Cause life's not easy,
I'm not made out of steel,
don't forget that I'm human,
don't forget that I'm real.

I L L S H O W Y O U
-Justin Bieber

thursday | october 3 | 8:06 am

IT'S been thirteen days since Victoria last saw Cosmo. But in her mind, it felt like months.

She hasn't given up on her search. Every possibility that you could think of was used, but they all fell short. She put up missing animal signs, asked around the neighborhood, and searched the local parks to see if someone spotted her dear pet. But, she did not prevail in any of her pursuits.

Now, she sat at her island in the kitchen, sipping on a tall glass of hot chocolate. She wasn't really a coffee person and didn't understand the hype behind the drink. Sure, the caffeine was good in the moment, but the taste was atrocious. To each their own, she thought.

Victoria opened the weekly newspaper, continuing her hunt for a new place to work. Her last job allowed her to be flexible with her savings. She could splurge on herself once in a while or buy gifts spontaneously for her friends. Now, she found herself counting every nickel and dime in her account. Sorrow engulfed her a little before her eyes scanned over the listings.

'BABYSITTER FOR TWO CHILDREN; THREE DAYS A WEEK; WE PREFER A TEENAGE WORKER.'

Last time I checked, I wasn't a teenager.

'PARTY CLEANUP WORKER; NIGHT SHIFTS; TWICE A WEEK; CAUTION: ALOT OF VOMIT CLEANUP.'

Just...gross.

'DOG WALKER; THREE DAYS A WEEK; HAS TO LOVE DOGS.'

I'm a cat person.

'BARISTA NEEDED @ HEATED SNOWFLAKES; FIVE DAYS A WEEK; FLEXIBLE HOURS.'

Bingo.

Victoria circled the ad in the newspaper and immediately phoned the cafe. She went there before with Genesis one morning, before dropping her to school. Genesis ordered a huge cup of coffee, while Victoria stuck with her usual hot mint tea.

The worker told her to come in the next day at noon for an interview. Victoria thanked them repeatedly, saying that they had no idea how much she appreciated this.

She hung up quickly, and was tempted to break out into a happy dance. She held her composure though, and began to sing a song about happiness and joy, twirling around the room. Throughout this whole week, she felt like there was very little light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she initially thought. Once she found Cosmo, she'd be okay.

She just had to deal with that horrible ex boss of hers first.

Victoria stood in front of Delta Max once again. However, instead of wanting to forget her name for a little while or get piss drunk with her friends, she was here to see someone.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her way inside the empty nightclub. Workers were bustling around, trying to set up for the crowd they were about to receive around three in the afternoon. Today, there was a live band instead of the usual DJ and they were placing their instruments in front of the dance floor.

Her eyes traveled around the room, in search of a familiar face. Failing to notice anyone she knew, Victoria walked towards the bar while clutching her hands. There, a petite woman with bright purple hair stood tidying the area. Victoria cleared her throat in order to gain the woman's attention and ask for help.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you. But, is Kaliyah around by any chance?" Victoria questioned, plastering on a huge smile. Her lips strained at the odd stretch.

The woman's face transformed into a tight sneer. She dropped the wash cloth for the bar table onto the floor furiously. Victoria stood confused about her sudden change in demeanor.

"What do you want with her huh? Don't tell me you're her next side chick. I wouldn't be surprised."

What the hell?

"No, no! Of course not. I literally just met her. She helped me with some... event that happened and I just wanted to ask her something. I'm no one's 'side chick'. Haven't been in twenty-one years of my life," Victoria rambled, horrified that the woman looked like she was about to attack her in the middle of the empty room.

"I don't believe you. Sure, she only, "helped you." You're too pretty to not be with her. I know how she is. I can't deal with this anymore. Ugh. Just talk to my coworker instead of me. I'll send them out for you," The woman grunted, and picked up the cloth from the floor aggressively.

"Thanks again. I didn't mean any harm," Victoria murmured softly, and diverted her eyes to her hands anxiously.

The woman stalked away angrily and approached a lone figure that was facing away from Victoria. She couldn't see the mans face, but assumed he had power over the other workers as people seemed to flock to him with questions or suggestions. The woman spoke expressively to him and he nodded his head in understanding. A finger was then pointed in Victoria's general direction, and the man finally turned around. They made eye contact and she nearly lost her breath.

It was Jesse.

The beautiful man with the not so beautiful personality.

His eyes turned into slits once he gazed at Victoria. He murmured something in the woman's ear that was presumably funny since she began to laugh loudly. A small smirk crept onto his chiseled face.

