Shit.

I'm late.

No, scratch that. We're late-miserably and utterly late.

"This is fucking ridiculous," Maya grunts out through clenched teeth. "I always knew that this would happen. Goddamn old ass water heater."

"Just shut up Maya," Kay mutters, rubbing either arm applying excessive pressure. "I swear you are the most pessimistic person I've ever met."

"Both of you are getting on my last goddamn nerves," I hiss under my breath, shutting off the flat iron. "Maintenance said they can't get out here until 1:30." In case it's not obvious, we have no hot water whatsoever. The damn water heater has been threatening to go out on us for some time now. However, we weren't expecting it to happen so sudden.

"Shit," Kay cusses, applying her make-up. "That's the soonest?"

Nodding solemnly, I start applying my make-up. "So that leaves us with a dilemma. Someone has to be in here with maintenance while here."

"I'll do it," Kay offers, quickly throwing on her clothes. "But then that leaves you two without transportation-"

"And without a way to get to work," Maya finishes.

"We could take a cab, but that would be crazy expensive, especially with how bad traffic is around that time," Maya groans.

"We could just ride with you-"

"And be late for work?" Kay cuts me off, "No, it's bad enough I'm going to be late, but you two can't be late as well."

"Great, so not only are we going to miss our first class, but we're all going to be late for work," Maya smiles sarcastically. "Can this day get any worse?"

"Maybe we could ask someone to give us a ride?" I offer, pulling my hair into a high ponytail.

Maya rolls her eyes, "Everyone we know that has a car and wouldn't mind helping us is usually getting off their lunch break at that time, Aria."

A beat.

"Not everyone," Kay pipes up, a huge smile creeping up on her face.

Maya flashes her a questionable glance, "Who else....." She trails off, and a knowing smirk forms.

Darting my eyes back and forth between the two, I finally catch on to what they're thinking about. "No!"

"Why not Aria?" Kay whines, moving to stand closer to me. "He's your freaking husband for Christ sake."

"I don't know him well enough to ask for something like this," I offer lamely, regretting my sad excuse as soon as it leaves my mouth.

"Oh, but you knew him well enough to marry him?" Maya retorts, rolling her eyes. "Look Aria, it's just a ride. It's not like we're asking him for money or anything like that. We don't have much of an option right now and we're running on borrowed time right now. So," she stops and grabs my phone out of my purse and reaches it to me. "Either you call him or I will."

Fuck.

I snatch the phone from her, glancing at the time (7:25), I think of another excuse.

"He's probably still sleeping-"

"He's a professional athlete Aria," Kay interjects. "Nine times out of ten, he's getting ready to go, currently at, or finishing up at the gym." A beat. "Call him now."

I really hate these two sometimes.

"Fine," I hiss, opening up my contacts. Scrolling through the letters, I frown when I don't see his name by the C's. Maybe he put it under his last name? I continue to search, but stop when I spot a name I don't recognize.

Hubby

Smiling softly, I feel my cheeks redden, before pressing dial.

If they weren't so busy trying to finish getting ready, I'm sure Kay and Maya would be questioning my flushed face.

After the fourth ring, I decide to just hang up the phone. Pulling it away from my ear, I move my finger to press end.

"Hello?"

Shit.

He would answer the phone.

I quickly pull it back to my ear, "Colin?"

He laughs softly, "Morning Arianna."

"Did I wake you?" I ask, noticing how Maya and Kay's movement seems to have slowed. Nosy ass people.

"Naw, I just finished working out," Damn you Kaydence. "Why, what's up?"

"Umm...I was wondering if you could possibly do me a favor."

"Uhhh okay," he says unsurely. "What do you need?"

Releasing a heavy sigh, I start telling him about our predicament.

