Riley Lynn (P.O.V.)
My phone went off for the tenth time in twenty minutes.
Annoyed, I pulled it out of my pocket to see the name Vincent Luciano flashing on the screen. Was he some kind of crazy stalker? I do not think I have ever met anyone who would call someone every two minutes because they did not answer right away.
Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of me answering it, I decided to just turn off my phone. Just so it would not continue to be as distracting.
"Vincent again?" Tamia called from the back room.
"He knows that I would be at work now. Like, does not he remember that I am at work right now?" I wondered out loud.
Vincent had asked for my schedule, so I had sent him my schedule at Dream Bean cafe for the week. So, if he got it, then why was he trying to call me during the middle of my shift? He should know that I could not just answer my phone at work. Well, I actually could, but I would never tell him that.
"Aren't you kind of excited about everything though?" Tamia said as she returned with an armful of coffee bean bags.
"I mean he is so handsome."
"I must admit, he is cute, but his personality needs some work," I responded, thinking back to the comment about my breasts.
Did he not have any common courtesy? Didn't he know how mortifying that was? As if being traumatized from the moment, I looked down at my shirt, making sure nothing was popping out or straining.
How was it my fault that my boobs were too big for my body? Or that retailers I could afford did not make "small torso, big boob" size? He also did not need to mention it right off the bat. My cheeks were starting to warm up from just the memory and I shook my head furiously.
Tamia watched me curiously.
"You know, about the boob thing, I am sure he was just trying to give you some advice,"
"Ugh, I do not even want to think about it. Please do not mention it," I cut her off, covering my ears.
"Ah, I am so mortified!" I exclaimed.
Tamia laughed, shoving the beans under one of the counters.
"You will get over it. Plus, I want him to come back and bring that other guy with him."
"Liam?" I asked her.
"Yeah, Liam."
I eyed her warily and began to grind some decaf coffee beans.
"Why?"
"He is so cute and so nice," she gushed immediately.
"The whole time you guys were talking he was over here keeping me company. He is also really funny too." Tamia continued to gush.
I did not know much about Liam, but he seemed like an okay guy. Still, I did not like the thought of him flirting with Tamia. If he was a friend of Vincent, then he could be just as strange as Vincent.
"Try not to get too involved with him."
I do not mean to discourage her, but we both needed to be careful with these guys. They were so odd and strange. Besides that, if anything were to happen, I could just imagine us being collateral damage for her actions while they continue to live life like normal.
Nodding, Tamia let out a soft sigh.
"I am no competition for any rich girls, anyway."
When it came to money, probably not, but if it came to looks, I would say Tamia had the upper hand. Tamia has S-tier beauty. Even if she did not realize it herself but that was part of her charm.
"At least I am not crushing on your brother anymore," she pointed out.
I paused, the grinder coming to a stop.
"It is kind of weird to crush on someone in jail Tamia." She laughed, but it faded quickly.
"But he should not be in there..." Tamia said and trailed off.
Clearing my throat, I continued grinding the beans.
"I know."
"How long does he have left by the way?"
"Uh, about six months?" I replied hesitantly.
I was not too sure. It already felt as though it had been forever since he was sent to jail. A year did not seem like much, and it was a light sentence, but it felt like forever to me. Especially since Luke was the only family I had besides a grandfather in Canada who was too senile to remember either of us.
Tamia raised her fist in the air.
"Just think about all the settlement money you guys will get when he gets proven innocent! Thousands of dollars!"
I could not help but smile at Tamia's spirit.
"That is only if he gets proven innocent."
The case was a tough one. Even now, I was not entirely sure what I believed.
Yes, my brother had been drinking. Yes, he had stolen a car before, but I could not believe for a moment that he would have stolen a car while under the influence and crashed it. I have known him my whole life. He was not the type of person to do that but according to the CCTV at the bar, he was portrayed to be the type of person to do that.
Worrying my lip, I ran a hand through my hair. It hurt my head to even think about. The shop phone started ringing and I jumped a bit, causing Tamia to snicker. Shooting her a dirty look, I walked over to it and picked it up.
"Dream Bean Cafe, Riley speaking. How may I help you?" I said in the best customer service tone that I could muster.
