Chapter Seven.

Ava's POV

I can't get over what happened the other day. Even when I went about doing my daily routine which consisted of my facials and drinking my dose of caffeine, I still can't get him out of my head. And the outrageous thing he's asked me to do.

Thinking about it to and fro, no matter how much I have done this, I can't believe what I'm about to do. And it's literally because I have no choice. If I did, I wouldn't be doing this.

I have decided to go to the only coffee shop in town to ask for a job just because he asked me to. Threatened is more like it.

Just because he has threatened to do what he said he would do, in which I know he would actually do, I have decided to go against my own will. I don't want to put Archie in danger more than she's already exposed to it. I had already put her in more spotlight than she needed. So, I need to take responsibility for that. If not, she'll be in a very questionable position.

I pushed down the whole of the coffee and made my way out of the apartment after putting on my coat. The cold here at Evermore is freezing. More than I had anticipated.

As I stepped out, I realized that I didn't have a ride at all. Which was scary because I don't know how getting there is supposed to go. There was no taxi in sight. I sighed in defeat.

Someone brushed past me in a hurry and I quickly stopped the person to ask some questions.

“Hi. Please, I'm going to the coffee shop in the middle of the town, how do I get there?” I asked the person.

She looked me over with a blank expression.

“Are you new here?”

I nodded in reply.

She grunted and I raised my eye at her internally, not wanting to be rude.

“There's a bus stop in front over there. Walk with me.” She said simply and walked briskly in front of me and I quickly followed her.

Soon enough we got there and a big bus stopped in front of us. We got in with a couple other people. I could not pay with a card because it was different from the one I used in the states. There were a couple of glares from the people on the bus because I was wasting their time.

I was allowed to pay with cash eventually which I was happy for. I sat down and looked around the bus. The people inside seemed to mind their business and they looked like serious minded people going to their place of work.

Sighing, I plugged my ears and thought about the fate I was about to experience today. I don't like it if I can't plan my day. Which was how I felt right now. I don't know what will be happening in the next couple of hours and it's stressing me, because I'm fidgeting right now.

The coffee shop came into view and I sighed in relief a little bit. As soon as the bus stopped, I dashed out and breathed out. I could see the fog that came out of my mouth and I traced it with my eyes, until it disappeared. Maybe I can disappear just like that without any issues. Not suicidal thoughts exactly, but maybe I could just not be in the place where this new monster will have control over my life.

Without giving it much of a second thought that would make me go back home, I pushed open the door of the cafe and walked in alongside the shimmering of the bell. The familiar smell of coffee hit me and it felt like a dose of dopamine to my system.

“Hi, what can I get you?” Archie's voice floated to meet me as she was attending to a few customers at table ten. I rubbed my palms together in nervousness before facing her.

“Hi Archie.” I said with a fake ass smile plastered on my face.

Recognition dawned on her face.

“It's you! Hi there,” She said happily rather than the automatic tone she usually uses for everyone that walks in here. It sounded so mechanical.

Before I replied to her, she cut me.

“Yeah. Thanks for the other day. I really appreciate you. Even though my boss is angry that her usual customers won't be coming in again, I really appreciate you. You saved me from the harassment that normally go through.” She sounded pained as she said the words and I wondered what else she has suffered from their hands apart from being feeled up in public without anyone doing anything about it.

“It's fine. Not a big deal. I need your help though.” I bite out nervously.

“Anything. Tell me.” She said with all enthusiasm, clutching the pad she had with her to her chest.

Luckily for me, there was no one coming in now.

“I need a job right now. I don't know if you're hiring at the moment. If you have not noticed, I just came into town, and I really need a job badly.” I said, trying to sound desperate.

It's not as though I needed the money from this, but I need to do it.

She had a downcast look on her face and I knew it was finished. I should at least be excited about the fact that maybe they don't have space or something. I'll have an excuse to tell him.

But something told me that the excuse will not stop him from doing what he has in mind.

“I don't know. We are the only two that work here. The other guy has been skipping off these days, so Astrid, my boss, has been looking out to actually get another person. She might not just want you though. Because of what happened yesterday. She's been talking about it since it happened.” She said with a pitiful expression on her face.

“Do you think I can talk to her?” I asked her.

“Sure. She's back at the cubicle. And ju….” Before she could complete her statement a voice boomed through the whole place.

“Get your lazy ass to work, Archie.” The woman sounded like a man and looked equally scary. She had a stink look in her eyes.

I walked over to her and she raised her sharp right brow up as though to ask what I was trying to do. I didn't stop because I was fighting for my life over here.

After what seemed like forever dragging words with her and her being stupidly adamant, she finally agreed to hire me. According to her, the reason she accepted me is because she fired the other guy who's supposed to be working here because he was not serious. And there was no way she would be doing the chores around the place.

I only rolled my eyes in reply and appreciated her for hiring me. And immediately I got to work.

My eyes scanned the whole of the cafe and I didn't see Jaxon anywhere in sight which made me relieved. But then, I was scared a little bit about the fact that I don't know where he is at the moment. Who knows if he was playing around with me the other day and does not mean a word of what he'd said.

The day was going smoothly, and the work was fun. Probably because I've done it before or because Archie made it a whole lot of fun.

The door to the cafe opened and the whole atmosphere shifted. I didn't need to raise my head up from the order I was making before I knew what happened.

He's here.

I pushed the drink to the person on the counter and I sighed in capital letters before turning to Jaxon who was behind.

“What can I get you sir?” I hate how my voice caught in my throat.

“Hi Bambi.” He has that mischievous look in his eyes again.

I decided to ignore his attempt and looked at him blankly.

“You see darlin,” he said resting on the counter which made me look at him up close. He is so near to me now that I could catch on to his cologne.

The tattoos he had were obvious with the short t-shirt he had on. I don't even want to wonder why he was wearing something this flimsy in this cold. But all I could admire was the designs that his tattoos were.

A serpent wrapped with roses which had thorns on them was all over his left arm. They suited him so well, I wanted to touch it. I never thought of myself as someone into tattoos. It extended onto his knuckles also.

There was a cracked skull on the side of his neck with smoke around it that almost represented memories that he could not forget, then a mass that represented blood below the skull. The man was a mystery I could not unveil at all.

“I've told you already, don't fucking ignore me when I speak with you.” He said in a tight voice that made cold shivers break out on my body even when it was hot in here.

“I wasn't..”

I shut my mouth when he had this scary look in his eyes.

“Since we've agreed to that, my order is a double shot of strawberry mocha. With extra stuffings.”

My jaw dropped to the ground at what he said.

What did I just hear?

He has a sweet tooth??!!

Jaxon Cross?!

“Did I speak French?”

“Humm.. sure si..sir. I'll get your order ready.” I stammered out.

I turned to start up his order when his voice sifted to me.

“You did good, Bambi.” I swear I could almost feel his breath on my shoulders.

Fuck.