Destined to Love

Emma

I stared at the guy standing two steps away from me, in his full six feet some inches glory. A black suit paired with a crisp white shirt and a black tie covered his broad body, along with those black oxfords. This man must love the color black because it said it all, from his hair to the black shades resting on his face, to his black suit, and his shoes. Other than his white shirt, Ivory skin, pink lips, and whatever the color his eyes were, which I believed were also black, the black color wrapped him up like it had been custom-made for him and him only and it was a shame how well it fitted him.

But again, how the hell did I end up in this unfortunate moment? How the hell did I end up in front of him, whom I was this close to punching? And why in the fucking hell was he smirking at me like that?

Eight hours ago…

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing nearby. The feeling of the cool summer breeze against my skin made me smile. Every muscle in my body relaxed as I sighed, basking in the loneliness that engulfed me. This was what it meant to be at peace. No piercing voices of people yelling, no bleeding sounds of cars honking, and not a single human being around me. I loved it here.

I was enjoying the beauty of nature and my little haven when suddenly an annoying sound started ringing in my ear. The sound of something beeping took over the musical sound of nature as it continued to get louder and louder until it became the only thing I could hear. I winced as everything went black and all I could hear was the beep, beep, beep, beep.

I groaned and covered my ears with my pillow, trying to lessen the annoying frequency of this sound by a few hertz, but to no avail. Again, why did I choose this shitty sound instead of the new hit pop song to wake me up? Ah! Right! Because it was annoying as hell, and hence a great tool to wake you up.

All I wanted at this time was to smash this alarm clock with a hammer, continue my beauty sleep, and return to my relaxing dream. I reached my hand to my side table in search of my alarm clock while my eyes were still closed. My hand touched the small wooden stand, and as I was going to snooze it, it stopped. Finally! I moaned and curled myself into a ball under my blanket. My dreams! Here I come...

Smiling, I drifted back into my precious sleep, but the very next moment, that annoying alarm went off again, bleeding my ears once again with its beeping. I swear! This beeping was so fucking annoying.

“Uhhhh... What the hell!” Cursing in my half-sleep, I turned over and peeked at my alarm clock with one eye shut.

“Shit!” My eyes bulged out of my sockets as I looked at the time. “It’s almost eight? You must be kidding me!” This is not good! I hurriedly wriggled out of my blanket, and as I was going to step on the floor to run towards my bathroom, my foot got stuck in my damn bed sheet, tripping me over. My messy hair fell in front of my face, and a wave of pain went through my body as it made contact with the cold tiles of the floor.

“Fuck!” I winced, rubbing my knee.

Today would be a bad day, I could feel it in my gut. In my twenty-three years of existence on this planet, my every once-a-month bad morning had always led me to a bad day. Like last month, I got into a fight with our customer, and then a month before that, I almost set my apartment on fire, and things like these went on. Sometimes I wondered if I was cursed when I was a baby. Because this definitely seemed the case.

I contemplated whether I should take a day off and rest, and maybe this way, I could avoid whatever bad the coming day held for me. But I already took my leave for the month, and I couldn’t afford more.

“You can do this, Emma.” I brushed off my thoughts and pulled my hair back into a bun. I stood up and looked at the clock, now showing fifteen minutes past eight. Where the hell did fifteen minutes just go? I swear, it was eight a second ago. Did my alarm break? Maybe it ran out of batteries or something.

I grabbed my phone to check the time, just to be sure. “Shit!” I cursed as it showed seventeen minutes past eight. What the heck! Can’t time run a bit slow? No! Not again. Please no! Not this time.

I rushed towards the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and took the quickest shower of my life, which I didn’t even want to take if not for me smelling like a sweaty boy’s shirt.

Always take a shower at night to avoid being late. I made a mental note. Or I could get up thirty minutes early. No, a shower at night was better.

I wore the first thing that I could find in my wardrobe and slipped my feet into my wedge-ankle boots. I grabbed my purse, my phone, and my keys and dashed towards the closest subway station, a walking distance of eight minutes, but if I was lucky enough, I could reach there in five or maybe four by running. Living in New York City wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t as bad either, especially for someone who had spent her entire life in New York.

I reached East Broadway and let out a sigh of relief when I saw the train still there. Maybe today wasn’t exactly a bad day. I walked through the crowd and entered the train. I placed my hand on my chest, trying to catch my lost breath, my lungs gasping for air due to running. Thank God, the earlier fall in my bedroom wasn’t serious, or I wouldn’t have been able to get here on time. I searched for a free seat. The morning trains are always the busiest and most crowded. As I said, living in New York wasn’t that bad unless you lived in Manhattan, which was the center of densely packed places, and crammed, breathless trains, but also the center of most of the well-known businesses. The main reason why I was here.

I plugged in my earphones to distract myself from all the blabbering voices. I grabbed the train handle to steady myself, my eyes wandering outside the gates. After ten minutes and some walking, I stood in front of my destination. The aroma of coffee filled the air, making my mouth water and my stomach grumble. Blame it on me for not eating anything since last night.

With my head hung low so that I could hide my face in my hair, I moved towards the kitchen with steady steps. I was technically trying to sneak in without being noticed by my employer, and if I was lucky enough-

“MISS EMMA JAMES!” An angry voice growled behind me as I stepped into the kitchen. I shut my eyes. Mission failed! I was dead.

Turning around slowly, I met the glaring hazel eyes of Samantha Johns, my employer. I smiled sheepishly. “I am so sorry-”

“Don’t.” She raised a hand, shutting me down completely. “You are late again. It’s the second time you’re late this week. That’s two in a row, Emma!” Mrs. Johns said furiously. Samantha Johns was a woman in her early sixties who was married to a loving husband and had two kids. Other than the slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and streaks of grey hair within her brown ones, one could mistake her for a woman who was still in her late thirties.