"Well our water heater broke this morning, so we have no hot water and maintenance said the soonest they can get out here is at 1:30. We finish all our classes at one, but Kay has to leave right after so she can meet the maintenance man here. Unfortunately, we have to be at work at that time, and since Kay will be taking our car, we have no way to get there. I really hate asking you this, especially since we hardly even know each other, but you're the only person we know that isn't working at that time. It's completely fine if you can't do it. I understand. Truth be told, I-"

"Okay," he cuts me off.

"What?" I question, moving the phone closer to my ear to make sure I can hear him.

"I'll do it," he replies, sounding amused. "It's really not a problem."

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I owe you one." God, I sound so pathetic.

"Hurry up Aria!" Maya yells, pointing to the clock on the wall

"Shit," I curse, grabbing my purse and the bag with my uniform. "Look, I have to go, but I'll text you the address and such."

"Okay," he replies, and I swear, it sounds as if he's....excited.

"Oh, and Colin?" Shutting the light off in my room, I leave and shut the door behind me.

"Yeah?"

I check to make sure Maya and Kay aren't nearby or in listening range, "Can you bring Derrick with you?"

He pauses for a moment, "Sure, why though?"

Smirking, I make sure all the burners on the stove are off, "Let's just say I owe Maya a favor."

OooooooooooOOooooooooo

By the time we got to school, all three of us had missed our first class of the day. Kaydence didn't seem too bothered by it since it's her most hated class. Maya and I, however, hate missing any class. We thrive on lectures and it's a pain in the ass trying to get notes from other people in our classes. Nevertheless, despite our horrendous morning start, the day (so far) has been good. I still get chills thinking about my cold ass shower this morning. As soon as our last class ended, Kay was off the premises and on the highway. California traffic is a bitch.

Staying true to my word, I had text Colin the address and where exactly to meet us. But, as we sit waiting for him and (unbeknownst to Maya) Derrick to arrive, my roommate and I sit on a bench and wait.

"So what's the real reason you keep giving Derrick such a hard time?"

She cuts her eyes at me, "You know damn well why-he's unbearable Aria."

Rolling my eyes, I pull out my phone and turn the ringer on high, "You haven't even given him a chance Maya."

"I've seen enough to know that giving him a chance will only be history repeating itself," she retorts, turning to look at me. "Look, I'll admit that I'm physically attracted to Derrick, but that's as far as it'll ever go."

"No, that's only how far you're willing to take it." I correct, earning a hard glare.

"And the problem with that is?" She scoffs, rolling her eyes yet again. "Why are you even bringing this up now? Derrick....." she trails off, before a look of accusation appears, "You didn't."

"Didn't want?" I ask, feigning innocence.

"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm-"

A car horn cuts her off and both of us snap our heads to the black Escalade with tinted windows in front of us.

"Well," I reach down, grab my workbag, and secure my purse on my shoulder. "That's them. Come on."

Walking towards the car, I hear Maya following close behind in hurried steps. Swinging the door open, I get in and close it behind me. Putting my stuff in between my feet, I buckle up my seat belt and finally glance at Colin.

"Hey," I smiles, tucking a rogue string of hair back in my bun. "Thanks again for-"

"You have got be kidding me," I hear Maya say and turn around in my seat to see her, standing outside with the door open. "What the hell are you doing here?"

An amused and excited Derrick chuckles, "I missed you too boo."

Colin looks at me warily, "You didn't tell her Derrick was coming?"

I flash him a toothy grin and shake my head no, "Don't worry about her." I turn my attention back to Maya, "Maya get your ass in this damn car, before you make us both late."

Begrudgingly, she jumps in the back seat and slams the car door. She places her stuff in the middle seat between her and Derrick and, with anger, buckles up her seatbelt. 

"So how-" Derrick barely gets those two words out, before Maya starts ripping into him.

"Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. Don't talk about me. Hell, I don't even want you thinking about me." She says threateningly, sending him an icy glare.

Derrick licks his lips, his eyes falling on Maya's chest, "Too late for that ma."

Turning straight, she crosses her arms and continues to glare at the seat in front of her-my seat.

