Nikolai

"Hey, Niko, you ready to go? We're fucking starving."

I looked up at Ray from the paperwork I was filling out in my office. He was one of the best tattoo artists I've ever seen and I was glad to have him at my shop. I opened Inked almost three years ago when I moved here from Detroit. I was desperate to leave my old life behind and start fresh. So far, so good. The business was doing well and I wasn't dealing with the cops every fucking day.

Growing up near The Jeffries Free-Way and Joy Road wasn't easy. Crime tended to be a way of life there. Things like murder, robbery, and assault happened every day. It was a place tourists never came. Hell, it was a place even the natives of Detroit never came unless they lived there.

I was put into foster care when I was seven years old. I remembered the day my mom dropped me off at CPS vividly. My mom became a parent at the age of fourteen and my dad, whoever he was, was never in the picture. I honestly believed she tried the best she could take care of me.

There were a few times when we ended up living on the streets or trying to find one of the many vacant homes in Detroit to stay in. Food was sometimes not an option due to the fact that we didn't have any money. Once my mother became involved with drugs, that was it. She dropped me off at CPS and I never saw her again.

"Niko?" Ray called again when I didn't respond.

"Yeah," I said as I got up from my chair. "Let's go."

Around lunch time for the past six months, we closed shop for an hour and went across the street to Terry's Sweets & More. It was a privately owned bakery that sold some pretty good pastries and desserts. I personally wasn't much of a sweet tooth, but I ended up tagging along for my own reasons.

I followed Ray and my piercer, Janet, out of the store; locking the door behind me. We headed across the street and I tried to ignore the small rush of excitement I felt.

"So, are you going to actually eat something today, Niko? Or just sit at the table and watch us eat. Like a fucking weirdo."

I grunted at Janet. She was covered head to toe with tattoos and piercings. She had bleach blonde spikey hair and always wore a bandana around her head. She was my first hire when I opened Inked and I never regretted it. Janet was the practical joker and the clown of the shop. She constantly tried to make everyone laugh; especially me. Laughing was something I rarely, if ever, did.

"I haven't decided yet," I quipped, surprising her.

"Well, looks like someone that are funny bone today," she said with a laugh.

Okay, it wasn't that I never laughed. I guess, with everything I had been through in my life, laughter wasn't an easy response from me.

We stepped into the bakery and the smell of bread and sweets was heavy. The bakery had three tables inside and two outside. Whenever we were here, it was usually pretty full with people on their lunch breaks.

Currently, there was one table open and I glanced at it before saying, "I'm going to go hold that table for us."

"Yeah, he's not eating," Janet said with a laugh and I flipped her off.

I sat down looked in the direction of the register. There was usually three people working here. Two bakers and the owner. The owner was usually at the register and helping customers.

Right now, I noticed she had her long dark hair down today with a clip holding the top back. She was wearing her monogrammed apron over a dark blue long sleeved shirt as she smiled and handed a customer their order.

She always seemed to be smiling. One of the things that intrigued me about this woman was her energy. She always appeared upbeat and happy. The few times we ate here and it was slow, I noticed she would sing to herself as she decorated pastries.

I never knew anyone like that back in my area of Detroit. Everyone there was basically angry, mean, backstabbing, or trying to figure out a way to screw you. Okay, I didn't know this woman, but even in New York it was rare to find someone like her.

I noticed Janet and Ray carrying two trays full of food as they joined me. I simply shook my head at them. I swear they were going to get diabetes one day from the amount of sweets they buy here.

Ray took a bite of a cupcake before saying, "Man, I can't believe she's closing this place."

"I know," Janet sighed as she took a bite of her cheesecake. "There's no other place like this around here. I feel bad for Ryssa."

Okay, that caught my attention. "What are you talking about?" I asked them.

Ray shook his head and Janet rolled her eyes when she answered, "Are you that oblivious to everything? She's had a sign up for a month now."

