Beyond The Echoes Of You

Chapter 6

May sat in the living room, watching a movie, but her mind wasn't even focused on the movie because she couldn't stop thinking about Mike. Although she already told herself not to bother about him, and that there's also a huge chance that she might never get to see him again, but that's not even helping as she still find it difficult to get him out of her head.

"Focus, May. Focus!" She tapped her cheek, then she tried to focus on the movie she was watching.

She suddenly heard the door being opened and soon Anthony walked in. May immediately stood up to welcome him.

"Hey, you're back." She said with a smile. "How was work?"

"It was okay." Anthony replied, equally smiling. He's so stressed out from work, but seeing May was more than enough to make his stress go away. "I hope you weren't too bored being alone."

May shook her head. "Not really. In fact I..." She trailed off when she remembered that Anthony had warned her to stay away from Mike. Only God knows what he'll do if she dares to tell him that she had let the stranger into his home despite him warning her to be careful. She had thought of telling him what happened, but now she wouldn't dare to speak a word about that.

"You what?" Anthony questioned, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"I...I kept myself busy by doing other things, so I'm good.'' She smiled nervously.

"Good to hear that, I also have some good news."

"Really? But I think you should go freshen up first before telling me about it. I feel bad having you stand there when you've only just returned from work. I found some food stuffs in the fridge, and I was able to make something out of it, so I'll go set the table and we can talk when you return, okay?"

May kind gestures touched Anthony deeply. "You really shouldn't have bothered yourself, May. But I'm grateful that you thought of doing that."

"It's nothing, go get ready while I set up the table." May replied before rushing into the kitchen.

Anthony could only stare at her for a while before leaving as well.

A few moments later, they were now seated in the dining having a meal. The silence between them was a comfortable one, but then Anthony decides to speak and tell her about the good news because he's so damn sure that she would be happy about it.

"May." He called, his voice calm and soothing.

May hurriedly swallowed the food in her mouth before responding. "Yes?"

"About the good news, although I don't if you're going to like it, but it's about a job vacancy I saw."

May instantly adjusted herself in her seat when she heard the word 'job vacancy'

"A friend told me about a coffee shop that needs a waitress, so I decided to check it out, and I think the place is really nice, the pay is also good. I did talk to the manager about you and he says you can come in for the interview tomorrow, but it's okay if you don't want to do it, I'll just—"

"Are you kidding me!?" May exclaimed in excitement. "I would love to do it!" She said, bubbling with excitement.

"Really? You would love to work at the coffee shop?"

"Yes! Thank you so much, Anthony. This really is a good news for me, I just hope I'll get the job." She sighed deeply. "I didn't think I would get a job this soon, and it's all thanks to you." She said, her voice filled with so much gratitude.

"It's nothing, May, and I'm pretty sure you'll get the job, no one will be able to resist your charms." He winked at her, causing her to chuckle.

"Oh please, don't flatter me too much." May laughed briefly before putting on a serious expression. "I have an interview by tomorrow, and I'm not even prepared. I really don't have anything good to wear, what do I do, Anthony?" She asked, starting to panic.

"Er...you don't have to worry, May. I'll take you to get some new clothes before going for the interview."

"Really? What about your job? And I feel like I'm being a bother."

"You don't have to worry about me, I'll sort myself out, and you're not being a bother, okay?"

May heaved a deep breath. "I promise to pay you back."

"There's no need for that, May. You don't have to pay me back, so please don't say that because I feel hurt hearing those words."

"But—"

"No buts, you're not paying me back and that's it, okay?"

"Thank you so much, Anthony. I really don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for your kindness."

"You can pay me by preparing good meals like this one. You really are a good cook and should consider opening your own restaurant one day." Anthony complement, then he took another bite from his food and moaned in satisfaction. "This is really good."

May chuckled softly. "I'm glad you love it, and you don't have to worry because I'll keep preparing good dishes for you for as long as I'm here." She replied.

While they continued eating their meal, they had a small conversation about other things, and when they were done eating, they both did the dishes before retiring to bed for the night.

****

"It's time to wake up, Mike....''

"May!" Mike woke up, breathing heavily. He looked around his surroundings in confusion. He was at a bar, and it's pretty much obvious that he'd spent the night here, he couldn't help but wonder what he was even doing there, and then it all came rushing to him; memories of yesterday.

When he had left May's home yesterday, he head straight to the bar because he just couldn't stop thinking about his late girlfriend and needed something to help take his mind off things. He did have a lot to drink that yesterday, but sleeping at the bar wasn't a part of his plan.

"You're finally awake." The bartender said as he walked in.

Mike ran his hand through his hair, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm really sorry if I had caused you any problem yesterday." He apologized. "I don't really remember much."

"It's fine, you're lucky I'm not evil." The bartender laughed. "I did try to wake you up yesterday, but you wouldn't budge, so I had to leave you here. I'm sorry I couldn't take you to somewhere better."

"I should be the one apologizing. I hope I didn't cause you much trouble."

"Nah, asides the fact that you kept on rambling about things I don't really understand, you didn't do anything else, and trust me when I say I've seen worse."

Mike chuckled softly and pulled out his wallet, extracting a thick wad of cash. He handed the bartender a generous tip. "For your troubles." He said with a smile, getting up from his chair.

The bartender's eyes widened as he counted the crisp, new bills. His face lit up with a stunned grin when he realized the enormity of the tip – a staggering thousand dollars!

"Thank you, sir!" The bartender yelled out, his voice filled with gratitude, as Mike turned to leave. The bartender's face glowed with excitement, reminiscent of someone who had just won the jackpot.

Mike got outside and was about getting into his car when he noticed something; he's just saw May and the guy she's staying with walk into the boutique that's opposite the bar.

Mike hesitated, torn between ignoring them and following his instincts. Despite his efforts to resist, he found himself drawn to May. Before he knew it, he was heading towards the boutique, his heart racing with anticipation.