S A F F R O N

It was already two am and my night shift was over. I didn't know what to expect on my first day of service, but being a barista was harder than I thought. I followed along with Jade and tried to make myself as useful as possible, cleaning tables in between the clients and making sure to replace the empty bottles under the table with new ones. I had a long way to go, but I hoped Samuel would appreciate my effort.

After taking off the apron, I grabbed my things and headed to Samuel's office, next to the repository.

"Saffron," he called me in as soon as he saw me, "Come on, take a seat."

I walked the distance to his table and put myself on the stool.

"How did it go?" He asked, looking at the register in his hands.

"Fine." I looked at the paintings on the wall, over his shoulders. "Jade guided me throughout the whole night, I think I got this."

"Glad to hear that." He closed the register and shifted all of his attention to me. "If anything ever bothers you, you can always talk to me. Amy and I have been friends ever since she moved here, I will be sure to take care of you. But she is not the reason why you are here. You made yourself come to this point and it's your responsibility to show me that you can do better."

"Of course." I nodded.

"We've already talked about the contract and your salary, but if you want an advance or need to work extra, just tell me. I'm sure we can come to a compromise."

"I'll be forever grateful to you for giving me a chance." I stood up and was about to turn when he called me.

"One last thing." He took a poster out of his drawer and put it on his desk. "There's a new opening for this martial academy and I think you should consider joining. Last night was a miracle. You could seriously get in trouble if you attempt on doing something like this a second time. We live in a cruel world."

I took the paper in my hands and read Military Arts in bold characters. It was opening tomorrow. But wasn't I too late to join in?

"I'll consider it," I smiled and waved goodbye at him.

When I crossed the door, everyone has already left, Jade included. I didn't think she liked me that much, especially after taking over her house and workspace. With a heavy heart, I walked past the sidewalk and stood under the streetlights. The road was busy with cars, but there were no taxis in sight. When I turned to my left there was Hunter and his friend barely standing on their feet. They looked wasted.

After what seemed an eternity, a taxi pulled over and I bolted to the door, but I wasn't the only one approaching. Standing next to me was the guy from the 2B. He looked back at me and I was lost for words. His gaze was intense — see-through almost — like he was trying to read me. I looked around and saw no other taxi in sight. Despite this, having them share a ride with me would only save me money.

"Are you going home?" I asked and gazed at Hunter standing behind him. As he nodded, I decided to let them tag along with me.

"We can share the ride, we are all going to the same place anyway."

After getting in the car, I waited for them to sit before the engine started. Hunter opted for the front seat, so we got automatically pushed on the backseats. I looked at the time on my display and it was already half-past two. I was tired and ready to jump on my bed, whenever I would get the chance. New York traffic wasn't a joke. There were people wherever I looked and they never seemed to tire. During the ride, I noticed the guy next to me sit uncomfortably on his part, laying his head against the glass. He didn't make any eye contact either.

Half an hour later, we finally reached our apartment block. The vehicle stopped leaving me with a baffled sensation at heart. Outside, the cold was devouring streets full of people, pulling them away from places they didn't belong to.

I got up first, shutting the door behind me and arching to the driver's windows when I noticed that none of them were heading out. Next to the steering wheel, Hunter was swinging his head back and forth, unable to keep his eyes straight and open. I put the driver on hold and reached over Hunter's windows. I tried to call him and shake his hands a couple of times, but he didn't seem to understand me.

"Please wake up, we are home."

After seeing no signs of him moving, I opened the door and pulled him out of the cab, grabbing by his hands. He was awake enough to stand by himself against the building wall.

"Where are your keys?" I asked, keeping his gaze steady on mine. He was looking at me, but he didn't look at me. He was daydreaming.

"I don't have all night!" The driver yelled from the taxi.

"One second, please." I started to check his pockets and collected the keys as soon as I found them. After unlocking the gate, I opened their apartment door as well. At first glance, it looked very similar to Amy's.

I quickly took Hunter by his shoulders and put him on the couch. By the time it was the other guy's turn, I was already out of breath.

"What about my pay?" The driver insisted, ringing the klaxon.

I reached the passenger's side and checked for the guy's wallet. After giving a thirty-dollar bill to the driver, I sneaked a hundred-dollar one in my pocket. I should have had a sort of compensation for what I was doing. A tip for my service.

"You are heavy," I complained as I got him out of the car. He could barely keep himself straight so I put his other hand around my shoulder and carried him to the entrance. Shaking him was of no use, if Hunter was drunk then he was in a coma.

As soon as I got to the apartment, I put him in the closest bedroom. His face was so close to mine that I could feel his breathing down my neck. After putting him on the bed, I rattled my neck to ease the pain. I quickly texted Amy to see if she was awake. I didn't want to ring the bell, causing her to wake up in the middle of the night.

Now that I worked at Connolly's, I should consider having my set of keys. I couldn't waste my nights outside, wondering if she would be awake or not to open the door.

Since she didn't text me back, I decided to stay at the 2B. It was already four am and Amy went to work at seven. Three hours didn't seem like such a bad idea back then. But, now I was completely uneasy, my eyes open like two windows.

