Little Things (Second Chances 1)

I smile optimistically, “More customers mean more tips, so I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, not unless all of them are complete dicks. I’ve had three tables give me lame ass tips today and I’m fuckin’ pissed.”

I walk up to Layla and bump into her shoulder, “Hey, don’t worry. You’ll get a good table. Come on, break’s over for you.”

She groans and slumps hers shoulders, “Do I have to?”

I pull her out of the lounge and into the dining area where I swipe my card through the kiosk to clock in for the night. A few minutes later, I see the hostess seat a party of three at one of my tables.

Layla peeks over at me, “You’ve got customers. Knock ‘em dead.”

I stroll up to the table and see that Derrick is seated there along with two friends.

He notices my approach and exclaims, “Oh, hi, Raya. I didn’t know you worked here.”

I smile at the Derrick and his buddies, “Hi, Derrick. Yup, been here almost a year now.”

His brow curls, “Huh? I’ve never seen you here before. I guess we’ve always missed each other.”

I chuckle, “Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Derrick smile radiates and he introduces me to his friends, Tony and Peter. We all make our acquaintance and I take their drink orders.

As I head to the bar to get their drinks, Layla sneaks up behind me.

“So, who is that?”

Her face says it all…she’s onto something. I shake my head, “Don’t start, Layla.”

She huffs, “Raya, come on! He’s a total hottie! And he’s totally into you. How do you know him?”

“He’s my kickboxing instructor, Derrick.”

She fans herself softly, “Whew! Sign me up for the next class.”

I shake my head and laugh quietly. “I’ve already asked you to come multiple times and you always blew me off.”

“Yeah, well you didn’t tell me the instructor was a fox!”

She ponders for a few seconds and gasps, “You’ve been hiding him from me, haven’t you?”

“Layla, I’m not hiding anyone. Stop being delusional. We barely talk in class anyway. All we do is kickbox.”

She looks at the table behind us, “He’s staring at you right now.”

I resist the urge to look behind me. “Okay, fine. Yes, he’s gorgeous, but I’m not interested.”

She wines, “Why not? Raya, I’ve known you since you arrived and you haven’t dated anyone. What happened back home in New York? You can tell me. You know that, right?”

The bartender hands me the prepared drinks and I place them on the serving tray.

“Layla, I’m not interested. Derrick is just a friend, that’s all. Please drop it.”

I see a frown plaster across her face as I walk away and make my way toward Derrick and his friends.

As I place the drinks on the table, Tony asks “So, how do you know Derrick?”

Taking my pen and pad out, I reply, “Oh, he’s the instructor for my kickboxing class.”