"Ignore her," I sigh. "She's been in a bitchy mood all day."

"Any particular reason?" Colin asks, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Does she need one?" Derrick mutters.

"Excuse me?" Maya quirks an eyebrow at Derrick, who doesn't return her stare or offer a response. "I'm talking to you, asshole."

"You said don't talk to you," he replies, starring out the car window.

"I also said don't talk about me, but that didn't seem to stop you from doing it anyway."

"They," Derrick gestures to Colin and I, and finally looks at Maya. "Were the ones talking about you. I was just making a comment."

"Yeah," she huffs. "A comment about me!"

"Anyway!" I shout, hoping to change the conversation so these two can shut the hell up. "We didn't really get a chance to talk, but I wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed myself last night."

Colin glances at me, "Really? I'm glad. I'm sorry too. I kinda ignored you most of the night."

"It's okay," I laugh, leaning into the comfortable seat. "You were with your family."

"Technically, you're his family too now," Derrick mutters quietly. "Shouldn't you guys be in uniform?"

"No, but I'm glad you brought that up." Reaching into my workbag, I pull out my brush and start pulling my bracelets off. "We're prohibited from wearing out uniforms outside of work, unless it's at a company based event."

"Seriously?" Colin questions, sounding surprised, looking at me while we wait at the light.

"Yup," I pop the ‘P' and pull my hair out of the bun, slightly shaking my hair before starting to go through it with the brush.

"We can't have our hair up either," Maya chimes in, sounding calmer than before. "It basically has to be down and free from any hair accessories."

"They're also really strict on jewelry and makeup and even our nails. We can basically only wear studs," I pull my hair back to show my small silver studs. "We have to wear makeup, but it has to be natural looking and our nails can't be painted, unless they're light pink or nude."

"Hence why we have French Manicures," Maya raises up her hand. "Oh, and we can't have piercings. They have to be taken out and any tattoos that can be seen while in uniform have to be covered."

"The fuck?" Derrick's genuinely shocked voice sounds from the back, "You have to go through all that just to work at goddamn Hooters?"

"That's not even half of it," I murmur, playing with my hair. "Truth be told, even though the stipulations can be a big pain in the ass at times. It's the customers that really make us want to quit sometimes."

"Yeah, and it sucks because we had to sign a contract basically saying we understood we'd have to put up with sexual comments and innuendos from customers, but we'd basically have to suck it up and keep a smile on our face."

"Then why do you guys continue to put up with that shit?" Colin questions.

"The money," Maya and I answer plainly.

"Aside from the minimum wage, we get amazing tips. On an average night, Aria, Kay and I usually pull in about $200. On an even better night, we can even make an easy $500." Maya explains, and then smirks at me. "Of course, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's are especially good for Arianna."

Colin seems especially intrigued now, "Why? What happens on those days?"

Glaring at Maya through the car mirror, I turn to face Colin, "That's when my best regular, hell my best customer period, comes in. He always tips between two and three hundred."

"Goddamn!" Derrick exclaims, with a broad smile. "You must have that brother hooked."

Dammit. I'm blushing again.

"It's not even like that. Really, he acts more like....a mentor, if you will. I don't know. I can't really explain it." I shrug. I also notice we're at another light and Colin, who previously had his phone in his hand, is about to put it back down.

"Can I see your phone right quick?" I ask, extending out my hand. Surprisingly, he reaches it to me without a second thought.

"Thanks," I mumble, grateful it's still unlocked. Going to the search option, I type in my name and click the contact. Smiling to myself, I rename my contact to ‘Wifey." Just as I'm shutting the phone off, I see we've finally reached Hooters. Stupid California lunchtime traffic.

"Thanks for the ride Colin," Maya thanks, hopping out the car as soon as it makes a complete stop.

"Don't mention it," Colin replies.

"I'll catch you later Ma," Derrick smirks, his eyes glued to Maya's chest. Clearly, he's a breast man....