I started to walk throughout the house, seizing the pieces of furniture and admiring all the stuff placed outside. Hunter slept right where I left him, on the side of the couch that faced the windows. There was a pretty view from here. The streetlights went all the way into the living room, forming shadows on the walls.

I went to the kitchen to make some coffee since sleeping wasn't an option. I was pouring the hot liquid on a cup when a thud distracted me, dripping the rest of it all over the counter. I bolted to the origin of the noise and the room was wrapped in complete darkness. I used the flashlight to guide myself in, only to find glass shards distributed on the floor. I accidentally stepped on some, holding

myself back from screaming. As I moved the light on the nightstand, I noticed water dripping from the surface. He must have slammed it with his hands. Advancing, I noticed his face move from side to side and his forehead sweating from all the movements. He was having a nightmare.

With my feet already halfway through the room, I wasn't going to back off now.

I didn't know what I was going to do, but a voice inside of my head told me to stay. I placed myself on the edge of the bed as I saw him whisper something in his sleep. He looked like he had a stressful day, or maybe nights like that were a routine. I didn't know much of him to know that. Actually, I didn't know him at all. He came as a mystery and would fade away like one. That was the single most astonishing thing about life. I had seen so many faces and heard so many voices, but how many of them would I remember? Who was nothing for me, had the potential to be the one for someone else. We were an intertwining of wires and possible results that were not written anywhere. Our choices brought us forward to new beginnings, ready to explore our endings.

Time ran fast when I was next to him. Amy's text message woke me up from this daydream like a bullet in the stomach. I texted back updating her with the current occurrences and asking to open the door.

"It's not what you think." This is the first thing I said, upon entering her apartment.

"How could you be more clear than that?" Amy shrugged off her shoulders, "You said that you spent the night at the 2B!"

"It was already pretty late so I didn't want to bother you. And I helped the two guys get home. They were pretty wasted."

"So there are two of them?" A shocking expression took over her face.

"Yes, haven't you seen them ever before?" I asked, slightly buffered.

She gestured a no with her head and left for work before I fell to the couch. I needed to catch up on the missed hours of sleep. Badly.

When I woke up, it was already midday. The sun was seeping through the windows and my stomach was growling. I got up more tired than I was a few hours ago, and slowly headed to the washroom. Standing in front of the toilet sink, I was surprised to see an empty corner on Amy's side of the cabinet. She must have seen me bring my drops every time I went to the washroom.

After getting out of the shower, I grabbed the pill case from my bag and took the Prozac — aka my happy pill. I forgot the last time I had been without it. I forgot the last time I had been truly happy and didn't need a pill to bury my depression.

As I grabbed my bag and headed out of the washroom, a white paper drowned on the wet floor. When I flipped it, I realized it was the poster that Samuel gave me yesterday. The grand opening of the Military Arts. I memorized the address and threw it in the toilet bin.

I didn't have work today, so I thought what better way to spend the day if not doing martial arts in the center of Manhattan? At least, I would have met new people. And I loved meeting new people.

I equipped myself and headed to the subway. I didn't have any clue about what was about to happen next. Would I need to stop by the reception and register myself? Was it subscription-based? Did I need to present eligibility criteria? With my head filled with unanswered questions, I entered the building following a crowd of people.

No subscription was needed. Thank God. But I needed to show my ID, sign some papers and register myself. After the long queue, I walked to the big hall on the second floor. The room was bright with the light from outside spreading in. I looked all around me and there were a bunch of strangers surrounding me. So many new faces — an ocean of possibilities.

When I turned around, a man wearing a formal dress placed himself in the middle, gathering everyone's attention.

"Good evening, everyone. I'm Paul Williams, the director of this academy," he glanced at the

people on the front row, "I'm here to welcome you and remind you that discipline is the key to everything."

For a moment, I felt like his eyes stopped on mine, but they moved right after.

"Your trainer, Arkell Vaughn, will be here in a moment. He had a setback and will be a few minutes late. You can look around the building, in the meantime. We have a wide set of activities, starting from the gym equipment to the swimming pool."

I was thirsty and didn't have any change for the vending machine so I walked down to the bar downstairs and bought myself a bottle of water. As I sipped my drink, I spotted the guy from the 2B running in my direction. I walked out of the bar to wave at him, but he didn't look at me at all. He looked like he was in a hurry, his eyes on the door next to mine. As soon as I saw him entering the Military Arts, I ran behind him.

"Hey," I greeted him, happy to think that there was at least one familiar face.

He seemed to jump out of his place when he saw me. His eyes were big as two windows.

"What are you doing here?" He spat, quickly rephrasing his sentence to, "I mean, is it a coincidence that I meet you wherever I go?"

"To be honest, you're always the second to come. So I have my fair share of doubts."

"I'm sorry for yesterday," he stopped before entering the hall, "I didn't plan to cause you trouble. You were just the right person at the right place."

"It's okay," I replied watching him make a curve with his lips and go inside.

I waited a few seconds before entering in my turn. When I did, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped to the floor.

Arkell Vaughn was the guy from the 2B and he was my trainer.

A/n

Do you like where the story is going? And what about the new cover? Comment and let me know! Thank you.

If you are looking for a review book, then definitely check out Convenient book review by MiloPFitz and also his book Convenient desire, it's so good!