"Why aren't you answering your cell phone?" I heard a male voice say through the phone.
It took me a moment to realize it was not a customer over the phone. It was indeed just Vincent.
I hung up the phone immediately, not even bothering to respond to him. Three seconds later it started ringing again.
Tamia gave me a questioning look.
I debated on not answering it, but I was too concerned that it might actually be a customer to ignore it.
"Dream Bean Cafe, Riley speaking, how may I help you?"
"Did you hang up on me?"
Ugh. Seriously?!
"Yes," I said.
There was a second of silence.
"Wait. Do not hang up."
"You have two minutes," I warned him.
"Why aren't you answering your cell phone?"
"I am at work Vincent."
"Ohhh, I love it when you say my name…anyway so?"
I should have known that he would not see anything wrong with that. He was probably used to people answering his phone calls on the first ring.
"It is really busy here so I cannot talk long." I lied, biting my lip nervously as I looked around the empty room.
"You are lying. It is not busy," he cut me off, speaking nonchalantly.
"I know how much that business makes because it loses more than it makes and I know it does not make nearly as high as other coffee shops around the area, considering that there is a Dunkin Donuts down the street. Poor planning on the owner's side by the way."
"Wow, thank you for that very interesting bit of information. I will make sure to bring it to the owner's attention."
"You are very welcome," he responded.
He actually sounded a little pleased, so I guessed he missed my sarcasm. I leaned against the doorframe.
"Are you going to tell me why you are calling my phone before I stop resisting the urge to hang up on you?" I said as my finger hovered over the button to end the call.
There was a brief moment of silence again.
"I have plans for us tonight."
"Plans?"
"Yes. We will be going on our first date. Isn't that exciting?"
"Date?" I repeated in disbelief.
"Yes. I will meet you at your place so I can see your dresses and decide if you will need to buy one or not."
"Dresses?" I repeated again.
I could hear Vincent sigh heavily over the phone.
"Are you purposely trying to imitate a parrot?"
I scowled a bit.
"No. Why do we have to go on a date?"
"Because that is what couples do."
"But..." I cupped my elbow, staring at the floor tiles.
It has been a long time since I had last been on a date. Or had a boyfriend for that matter. After Luke went to jail, I picked up a second job, so I never really had any free time to meet or date anyone.
Vincent chuckled on the other side of the line.
"Do not overthink it. Just play your part. It is your job."
That is right. It was my job. Why was I getting so nervous? All I had to do was act. I did a bit of drama in high school. It should not be a problem.
"Okay."
"I will meet you at your place at four. Okay?"
I got out of work at three, which left me about an hour to shower.
"That is fine."
"See you then."
"Oh, wait, you should know that my apartment—"
I heard a click.
"Hello?" I said into the receiver before I looked at the phone in my hand.
Nothing.
Scoffing, I hung up the phone. What a dick.
"Who was it?" Tamia asked when I came back out onto the floor.
"One guess." I said while rolling my eyes in annoyance.
"Ooh, what did he want?"
I shrugged, feeling a little awkward.
"To go on a date."
Tamia's eyes widened.
"Really? That is so exciting!"
"Ehhh."
I was not sure if 'exciting' would be the correct word to use in this instance. Nerve-wracking was more applicable.
"Hey, it will be alright. Think of it as a free dinner at the very least"
Huh. It would be a free dinner. Not too bad.
I grinned. Hello four-course meal.
After we closed up the shop, I said goodbye to Tamia and hopped into my beat up Toyota Corolla. My apartment was only a few minutes away and I made it there in record time. I jumped out of my car, making sure to lock it and made my way up the stairs to my apartment, keeping an eye on my surroundings. Last thing I wanted was to get mugged of all twenty-five dollars in my wallet.
The Dream Bean café was a weird place.
One second you were in a clean-cut, beautiful bustling area and the next you were basically on skid row. I used to live in the better part of Philadelphia, near the college, but after Luke went to jail, I had to find a cheaper apartment. I did not mind too much though. There were scarier places. Plus, I did not have many neighbors. That is unless you counted the homeless people that sometimes squatted in the apartment below me. But they were generally pleasant whenever I came across them.
