C4 You Stink

I took one deep breath as I stare at my reflection in the mirror, breathing out and reminding myself that I could do this. I can be around people

"You got this Aayla," I encouraged myself and put my poorly self-made braids is in a ponytail.

I can't remember the last time I went to get my hair done in the salon, I'm just too afraid of being around people for so long that I resorted to self-learning on how to make my hair, I've even considered shaving off my hair and getting a wig but I'm too afraid it might not fit me and my shaved head might give me more attention than I even want

I put on a pair of denim with a T-shirt from the cafe I was par timing at and reminded myself why I was doing this in the first place, was not only because Dr pepper recommended I did it but because a part of me wants to change

I want to be able to relate to people normally.

A part of me wants to be normal even though a larger part of me wants to hide in my room forever

Today I do not give in to the other part of me and picked up my phone and other necessary things, grabbed my boots then turned around to give one final look to my comfort zone

"I can do this"

As I locked the door and walk up towards the elevator, I see my neighbor coming out of his apartment, dressed like he was going for a run, he wore a grey long sleeve top that seemed too small for him, long black tights, and a short on it

I could see the outline of his body in this running wear as my eyes traces his appearances

He looks physically flawless, I've never really thought about what kind of men I'm into but there Jeffrey was looking like everything I needed.

"Good morning Aayla" he smiles at me and I'm shocked that he even still wants to talk to me after what I said to him. Usually, when I say things like that to most people they never talk to me again at least not directly, I'll often talk to me behind my back calling me all sorts of names while they avoided me like a plaque

"Hi" I replied as we walked into the elevator

"What floor?"

"The ground floor" was the last thing we said to each other as we both stayed silent inside the elevator for another minute till the door opens on the fifteenth floor causing a flock of people inside the elevator

My anxiety kicks in seeing so many people and my body starts to shake as I am pushed to the corner of the elevator. I closed my eyes tightly trying to breathe

Why are they so many people out on a Saturday? I should have used the stairs

Breath Aayla, breath

"Are you okay?"

My eyes opened at the familiar voice and I saw Jeffrey hovering above me with his hands resting on the elevator walls and his body covering me and separating me from the crowd. The is worry in his eyes and I felt a strange emotion at this moment

My heart tingles at these gestures and I am lost for words

I nodded at his question and he smiles

"It'll be over soon, do you think you can endure till it's done?"

I nodded again

How does he know I am afraid of being around people? Was it just a lucky guess and why was he helping me?

Why was he making me feel guilty?

The elevator stops on the last floor and everybody walks out of the elevator before Jeffrey stops covering me, when he saw that everyone was truly gone he walked out of the elevator without saying a word to me, I tried to run after him too – I don't know to thank him or maybe ask him why he was nice to me, but he was gone before I got out of the building

I see Jeffrey running in the opposite direction to where I was heading and I sighed before heading to the cafe

I got there by 7 AM and saw Elsa also walking towards the Cafe. I smile at my boss and she does so too.

It was weird how comfortable I felt around my boss, it felt like I've known her for a long time or maybe she was just one of the few people I felt less uncomfortable around

"Punctual as always Miss Woods"

"Aayla... Just Aayla" I correct her for the hundredth time since we've met and she nods as always although knew she would call me Miss Woods again

Jackson and Kate join us at 7:30 and we clean the place up fast as we could then opened the Cafe at Eight

The day runs by with me taking orders, trying my best to make small conversations with people, asking for their orders while Kate and Jackson made the order

I noticed that people didn't really see me at least not in the way I thought, they didn't see a girl who caused the death of her father and Landon, a girl with chaos and to them, all I was is just a waitress who served them their order

It brought some kind of comfort to me how they never looked at me twice and I was beginning to understand why my therapist recommended I did this

Well Dr. Pepper would be proud

I barely notice the time had passed so quickly until Jackson leaves around 5 pm because his wife was rushed to the hospital. Her water just broke

"New customer at table five Aayla," Kate says and I take my notepad and pen before walking there. I'm surprised to see Jeffrey sitting in the corner his eyes glued to his tablet

"Please place your orders," I tell him and he looks up at me

"You work here?" he asked truly amused

"Yes I do" I replied and he chuckles, he must find it ridiculous that someone like me who felt lightheaded from just being in the elevator with people would actually work here "Your order please sir"

"I'll just like a cup of ice Americano"

"Ice Americano in winter? "

"Winter is almost over besides I have so much heat in me I need something to cool it down"

I stare at him confused then wrote down his order, passing it to Kate. Kate also seemed shocked at the order but doesn't say anything as she made it, I gave Jeffrey what he ordered and walk to other tables. Time flies and I did not notice when Jeffrey left, I don't know why I thought he would at least say goodbye to me when he does

I drown myself back in work and it healed up the weird feeling in my chest until it was finally 8 PM

I survived the whole day

I did it

I mopped the floor with a wide smile on my face and watch Kate take her stuff then pack her hair into a ponytail.

"Bye Elsa, Bye Aayla. You did great today" Kate waved at us as she walked out of the shop. I smile at her and give a little wave.

"Miss Woods, could you please take out the trash. I know it's Jackson's job but..."

"It's okay Elsa and it's Aayla for the billionth time"

She laughs then walks into her office. I smiled then grab the two large bags and walk to the back of the shop. I shove the heavy bags into the dustbin then sigh.

"God, this is nasty" I comment turning around. My heart sinks into my stomach and I gasped shocked to see the red hair boy standing behind me.

