I shrug away the thoughts. It doesn’t matter. Matt isn’t my problem. And he’s not going to become a problem. Knowing that he may have been a manager at one of our other branches actually makes me feel better, because I’ve pretty much left him to fend for himself since Marco told me to show him the ropes. If he’s done the manager’s job, in theory, he knows more about the ropes than I do.
I still feel a little guilty, but I let it go. I’m not going to get mixed up with Matt just because Marco wants it to happen. Screw Marco. It’ll give him something to berate me over; something I’ve actually done rather than his personal grudge against me coming in to play.
The rest of my shift goes over without incident. My bad luck does seem to have come to an end and I’ve made a decent amount in tips. When my shift finishes, I feel kind of tired, it’s been a busy one, but I also feel pretty good. When Marco isn’t around, I enjoy my job, and I’ve barely seen him since he tried to palm Matt off onto me.
I go through to the break room and collect my things. I am just about to leave when Matt walks in. He smiles at me and I feel my heart flutter, but I tell myself to stop it. He’s changed out of his uniform, he’s wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt that shows off his tanned, muscular arms, and gives me a hint as to how amazing his abs are underneath that t-shirt.
His smile seems genuine, and I don’t want to be rude to him. There’s a difference between keeping your distance and being outright mean, and I don’t want to make anyone feel the way Marco makes me feel. “How was your first shift?” I ask.
“Good.” He smiles. “Nice and busy. And I got through it with my uniform still clean, so that’s a success right?”
“Right,” I reply, feeling myself relaxing slightly. “Staying clean and not dropping anything is pretty much the best you can expect on your first night.”
“I guess I did ok then.” He’s still smiling.
Better than me by all accounts, as I would have dropped a dish if Matt hadn’t have caught me. I realize I still haven’t thanked him for stopping me from face planting on the restaurant floor. “I never did thank you. For stopping me from going flying in the dining room earlier.”
“You still haven’t.” His grin turns playful, making his eyes twinkle and my pussy clench. “You just pointed it out.”
A laugh comes from my lips unbidden and I give him a playful shove, aware of the sparks that flood through my hand and up my arm as I touch him. “Thank you,” I say. “There, I said it.”
“And thank you for making my first night a success,” he says.
I feel my cheeks redden. I deserved that. “I—”
“I’m serious Callie,” he says, cutting me off. “You obviously know what you’re doing here. It’s sink or swim right? If you’d have had me shadow you, I’d be no further forward.”
He thinks my complete avoidance of him was some sort of training technique? I’m happy enough to go along with that. It’s a much better scenario than the one where I have to admit I’m avoiding him because I don’t think I can control myself around him. Not that I’d ever admit it. I decide to move our conversation back onto safer ground. I nod towards the doors. “Are you ready to leave?”
He nods and I pull the door open. I step through and keep it open for him.
He steps out and thanks me.
“Which way are you heading?” I ask.
He nods in the general direction I’m going in to catch my train.
“Me too,” I say.
We start to walk and I suddenly wonder if he thinks I’m just saying it, so we can spend a few extra minutes together. Surely, he won’t think that. Like I’m hiding the fact I’d follow him pretty much anywhere. Just in case, I decide to clarify things. “I’m catching the 10:35 train,” I say.
“Ah, me too,” Matt says.
I raise an eyebrow. Is he following me? I wish.
“Whereabouts do you live?” he asks.
“Just a couple of stops away. I’m studying at the university. I have a dorm room there,” I say. “What about you? You’re not a student. I would definitely have noticed you around campus.” I feel my cheeks heat up as I realize what I’ve said.
Matt gives me an amused smile. “I’m in Felton.”
Again with the arrogant kind of smile that reminds me why I’m meant to be staying away from him. “Nice,” I comment.
His expression changes for a moment, a look of regret crossing his face, like he shouldn’t have told me where he lives.
The look is gone before I can truly register it and I tell myself I’m being paranoid. There was no look.
I can easily picture someone like Matt living in Felton. Felton isn’t the sort of neighborhood girls like me live in. It’s an elite place, where the houses are situated seemingly miles apart from each other, each one planted in the middle of an extensive garden. What I can’t work out is what the fuck someone who lives on an estate like that is doing working as a waiter.
I refused to acknowledge the part of me that warms inside at his words, the part that is excited to know I’ll be spending the whole train journey in his company. We arrive at the station just as the train pulls in. “Perfect
