Call Me Fire

CHAPTER II

THERE WERE ONLY TWO TYPES OF EMPLOYEES IN THE WORLD, those that still looked fresh and beautiful by the last hour of their shift, and those who turned to road-kills somewhere between nine to five. Deciding where she fell between the two was easy for Tonya. And when she said easy, she meant easy.

"Whoa!" Tonya's scream came echoing when she almost missed a step and struggled to keep the mugs above her tray. She ended up taking a few anxious steps before finally breathing out in relief. 'Gee... that was close--'

"Tony, watch out!" Then there was that voice from her back when her co-worker came crushing behind her, altogether tipping over the mugs Tonya was balancing and taking her down with her co-worker too 

"Awww..."

"So sorry, Tony. Are you alright?"

"Do I look like?" groaned Tonya while pushing herself up from the floor and untangling herself from Lizzie. She automatically frowned upon seeing the splat on the floor that caused both of them to tip-off. Then worriedly, she scanned the place and found all four mugs, which used to be filled with coffee, staring back at her and a dozen customers looking at them speechless, some controlling their laughs.

'This is embarrassing...'

"I'll take it from here." Lizzie tapped her back, recovering first. "Go fix yourself, Tony."

"You better, girl," she murmured between gritted teeth, then flashed a fake smile at everyone before standing up.

It only took her a few strides to cross the tiled floor of the coffee shop she was working for, passing by rows of small tables that were only good for two and some wooden chairs. A quick turn to the small door connected the customer's area to the kitchen, and she entered the staff's washroom.

'What a mess,' she sighed, checking herself in the mirror while washing her face. Her blue eyes were tired and droopy. Her hair was sticking out in every possible direction one could think of as some strands escaped from her bun. Even her lips were dry. Who said that adulthood was a fun stage to be in after all? Working eight hours a day wasn't fun. More so, paying bills.

"One hour more, Tony. Just one hour more..." she convinced her reflection, combing her hair back with her slender fingers. Yawning, she then grabbed some tissues from the holder and began scrubbing the coffee stain off her uniform. "One more effing hour--"

"Tony, we need you at the counter!"

"I'm coming!" she screamed back at Kristoff before rolling her eyes.

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JUST AS FAST as she tried to fix herself, Tonya shot back to the counter to help Kristoff with the orders dumped on the desk.  

"These people got no plan sleeping, huh?"

"Welcome to Klaire City, Tony. Where the sun doesn't set."

"I grew up here. It would be best if you had welcomed me twenty-four years ago," she snapped at the barista, a skinny guy wearing an apron with a screaming coffee bean logo on it.

She was frowning when she pushed some papers off the desk before her. She put the hot cup of coffee in her hand down and grabbed the microphone nearby. "Coffee for..." She glimpsed at the name Kristoff wrote on the cup sleeve. "Sha... Sha...Shao..."

 "I believe that's Saoirse." Kristoff nudged her with his elbow, murmuring. "Don't make it sound like you're about to call a Shaolin. We don't need one right now." 

She rolled her eyes at him, covering the microphone with her palm. "It's not her name. It's your handwriting, Kris." Then going back to work, she leaned forward to the microphone again, calling, "Sha...Sha...Saoirse." 

"Good one, Tony!"

'I need a new job.' her mind scoffed.

She wasn't ready for any surprises when her heart suddenly went haywire inside her chest. It beat so loud, and she could almost hear it mixed with the delicate sound of chimes when someone opened the shop's door. She swore she didn't feel it when the woman she just called took the paper cup from her hand.

The new customer brought a gush of hot wind rendering everything around in Tonya to slow down. The wind blew her hair and made some of her strands fall gently on her face. Although it looked so simple on the outside, it wasn't in her senses. She felt an invisible hand, tender and sizzling, passed over her stunned face before playfully messing her hair as if to say 'Hi.'

