Chapter 3 "stole a kiss"

The first touch of his lips was so slow and drugging, Annie reacted immediately. Then the bite of his teeth against against her lips made her felt as if butterflies were singing in her tummy. She couldn't help but held tightly unto the mysterious handsome man that suddenly appeared in her world. 

She swallowed down salivatingly. His kiss turned completely fierce as the last whom she guess was his date approached them.

"Travis!! " Bridget shouted, almost close to tears but Travis just couldn't stop kissing Annie, he ignored the presence of Bridget. When she couldn't take it anymore, she walked away angrily and in tears.

The moment the Bridget was out of sight, Travis unlocked from the kiss and pushed Annie away like she were some piece of trash. He dipped his left hand into his pocket and brought out a handkerchief which he used in cleaning his bottom lips. 

"Get lost!!" He glared coldly at Annie.

Annie was surprised. He kissed her and now he is acting as if nothing happened. Annie found her words superfluous.

She just don't know what to say. All she could do was to stand with her mouth widely opened.

Travis scoffed, displaying his perfect and well clenched jaws. Annie would swear she had never seen a man as handsome as this in her life.

Who he was and where he came from became questions in her cerebrum.

"Look here, I'm sure you must be imaging some nonsense in your head. Don't think too much, crumb" Travis sneered at Annie who continued staring at him unbelievably.

"Crumb?? Is that suppose to be a name." She finally found her voice.

Travis scoffed. The thought of her speaking back to him made him scoffed. He would forgive her maybe because she doesn't know who he is because if she knew, she wouldn't have spoken back to him. No one does. 

"I just saved your ass and all you could do is to call me some worthless type of name" Annie bursted out.

"What should I call you then? Maybe honey? Or perhaps my love?. In your dreams crumbs" Travis snorted and at that point, Annie found him annoying and ungrateful. He even walked out of her.

"Such arrogance!!"

Annie turned slightly and saw eleven bodyguards rushing behind him. She narrowed her eyes. A middle aged man rushed to open the door of an Audi SR8 car. He was escorted by six cars just because he is coming to a restaurant.

"Hmmm"Annie scoffed wishing she could squeeze the life out of Travis. Her thoughts was distracted by her ringing phone and she quickly dipped her hand inside her pocket to bring it out. It was a call from home.

"Hello grandma!!"

"Hello!!! What!!!"

"I will be right there but I need to finish work first grandma."

"You have fever? Hospital? Grandma"

The line went off. Annie needed no soothsayer to tell her that all is not well at home. She ran her fingers into her already messy hair before rushing into the restaurant, straight into the changing room.

Not quite long after she got in, the manager came looking for her.

"Annie!!" He shouted her name, disappointedly.

"I'm sorry sir but I need to go home now. I wouldn't ask for the day off if it wasn't urgent sir" she replied.

"Will you shut up! You this slimming gold digging whore" he shouted at her.

Annie broke into tears immediately because of what the manager called her.

"What!!!" She broke into more tears. Her eyes shut, making her long lashes flapped to bring out tears. She looks even more beautiful in her terrible state.

"You are always late for work and you look untidy. There are other few things that bothers me. For example you kissed a customer, and now your grandma is sick " he lashed at her.

In tears, Annie opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry but I think this is unfair. Do I kiss the customers everyday? How many times has that happened? Have I ever dressed unworthy or like a prostitute to work? Have I......have I...." Annie's voice broke.

"I've heard enough excuses. I'm losing patience. Do you realize who the man you kissed was? Do you want to give this restaurant a bad name? Look here, have worked hard enough in other to bring this restaurant so high and I won't let a riff raff like you to bring it down"

Annie was irritated. All her life, she has never been shouted at. She might have a poor background but she also receives princess treatment. She is like an egg in her grandma eyes and her brother would go to any extent to ensure she keeps an happy face.

"What type of injustice is this sir? The customer kissed me and you saw it yourself. My grandma is very sick and that's why I'm taking the day off" Annie replied.

"You are always making trouble and I've heard enough. Pack your things and leave. Your service if not needed here anymore." Annie knew he was gonna say that and immediately he did, she flared at him...

"What!!! This is unbelievable"

"You heard me right! Pack your things and leave!" The manager repeated again.

"With the greatest pleasure!!" Annie shouted at him. She took off her apron angrily and threw it at him.

"Get out or I will call the police" he threatened.

"Call them! Then I can lay charges as well" Annie replied.

Hannah rushed in, she held Annie, telling her not to shout back at the manager.

"How can I calm down? You should have heard what he said about me. Hannah he called me a whore" Annie bursted.

"Just get out of this premises before the polices arrive" he threatened.

"I can't wait to leave" she shouted back.

"Animal" she sheathed after he had left. She was really devastated.

"Calm down Annie. How did it happened exactly? Did you really kissed the almighty Travis Santiago?" Hannah asked her friend who was burning in visible rage.

"I didn't! I didn't! He was the one. He kissed me!" Annie burst into tears.

This is the only job providing food for her and her grandmother and now she lost it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

"Oh God, why I'm I so unlucky? Why do I always find myself in unlucky situations?" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she walked down the lonely street Not only did she got fired, the manager refused to pay her salary. There is no food at home, the only forty dollars she has in her pocket was what she used to buy her grandmother's drug and she had also bought some rice dumplings for her to eat.

"Does Simeon realize what he is doing to his grandmother? Why can't he just come home and settle down? Where has he been? What type of life is this?" Annie heard her grandmother's weeping from the door.

She sighed and entered.

"Annie you are back?" Her grandmother said while wiping her tears.

Annie faked her smile and squated beside her grandmother's bed.

"You look really stressed, honey? Is everything fine?" Her grandmother asked.

"Everything will be fine if you eat your food and take your medicine. I'm very sure Simeon is fine. You need to eat up and take your pills" Annie bite her lower lip.

"Are you sure all is well?" Her grandmother asked.

Annie nodded while fiddling with her fingers. She doesn't hide things from her grandmother but then, she can't let her know she lost her job.

"Everything is fine, mama. I just had a bad day at work. Everything is fine, absolutely" Annie faked a smile but her granny's expression isn't going to buy that.

"What's the bad day about? Tell me, my daughter" she pressed further.

"I will tell you mama only when you eat and take your pills. I'm coming I need to get some rest" Annie rushed words. She entered her room and burried her face into her pillow, allowing the pillow only to listen to her silent weep.

She suddenly felt like everything is over for her. The thought of the landlord coming to knock at their door again tomorrow made more fresh tears fall off her eyes..