I Unintentionally Became Her Kitten

Chapter 112: Goodbye Charlotte.

I entered Starmaids with my apron neatly folded into a rectangle and the folded resignation letter sitting on top. Lili was behind me, being my shadow while Matteo was lurking more intimidatingly outside. 

Alex was behind the counter, silently working at some invisible stains. It was a relief to see them functioning, exhausted of course, they had dark circles under their eyes and their mask was still on today, but they were functioning in at least a crude sense of the word.

Charlotte of course glared at me. I had been scheduled for an opening shift today, but had no intention of dealing with the drama anymore.

“You're not in dress code,” she stated calmly as I got up to the counter.

I held out the apron to her.

“I'm resigning effective immediately,” I stated plainly. “This is my written notice.”

She stared at the apron like it was from another planet, then reached over the counter to take it.

“Hope that girlfriend of yours knows what she's teaching you,” Charlotte said. “Most businesses won't tolerate your behavior.”

“And her businesses wouldn't tolerate yours,” I stated. Then I shouldered my purse a little more securely. “Goodbye Charlotte,” I said and turned away, leaving her a little stricken.

And then she was hurriedly opening up my resignation letter and reading it over. I heard her trying to poke fun at it when I reached the door, but no one was laughing. 

Outside I took a steadying breath as Lili and now Matteo lurked a little closer. I stared intently at the trees along the median outside, saw the leaves shimmering in the wind as my brain processed.

Had I really just said that? With that much conviction? That wasn’t like me. I was too timid to do something like that.

The door to the Starmaids opened and shut loudly and I looked up, getting ready to step out of the way of whoever was so busy.

It was Alex, looking a bit flustered and definitely nervous, casting their eyes downward, notably away from Matteo, who loomed just a little larger at their presence close to me.

“What’s up?” I asked them. 

“You’re really okay?” they asked. It looked like Charlotte had tried to stop them, still half poised to deliver a scathing remark. She’d been left with no one to hear it.

“I’m fine,” I reassured. “Safe.” I was subtly aware that at the moment I had two bodyguards… or one and a half. Not even Alisha typically employed that amount of muscle around herself.

Alex nodded as I started to dig into my purse to pull my phone out.

“Take my number,” I told them. “In case anything happens or you want to talk or whatever.” I held the screen up on the info screen.

They hesitated, not sure if they should take it but in the end pulled their phone out and copied the number into their contacts.

With that, I gave them a nod, didn't ask for their number in return.

“Take care of yourself Alex,” I told them.

“You too,” they said, still a bit shocked. Then they laughed just a little. “I came out here to tell you I think you're the only person that took the time to return their apron. Ever.”

“I didn't need it anymore,” I said.

“Still,” there was amusement in their face despite the circumstances.

And then we parted with a final goodbye nod.

Lili got the rear door of Matteo’s car for me and I folded into it. Alex went back inside. My door was shut for me, and Matteo got in the driver’s seat. Then, we were gone. I never saw Charlotte again, and that was okay. 

I didn’t need her petty toxicity in my life. 

Alisha was out late. Meetings again. I made more shortbread cookies, experimenting with adding matcha to the mix, and watching the earthy green colored dough mix around the mixer bowl. I baked a few, tried one, found it yummy but the matcha flavor was weak and it had made the end result brittle. I waited more, scrolling on my phone, Matteo and Lili’s voices were low in the other room.

I woke later on, my head nested on top of my forearms on the table, phone dark and sitting in front of me, obviously dropped at some point. 

Alisha had opened the door, the familiar sound of her getting settled reaching me. I rubbed my eyes, and got to my feet, feeling bleary and disoriented. It was dark out, which only added to the confusion.

When she saw me, Alisha softened and held out a hand I gravitated to and pushed my face against. There was the fatigued expression behind her eyes that told me she’d had more than enough of the business’s drama.

I hugged her and held her too long to be just friendly. And then she relaxed a little with a release of breath.

“You’re such a precious sweet thing,” she said affectionately.

“I’m your thing,” I teased and went on my tiptoes to kiss her cheek.

“How was Charlotte?” she asked.

“I didn’t let her give me any crap. She tried to tell me I was terrible but… you know. I didn’t drag myself off the streets just to get bullied at a dead end job.”

She soothed my hair back. “Good,” she told me. She walked a few steps deeper into the house before Matteo and Lili appeared

“You can go home for the night,” she informed them.

Matteo wordlessly nodded and approached the door, glancing back only to make sure Lili was following. 

Once they were gone, Alisha slumped just a little more.

“It was a bad day?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

She nodded. “The Costellos smelled weakness,” she explained. “And tried to take some territory on the northeastern side.”

I waited for her to continue, sensing something as minor as a brief skirmish wouldn’t give her the languidness she was dealing with.

“I lost a few men,” she finished.

She started to pull herself to the bedroom, pulling off her heels at the base of the stairs before going up them. I debated following, but decided to stay down here and went in the kitchen, clearing away a couple baking dishes before getting out a couple bowls and putting the greens in them, then the cranberries, blue cheese and walnuts, and finally a few apple slices each, adding a little more fruity brightness to the already intense flavor profile.

Alisha returned a bit later, still exhausted, but she took a bowl from me gratefully and we sat at the table together.

She munched on greens, still a bit distant.

“Would you like a bath tonight?” I asked.

She didn’t answer right away, only zoning back in several seconds later with a, “hm?”

“Would you like a bath?” I repeated. “I can get the water started for you.”

She shook her head, and patted mine, again affectionately. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “I think I just need some sleep.”

I nodded.

Then her phone rang and I saw the deep inhale of breath, then the exhale and then she finally answered, standing to go and stare out one of the windows longingly.

She didn’t say much. Mainly, “that’s not acceptable,” and “if it happens again, you’re declaring war.”

When she hung up, there was still a great deal of tension in her body. She came back to the table, gently pulling her chair out and sitting like she was expecting her phone to ring again at any moment. I put a hand on her leg, leaning a bit closer, though the table and chair situation made it difficult to be too cuddly with her. 

“It never stops does it?” I asked.

“No. And it never will,” she confirmed.