'What the h*ll?' Unsure if she felt the temperature rise correctly, her attention flew to the AC attached to the ceiling. It was turned on. She then scanned the whole shop, checking on the glass windows to see if they were closed. The sun was setting, and it couldn't cause something as hot as that wind. All customers were busy just doing their everyday things, drinking coffee, chatting, abusing their free wi-fi connection, doing business, including the girl named Saoirse. She could hear Kristoff on her back, too, turning on the coffee grinder.

'A-am I the only one who felt it?'

"Espresso, please."

"A-again, sir?" Her mouth dried when a toned chest welcomed her view just as soon as she turned her head. She saw beautiful muscles covered by a white shirt doing a poor job hiding what it should.

Still, with her lips parted, her gaze moved up, taking her time to enjoy all the details before her-- muscles, sexy collarbones peeking out of his shirt's neckline, and a manly neck with a sinful Adam's apple. She blinked when that part of him moved up and down sexily just in time the man before she swallowed. It urged her to licked her lips as if she was thirsty too. Then leisurely, her absent-minded stare reached his face. 

She froze upon recognizing who was before her.' It was him!'

"I said Espresso." 

"Oh." Her hand scrambled the pile of cup sleeves before her, confused about what she should be grabbing. Her veins were suddenly twisting inside her simply because the man was looking at her. She cussed when the marker clumsily slipped her trembling finger just in time she grabbed it. "B-big size or small, sir?"

 "Big." The man nodded, "Definitely big."

 That made Tonya squeeze her legs secretly behind the counter. There was that invisible warmth between her legs again, cupping her inside her undies. She let out a low whistle as to exhaust the heat building up in her groin. Unlike the first time she had it, she was more composed now, just biting her lips while writing on the order slip. "So, just to confirm, it is big?"

"Yes."

'Of course, it should be big. I would be damn unhappy if you got small ...' 

"What are you saying?"

"W-what?" Tonya blinked her eyes looking back at the guy. Then as if nothing happened, she shrugged her shoulders and went back to complete his order request." I didn't say anything, sir." 

'Stop pouting like that. It's making you look delicious --'

"Ma'am, I swear you're saying something."

She looked back at him again, meeting the confusion on his handsome face. His lips were pouting a bit, but then he didn't look irritated. Instead, he looked curious. Similar to those kids when she said that she couldn't find the dragon's name. With that in mind, she grabbed a coffee cup sleeve and asked, "So, okay... What's your name?"

"Fire."

'Just as hot as the owner, huh?' Her lips curved into a side-sloped smile. "I wouldn't want to shout that on the microphone, sir. We might cause the customers to run. Can you give me your real name instead?"

"It is Fire," he repeated in a lower voice. Then leveraging one of his hands on the counter, he bent down as if silently commanding her to stare back. She lifted her eyes from the coffee sleeve. However, it was too late for her to realize what was about to come next to that. Her heart immediately kicked her ribs when their eyes met.

'Sweet baby Jesus...'

" My name's Spitfire."

"W-What?" She gave him a quick once-over, from his dark hair, pointed nose, and a perfect set of teeth smiling at her curiously. "Your name's Spitfire?"

"Yes."

Shaking her head out of the short magic moment, she wrote his name on the coffee sleeve while smirking. 'You're illegally good-looking, but the person who named you doesn't love you. Yeah! I'm sure your momma doesn't love you--'

"What did you just say about my mother?"

"N-nothing." She confusedly furrowed her eyebrows and then pushed away from the counter. "Your coffee's for three bucks.

 "I heard you say something else."

"No, you didn't." She walked away with his order slip in her hand. However, halfway to the kitchen door and her feet just suddenly stopped. It was only then that realization ebbed on her like a tidal wave, making her turn to Fire's direction at once.

She saw him walking towards an empty chair near the window, towering all other mortals enjoying their afternoon coffee.

"Holy fuck...'" she cursed under her breathe while following him with her stare. Was it just her? Or was Fire reading her mind the whole time?