SIX YEARS LATER

MIRA'S POV

As usual, the restaurant where I work is a very busy place. I get to attend to lots of people that I lost count on each day. Since I finished high school last year, my parents had no money to further my education so I had to work so I can save for myself.

  I started working there in junior year and I am familiar with everyone in the place including customers. Some get to come every day, some once a week while some thrice a day, I wonder if they don't have pots and cookers in their houses.

   Sometimes in a week, I get what I would be expecting as my stipends from tips, still the same, I get my weekly pay. Those weeks are what I call problem weeks, funny enough, there is always a problem with consuming all of the little money I am trying to save.

   It's almost a minute to the end of my shift and I should be expecting Jeremy my elder brother any time soon. Since I complained of frequent attacks four months ago, he began to escort me to work and make sure he is available to pick me up whenever I close.

   It can be frustrating at times especially when my colleagues start referring to me as a child. My eighteenth birthday is in four days and no matter how I try to tell my brother and my colleagues that I would soon be a legal adult, they still refer me to the small-bodied barbie with honey Brown hair.

   It's not my fault that I look small with Brown twirly hair. At times they call me fairy because of the weird colors of my eyes. At times they would be red and somehow Silver blends in gold, each eye a different color.  But on a normal day like today, they are going to be blue, just my normal blue eyes.

  Let's not talk about the days I call abnormal days, let's talk about some customers that you wish to kill but can not kill. Some customers as literally the most annoying being on earth while some are like angels.

   While some can be annoying and still be like angels at the same time. The man seated at the far end of the room is a perfect example, and also the only of his kind. He makes sure he comes every two days and at the end of my shifts.

   He is literally the only person that makes me stay extra time and makes me not complain loud because he gives me the fattest tip. Earlier on, I said I get huge tips in some weeks, he is the one behind it.

  The Strange part of it is that I can't stop myself from attending to him, it's like I am attracted to him somehow. At times, my boss would ask me to go that he would have another person attend to him but I would refuse. If you ask I still don't know the reason tho.

   It's fine to say I like money because he gives me a lot of money but there is something different about him from other people. He is always covering his eyes, like, I have never seen his eyeballs before.

   His sleeves are always up to his wrists and I feel like he is hiding something. Once, I have walked up to him checking his watch and I caught glimpse of something like a familiar tattoo or birthmark.

  He also never takes anything aside from hot sugarless coffee, he would ask me to make fresh ones and I made sure to do just as he says. But today would be different, I am more than tired and Jeremy is waiting for me. He is seating as a customer enjoying the chips he has brought for me.

   "Mira, let someone else attend to him" Jeremy whispers as I walk past him.

   I can't believe I am going to ask my mysterious customer for his order when I already knew. It had always been the same thing, for three years that I have been working here it has been the same thing.

   "Black coffee," he said as usual "No sugar" he added.

   With my usual smile on my face, I walked away to get his orders. I still don't get why a handsome-looking man would prefer black coffee. Is he watching his weight?

    I know I return faster than usual but that's not my business. Things have to change and a little normal thing would not boreholes from my forehead to the back of my head as the man stare up at me.

   Good thing I can't see his eyes because I don't know what it would have been. Almost like I didn't notice his angry mood, I placed the cup of coffee on the table and turned to go but I could not.

    I felt his warm palm grab hold of my wrist and he gently pulled me back. It was like he doesn't want to get hurt and wanted me to see how angry he is at the same time.

    "This is not freshly made" he simply said.

   My brows connected as I stared at him in awe. Even if it wasn't made now it was made about a minute ago! Having worked for years and I know how to follow customers, I gave him the prettiest smile that I have and put my free palm in my apron's pocket.

   "It's a fresh coffee sir," I said in a low voice.

   His lips formed in a thin line as he stared up at me. With his free hand, he lifted the cup to his mouth then taste it. With the same sneer on his handsome face, he moved my hand closer and did what nobody expected.

  Even my brother that happens to be the only person watching me cringes at the stranger's actions. Since he had been picking me up, he already knew better than to interfere in anything concerning me and my customers so he stay put.

  Jeremy slowly rested on his chair until the man did the same thing again, he sniffed my hand!

   "Did you just sniff my hand?" I asked unsurely.

   "Yes!" He voiced gravely.

  I won't lie, I wasn't expecting any reply from him and his short one was more than scary. I just don't get how sniffing someone's wrist seems so normal that he even reply as if it was his right.

   I wiggled my wrist to remove my hand from his grip but he wouldn't let go. His grip was like iron tight and I could feel my flesh burning up. I looked down to see that his hand is literally on top of my weird tattoo and I panicked, no one has ever seen it aside for me.

   But the way his eyes looked down at it, it seems like he saw it and a faint smirk appeared on his face.

   "Sir you have to let go!" I said boldly.

   "Sure" the man replied as he removed his glasses and for the first time in my life, I am staring at his eyes "I will let you go for now," he said as he released my wrist.

    His eyes were strange, it had the same two colors mine usually have once in a while and I was startled. I moved back to collide with my brother's tall body and a reassuring smile appear on my face.

    I can't explain how scared I was when he was staring at my tattoo, much more when he left me. I had the empty feeling like something was supposed to be with me but I don't get it.

    "That's all for today" my manager interrupted out staring "You and as your protective brother should go home" he gently pushed us out "You have worked 15 minutes extra and I don't have extra money to pay you" he said.