Awaysick - Scene of Chapter Five.

'Awaysick' is officially dedicated to Kiwi!
Why? Because she is fabulous, and I think, without her reviews, I would've abandoned this story a very long time ago.
So, if my silly rant about Cokey and Katia ever gets published (a girl can dream!), Kiwi! can expect to see her name on the inside of that cover.
:]

Ahem, anywho... This section, while once again totally random, is from Chapter Five, therefore it's before all the naughty stuff between Cokey and Thomas. Eep, I haven't even started on Katia's story, I should definitely do that!

This part is only short. I'm sorry, I only just wrote it... :]

Lololol.
Enjoy!

ket xx

PS. Aww, I LOVE Thomas! He's so adorable! Lol, I swear I don't act like my characters are real people :|

PSS. Shutup Ket! But also, The manager of Evers N' Afters is called Robert Evers, and Cokey says the word 'eccentro' because that's just what she says when somebody is acting strangely. Yay!




Chapter Five

         For the fourth time that minute, Cokey glanced apprehensively at the ornate clock that hung teasingly on the wall before her. Evers N’ Afters was virtually deserted, and she had seated herself upon the bar counter so as to be directly in front of the clock on the wall. She was excitedly awaiting 1 o’clock; the same time Steven had arrived at the restaurant for lunch yesterday. Cokey looked to the clock again, before crossing her arms and slouching, irritated.
Only 12:54, she thought to herself. At that moment, she heard the unmistakable thumping of somebody walking across the restaurant’s aged timber floors behind her. Despite herself, Cokey couldn’t help but feel a jolt of delight and she swivelled her body around on the counter, an irrepressible grin spread over her face. However, her buzzing pleasure dissolved immediately as she caught sight of only Thomas approaching her as he wiped his hands on his grubby apron.
‘You shouldn’t be sitting up there,’ he said as he reached her, motioning towards the bar counter and bearing a small yet noticeable smile, ‘Evers will be angry if he catches you.’
Cokey ignored him.
‘Are you sure he’ll be here at 1? 1 o’clock exactly?’
‘Who?’ Thomas was now adjusting liquor bottles in the bar cabinet, his back towards Cokey. She scoffed.
‘Steven! Who else?’
‘Oh yeah…’ He droned vacantly, apparently more interested in the alcohol he was arranging, ‘I’m sure.’
Cokey giggled and clapped her hands together. ‘Great!’
She then hopped giddily off of the counter, ready to actually begin some kind of work, when something hit her, and she spun around, grabbing hold of Thomas’ forearm.
‘You have to watch him for me!’ She squealed. ‘See what he does when I’m around, how he looks at me and stuff… And then you have to tell me later! In rigorous detail!’
Her expression was aglow, but Thomas was obviously still trying to busy himself with the liquor cabinet.
‘But Cokey, I’ll be in the kitch-‘ he started, but she cut him off with a pleading stare.
‘Please, Thomas. Pleeease.’ She was still clinging to his forearm, and he turned around to look at her. There was something anxious in his face, something unsettled.
‘Cokey, I’d rather-‘ But once again, Thomas’ objections were interrupted, for the tinkling ding of the opening restaurant doors sounded behind them. Cokey wheeled around, and in an instant spotted the browned complexion and sandy-blond mop of Steven. She gave a tiny squawk, before ducking behind the bar counter and thrusting her hand into her pocket, wrenching out her compact. Hastily she flipped it open and commenced pounding her nose with the puff. Eventually satisfied with her reflection, Cokey gave herself an encouraging wink in the tiny mirror. She then spun herself around on her knees, prepared to deliver Thomas his instructions on following Steven’s actions, but she halted, mouth agape: Thomas was gone, already making his way back to the kitchen. She watched the back of his legs turn the corner and thought angrily to herself, God, I ask him to do one thing for me, and he has to be a complete eccentro about it!
Momentarily disgruntled, Cokey shrugged her agitation off and remembered why exactly she was hiding behind the bar in the first place. She brushed her hands over her hair to discard any fly-aways, and stood upright.
She gasped as she saw Steven standing directly in front of her on the other side of the counter, apparently waiting for service. Cokey forced herself composed, and gifted him with a sultry smile.
‘Would you like a table?’ She said, and it were as though she was trying to make the idea of seating seem like the sexiest thing in the world. She leant over the counter slightly, and Steven looked her up and down.
‘Nice hair.’ He said loudly, and his face contorted into something that Cokey couldn’t differentiate between a smile and a smirk. She felt immediately uneasy. Did he really like her hair, or was he just laughing at her? She dismissed this thought as quickly as it had emerged. He was talking to her, wasn’t he? Even if it was just because she was the waitress, he was talking…
She gave a non-committal laugh.
‘Mm-hmm. So, just lunch for one today?’
As Steven nodded, Cokey retrieved the pen and notebook from her apron and weaved around the bar counter until she was in front of him. She scanned the dining area for any appropriate table: ideally, one isolated from the rest of the eating hall so she could snatch a fragment of privacy with him, yet still prospective to the kitchen so that Thomas could fulfil his appointed task and watch them. She spotted one in the far right corner, and proceeded to lead Steven to it. As she went, she couldn’t help the temptation to turn her head and look at him, with the premise of checking for oncoming customers. However, she saw neither Steven’s tanned face nor the Eatery’s doors at all. Thomas was standing in the entrance to the kitchen, and Cokey nearly smiled at him for evidently deciding to do what she had asked of him after all, but in truth, he wasn’t.  Thomas was looking at Cokey, not Steven, and his nose and eyes were screwed up as though he were looking into a bright light. He continued to watch her until she hurled him an exasperated look that screamed ‘Get on with it!’. And then he turned around without saying a word. Cokey didn’t look around at the kitchen again.
When she reached the table, she motioned for Steven to sit and directed him to the menu.
‘I know,’ he said, that same smirky smile playing across his lips. ‘I eat here every day.’
‘Oh, yeah,’ Cokey replied, suddenly flushing crimson. ‘Okay. What would you like?’
‘I’ll have what I usually have.’
Cokey was feeling nervous, embarrassed. He ate the same thing all the time?
‘Oh, well… What do you usually have?’
She didn’t want to tell Steven she hadn’t worked there very long, though it was obvious he knew. She half expected him to get angry, to be annoyed at her lack of knowledge of his ‘usual’, but instead, he merely continued to spare her only the half-smile, half-smile that Cokey could not interpret. And she thought that that was much worse.
He was still giving her his slight snigger, not speaking, almost daring her to guess what he wanted to eat, and she opened her mouth, bewildered…
‘Here you go. Luckily, your waitress here already ordered your lunch for you.’ Thomas had materialised out of Cokey’s embarrassment, a large plate of chilli and cheese flavoured chips in his hand. He placed them in front of Steven, who smiled grimly and thanked him. Entirely grateful, Cokey tried to look at Thomas, to mouth a sincere ‘thank you’, but Thomas only met her gaze for a millisecond, his face blank, before turning and heading back to his cooking duties. Cokey watched him leave, frozen, until Steven’s low husk of a voice brought her around again.
‘So… You did know what I like to eat?’ A mass of chips in his hand and his eyes upon her, he didn’t understand. He didn’t understand that Thomas, not she, had been the one to know his customary dish. Cokey didn’t correct him. Her lips curled alluringly once more, and she traced her fingers across the cream coloured tablecloth. Steven smiled, and she knew he wasn’t laughing at her.


Woot.
I Luvva you all, Ket.