The Application

Ella

My alarm goes off, and I open my eyes to see that it's 4 in the morning, and I just lay in my bed staring at the ceiling. I had flashbacks to when I met the man who changed everything a few years ago. Three years ago, I met a man named Jakob, and he tried his best to ruin me. I was the only woman at his company who wasn't afraid of him. I am hiding in Arizona in a cheap one-bedroom apartment, trying my best not to jump on his radar. Finally, I had to leave because he was obsessed and possessive. I was only his employee, and he didn't want to keep it that way.I sit up on my bed and look in my mirror. I stared at my long flowy, brown curly hair, I need a haircut soon, but I love this length, and then I stared at my skin.

My mocha skin looks excellent, but I am having an acne breakout, so I grab all my clothes to get ready for work at the diner. I set the shower water to the warmest setting I could. My bathroom is the essential toilet, shower/tub mix with the one sink that's big enough to hold my makeup and my toothbrush.

I stepped out of the shower, brushed my long hair, and pinned a high bun. I go into my room and get dressed in my diner uniform. I head to my kitchen, make myself a cup of coffee, and look at my calendar to see how many days I work this week. It's mid-June, and this is the busy season for the diner since it's a tourist attraction. The restaurant itself shows the prettiest view of the desert. I sighed, thinking to myself, how will I face the day? I've always faked a smile to get through the day with the customers, but I hope to hear about my application today. I applied to be the assistant of the most prominent CEO, Nikolas Zuk. He is the CEO of Arizona's most significant business, and I hope to get the interview. His gray eyes are almost as mesmerizing as they are scary. The man is a genius in business, and I am always interested in learning more.

I grab my car keys and walk out, locking the door. I head to my car and head to work; my car is an old 2009 Honda civic. The one thing I hate about this job is the commute. Then the traffic sucks. also, it's as if nobody knows how to drive at 5 in the morning, and I have to be there early to open and clean up before guests arrive. After what felt like hours of traffic, I finally made it to work, and I unlocked the diner doors and headed in; I had to get everything set up; I like doing it myself because it's faster for me. Also, my co-workers are older than me, and I make their job easier. Besides, the cook arrives around 7 to set up the kitchen and prep for meals.

The chef arrived at seven and set up his kitchen; he started singing this song nobody knows the words to purely because he sings opera for some reason. He just sings it because it reminds him of his late wife. He talks about her a lot, but it always makes him sad. He looks like he is on the brink of tears if she is mentioned or talks about her too long. The wound must still be fresh. His only family was her, and I can understand him on that. I've always been alone, my father died when I was three, and my mother gave me up to foster care when I was four, so I understand being alone. I aged out of the system before a family could adopt me, but I always had foster homes, and I used to bounce from one house to another. The last house that fostered me was great, but they didn't think I was a great fit, and I understood that. I didn't really uphold their values.

The family was great, and when they took me back to the foster home, they said I could always reach out to them whenever I needed something. So I don't call ever but to check on them, and I genuinely love them. They are amazing people who still treat me like family or at least a family friend, and I don't mind. If they did adopt me, I would not be in the position I am. I wouldn't be on the run from a man who terrifies me. Instead, I would be with a family who loves me, and I would be dating someone kind and pleasant. I shake my head, look out the door and smile. I open the door for the first wave of customers and greet them. Some customers wait to be seated, some I try to place in booths, and some couples I set at tables unless they ask. I try to find them the best seat and am really good at it. By the time the lunch rush hits, the diner is packed, and nothing is slowing it down until I look at someone who took my breath away.

With his face, I would know he is anywhere, and he is on billboards everywhere. The man I saw was Nikolas Zuk. Our eyes met, and he smiled at me; something about his gray eyes gave me butterflies in my stomach, and that had never happened to me. I go up to you, " where can I sit you, sir?" and try not to look into his eyes. He looks at me and smirks " far corner booth would work, darling." He has this accent I can't place; his from Australia or the UK. Now that I think about it, nobody knows where he is from, and every news outlet that has interviewed him doesn't have an answer, but his accent sounds so delicious.

I seat him in the far corner, which is my section. I smile and hand him the menu " what can I get you to drink, sir?" he smiles when I call him sir; something about it makes those gray eyes come to life. " Darling, I will have some tea," he said with a smile; I headed to make him tea and brought it back to him with a smile. I saw him look at my name tag, and he smiled deviously. The look made me shutter. " Tell me, Ella, what's your last name?" I looked at him, confused; what type of man is this straightforward with someone he doesn't know. " My last name is Jaxson," I said with a smile, wondering why this man was even taking an interest in me. I go to another table and take care of those customers. I looked back at the booth he sat at, and he was gone, but there was a tip; it was the biggest tip I've ever gotten; he left a hundred-dollar bill. Nikolas is a man that many admire, but he also has his enemies. Nevertheless, he earned a new admirer.