Chapter 10

Both hearts beat strongly. Samanta couldn't help blushing and Dominik noticed, which put a big smile upon his face.

“It's you” he mumbled and shook his head strongly. “Do you work here?”

The girl nodded.

Dominik came up to the bar again and looked both ways, luckily there were no other costumers waiting in line.

“Don't worry” she said. “I won't walk into you gain, don't be scared” she broke a smirk. “Sorry about yesterday, I really am” Sam stuttered the words out.

“No. Don't even mention it. I was distracted. I didn't even see you” He shrugged. “I was…” Dominik held himself when he noticed was he was about to say.

«I was looking for you? Really, Dominik? Could you try not to sound like a total stalker?». His conscience snapped.

Samanta frowned noticing this man across the bar from her was doing all these weird gestures.

»Uhmmm, I…” he mumbled.

“SAMMY!”

A voice made Sam turn away suddenly in the opposite direction. She could see her boss on the other side of the store grimacing at her.

“I need a hand” said Gordon.

Samanta turned to Dominik and smiled.

“Sammy?” Dom repeated the name and could not keep himself from smiling idiotically.

“Samanta. My friends call me Sam, but my boss here calls me Sammy when he's…” she turned around and looked back at Gordon, who was holding a bunch of boxes in his arms, “stressing out” she added.

“Samanta is a very beautiful name” Dominik whispered.

“I have to…” she pointed behind her.

“Yes, of course. Go, I was just leaving, I only came here to …” he shut himself up to think about his next words. Tell her he came all the way here looking for her? Sounds a lot like a stalker, so he just lied, “meet a friend of mine.”

Sam felt kind of disappointed but she didn't let it show. It was only a matter of seconds but she had already made up a whole soap opera

in her mind. Imagining him coming only to find her. The knight in shining armor who comes looking for the damsel, both victims of destiny.

«Give her the iPod». Commanded the voice in his head.

He shuffled his pocket and took the device. However, something kept him from giving it back to its owner. It was as if in doing so, he was giving up all his chances of ever seeing her again, forcing him to never seeing her again and he did not want to say goodbye. Keeping her iPod was the perfect excuse to go find her once again. He wanted to see her again, talk to her … to get to know her.

Samanta nodded, shook her hand and made a funny gesture, stepping away to help her boss. Dominik turned around and walked away, wishing he could stay, but he had to rush back or he would be late for practice.

***

At about noon, Carlos joined the working day. He greeted his friend and carried on into the coffee shop, since Samanta was finishing fixing up some things behind the counter, he would help the boss organize the product that came in the morning.

Gordon Harris was 32 years of age, one of the youngest managers in the Starbucks franchise. He was very well prepared on Management from the University of Utah's Business School. Although his objective was to manage a branch of a very famous restaurant, Starbucks was his very first job in LA, where he served coffee, tea and shakes for almost four months. It took him a very short time to climb up the corporate ladder and become Staff Manager. He was the one to interview Sam and Carlos the day they both decided to apply for service posts. Two months later, Donald Ramsey, the manager in charge of the store was laid off, after they proved he was lying on his accountancy reports in order to steal a few thousands of dollars. The vacancy was filled by Gordon, by orders of the directive board.

Harris was an amazing boss, understanding and considerate with his staff, always willing to help. He did not act as a boss, but as a friend, one of those who have a voice of command and are born leaders, always remaining friendly. Samanta and Carlos adored him, thus, they were always trying to help him just as much, Gordon deserved the reciprocity he showed his staff all the time.

Sam had to have lunch on her own at one of the tables near the store since her friend had just started his shift. That day was an exception, both of them worked the same hours, but she had had to get an early leave to render her SAT's the day before, she had agreed with Gordon to make up for lost time the day after.

She ate as calmly as she could, she wasn't like any other girl who, during lunch time ate in 10 minutes and then went around the airport the other 50 minutes to check the handsome tourists come and go, like Megan and Stacy did, two other girls who worked the same shift as Carlos and Sam, but only Friday to Sunday. They were really petty and Samanta was about to tear out their eyes a couple of times.

The rest of the day was quite boring.

«His face, his smile…».

Samanta could not believe she was spending all this time thinking of somebody who she had only met twice.

“Dominik” she muttered the name and smiled to herself. “D-O-M-I-N-I-K” she spelled it out, making fun of the odious way he had done so himself that morning, just so she wouldn't mess it up when she wrote it down. “But he's so cute” she carried on.

“Speaking to yourself?” Carlos' voice startled her.

“My! I finally get to see you today” she commented as a joke, since he had been in the storage room with Gordon from the moment he arrived, organizing new merchandise.

“Let's head out for our breaks” he suggested, offering his hand out to her. Sam held it and they both went out the back door.

They sat on a pair of crates. Carlos pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Took a huff and passed it on to his friend.

“How was the morning?” he asked.

“Pretty average, although …” Sam blew the smoke out, “remember the guy I told you about? The one I ran into yesterday?”

“Yeah. What about him?” Carlos took the cigarette back from his friend and took a long huff.

“I served him a Frappuccino this morning.”

—What? What are you saying? How did he know where you work?” Carlos had his eyes open wide in awe.

“He didn't. Actually, I had to do something for him to notice me” Samanta shrugged.

“Oh my God! What did you do?” Carlos looked at her, frowning.”

“I wrote a note on his cup.”

Carlos kept smoking his cigarette and blew harshly.

“What the heck did you write?”

“Ran into somebody today, yet? You know, referring back to yesterday.”

“What did he do?”

“He turned around, looked at me and smiled. A charming smile, by the way…”

“Stop! I don't want those details” Carlos cut her off.

Truth was, Carlos had been getting a strange feeling towards his friend, whom he only saw as just a friend, at first. He didn't understand what in the world was going on with him, maybe Samanta was starting to act like a real woman and not the silly little girl who did everything Alan O’Conell, (her stupid ex-boyfriend), ordered. He felt relieved to remember his friend got rid of that pest who brought nothing good to her life. He had drug and anger issues, but, guess what?, he played in a rock band, and the ladies deemed him irresistible for that. Apart from being a senior, in a time when Samanta was only a sophomore. There was nothing more exciting for a sophomore girl than dating one of the most popular guys in school.

“I noticed something unsettling about him” Sam's voice brought him back to the present. Carlos shook his head hard and focused on the current talk.

“What was it?”

“He seemed to be hiding, he was wearing shades and a hoodie. It seemed as though he was trying to go incognito?”

“That would be logical, given what you told me last night about the photographers and all … He's definitely a public figure. You really can't tell who he is?”

“No. I couldn't see him well today either. I think it's not the first time he tries to go incognito…”

“And succeeds. He left you puzzled.”

“You know what? He seemed nervous, too.”

“What I don't understand is what was he doing there?”

“He said he was meeting a friend.

“It all seems very weird to me. If I were you, I'd keep my eyes peeled. He could be one of those weirdo stalkers who end up killing the women they stalk.”

They both laughed.

“Guys” Gordon's voice from the door made them turn around. “The store got crowded, could you give me a hand? Megan and Stacy are over loaded. You can come back to your break when it all settles back down.

Carlos and Samanta looked at each other and smiled. Of course they would help Gordon, it was the least they could do for him.