Page 25 of Breaking Vincent
MasterL –Good bye, brat.
I re-read through our short conversation, before putting my phone down. Seeing as today is my day off, I spend a couple of hours cleaning the already clean flat andby the time four o’clock rolls around I start to get ready for work. I’m on the closing shift again tonight, so I make sure to eat something before jumping in the shower.
Just as I’m getting dressed my phone buzzes on my bed, looking at the call ID, I see my boss's name.
“Hey, William what’s up?”
“David, hey. Are you on your way in yet?”
I pull the phone away from my ear and see it's half an hour before I’m due to leave. “Uh not yet, I’m just finishing getting ready. Why what’s up?”
“Nothing’s wrong, I was just calling to ask if you’d be interested in doing some party planning when you come in, instead of being on the club floor? I’ve got Jamie and Jude sitting in my office with a heap of planners.”
“Oh erm, yeah sure that’s fine. Will there be enough Dungeon Masters on the floor?” I ask.
“Yeah, Toms working the top floor and my partner Justin is working security on the doors,” he explains.
Ah that’s right, Williams' other partner Justin sometimes works security on our quieter nights.
“That’s fine. Want me to pick anything up on my way in?” I ask.
I hear muffled voices on the other side of the phone, “The boys said if you want to pop into the café across the road and grab some coffees and cakes for you all. Obviously, I’ll reimburse you for the cost.”
“No problem, text me what they want and I’ll be on my way.”
We say our goodbyes and hang up the phone.
I finish getting ready and shove my phone in my pocket.
By the time I get to the café I have a message for the guy’s coffee orders - two stupidly sugary coffees and a couple slices of cake. I order myself a black coffee and a blueberry muffin.
After paying, I step to the side and wait for my order. The person next to me tells the barista his order, my head snaps to the side. I know that voice.
He turns to face me, that stupid smirk on his face. His voice sounds exactly like I remember it, all deep and husky but somehow still cheery as fuck.
I turn my body further around, so I’m fully facing him. And in this moment, I feel the sameDéjà vu that I felt last night at the club.
“Well, well fancy seeing you here.”
“Are you stalking me or something? Why are you everywhere?” I demand to know.
He snorts and rolls his eyes. “Chill the fuck out man, I’m not stalking you. I come here every day for my coffee, considering I work around the corner it's convenient for me.”
The barista slides our drinks towards us. He, of course, has the same creamy syrupy coffee he had the first time we met. He eyes the three cups and squints to read my name. “Wow, David, that’s a lot of coffee for one man.”
He doesn’t even let me respond before he turns to walk away.“Have a shitty day!” he calls over his shoulder, with a wave.
By the time I get into work, the ice coffees have melted and my hot coffee has gone cold. I’m pissed off and slam the drinks a little too hard on the table.
“What are you so grumpy for?” Jamie asks.
I’m not usually one for gossiping, but I need to talk about it. “Some guy that I keep bumping into has made it his personal mission to piss me off.”
Jamie slams the binder he was flipping through shut, plonks his elbows on the desk and leans his chin against his palms. “Do tell,” he says while wiggling his eyebrows.
“I met him at the café down the road a couple of weeks ago. He was rude and made me spill my coffee everywhere. I’m pissed off because he’s gorgeous and a total dickhead. And this is the third time we’ve crossed paths and every single time he behaves like an idiot.”
My phone buzzes on the table, pulling me from my rant. I check the screen and see I have a new message.