The building I lived in was decrepit; I would give it that. The paint was nearly nonexistent, the stairs sounded like they would give in at any second; there were probably more weeds than grass on the lawn and the windows had bars over them which I would believe are known as burglar proofing. To outsiders it may look like it was uninhabitable, but I look at it and think about the fact that it is affordable.
I smirked at the memory of me bartering with the landlord, the first time I came across the apartment and decided to attempt to get a good deal on it. My landlord has originally wanted four hundred dollars a month, but I somehow made him settle at three hundred with the promise that I would shovel the driveway myself whenever it snowed.
The inside was a bit better than the outside though but that was all thanks to me. There were two apartments in the building. I lived in the upstairs apartment and the downstairs apartment was currently unoccupied. When I moved in, I made sure to scrub the hallway and the stairs until the wooden floors were almost shining. Though, I did not bother to touch the downstairs apartment, I went on to give my apartment the same treatment I had given the hall. I mopped, swept, vacuumed, and bleached everything in sight. It still looked a little run down, but it was livable and sanitary.
I kicked my shoes off by the door and immediately went into the bathroom to shower. The bathroom was a little smaller than I would have liked, but since I was the only one living here, it was not too bad. The hot water and plumbing worked and that was all that mattered. After showering, I went into my bedroom to dry my hair and plan out an outfit. I knew nothing I owned could compete with what Vincent wore, but I had to try and find something. I rummaged through my closet clad in only my underwear, looking for any of my dresses, checking all the unpacked boxes. Then I searched my dresser. Upon finding nothing, I felt dread run through me.
None of my dresses were here. I must have gotten rid of them while I was moving.
I groaned, putting my hands on my head.
I must have gotten rid of a lot of my clothes when moving to make it easier on myself and because there was not really a lot of room in this place. But I did not think I would have gotten rid of my dresses! Sure, I did not really have any chances to wear them, but they were still cute!
For a second I thought that maybe there was hope so I went back to my closet. There had to be something nice I could wear. However, most of my clothing were old and crummy.
Just then my cellphone started ringing and I walked over to my bed where I had tossed it. The caller I.D read 'Vincent Luciano'.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Did you give me a false address to deceive me?" I heard Vincent ask through the phone.
"Uh, no. Why?"
"I ask because I do not think that I am in the right place."
Walking over to the one window in my bedroom that looked over the street, I peeked out of it to see a sporty black BMW idling in front of my apartment. Yeah, that was definitely him.
"I will come outside," I told him and hung up, quickly pulling on a pair of jeans, and throwing on the first shirt I came across.
The stairs groaned as I descended them in my socks, feeling my heartbeat start to increase. I did not get a chance to warn Vincent of just how crappy my apartment was. No wonder he thought he was in the wrong place. A squatter was entering the first-floor apartment. I gave her a quick wave.
Once outside, I hurried over to the BMW, tapping on the tinted window. It rolled down and Vincent appeared, looking apprehensive.
"This is a prank, right?"
"What is?"
"Do you really live here?"
I gave an awkward laugh.
"Er, yeah. It is affordable. I am almost ready. You can come up and wait if you want."
His expression told me that he absolutely did not want to go up.
"Yeah, you know what actually, stay here. I will be right back down. Lock your doors."
His eyebrows shot up, but I turned my back on him and jogged back into my apartment. I hoped jeans and a t-shirt was acceptable for wherever we were going because I really did not have anything else. I stepped into the bathroom to throw on some light makeup and fix my hair. I pursed my lips at my reflection. No matter how I looked at myself, I could not imagine myself standing next to Vincent. He was so proper and handsome... and I was nowhere near that.
Everything about me looked cheap. Even my hair.
Sighing, I left the bathroom, trying to spare myself some self-confidence. I slipped into my Vans and grabbed my purse, making sure to lock my door before I left. Unsure of when I would return, I left the hallway light on.
I returned to the BMW, walking over to the passenger's side, and paused. It just came to mind that this would be the first time Vincent and I would be completely alone together. I took a deep breath before sliding in, shutting the door after me.
"Hi," I said, turning to Vincent.
Immediately I knew I was underdressed.
He was wearing a navy blue button up and a black tie with a dark grey vest. I followed his torso down until it met a shiny black belt holding up his dark-washed jeans. Well, at least he is wearing jeans.
