Hey, Serena, I’ll be right there with your usual”
“Thanks” While she got my order, she spoke to me about her new job opportunity as a chef. I mean, I was happy for her since her abilities could be more useful than just being a waitress.
“That’s actually amazing to hear. When are you going to start”
“I didn’t really consider accepting, yet” She said, setting my caramel latte on the counter.
“Why not?”
“Serena, the hotel is Paradise Heavens, which is all the way in Italy. There’s no way I could afford to go there!”
“But there’s no hard in trying” I stated, paying her. “I’m sure you’ll get to”
“I hope you’re right. You wanna hang out at around 3pm, my shifts are over at that time”
“Yeah, sure. I’m not sure though, I got a text message from Jen saying that we got so many appointments, today” I said. “I’ll be sure to text you though if I’m done by 3"
“Okay, bye” She hugged me from the counter. I soon left and sipped my latte as I walked to the parlor.
I walked in and was greeted by Leni, at the entrance counter. “Morning, Serena”
“Morning, Len. I hard we got appointments already?”
“Yup, and there’s more to come”
I sighed. “Did Jess arrive, yet?” Jess was my co-worker and best friend.
“Yup, she’s in the studio”
“Oh, thanks”
I pushed open the door and walked in with cold air hitting me.
I saw Jess scrolling through her phone while sitting on her stool. She looked up and smiled
“Good Morning, Serena!”
“Morning” I said, drinking the last bit of my latte and throwing it in the bin. “How many?”
She chuckled at this. “I evenly divided the appointments so, we each get seven”
My eyes widened. “Did you just say ‘seven’? What the fish? Jess, it’s literally 8.30 and we already have twenty-one customers?”
She nodded. “Don’t be surprised”
“It’s hard not to... Anyways, Where’s Camille?” I eyed the empty seat at the third booth.
“She’s on her way, she just needs to drop her daughter off at daycare today”
“Oh, okay”
I put on my apron and tied my hair into a ponytail. I side-eyed Jess, who was laughing and staring at her phone. “What are you laughing about?”
“Oh, nothing” She said, blushing.
“Tell me” I sat on the stool, and smiled. “It’s about The Vibe, isn’t it?”
She blushed even more. “No...”
I laughed. “It’s so obvious, Jess. Why can’t you just admit that your a freakin’ fan girl, hm?”
“Okay, fine, but don’t talk about this to anyone, alright. You’re the only one I trust”
I clenched at my heart, jokingly. “I’m flattered”
She suddenly stood up from her stool and squealed. I looked around the room to make sure no one was there. Luckily, this room is soundproof! “Yes, yes, YES!!!!!!!”
“Would you mind telling why you’re acting like a monkey?”
She stopped and smiled. “The Vibe is coming to U.K for their live concert!”
“So?”
She stopped and glared. “So? So? SO?”
“Did you not hear me ask the first time?”
She scoffed. “This means, that I can go to the concert and make Justin finally notice me!”
This time, it was my turn to scoff. “You think Justin, the most famous singer in the U.K, would notice you and fall in love with you?”
She stared at me. “Why, am I not good for him?”
“No, no. It’s just, that, I heard he’s just a playboy and stuff like that. I just don’t think he’s good enough for you”
She softened. “But, how do you know about him?”
“My neighbor upstairs listens to The Vibe all the time. She’s, apparently, a fan girl of Justin as well so...”
Ring...Ring...Ring...(Opening bell rings)
Time to Open the shop...
Just then Camille arrives, panting. She sighs in relief while we both stare at her. “Finally we thought you weren’t gonna make it” Jess chuckles at her own comment.
“I didn’t even get my morning coffee!”
“The coffee machine is right there” I pointed at the machine. “But as you know, it doesn’t taste good”
As Camille sets her stuff up, Jen, the manager of the store walks into the room. “Good, you’ll are here. I know that today is gonna be a busy day but also today we have some special celebrity customers coming by at 2.30 so I expect you to treat them well like how you do for all the other customers, got it?”
The three of us nodded and with that she left. “Who do you think the celeb guests are?” Camille asked, scrolling through her phone. Me and Jess turn towards each other.
“I’ve no clue” I said, shaking my head.
