Her Unforeseen Destiny

A Strange Meeting

EMMELINE'S POV

I'm starting to feel really settled in now. My little flat is so me and no one can change that. It's a total blessing not having to deal with Alice on a daily basis, and the added freedom of not having to answer to her or anyone else is so refreshing. 

Checking my watch, I realise that I need to get a move on if I'm going to make it to my new job on time. It's only my third shift so I need to make sure that I'm not late! Since I no longer have a curfew AND I'm now 18, I found that a local restaurant had a vacancy open for a waiter. I applied on a bit of a whim since I'm only just 18 and don't really have experience with bar work or working in a restaurant. In all honesty, I'm still surprised they hired me but hey, now I have another job to help me get more money in. I'm thinking that I might just splurge on a weekend trip to London soon. I still haven't been to the capital and it's high time I actually get to see the sights!

Where is my damn key?! I huff to myself, turning everything on my kitchen table upside down in my rush to locate what on earth I've done with my house key. Looking up, I spot where it is. Exactly where it was supposed to be, right on the key hook. Moron.

Grabbing my bag, I quickly glance at my reflection in the mirror and smooth back some flyaway hairs that are escaping my high ponytail. I'm wearing a touch of makeup for the first time in forever. Girls in school used to tease me for not wearing any, but it was always just so expensive. Now I just don't really see the point - it just means I have to get out of bed 15 minutes earlier, and that's just a terrible deal. 

I open my front door, before closing and locking it behind me. I jump down the stairs two at a time, and speed walk my way to the restaurant so that I can avoid being late. 

"Hey Jessica," I smile at the girl who is currently on welcoming duty when I get to work. 

"Emmeline, hey!" She smiles back at me. So far, most people here are pretty pleasant, although one of the other waitresses can be a bit of a b***h. Jessica glances around, before adding in a hushed voice, "I'd give Jonathan a wide berth for now. He's in a mood."

She raises her eyebrows at me. Something tells me that Jonathan being in a bad mood isn't exactly uncommon, but I take note to avoid him if possible for the evening. Jonathan is our manager and the person who hired me. He seems to be one of those people who is permanently stressed or on edge about something and usually takes that stress out on the people around them. 

"Thanks for the warning," I grin, before heading towards the back to put my things away before my shift starts. I'm just tying my apron around my waist when Millicent walks in. She's the one I mentioned before, who's a tiny bit on the b***h side of things. 

"Oh, you're on shift today," she looks at me as if I'm something nasty that got stuck to her shoe. I've never really understood people like her, if I'm being honest. I haven't done anything to her that would make her dislike me, or at least as far as I'm aware. I think she just dislikes anyone who doesn't automatically treat her like the Queen Bee. 

"Evening, Millie," I respond cheerfully, more to irritate her than to actually be polite. Jessica told me that her full name is Millicent, and I think it suits her. I'm not sure why but it sounds like the name of an evil queen or something. 

"Whatever," she says, rolling her eyes at me and walking past, bumping into me as she does so. 

I ignore her remark and finish getting ready to start my shift. I don't have the mental energy to deal with her bullshit, even if I did care about her opinion. People like Millicent aren't worth getting upset over - I learnt that lesson pretty quickly back in school.

Smoothing down my hair and apron, I leave the employee's room and head through to the dining area. I quickly scan the room to see who else is on shift that night, and I only recognise one other person. It's definitely been a bit weird starting a new job. The only job I've had since I turned 16 was with Mr Isaacs, so having new colleagues and taking on a new role is a little daunting. You've got this, I give myself a little pep talk in my head. 

"Emma!" I spin around to see the manager, Jonathan, waiting by the bar. He called me Emmeline once in the interview and has got my name wrong ever since. Luckily, I'm not too bothered, although sometimes it takes me a moment to realise he means me. 

"Good evening, Jonathan," I smile politely as I walk over. "How can I help?"

"You're serving tables 10-20 with Millie," he informs me, and I groan inwardly. Just who I always wanted to work with. "We have a reservation for four arriving in fifteen minutes, and they're usually big spenders. Treat them impeccably."

With that, he walks away and leaves me standing by the bar. Jack, who is the only other person working tonight that I already know, chuckles as he finishes making a cocktail. 

