Chapter Eleven: Moving on

Anna had decided to return to her previous job at Red Roses, a popular restaurant in New York City. She had spent two years there before she met Allen, who had never been supportive of her career. He often complained that her coworkers were making advances on her and that she was spending too much time away from him. After all of Kate's attempts to convince her to stay at the job she loved, Anna decided to leave, hoping it would make Allen happy.

little did she know that this decision would have far-reaching consequences. Allen, who had never been truly interested in her happiness, eventually cheated on her and left her brokenhearted. In the end, Anna regretted giving up her dream job for a man who didn't appreciate her.

The oner of the Restaurant, Kelvin. She had always told her that she was always welcome to return to work if she had a change of heart. Well, a few days ago she took him up on his word and here she is working.

All she wanted now, was to have peace of mind and stable mental health. She had discovered that she had been worrying too much about a guy that she barely knew and it was weird.

Her job as a waiter was just the perfect excuse to get her mind off the narcist, Mr. Snow, and focus on her life. She was a DIY (Do it yourself) kind of girl so it was no big deal.

Anna took pride in her work, and she knew that she was good at what she did. Her job at Red Roses wasn't just a paycheck; it was a source of pride and fulfillment. And as she smiled and served her customers, she felt like she was making a difference in their lives. Even if it was only a small difference, it was still something to be proud of

As she continued to work, she found herself lost in thought. She started to reflect on the past few months and realized how much she had changed. Before meeting Allen, she had been independent and driven, always striving to achieve her goals. But since then, she had let him take over her life and make all the decisions. And now, she was reclaiming her power and taking back control. She felt stronger than ever before.

"Here is your coffee. Cream with no added sugar, just as you like it, sir." She said with a wide smile on her face as she placed it on the table, before the pot-bellied man who was probably in his forties.

"Thank you, Anna. We've certainly missed your pretty face around here." The man replied and she nodded and walked away, his eyes locked on her.

"I'm so glad that you decided to come back to work for me, Anna." Kelvin who had just walked in and heard what the man said, spoke.

"I am the one who is happy and grateful. I needed this job."

"You know what, just round up and go home. you know how sales her on weekends, so I want you at full strength to wait on them."

Anna nodded with a smile that never left her lips. She was glad that she could get home early. Her subconsciousness was jumping for joy. Her legs ached from standing for more than 6 hours waiting on rich customers. She hurriedly dropped off the tray, ran to the back, took off her sales cap and apron, and threw them into the locker, before taking off with her purse.

As she stepped out of the warm restaurant, the bitter cold rushed to meet her. The air felt sharp, like tiny needles pricking her skin. She shivered and pulled her jacket tight around her body, but it did little to block out the chill. All around her, the world was dark and still, the only light coming from the streetlamps and passing cars.  She walked towards a street light and was about to pull out her phone to book herself a ride when a car pulled up in front of her and for a split moment, as the glass slid down she imagined she saw Mr. Snow's face, with a wide smile.

"Anna, get in. Let me drop you off."

"Oh, don't worry about me, sir. I was just about to book myself a ride."

"Please, just call me Kelvin especially when it's just you and I. Besides, I insist." He said with a smile and unlocked the door. "Just accept it like a welcome back bonus," he added with this cute smile of his which Anna was so sure that he used in trapping a lot of girls. He was young, tall, blue eyes, tall, and just her spec, her subconsciousness had already started making silly physical assessments.

"Thanks again for the ride."

"It's alright. It's no bother. Besides, I haven't seen you for a while, hasn't it been a year?" he asked.

"Yes, it has. A lot of complicated things happened but I'm here now."

He smiled and turned briefly to catch her smile before turning to the road.

It wasn't a short drive, coupled with the fact that he was riding a fast car and the road was slightly empty.

She thanked him and alighted from the car. She noticed the window blind shut quickly and she smiled as she made her way to the door.

Kate's eyes were fixed on her phone's screen when Anna walked in.

She knew that Kate had sneaked a peak and saw her with him. And knowing Kate, she was dying to shoot questions at her.

She just sat down, took off her sneakers, dropped off her purse, and then said.

"Okay, okay, you can shoot those questions?"

"Ah, what are you trying to insinuate here? That I nosy?"

"Oh, sorry. I thought you had questions to shoot at me seeing how red your forehead was as you struggled to keep your lips shut."

"This is what happens when someone knows everything about you, but that's by the way? Who is he? He seems rich, where did you meet him? Is he cute?"

Anna smiled- "One question at a time." She nods her head, laughing softly.

"He is just my boss. Kelvin. He opted to ride me home after seeing me standing by the road."

"HMP!" Kate hummed.

"What?"

"Guys don't just offer to give girls a ride; they have to be interested in you."

Anna sighed; she knew that Kate would say this. "You need to get yourself a boyfriend. Or anyone who would give you a real hot smash, because you are not thinking clearly days.".

She walked up to her room. And to her relief, they talked no more about it even as they had dinner. Kate was just focused on whatever she was doing on her phone and it didn't seem like she was chatting with anyone because she looked all serious. She didn't inquire, because she knew if it was important, Kate would let her in on it.

She busied herself by scrolling through her Email. She was bored and just wanted something to occupy her time.

She absentmindedly thumbed through her inbox, searching for something to occupy her mind. There were a few unread emails, mostly promotions and newsletters. As she was about to delete them all in one go, a subject line caught her eye: "Congratulations on the new job offer!"

She blinked, surprised to see the name of the sender: Snow Corp. Her stomach twisted into a knot. She had hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with Mr. Snow ever again, but now he was back in her life, offering her a job. She hesitated, unsure what to do.

If it was a normal circumstance, she would have jumped up for joy, shown the mail to Kate and they would have ordered some bears or gone out clubbing, but it was no normal circumstance, and seeing this mail just reminded her of Mr. Snow.

She turned to Kate who was still busy with whatever she was doing on her phone, before returning her gaze to her phone's screen and deleting the mail.

She bade Kate goodnight before retiring to her room.

She curled up in her bed. She was wrapping her hands around the big teddy bear her father had gifted her and shuts her eyes. For some reason, she felt anxious. But sleep quickly took over.

That night, she dreamt of him.

She sitting in front of him. His cold face was void of a smile. His eyes gazed intently at her. His lips, oh his temptatious lips uttering cold words.