Breaking Free 4

The back of Emma's neck prickled, she was being observed once again. She knew who it was before she even turned around. Sure enough, her shift manager, Liam, was staring at her. It wasn't a leering gaze however, not one that frightened her or grossed her out. Was it curiosity? She never could quite put her finger on it. Normally, she just smiled and continued on, but today the need to know burned within her.

"What?" Emma asked with a small laugh, her cheeks pinkening as she confronted him, not used to being so forward.

Liam was leaning against the counter smiling back at her, all dimples and dark spiky hair, looking sexy as sin. He shrugged and pushed away from the counter, the muscles in his arms tightening with the effort. He grabbed a rag and busied himself with cleaning the counter, glancing up at her from time to time. Emma sucked her lower lip in and ran her teeth across the smooth skin, the flavor of vanilla chapstick hitting her tongue. She wasn't ready to let it go so easily.

"No seriously. Do I have something on my face? In my teeth?" She prodded as she moved towards the counter. The place was absolutely dead besides Liam, her and some new dishwasher in the back.

His responding laugh was rich and warm, the sound making her smile involuntarily as he locked his soft green eyes on her deep blue ones. "No. You don't."

"Then what is it? Why do you keep staring at me?"

"I wasn't staring..." Liam let out a small exasperated sigh and shook his head, a small smile turning up the one side of his mouth like he harbored a secret.

"Yes you were." She pressed on, intrigued by his responses. "Don't give me that."

He turned away and shrugged, avoiding her gaze entirely. As he reached over to refill the peppermint bowl, his long sleeve lifted slightly, revealing an intricate tribal tattoo in black ink. Liam turned back to her with an intensity that made her freeze. He licked his lips and narrowed his eyes, his brows lowering with whatever he was wrestling with.

He shook his head and smiled, giving in. "Okay, this is kind of embarrassing, but do you want to hang out this weekend?"

A slow smile spread across her face, her eyes lighting up in amusement as she teased him. "Like a date?"

"Well, uh, no. You have a boyfriend or something right?" Liam's cheeks turned pink at her assumption.

"Yes. I do." Emma's smile faltered slightly with the admission, her eyes flickering with a deep sadness that didn't make sense to him.

Liam's eyebrows raised a bit, but he didn't comment on her expression. "I'm not very good at this. I'm sorry. I was wondering if you both wanted to hang out. I don't know if that's weird or not, but I haven't lived here long and there just hasn't been much time to go out and make friends."

"Oh!" Her eyes danced once more, this time with surprise. "Yeah sure, I'll have to ask Shane, but I'm sure we're free. He's, well, in between jobs right now." Emma cleared her throat, her gaze lowering as she brushed her amber-colored hair off of her shoulders.

"Okay, cool. Just let me know your number and we can set something up." Liam replied.

Emma could feel him observing her intently and it made her feel strangely warm. She was glad when he didn't press her for more information. His eyes pulled her, like a magnet, and she snuck a peek at him out of curiosity. Looking at him felt like too much all of a sudden and she couldn't begin to explain why her mouth went dry. She could only nod mutely and scribble her number on a scrap of paper.

His eyes twinkled, his smile contained, as he took the slip from her outstretched hand. Emma quickly dropped it before he could even grasp it, and it fluttered to the counter. She bit her lower lip and looked down at her messy handwritten note immediately after Liam did so, the strange spell broken. A blush made its way across her cheeks and settled into a dark near-magenta hue.

"Sorry. I'm so clumsy." Emma glanced away and chuckled softly, trying to laugh off her embarrassment.

"It's fine, hun. Don't worry about it. See?" He held up his phone and grinned at her. "I already put it into my phone."

"Okay." Emma's blush deepend at the term of endearment and she pressed her tongue against her teeth to stop herself from grinning like a fool.

"Crap. A bus of people just pulled in." He crossed his eyes at her and she laughed out loud. "Ready?"

Emma stuck her tongue out, the indent of his cheek dimple catching her eye when he laughed. "As I'll ever be..."

*****

"Geez. Some people are pigs." Liam stuck out his tongue and observed the messy dining room with his hands on his hips.

Emma chuckled wryly as she grabbed a busboy tub from the kitchen. "Yeah, that's for sure."

