|FEW DAYS LATER|

~EVENING~

MARIANA

We are finally done with our exams, and I am so excited. Tomorrow, the twenty students who won the scholarships will be announced, and I can’t wait to find out who made it.

I came home from school an hour ago, took care of the necessary things, and then got dressed for work. Mom was taking a nap, and Brianna was still at work. I left a short note on Mom’s bedside table to let her know I’d gone to work, so she wouldn’t wonder where I was when she woke up.

My workplace is about twenty minutes away, so I chose to walk rather than waste money on the bus. It also served as a bit of exercise. I arrived a few minutes later, sweating from the scorching sun outside. I flashed a smile at Rosalind, the older woman sitting behind the receptionist’s desk, and she smiled back. I went to the backroom, changed into my uniform, folded the clothes I had on, and placed them in my locker alongside my handbag before walking back out to meet Rosalind.

“Hi, Rosa, it’s been a while,” I called out, and she smiled.

“Mariana! I’ve missed you. Why didn’t you come to work these past few days?” she asked.

“We were having exams at school, and I couldn’t juggle studying with working, so I got permission from the boss to take a few days off,” I explained.

“Oh! You didn’t tell me, though. Work was boring without you,” she said.

“I would’ve told you, but you weren’t at work that day,” I replied.

“Oh, I remember now—that was my day off,” she said.

“Right!” I laughed, and we continued chatting. She asked about my exams and my family, and I was happy to share everything. We spoke for a while since the boss wasn’t around, and no customers had come in yet to interrupt.

Our conversation was interrupted when we heard the door chime. We looked toward the entrance, and my jaw dropped when I saw the person standing there. My mouth was literally hanging open. It was like an Adonis had walked in—jet-black hair, striking green eyes that reminded me of the forest. He looked as though he were posing for a photoshoot. His face seemed perfectly sculpted, as if God had spent extra time on it. I could’ve stared at him all day. And don’t even get me started on his body—I’m sure you can guess that with a face like that, his body was equally on fire.

I snapped out of my daze when I felt someone shake me.

“Mariana, close your mouth, you’re drooling,” Rosalind whispered. I quickly shut my mouth and wiped the drool from my chin, then switched into professional mode.

“Good day. How can we assist you?” I asked, offering my best professional smile.

“Keep the greetings to yourself. Are you blind? I’m holding clothes, or is this not a dry-cleaning shop?” he snapped rudely, and I was momentarily taken aback. Sure, he was hot, but his arrogance was a huge turnoff.

“Of course, this is a dry-cleaning shop. What’s wrong with your clothes?” I asked, trying hard to keep my cool.

“They’re stained. My maids washed them, but the stain is still there. I’m sure you guys can get rid of it,” he said.

“Yes, we can remove the stain. When will you be able to pick them up?” I asked.

“I don’t have time to come back for them. You’ll have to deliver them to my house.”

“We don’t do deliveries,” I protested.

“Well, you’ll have to make an exception this time,” he insisted.

“How much will it cost to clean them?” he asked, handing me the clothes. I examined the stain.

“Normally, we charge five dollars for laundry, but since we don’t know what kind of stain this is, the cost will be ten dollars,” I replied.

“Alright, here’s the money. Make sure my clothes are delivered tomorrow,” he said, handing me the cash before turning to leave.

“Hold on, mister! You didn’t give me your address. How do you expect us to deliver your clothes?” I called out.

“Oh! How stupid of me,” he muttered under his breath, but I heard him.

“Yeah, very stupid of you,” I muttered back.

“What did you say?” he asked, glancing at me. My face turned red as I realized he had heard me.

“I said, ‘So smart of you,’” I said with a forced sweet smile.

He rolled his eyes. “Do you have a piece of paper so I can write down my address?”

“No, I don’t. Rosa, can you get me a sheet of paper and a pen, please?” I asked, turning to Rosalind, who had been silent during this whole exchange.

“Oh, sure,” she said, tearing off a sheet of paper and handing it to me with a pen.

“Here you go,” I said, passing it to him. He scribbled something down, handed the paper and pen back, and I glanced at the address.

“Great. But you’ll have to pay for the transportation,” I added.

He groaned. “How much?”

“That will be twenty dollars,” I replied.

He pulled out the money without hesitation and shoved it into my hand. “Take this. And make sure you don’t ruin my clothes. If anything happens to them, I’ll sue.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll have your clothes delivered tomorrow,” I assured him.

“I’m serious. Those clothes could buy your entire generation. Ruin them, and you’ll regret it,” he warned before turning and storming out.

“Phew! That was one rude customer,” I exhaled after the door shut behind him.

“Yeah, he’s cute and all, but his personality is awful,” Rosalind finally spoke up.

“That’s right. Why didn’t you say anything, though?”

“I was enjoying the show you two were putting on. It was entertaining,” she said, laughing.

“I couldn’t just let him walk all over me like that.”

“That’s my girl!” she squealed, and we both laughed.

“I’d better go start washing his clothes.”

“Yeah, and be careful. He sounded serious about that threat,” Rosalind warned.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be extra careful with them,” I assured her. She nodded, and I walked toward the laundry room to start on the clothes.