A week had passed, and everything seemed normal with Sam's usual boring routine, except going to the bar had been a lot more annoying now. Sky kept asking about Christine, but she hadn't been to the cafe since then. Well, judging from how she had reacted, it was no surprise.

She cleaned the counter again to confirm that there weren't any spills of alcohol. Sky had been serving at tables since he was better than her at handling people. It was busy at the bar today, and luckily Sky hadn't gotten a chance to speak with her. 

"Finally," Sky let out an exaggerated sigh. "I thought I would die," He said, sitting on the stool across the counter where Sam stood. 

Their conversations had become even less awkward since that day, and they tended to talk about different things. Not that Sam had much to say, but Sky didn't bother much.

"You have a shift at the cafe tomorrow right?" Sky asked. He was swaying from left to right on the stool he sat on. 

Here it comes again. Sam rolled her eyes, exhausted from hearing questions about the cafe or Christine or anything else. She just wanted to do her job. "Why does it matter? And stop doing that," she said with a slightly irritated reaction which was back to normal in a few seconds.

Sky pouted, stopping his motion and resting himself over the counter. "You're no fun. Well, it matters cause Chris might be there".

Sam couldn't seem to ignore how Sky was already referring to Christine as 'Chris' as if he knew her so well, but it didn't annoy her as much as she thought it would.

"It's Christine," Sam said with another eye roll. "Plus, her being there is none of my concern." she moved sideways to pass the ordered drinks to Freddie, another bartender.

"If it's not your concern, why do you even care how I call her?" 

Sam paused. She hadn't even thought of it. She had always used 'Christine' that Sky using Chris sounded too casual. But why the hell would something like that bother her? Not like she even wanted to see Christine again. Or did she?

"Whatever," she said, wiping the already clean counter. Talking to Sky more than usual affected her in more ways than one, but she couldn't resent it. 

Sky only smirked and was back to his usual job of serving tables. They had always switched roles with the counter and serving, but after smashing someone in the head and stabbing another with a perfectly unbroken plate, they had to stick to this method. Luckily she didn't lose her job. She also preferred it that way; people only irritated her.

The cafe, however, was different. It was easy to pretend that everyone wasn't as messed up- as well as herself. Sam took that resolve with her every morning when she walked the street filled with people set about their business just like she was now doing.

Her face reverberated gloom despite the bright sunny morning. She didn't get enough rest after her night shift, especially when Sky asked to sleep at her apartment till 8 am claiming he was too tired to do anything but kept her up for an hour chatting about some guy at the pub before he rudely fell asleep as if on drugs. 

Walking into the cafe, she sighed heavily, pasting her work smile while greeting the other workers. Not long after, the coffee house was ready to receive customers, and just like that, her busy day began.

Sam couldn't deduce whether her luck had plummeted to rock bottom specifically based on the recent happenings or if this person was just a klutz. Christine stood speechless with wide eyes staring at her. 

It took all she had to refrain from bursting at Christine, who had bumped into her just a moment ago. Hot coffee spilled over the apron she wore, and her hands burned through her skin. Broken pieces of the cup shattered all over the place.

"I- I'm so-" Christine tried apologizing, but Sam left without a word.

Sam was back anyways with a mop and a broom in one hand and a bucket in the other, wanting to clean up the floor, but Christine was still standing there like she was rooted to that spot which only angered her further.

"Do you mind?" She said, dropping the bucket with a loud thud, not minding the customers that stared at both of them from their tables.

"S- Sorry." Christine looked like a bucket of ice was launched at her as she scampered away from the spot. She stood not too far away, watching and waiting until Sam completed the floor, but Sam didn't care. She picked up the bucket and didn't take another glance at Christine.

"Excuse me." Christine's voice was slow and quiet. "Uhmm, Excuse me." Her voice was a lot louder, but she received no reply. "Excu-"

"What the fuck!" Sam snapped. Her voice almost echoed but was drowned by the noise from the cafe, and she looked enraged. "What exactly is your problem?" She had been brewing a cup of coffee, and luckily it was in a plastic takeaway cup because that, too, had landed right on the unsullied counter that she hurriedly cleaned with a napkin.

If Christine had looked battered before, she was downtrodden now. "I'm sorry about everything. I- I got ointment for your burn." She said, handing out a tiny white tube.

Sam looked down at her hand, which was slightly swollen, she hadn't felt it much, and she didn't care how it looked. Frustratingly she agreed to take the tube so she could be left alone, but Christine withdrew it, confusing Sam.

"Can I apply it for you?" Christine requested. 

How annoying. Sam thought. Too exhausted for a reply, she stretched out her arm in front of Christine, who looked immensely relieved. 

"Let's talk later at the tea shop," Sam said, commencing her service, disregarding the intrusive image of Sky that continuously bugged her, and leaving an ignored but excited Christine as if she were never there.