Liam reached over and took the overflowing dishes container from Emma. "Glad that was our last table. Now to clean up."

"Me too." Emma sighs in relief, bussing more tables and filling up another one of the tubs. "Hey, thanks for helping out by the way. You didn't have to."

"The motivation is completely selfish on my part." Liam said over his shoulder as he took the dishes to the back where the dishwasher was located.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she shouted after him, "Oh really?"

"Well yeah." Liam's loud reply floated to the front as he popped back into view, resuming the conversation in a normal tone. "If I help you, we'll both get out early. Then we can both get home faster. Win win right?"

"Right." Emma said, pronouncing the word in such a way that it sounded like a two syllable word. She cast her eyes downward, swiping yet more dishes into the nearly full tub she had resting on a wooden dining chair. "Totally. That makes sense."

Liam grabbed the other tub from her and offered a smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just tired," Emma responded quickly as she met his eyes, wiping the sheen of sweat from her forehead.

Liam's eyebrows knit together for a nano second and he licked his lips before speaking. "Yeah for sure, me too."

She smiled weakly, grabbing a tray from the counter and pulling out the salt, pepper and parmesan cheese containers to refill the shakers on the tables. Liam took the last tub to the back and thunked it down on the metal counter, the sound echoing in the nearly empty building. His footfalls shuffled against the faux-wood, linoleum of the floor as he made his way back up to the front.

"So," he began, clapping his hands together softly. "I'll get the back, if you get the front. Sound good? Then, if I finish before you do, I'll come help you and vice versa."

"Okay. Sounds good." Emma nodded and smiled over at him, the beautiful sight leaving him momentarily stunned.

Liam cleared his throat, his eyes shifting away. "Cool cool. Well, i'll be in the back if you need me." And with that he strode quickly to the back, seemingly in a hurry to get started.

Emma popped in her earbuds and cranked up the music on her phone, tucking the device into her apron pockets. The EDM soundtrack thrumming against her eardrums, pumping energy into her veins as she began to fill the shakers. She danced as she worked, making the time pass quicker as she vacuumed, swept, wiped things down and made sure to take everything from the salad bar to the back.

She dropped off the utensils off for Liam to wash, her head bobbing in time to the beat and her lips moving as she mouthed the lyrics silently. Emma was so lost in her music, that she didn't notice right away when Liam smiled over at her as he watched her dance. As the song ended, and the silence filled her ears before the next song, her eyes flicked in his direction and he was caught. He offered an awkward wave and turned away. She couldn't help noticing how red his face and neck were in contrast to the creamy off white shade of his hoodie.

She couldn't help but smile to herself. Emma had a boyfriend, that was true, but it was complicated and frankly she was tired of all the drama with Shane. As she finished taking the salad bar cart to the walk-in at the back of the store, she thought of their argument just before she had to get ready for work. It still had her all worked up and angry. He had been yelling at her about her not keeping the house clean enough.

God knows she tried her best, but he never seemed to be satisfied with anything she did. She was beginning to think that she would never be good enough. She threw the fact that he kept quitting jobs in his face and he had just lost it, punched a new hole in their apartment wall. As if they weren't having enough trouble trying to stay afloat financially. Now she had to earn money for the wall as well.

The coolness of the walk-in and the loud rhythmic pounding of her music had her calming down within minutes. She danced as she worked, knowing that she was alone in the small enclosed space since Liam had no reason to come back here. Emma really let loose, even going so far as to sing loudly, not really caring whether it was soundproof or not. She dropped one of the lids in her haste to get the food containers filled and covered.

"Shit," she muttered as she quickly squatted down to get the lid.

It rolled under a rack holding dough that was proofing and she was soon on her hands and knees trying to retrieve it. She had her arm shoved all the way under the pizza dough rack when she felt the cold air rush away from her quickly as the walk-in door opened. She froze for a second, her hand resting on the smooth plastic of the lid. Slowly she turned her head around to look behind her. What she saw stole her breath.

Liam was staring intently at her butt pointed up in the air, his eyebrows low and his eyes dark. Involuntarily, she gasped again as liquid heat rushed to her pussy. He bit his lip when their eyes met, locked on one another. He didn't turn away. He didn't so much as move a muscle as he continued looking at her. Her mouth gaped open as she she sat back on her legs, the clear lid in hand. He clenched his jaw and blinked hard, shaking his head just once before exiting the way he came in without so much as a word.