He caught me staring and eyed me for a moment, so I redirected my attention to the interior of his car. It was pretty impressive, albeit a little dark. The leather seats were black, the wood trim was black, even the floor mats were black.
"Do you happen to have a dress in that purse of yours?" he asked me.
I shook my head.
"Isn't what I am wearing okay?"
He stared at me, and I glanced down at my shirt, immediately seeing a hole in it big enough to show part of my bra. Sucking in a breath of surprise, I pulled my shirt up so the extra material would cover it.
"I figured we would have to get you something, so I already made an appointment for you," he said, unfazed.
"An appointment?" I asked because I felt a little bit lost.
"You will see," he answered, shifting the car into drive, and pulling onto the road.
I was impressed at how smooth the car was moving. Although the street was not in the best shape, I still did not feel any of the bumps that I was used to.
"I like your car," I told him.
An arrogant smile immediately crossed his face.
"Thank you. I just traded in my old one for this one."
"How much was it?" I asked before I could help myself.
"A little over $80,000."
My jaw almost dropped. How could he say that so casually? I could buy over five cars for the price of just this one!
"Do not give me that look," he said, keeping his eyes on the road.
"This is a very modest car for my family. There are more expensive BMWs. I just happen to like this one."
I sunk into my seat a little bit.
"Must be nice," I grumbled.
Vincent gave me a sidelong glance.
"Is that really your apartment?"
"Yes it is, why?"
"I feel like I could get asbestosis just by looking at it."
I thinned my lips.
"I mean sure, but I cannot be picky. It is affordable."
"Surely you can afford something better than that."
"Not really, I am trying to save up for college."
"You are not in college?"
Somehow the question from him sounded way worse than anyone else asking. It made me feel embarrassed. Which pissed me off.
"Not until September because some of us actually have to work to pay off our education."
This was the first year since I graduated high school that I had actually managed to save up enough money to afford a year's tuition and that was minus my loans and scholarships.
"Why does not your family help you?"
Not wanting to sound like the typical oh-poor-me-my-parents-are-dead girl, I kept my mouth shut. I did not want, nor did I need any pity or sympathy from him.
"Did you hear me?" he asked after a moment.
I sighed.
"It is not really any of your business nor do I want to talk about it."
He stayed quiet for a moment.
"Fine."
Now it was awkward but the last thing I wanted to say was 'Hey! My mom passed away and my dad left us, and my brother is in jail, how is your family?' I cringed just thinking about it.
"Where are we going anyway?" I asked as I figured I should have asked this in the first place.
"To the city," he said.
City?
There was not really anything city-like in the small town that I live in.
"Like Arlington?"
He shook his head.
"No, New York City."
"New York City?" I repeated incredulously.
"That is almost two hours away!"
"Do not worry, it will be a quick drive. The car has Wi-Fi if you would like to connect your phone to it."
I stared at him for a moment, my mouth open. I had to be in the car with him for two hours straight. Was he planning on kidnapping me? Oh God. I should not have been so quick to trust him. I was probably going to be sold into some human trafficking group. No, no, no. He was too important to kidnap someone. He seems like the type to probably hire someone else to do it if he really needed to. I was safe from that, at least. I just was not safe from an awkward car ride.
"Also... about the other day," he started, clearing his throat.
"Liam told me to— or rather, I also..." His voice became quieter.
"I did not mean..."
"What? I cannot hear you."
He gripped his hands on the steering wheel.
"I did not mean to offend you the other day."
Remembering multiple times that he offended me unconsciously; I did not exactly know which one he was referring to.
"About what?"
He gave me an impatient look.
"Do not make me repeat it."
"I have no idea what you are talking about, Vincent."
He straightened his back.
"I am sorry for making a comment about your breasts the other day," he said quickly, then immediately looked relieved.
I groaned.
Why did he have to bring that up? While we were stuck in a car for two hours?
"While I was correct in what I was saying—" he tried to continue but I cut him off, reaching over and turning on the stereo.
"I think we should just listen to some music." I said as I began to fondle with the various settings on his deck.
Noticing he had SiriusXM, I turned it to the ALT Nation and turned the volume up so loud that I just knew I would not be able to hear him if he spoke again.
It was going to be a long drive.