Chapter 8
1170 Words
Fatima
"Hahahahahaha even a preschooler will know their way home,” he never stops teasing me until when we reached the laundry shop. That laugh, the masculine laugh of this person is different from any laugh I heard. It seems ages before he can laugh like this again…
“So you're happy now? Should I leave? Here's the money.” I put the money in his hand and step forward to reach the door.
“No I'm not happy, I'm just making fun of you.” he mockingly says with a different facial expression. The mysterious one. “You can't leave me now.” I stop walking and look at him. “You can't” he repeats and slowly walks in my direction. I step backward and bump into the dryers. I look around and see no one. This jerk.
“I knew it you have a dark plan bringing me here at the old laundry shop with nothing to offer. I'm telling you! If you do something wrong to me, I'll see you in court” I spit.
“It has something to offer my dear.” I hear a masculine voice. I turn around and saw an old man wearing an old jumpsuit. “How can I help you?” he asks with a smile.
“Fix it” Eros throws the sleeve to the old man. I look at him, and he's now wearing his white sando. I look away.
“You're so rude!” I shout. “Hi, sir?”
“Jessie, my name is Jessie,” he introduce himself with a smile.
“Hi Jessie, I poured a coffee on that jerk's sleeve. Kindly help us to fix it. He has an interview later, so we need it done before 3 pm.”
“Sure, I know what to do dear." he assures me and turns around.
“Thanks!”
“Chief, you can start the coffee.” he says to Eros before leaving us.
“Chief?” I ask myself.
“Yes, you heard it right!” Eros proudly confirms while preparing our coffee.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Making coffee.” he says in a bored tone.
“Why you?”
“Because I work here”
“What?”
“I'm Jessie's master chef here."
“Master chef? Are you kidding? Jessie is your employer?”
“No, I'm just helping him to run this old junk laundry shop with café. As a payment, I don't have any problem with washing my clothes.”
“Helping? So you know how to help someone?” he looks at me and I can feel the change of his mood.
“Okay, let's rephrase it. I'm using Jessie, so I don't have any problem with my dirty clothes and in return, I'm making this crap” he says and throws the coffee to sink.
He's mad.
He's looking at me.
“You know what? I get it. There's nothing wrong with helping someone. And there's nothing wrong in admitting that you helped someone.” I saw his emotions changed.
“What are you doing to me?” he seriously asks.
I don't know what to say and I just stare at him. This is so awkward, what am I doing to him? Nothing. I'm just saying the truth. I know that there's something with Eros that is left untold. Maybe he's not a bad person at all.
“Ca... Can you make me some coffee?” I change the topic and turn around. I went to the table and sit down. Is he a tornado that I need to run away to? Or just a rain, full of sadness because he forgot that there's a rainbow.
“5 dollars,” he demands and puts the coffee in front of me.
“Tha… Thanks” I say and smile at him. He looked away. I take a sip on my coffee and it tastes good. “Wow, it's so delicious. What flavor is it?” I ask.
“Don't overreact. It's just a plain black coffee”
I look at my coffee and it's just plain black coffee. “I put some drugs on it so it will taste good.” I stop drinking and stare at him with a shocked face. “Just kidding! I put nothing but a coffee bean and sugar. In making a coffee, you need to check every ingredient first. The ingredients are the ones who made the coffee delicious.” he's so serious. He looks at me with a smile.
“Your sleeve is done. It looks brand new.” I turn in that voice's direction and saw Jessie holding the long sleeve of Eros.
“Thank you, Jessie. Here's the payment” I give him 20 dollars.
“Just give 5 dollars for the coffee." he says with a smile.
“But what about his sleeve?”
“We're even.” I just smile at him and give him 5 dollars.
“Thank you.....? What's your name, young lady? “ He asks and I saw him looked at Eros.
“Fatima... Fatima Fall”
“What a lovely name, it means captivating.”
“Her name is not that lovely” Eros interrupts.
“Don't worry Eros, your name is lovely too,” I say with a smirk.
“How do you know my name?” his mood changes.
“I heard it from... Aria” I don't want to mention Jacob's name with him.
“Oh” he says in a low voice. I hear Jessie's laugh, and then he threw a key to Eros. Eros was shocked, but he still managed to catch the keys.
“Come back here after your interview, you owe me one.” Jessie says with a smile.
“D*m* you, Jessie!” Eros shouts. Jessie laughs and left us. I look at Eros, and he's looking at me.
What does Jessie mean?
—————
We left Jessie's laundry shop and went to University.
“You still owe me a coffee,” Eros says.
“What?”
“Your debt?”
“No I don't, I help you fix your sleeve and I bought you a coffee.”
“Yes a coffee that you drank all by yourself without leaving a single drop.” he's right. I chuckle.
“What do you want?”
“Hmm. Buy me very expensive food at our next meeting.” What? Next meeting?
“Next meeting? I can buy you now”.
“Do you have enough money?” he says with a smirk. Of course, I don't.
“Wow. I only owe you 10 to 20 dollars.”
“Bye, Fall,” he declares and then he starts to walk. Fall? Did he call me Fall? “Oh, be ready for our next meeting :)” he adds with a smile. A real smile. And then he walks away.
“I'll never see you again." I whisper.
- Writer