“Miss John. I really-”

“What? You again forgot to set your alarm? I am tired of your lame excuses,” she said, her voice holding a warning tone. Yeah. That’s the excuse I made last time. Emma! Think of another one. Hurry!

"Uh... No. I... I missed the train this time.” I lied and bit my tongue, hoping she would let this slide. “It will not happen again. I promise,” I pleaded, looking at her with sweet, innocent eyes. She might have those warm hazel eyes paired with the perfect warm smile, but when it comes to her business, she becomes one of the coldest bosses you’ve ever known.

“Keep your promise next time, young miss, or you will be in trouble. This is the last time I am letting you go. You know how much I hate tardiness. I would have fired you by now if not for your hard work in the last two months.” Her deep, threatening stare made me gulp, and I nodded.

I had always taken this job seriously and had worked my best during the past two months. Never once had I made a mistake, and although I did get in a fight with a customer the last month, it was partially my fault. Who asked him to be a dickhead and suggest getting a room with him? One of the types of men I hated was the one who had no respect for a woman, and luckily, he fell into the right category.

I started working here two months ago when I shifted from my parents’ house in Brooklyn to Manhattan after graduating from a local college in search of a job. I did apply to some companies and also gave some interviews, but I haven’t heard from anyone yet. While I was still on the job hunt, I started working here at Cafe Delights because a girl had to earn to pay her bills.

“You’d better be on time.” Mrs. Johns gave a final warning.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Now go change into your clothes. We have a lot of orders to take,” she ordered, and I nodded again.

I went to the changing room and changed into my dress, more like a uniform, I would say. It was a simple knee-length black dress with full sleeves and resembled a frock. The only thing that made it different was the white apron in front. I tied my hair in a ponytail and took my notepad and pen to take my first order for the day.

“A cup of espresso, please.” I entered the kitchen and handed the paper to Kate, one of the best baristas in our Cafe. Everyone loved her coffee, including me. Either she had years of experience in the field of coffee making, or she was born with some magic in her hands.

“I saw you were late again. That’s two in a row,” she said with a chuckle while brewing the coffee.

“Yeah, I did get a warning on that.” I placed two chocolate doughnuts and one vanilla on the plate. “This week is busier than usual, and with late nights and all, I overslept again,” I whispered the last part. I didn’t want Mrs. Johns to hear that.

“Moving is hard.” Kate sighed. She was right. Moving was hard, and it was not even me who was moving across countries. It was my roommate. Although I had spent only three months with her since I moved to an apartment in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, our friendship grew as thick as thieves. She was the first friend I made when I moved here and the first person I decided to trust again after a long time.

“It says one chocolate doughnut here.” Kate held the paper in her hand and eyed my plate. “I know. One is for me. I didn’t have breakfast.” I took a bite of my doughnut. “But don’t tell Mrs Johns. Hush.” I placed a finger on my lips. She chuckled and placed the cup of espresso on the tray beside the plate of doughnuts.

“At what time will you be bringing your stuff? Alice will be leaving at ten in the morning.” I took the last bite of my doughnut, wiped my hands off my apron, and picked up the tray in my hand. As Alice was moving to Britain for her master’s degree, the apartment was all to myself for now. Yesterday, Kate mentioned how her landlord has decided to renovate the building, and she needed a new place. It was perfect timing.

“After my shift is over. I believe around seven,” Kate replied while making the next order. I nodded. “That’ll be great.”

“Thank you, Em! Once again.” Kate thanked me for the tenth time since yesterday, and I shook my head. “No need for thanks, roomie!” I smiled.

To my surprise, the rest of the day flew by smoothly. I was expecting another riot with a customer or someone spilling their takeaway drink on me while rushing towards the door, but it was a normal day. I guess today wasn’t one of my unlucky days after all. I worked seven days a week here, from eight in the morning till four in the evening. No rest day, I know, but I insisted on working a full week until I can find a stable corporate job. The pay here was just enough to cover all my expenditures, including the rent and utility bills, but it wasn’t enough to save any. My father had always supported me, and I considered myself one of the luckiest people for that.

From my high school studies till my four years of bachelor’s degree, he supported me at every step, at every moment of my life, but I was twenty-three now, and it was time to finally leave and once again face the world. My parents lived in Brooklyn, and the very reason I decided to live in the Lower East Side of Manhattan was because it was close to them. I often visited them whenever I got the time to. I was planning to save some money before taking admission in a Master’s.

I changed into my clothes and took the cup of Cappuccino that I had requested Kate to make.

“Thanks.” I smiled, taking the cup. “See you tomorrow.”

I walked past the customers and towards the exit. I must have taken only five steps when I heard Kate call me from behind. I turned around to see her. She was standing in the doorway of the shop holding a phone in her hand. “You forgot your phone!”

My phone? When did I take it out? Right! Alice called me, and I must have left it in the kitchen. “Ah, yes. Thank-”

Before I could complete my sentence or take a step forward, something happened in a flash. I gasped as the hot content of my coffee came in contact with my hand, and I instantly let the cup go to prevent it from burning my hands. My cup of Cappuccino lay in front of me with half of its contents on the floor, some on my blouse, and the remnants of it gracing my brown wedge ankle boots. Fuck! They were expensive!

Anger crawled up my veins, and I turned around to face whatever something hit me from behind. Not something but someone. Because no way in hell a wall would decide to move and shove me in the face, it was someone. Someone who wore a black suit and stood there like nothing had happened.

“What the fuck!” I glared at the guy now standing two steps away from me. His one hand raked through his jet-black hair as he typed something on his phone with so much speed that I wondered how the hell the little keyboard was coping with him.

“Move.” He ordered without a single hint of regret in his voice, whilst his eyes were still glued to his phone.

What?