"He's in a wonderful mood tonight, Em."

THIRTY MINUTES LATER

Our 7pm booking arrives, loud and boisterous, as well as slightly late. Jessica is still at the door, and she leads them to one of the booth tables at the side of the dining room. I start walking towards them to take their drinks order when Millicent barrels past me, knocking me to the side. 

"Move it, b***h," she hisses as she passes me. Clearly, Jonathan told her they were big spenders as well. That girl is always eyeing up the possible big tippers. I don't mind that much, since then I don't have to deal with a noisy group of guys. 

As I'm clearing away plates from a nearby table, I can feel as if someone is watching me. It's an odd feeling, as if I can literally feel someone's eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck has risen slightly and a small shiver goes through me. I turn around and realise that one of the guys in the booth is staring at me. I smile politely at him, but inside I'm grimacing as he was probably checking out my ass while I was leaning over to clear the plates. Perve.

I've just dropped off the plates in the kitchen and I'm walking back to the bar to collect some drinks for another table that I'm serving when I hear someone calling out. 

"Excuse me!" I turn around and realise that it's the guy who was staring at me. I sigh and walk over, praying that he's not going to be some creep and try and ask me for my number or anything weird. 

"Good evening," I start politely, "how can I help you this evening?"

He doesn't say anything for a while and I notice that all four of them are looking at me strangely. The silence is slightly awkward and I'm not too sure what to do with myself. 

"Can I get you any more drinks?" I offer, breaking the weird silence that is hanging around the table. 

"We're fine for now," the man responds, still staring at me. His eyes are dark brown, so dark that they look almost black. He's not unattractive, and his jawline is sharp. He looks like the type of guy who doesn't skip the gym. 

"So... how can I help you?" I offer again, feeling rather awkward. I'm not entirely sure why he called me over and I was feeling a little uncomfortable. I'm also pretty sure that Millicent is trying to kill me with a death glare as well. 

"You have a lovely scent," he comments, looking me up and down. It feels a little bit like he's trying to undress me with his eyes, and I bite my lip nervously. What an odd comment, I think to myself. Everything around us seems to have fallen quiet, although I'm pretty certain that it's just my imagination. Even though the background noise has quietened, I'm convinced that I can hear every slight sound close to me.

The rustle of the man's napkin as he wipes the edge of his lip and places it on the table. The clink of a glass as one of the other guys places his drink back on the table. All the tiny sounds seem to be so much louder than they should be. 

"You smell like... pine trees," the man continues, never once breaking eye contact with me. "And cinnamon."

Okay, I think to myself, maybe he's had a little too much to drink. 

I have to stop myself from sniffing at my own body to see if I could smell what he could. I wasn't wearing any perfume, only whatever scent that my shampoo and body wash had. I'm pretty sure neither smelled of pine or cinnamon. 

"Thank you?" I look at him oddly, and for some reason, he seems slightly confused. 

"Where are you from?" He speaks softly as if he's concerned about being overheard. 

"Here?" I say it as if it's a question. Clearing my throat, I repeat myself. "This is my hometown."

It's close enough. I wasn't exactly about to tell a random stranger at work that I was found abandoned in a tiny village about 15 miles down the road. 

He still looks as if he's confused by my answers and it seems like he's about to ask more questions when Millicent appears from behind me and interrupts. I don't think I've ever been so glad to see her face.

"I hope Emmeline wasn't bothering you boys." She's using her sickly sweet voice that she likes to use on male customers. 

"Not at all," the mystery man replies, not even taking his eyes off me to look at her. "We were having a lovely chat. Weren't we, Emmeline?"

The way he says my name makes it sound he's trying it out for size. I wonder if he doesn't think the name matches the girl in front of him. 

"Of course," I squeak nervously, not really knowing what to say. "I'll leave you to your dinner. I hope you have a lovely evening."

I turn and scurry away before he can say anything else, about my apparent scent or otherwise. I look back briefly to see that Millicent is flirting with the guys, as is her usual technique for getting better tips. The mystery man, however, is making no effort to listen to her or interact with her. Instead, he's still looking at me and it feels as if his eyes are boring a hole into me, right down to my soul.