He's dressed in the same type of way but this time he had a black hoodie on making me want to ask if hoodies were all he had.

He stood feet away from me, his hands buried in his pocket with his eyes glued on me. He doesn't say anything and just kept staring at me, a spark of anger fired from me inside.

"Hey, you" I walked up to him even if it felt like my legs were about to turn to jello "Are you stalking me?" I asked

I was scared of going too close to him but knowing that my boss Elsa was just a door away came me some sort of courage to face him

He was everywhere

The other day I saw him opposite my flat and say before them he was watching me while I was having lunch in school and now at my workplace just staring at me

"Why are you always following me?" I tense my voice trying to sound tougher, maybe I could scare him a little but I obviously failed as he walked towards me, I froze, my eyes closed as I screamed missing a step and falling into the trash behind me still waiting for him to hurt me but nothing comes

No pain

I opened my eyes and saw he had walked passed me to the exit of the Cafe, he turns around and huffs walking inside

"Oh my god "

What have I done? I should have closed the door, I ran towards the exit, running inside the cafe "Stop, what are you trying to do?" he still doesn't reply to me "Are you deaf or something?"

"No I am not" he grumbles. This is the first time I've heard his voice but it sounds familiar. Too familiar

"Then why didn't you answer me?"

"I'm not obligated to answer your silly questions," he says and walked into the resting area

"Hey stop there where do you think you're going! Hey! " I chase him into the entrance and he turns to me."You're trespassing. I could call the cops right now"

Don't show you're afraid

Don't show fear Aayla, stand your ground

"There are surveillance cameras everywhere" I gestured to the camera "You will get arrested"

"Then call them and see who gets arrested?" he mocks and I want to slap him.

Calm down Aayla, he could be dangerous

"Noah? " Someone says and I turn and see Elsa walking from her office.

"Evening Elsa," the redhead boy says

"You know him?" I asked my boss

"He's my brother" she chuckles and I'm officially embarrassed.

"You have a brother?" I sounded dumb, of course, she had a brother, what am I supposed to know about my boss when I only started working here and it's her private life but they looked too different to be siblings

Unlike Elsa's brother who had brown skin and eyes with red hair, Elsa had paler skin with long blonde hair – silver-blonde hair actually, her hair color was closer to sliver. Does the sibling have something with dying their hair?

I could never that would make me stand out more, I don't think I can do it

"I have two brothers" she laughed "Could you please get him milk tea with a lot of milk" Elsa smiles and they took a seat.

"Oh my God Aayla you're so foolish," I tell myself. I never even thought that he could be related to Elsa

I took the already made milk tea from the refrigerator and hands it to the redhead boy –Noah. That's an awfully normal name for a strange person. Noah eyes me as I placed the milk tea on his table

"Don't worry I didn't poison it" I sarcastically remarked

"I know" he smirks "You don't have the guts too"

Ugh he infuriates me

Elsa laughs "Noah, meet Aayla she works for me. Aayla, Noah" Elsa introduces and he just nods. "So what's up?"

"Something happened yesterday" Noah whispers to his sister as I walk away.

I leave the siblings alone and clear up the coffee shop; I finish mopping and was ready to go.

I pack my stuff and carry my handbag before walking to Elsa. "Uh Elsa, I'm leaving for the day" I inform my boss

"Oh okay Aayla, Noah's leaving too"

"I am?" he asks and I try not to roll my eyes

The more I stared at them, the more I am convinced Noah looked nothing like Elsa, They don't even share similar features, they don't have the same shape nose, or lips just the same color of eyes, and their personalities are just opposite.

"Noah could walk you home, he lives opposite your flat"

"I'm not walking anyone home," he says to his sister

He lives close to me? Could this be why I saw him so often? He also goes to the same university as me and we take some classes together. Maybe I was mistaken, he wasn't stalking me. It was all a coincidence

I should apologize for the wrong accusation

"C'mon Noah" Elsa presses and he stands up

"No! She stinks" he yells

What?

I watch him walk out of the shop disappearing into the busy crowd crossing.

"I'm so sorry Aayla, he didn't mean that "

He did Elsa, he did.

Whose fault was it that I fell into the smelly trash? I was here thinking of apologizing to him and he rudely said I stink?

I don't say my thoughts to Elsa, obviously, I only gave her a lazy smile and said "See you tomorrow"

Walking down to my apartment today is just different, normally I just hum songs and think of something to eat for dinner but now I want to murder Noah. I never thought I could harbor such negative energy for a person but look at me thinking of places to hide a body

What? I stink?

I scoff angrily and storm into my apartment building, I meet Jeffrey in front of the elevator with grocery in his hands and he smiles at me, and everything I had been thinking about disappeared for a second

"Hey Aayla, how was work today?"

"It was fine till some confused kid said I stink"

The elevator opens and we stepped in. I know it's wrong on my ground to tell Jeffrey how my day went when I just rejected his friendship but I just can't help it. I haven't felt so angry in a long time, Dr. Pepper helped with the anger issues and I kind of became numb.

"oh" Jeffrey replied, trying to sniff the air and I turn to him " You don't smell anything at all"

"I fell in the trash"

"I can't smell anything" he was trying had. I could tell he was and it makes me laugh to see him do so, it was just a small chuckle but I haven't chuckled in a long time

"See, you can laugh after all" he smiles and the elevator stops and we walked out towards our various apartments" I should invite you to dinner but I have a feeling you'll decline"

"Yeah" I smile and he does the same

"Good Night Aayla"

"Good night Jeffrey" and with that, I walk into my apartment with a smile on my face.