Emma stood up, collecting herself as she inhaled a nervous breath. When she brought her hands to her cheeks at what had just occurred, she could feel the heat from her face. She hadn't even registered that she was blushing before now. When everything was all cleaned up and ready for the next morning, Liam walked Emma out in awkward silence. Normally Shane was out there waiting to walk her home, but this time she was greeted only by the dark tendrils of twilight illuminated only by the street lamps.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Emma spoke softly, breaking the silence as she tucked her light, golden-orange hair behind her ears in habit.

He looked around and then narrowed his eyes at her, frowning, "Don't you have a ride home?"

"I don't have a car, but I only live like five blocks from here. I can walk it, no big deal. I do it all the time." Emma shrugged and shifted her eyes away, wanting to appear indifferent.

"No, no. That won't do. Let me give you a ride home," Liam offered, playing with his keys and cocking one eyebrow pointedly.

The thought of Emma being trapped in a car with Liam made her mouth go dry and her heart skip a beat, but she somehow managed to keep it together. "Uh, I like walking. So, really, it's fine. Don't worry."

"Well, how about this?" Liam inhaled deeply and paused a moment, deciding what to say as he took a step towards her, eyes locked onto hers and head tilted to the side. "How about you walk with me to the bank and then I walk you home? I worry about you getting home safely. I mean, I know you say you walk home alone frequently, but it still kind of makes me nervous."

Emma hid her small smile, but turning away from him just a smidge. "Really? Why does it make you nervous?"

Liam blinked, lifting one shoulder in a half shrug. "I'm responsible for you because I'm your shift manager." He licked his lips and stared at his keys for a moment.

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Emma chuckled dryly, her hand rubbing the back of her neck.

"Also," Liam hesitated a half second, his eyes gravitating towards hers. "If anything happened to you because I let you go home alone, I would never be able to forgive myself. Let me walk you home?"

Emma couldn't think of any reason to say no when his last line was pleading with her to say yes, his voice soft and boyish as they stood on the sidewalk. She nodded once and smiled, "Okay."

"Cool." Liam smiled broadly and gestured for her to follow him. "Just gotta drop off this deposit first, then we can walk to your house, okay?"

"Okay. Sounds good. You sure you don't mind?" Emma responded, falling into step beside him, matching him stride for stride.

"No, I don't mind at all," came Liam's reply from beside her and when she snuck a peek at him, he was looking right at her.

His dark eyes searched her face, but he said nothing as they continued to walk. The bank was just a couple of blocks from the pizza joint and they got there within minutes. Once Liam dropped the heavy bag into the after hours slot of the bank, he turned towards and wiggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.

"So, is it okay if we go across the street and get me something to drink? I'm like, really thirsty and I don't feel like going back into work and putting a nozzle on the soda fountain just to get a drink." Liam rushed out, shoving his hands into his pockets along with his keys. "I can get you something too, if you'd like."

"Yeah that's fine and that's okay. You don't have to. I brought money."

"Nonsense. You're allowing me to walk you home, at least I can buy you a drink." Liam pressed his lips together in a suppressed grin and shook his head at her with his eyes closed.

"That made absolutely no sense." Emma laughed again as he locked eyes with her. "But sure, if you insist."

"Yeah, I know it didn't. I don't know why it came out that way." Liam chuckled and they started walking to the only gas station in town, crossing main street when the crossing light showed the universal signal of a pixelated man walking. "I'm always putting my foot in my mouth, it seems."

"It's all right. I do the same thing all the time. It's like I want to say one thing, and it sounds perfectly normal in my head, but when it comes out of my mouth it's all mixed up. Like my words get lost along the way.

"Exactly. I'm glad you understand." Liam let out a relieved laugh, soft and warm as they reached the entrance to the building and walked inside.

After they grabbed their drinks and paid, they left, the door dinging as they exited the same way the entered. They talked about their favorite movies as they made their way to her apartment building. He liked mysteries and thrillers, while she was hardcore into horror, sci-fi and fantasy. While they didn't agree on movie genres, they were still able to connect on a movie about a time traveling who fell in love with the same woman over and over again throughout time. It was nice to connect to another human being without drama, she thought. So much of her life lately was filled with stress.

