Can't Resist His Charm

The break-up

I awake the next day when my alarm went off. at 7 am. I can now sleep in, feeling safe. Bryan isn’t here but I know he’s out jogging, so I shower and head down for I know that his parents aren’t home. Even if they were, I never saw them in the mornings. His sister only steps out of her room fifteen minutes before the driver arrived and she has a light breakfast.

They’re weird, I just don’t get why Bryan doesn’t drop his sister off at school. It’s literally the same compound. I would give almost anything to be with my sisters but Bryan isn’t a bad brother just as his sister is a good one too. I like their relationship with each other but I just don’t get the reaching to school separately part.

I guess that is just how the rich lived. I grew up in a middle-class home so I would not know.

I have cereal while I wait for Bryan’s return. He walks in two minutes later, sweaty and dressed in his joggers. He clicks his teeth at me, just as he has been doing for the past few days and head up to his room.

The maid- no, the cook walks in then and flashes me a bright smile, “Good morning, Damian. Nice to see you as usual. Is Bryan down yet?” Bryan had corrected me about that. A maid is a maid and a cook is a cook. Back home we had a maid that helped with cooking and cleaning…oh well.

I shake my head no and she continues on, “Let me make you some coffee, yes?”

Yes, I nod with a grin. I was not one who liked coffee before but staying here, it was like a ritual. Plus, Miss- Gloria’s coffee was so good. The aroma was perfect. Yesterday, I had told her this and she had laughed heartily and proceeded to show me just how to percolate coffee. A lid raised here and a switched there, add some water and voila- coffee.

Of course, I did not get it, but she promised I will get it in time. She assumed that I was one of those ‘rich kids’ Bryan had informed me later for he was present when she was showing me. She was also under the idea that I came by every day to meet Bryan and then we head off to school together.

Once she even commented on my jacket. About how she loved it…and that it had that familiar look to it, “You know? Just comfortable.” Bryan had almost choked on his milk for it was his. Although he hadn’t used it yet, he had a similar colored one that he did use.

I liked Gloria. She had this warm feel to her. In fact, even Bryan was growing on me too.

At work later that night I am clearing tables when Natalie walks in and stares at me. I smile at her just to acknowledge I have seen her and I continue clearing the dishes away and into the rolling trolley. I had told her a specific time because that was my break period so she would have to wait ten more minutes for me.

She is a bit too clingy. She literally rang off my phone after I texted her that I did not mean to give her the wrong idea and we should be seeing other people. I mean, we had only been on two dates, well three if you counted Bryan’s birthday and I had no idea she thought we were dating until Bryan told me so.

What a mess. I had even tried avoiding her at school just so she would see that I wanted nothing more to do with her on an intimate level. Which is pretty sh*tty I guess but honestly, I have been on dates many times and none were clingy like Natalie. Zero of them thought we were dating.

After seeing a million missed calls from her I decided to be decent and call her. Maybe she was in an emergency- who knows.

She sounded so low when she said she wanted to talk that I told her to meet me here. That was an hour ago. I clear up the dishes and tell the chef that I am taking a break and walk out to meet Natalie. She is looking at me with a weird expression on her face, as I point to the outside and walk away.

“What’s up? You did not-”

“Why are you wearing that?” she cuts me off while she points at my apron.

“Oh, sorry. I work here. Usually, I’m in the kitchen but short-staffed you know?” I had forgotten to take if off. Untying the bow at the front, I unwrap the cloth from around my waist and remove the apparel, folding it and holding it in one of my hands.

“You work here?”

A small frown made its way to my forehead. She just saw me…ah, she wanted confirmation. I nod my head as I lean back on the wall, one sneaker-clad foot went back to press on the wall too.

“What do you want?” I ask her almost rudely and flare my nostrils a bit irritated now.

“You broke up with me-”

“No,” I denied and she looked up at me a bit hopeful nit her next words have me thinking the girl has some issues.

“You didn’t? See I knew someone was using your phone to mess with me-”

“We were never together Natalie, so how can I break up with you?” I say plainly. You'd think I should not have to be blunt... the girl looks as though she did not understand I was trying to be polite earlier. How could I not see this side of her when we went out? She had always been polite and so attractive when she smiled.

“What? You can’t be serious. Do you know how lucky you are to be dating me?” she hisses looking around her when a group of young adults walks past us.

“We’re not dating.”

Natalie shades her face with one of her hands when another couple walks by. I twist my head looking at her, squinting my eyes when I realize she is embarrassed to be seen with the help. She likes how I look not me personally…My stomach turns sour and I push off the wall. This is the part of society I dislike. But maybe this will work in my favor for now.

“This is my job. I clean up after people,” I say pushing my hands inside my empty trouser pockets. My mouth is a thin line now. This is what I had expected from Bryan, not Natalie. Her father is the- how Bryan surprised me with his non-judgmental ways. Total opposite of what I expected from both of them. Hmm.

I want to say yes, the help is breaking up with you but I didn’t. I’m disgusted with her at the moment and now I have to go and greet people with this on my mind.

“Stephanie saw you. Oh, this is so embarrassing. Why did I ever go out with you?” she shakes her head and walks away.

I shake my head. Stephanie? That was someone who went to our school, I had seen her earlier but I did not know her name. The pretty girl who made me smile when she left me a tip is what I remembered her as. Huh, turns out that she was just like Natalie.

I did not care much. I don’t intend to stay in this town for long anyway. I am an adult who did not need his uncle’s signature anymore for everything. I am free. I look at my phone and see my sister still had not replied to my message yet. I press the dial but she did not answer. Still, I am grateful that she did not block me. Disappointed but not fazed, I walk back inside through the back entrance to get my sandwich the chef had prepared for me earlier.

Oh well…