I actually hadn't noticed. "She's closing the shop? Why?" And why did I feel unsettled by the idea?

Ray talked around a mouth full of pie, "I think business has gotten slow. I guess she hasn't been making enough."

That was hard to believe. The times I've been here or passed by, it's always seemed busy. Also, from what I've been told, this place has been here for almost thirty years. It's hard to believe that it's going to close down.

I glanced back at the register and noticed the owner, Ryssa apparently, didn't seem like she was in her normal cheery mood. Sure, she was smiling at her customers and laughing with them, but her eyes seemed to tell another story.

Without a word to Janet and Roy, I got up and went to the register. I had no idea why I decided to get something to eat. I think I ate here once since I started coming over on a lunch break. Maybe it was because I learned the store was closing and I felt bad. Yeah, I'm sure that's it.

I got to the counter and Ryssa looked up at me. I saw the surprise in her expression before she offered me a smile. "Hi, what can I get for you?"

I glanced at her menu and tried to see if there was something I would like. I didn't care for sweets much and this was a fucking bakery. My eyes landed on something random and I looked back to her. "I'll have a biscotti and a cup of coffee."

Her smile faded and she simply stared at me. I instantly felt uncomfortable and thought about bolting from the shop. "What?" I asked; a little harsher than I meant to.

"Nothing," she said in a quiet voice. "It's just-- Do you even know what a biscotti is?"

I didn't actually and was caught off guard that she called me out on it. "Yeah, of course I do."

"Okay, so point to the one you want in the case," she instructed.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. "You know what, I'm good. I'll just have a coffee." Then I'm getting the hell out of here.

She smiled as she walked over to the pastry case and put something in a bag. I watched as she poured the coffee and returned back to the counter. She set the two items I asked for down with a guilty look. "Sorry, I was just messing with you. With the store closing, I try to find as much humor as I can."

I handed her cash and she put her hand up. "It's on the house. Consider it an apology," she said as she held the coffee and pastry out to me.

I hesitated before accepting them from her. "Thanks." I cleared my throat nervously before I said, "I'm sorry about your shop."

Her expression fell. "Yeah, it's unfortunate." With a smile she added, "I appreciate you guys coming by so much, though."

I glanced back at Ray and Janet. "Yeah, my employees over there are heartbroken."

"I'll have to bring them some sweets occasionally, then."

I scoffed. "Please don't spoil them."

The door chimed as more people came in and I looked back at Ryssa. "Thanks again," I said and turned to walk back to the table. Ray and Janet were arguing about something when I sat down. They argued constantly. It was more like witty banter between them. They had become close friends over the years.

"What took you so long?" Janet asked as she picked at her croissant.

"I was giving my condolences for the store closing."

"That was...nice," Janet said with an odd look. "You don't normally do nice."

"I'm not an asshole, Janet." I knew I came off as standoff-ish towards people and that was mainly due to the fact that I didn't trust easily. I liked to keep to myself. It was simply easier that way.

"No, you're not an asshole. Sorry, I misspoke. I just meant that it was a little out of character for you."

I remained quiet as I picked at the pastry I ordered. It must be a chocolate biscotti by the taste of it. It wasn't half bad. It was almost like a cookie...but not.

After we finished eating we headed back to Inked. We had a few appointments setup for this afternoon and that's when we usually get busy with walk-ins.

As Janet and Ray went back to their stations, I stayed at the counter flipping through the appointment book. We had five piercing appointments and four tattoo appointment between now and when we close. Not counting the walk-ins, it should be pretty steady.

I grabbed my cigarettes and coffee off the counter and stepped out front to smoke. When business was slow, I usually spent time outside. I took a sip of my coffee and looked down at the cup. I was surprised to see my name written on the side. I never actually introduced myself to her before. She must have heard one of my employees say it.

I looked up at her shop and saw her come out to clean off one of the patio tables. As usual, something kept me from tearing my eyes away. As if she knew I was watching, she glanced over-- And waved at me.