"Well, this is me." Emma crossed her arms over her chest, her footsteps slowing as she turned to face him. She did her best not to frown, but she was never very good at hiding her feelings.

Liam tucked the corners of his mouth in as he watched her abrupt change in mood. "You gonna be okay?" He finally asked, his stance mirroring hers.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," Emma said, looking upwards at the twinkling stars before looking back over at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yep." Liam nodded, his gaze solemn. "I'll be doing a double tomorrow."

"Me too." Emma said and shrugged. "Night."

"Goodnight, Emma."

Emma's heart lurched and her stomach dropped as she approached the door to her duplex, turning once to wave goodbye to Liam who waited patiently to make sure that she got in okay. When she turned the knob to go inside, he waved back and started down the street back to his car. Emma inhaled a deep breath before going inside, never knowing what surprise awaited her. Thankfully, he seemed like he was in a good mood by the way he smiled over at her.

"Hey, babe. I didn't realize your shift was over already. Sorry. Got caught up playing this new game I got today," Shane said, already turning his focus back to his game.

"New game?" Emma asked softly. "Where did you get the money? The only money we had was..."

Shane glanced at her quickly and averted his eyes guiltily, finally pausing his game and sighing. "Babe don't be mad, okay?"

"How could you spend the money on video games? Rent is due in a week!" Emma shouted, her face contorting into a mask of rage as she threw her hands up in the air. "What are we going to do?"

Shane brushed the messy dirty-blond hair out of his blue eyes and shrugged, avoiding her gaze completely by staring at the paused television screen. "I just figured you'd make more tips this week and we'd be okay. It's not a big deal. We'll figure something out. We always get by."

"That's just it! I'm so sick and tired of just "getting by." And FYI, it is a big deal to me. Especially when I'm the only one working!" She went into the kitchen to collect herself only to discover dirty dishes and food scattered on every surface. She closed her eyes and gripped the faux wooden countertop so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Are you fucking serious?" Plastic slammed against the ground just before Shane burst into the room with clenched fists, shaking with rage, his nostrils flaring and his eyes wild. "Why do you keep throwing that shit in my face? I told you already, my boss had it out for me. So I quit!"

"You know what? I don't want to fight with you." Emma inhaled a shaky breath as she rose up to her full height and stared him down. Somehow she kept her voice level, even though her heart was beating it's frantic warning against her ribcage. "I've been working double shifts everyday for the last couple weeks and I'll have to keep doing that until you find another job. We just need to come up with a temporary solution. Okay?"

"Okay. Let's figure this out." His eyes softened slightly when he saw the distress in her eyes and he nodded.

She smiled a little, hating the way he made her feel, but feeling so desolate and drained that she didn't know what to do about it. "Can you just help me clean up the kitchen really quick? It looks like a bomb went off in here," she tiredly, mistakenly, joked.

"You just can't quit nagging, can you?" He shouted at her, his mood switch flipped once more. "That's it! Figure it out your damn self! I'm out." He zipped up his hoodie and slammed the door behind him, leaving Emma, once again, to pick up his mess.

An hour later, she threw herself on the bed, reeking of pizza and still wearing her work clothes. Her hair cascaded over her pillow and stuck to her tear stained cheeks, adding to her frustration. As she wrapped her favorite blanket around her body, she started to drift off to sleep. She couldn't help but wonder if this was all she deserved out of life or if there was something better out there, just waiting for her.

*****

Emma groaned and reached for her phone to shut off the annoying beeping the next morning. Her hand collided with something solid and warm instead of the cold, hard dresser she was expecting. She popped one eye open, her face still half buried in a pillow and sighed.

Shane

Rolling her eyes, she reached over him and turned off the alarm, which read 4:30 a.m. As she flipped over onto her back to stare at the ceiling, she wondered how she had gotten to this point in her life. Shane hadn't exactly been quiet when he got home around midnight, stumbling inside and shutting the door just a little too hard. He had crawled into bed, trying to wake her up, whispering how sorry he was, but she pretended to be fast asleep. She was still too upset to talk to him. Even now, all she wanted to do was to get to work. It's pretty sad when your job becomes an escape from reality.