He left the woman and began to walk towards Victoria. It was as if he was moving in slow motion, as he licked his rosy lips and flicked a stray hair from his forehead. Vic felt like a wimpy character out of a romance novel, who ends up losing their mind because of a man. She vaguely understood the feeling people in those books get, when time seems to stop when someone attractive approaches them. Her pulse began to speed up and her eyes widened. She hated that she was fawning over a man like him, especially since he had such questionable traits. First impressions last a long time for Vic and she will always remember his attitude towards her the first time they met.

'He's still handsome though. I'm jealous,' she thought, as he approached her completely. She could smell the blueberry scented cologne from his t-shirt and couldn't help but take a deep breath in at the familiarity.

"Hello. How may I help you?" Jesse mumbled tightly, staring over Victoria's head for a moment before placing his eyes onto her heated face.

"Hi. Yes, I need to see someone. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I was here a few days ago and there was a woman that took your orders after you took mine. Kaliyah, her name was."

Realization seemed to struck Jesse in that moment, as his facial expression changed to that of amusement. Victoria wondered if she had food on her face or something. Why was he smiling like that?

"Ah. Yes, I remember you. The girl from the men's restroom with the mysterious disappearing act. Are you okay today? I'm not ready to catch you again if you're feeling under the weather."

'He remembers me,' Victoria couldn't help but become excited internally at the revelation. It soon died down however, as she processed his words.

"Yup, that's me. I was perfectly fine that day and I'm perfectly fine now. Let's just not mention it again. I only need your assistance with something minor today, " Victoria answered with a odd smile that didn't really feel right, folding her arms under her chest. He looked at the movement unintentionally before averting his gaze back to her brown eyes.

"Whatever you say, sweetcheeks. I'm going to be honest though. I think you're bluffing. You can't control yourself to be away from me, just like that night a few weeks ago," Jesse retorted condescendingly. Victoria resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Men and their egos, I tell you.

She sighed and shook her head, sporting a small smile, but her blood was boiling inside, "It seems like you don't understand me. I think that little encounter left you with a few loose screws by accident. We've only met once, twice if you count today. I don't plan on meeting you again after this neither do I want to. Now, like I said before, we should move past it."

He blinked a few times before responding, not expecting her to counter back so quickly.

"Oh, please. Just admit you came back for me. I won't judge you. They always come back," He answered, while tucking his arms under his chest in a defensive stance. He raised his finger to his lips, slightly pulling at the flesh. Vic's nose scrunched up, not liking the words escaping his mouth. He's sounding more and more like a douchebag. Who does he think he is?

Victoria finally rolled her eyes, not giving a shit if it was rude, "I'm not here for you. I'm here to see Kaliyah. I need to talk to her about something."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me. I don't want to bother her if it's something minor like you said. I mean, what's there to hide?"

"It's none of your business. I need to speak to her," Her voice hardened as she spoke.

Jesse nodded his head and changed his stance. He leaned into her space and glared into her eyes. His lips pulled up on one side of his mouth, "Alright. What's in it for me?"

Victoria saw red. She was tired of all these pretentious men that thought they ruled the world and could walk all over her. This toxic masculinity was getting on her nerves. They needed to learn a lesson from someone. Maybe it'd be her. Maybe it'd be another woman. All she knew was that she was annoyed with the same egotistical encounters.

"Really! What is it with you assholes and your ultimatums? Did you not hear me the first five times I told you? It's none of your business. I did not come here for you. I said I need to see her. That's it. No deal. Don't question me again." By the time she finished speaking, her chest was expanding quickly as she swallowed gulps of air. Vic continued to glare into his grey eyes, no longer caring that he was good looking. She refrained from adding, "fucking dick," to the end of her statement.

Jesse gazed at her and couldn't help but smile widely. This beautiful stranger has surprised him once again. She used the irritate tone that women reserved for men they thought were aggravating or dense. His first impression of her was that she was a pushover. Oh, how wrong he was. He could detect unease in her voice, and anger, but also assertiveness. This was what he wanted.

His toned walked the line between bitterness and curiosity, "She's down the hall to the left. First door at the end of the corridor. Make sure you knock before entering. If the door is locked, come find me."

Victoria closed her eyes and sighed regretfully. She didn't mean to raise her voice at him. She was just so frustrated and he was getting on her nerves. He deserved it though. "Listen, I'm sorry for speaking up like that. Thank yo-" Jesse walked away before she could finish her sentence.

She stood in place, watching him retreat to the other side of the club. He dove into his role as a worker once again and Victoria assumed he forgot about her.

Deja vu.

She turned around and headed in the direction Jesse gave her. With her head held down to avoid the piercing stares of the workers, Victoria scurried into the 'employees only' section of the club. Little did she know Jesse was watching her leave, interest bubbling in his veins about the spunky girl who was quick to apologize. He would certainly remember her now.

•••••

Heyo everyone!

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas? If so, what's your Christmas list like? If not, what do you celebrate?