"Go to hell Derrick," Maya huffs, slamming the car door.

"She wants me," Derrick smiles, clasping his hands together. "She wants me bad."

"Whatever gets you to sleep at night," I laugh, gathering up my stuff. "I'd tell you thank you again, but I'm pretty sure you're sick of hearing it."

Colin laughs, "Yeah, sort of." A beat. "Besides, I think you could show me better than you could tell me."

Shit.

"What do you mean?" I ask, almost fearful of what he's going to say.

"What are you doing tonight after dance?"

Double shit.

Damn, I sure do mentally curse a lot?

I stumble to get my words out, "Uhh nothing, I think. Why?"

He smiles at me, "You are now. Text me the address. I'll pick you up when you get done."

Wait. What. Is that his way of asking me out? Hell, he isn't even asking me. He's freaking telling me. Normally, I would set his ass straight, but it's not like he's trying to be controlling. Besides, it's not like one date will kill me.

"Okay."

OooooooooooOOooooooooo

Today really isn't my day. Thankfully, they were able to fix our water heater. They better have because I'm not sure I could take another cold shower. I don't know how guys do it. It's like raining icicles.

Anyway, my current problem at hand is my fucking geniality. Carol, a fellow employee who works here, along with going to school to help support her special needs child. They don't know what exactly is wrong with him, but he has a severe seizure disorder. He's constantly in the hospital. He had a rather bad incident tonight, but she was scheduled to close. So, being the kind person I am, I offered to cover her shift. Kay and Maya tried to get me to allow one of them to do it, but Kay was already late to work for us, and Maya had a rather hard day with difficult customers. I don't mind. Honestly, I don't. But, texting Colin and telling him I can't do tonight was harder than I thought it would be. Why? Hell, even I can't tell you that. I guess I was looking forward to it more than I thought I was....

Oddly, Mr. Stephens, my ‘mentor' didn't come in tonight. Either way, I've made $150 in tips so it's not like I didn't do well money wise. All I know is the freaking bafoons, that I'm currently serving better leave a big ass tip. Why?

It's two o clock in the fucking morning and these morons just refuse to leave.

Originally, Colin offered to give me a ride back home whenever I finished and I accepted. However, once the clock hit midnight and I realized The Waltons weren't leaving, I text him and told him that I'd just catch a cab. It won't be as expensive as trying to catch one during lunchtime.

I haven't heard from him since I sent that text. He's probably pissed off that I blew him off.

Groaning, I pull out the rubber band I keep in my bra and pull my hair up. I'm the last one here. How the fuck are they going to know? The sound of my cell vibrating shakes me from my thoughts. I feel a smile creep on my face as I see that it's from Colin.

Open up the door

My eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. The hell does that-

No.

Hopping off the stool, I walk near the doors, which I locked at our rightful closing time-1am.

Sure enough, he's standing outside. I grab the key out my pouch and unlock it, letting him walk in, before locking it back.

"Colin," I whisper harshly. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you I'd just take a cab. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Nice to see you too wifey," he chuckles, walking to sit on one of the bar stools.

Blushing slightly, I follow behind him, "I'm sorry that was kinda rude, hubby." I tease, sitting down next to him. "I take it you saw my modification to my contact in your phone."

"Obviously, and you clearly saw mine."

"Obviously," I mock, subconsciously hating how I can't seem to stop smiling with him. "I really am sorry about tonight. But I just couldn't-"

He raises up a hand to silence me, "It's fine Arianna. Really. If I were in your situation, I would have probably done the same thing." He leans back against the counter and props himself up, using his elbows, "Plus, I've been dying to see you in your uniform anyway."

Rolling my eyes, I shake my head and move out the chair so I'm standing in front of him.

"Of course, you had a motive."

"Oh, I had a motive alright, but that wasn't it." He suddenly drops his smile and sits up; I release a slight yelp as he moves his arms around my waist and pulls me closer to him. "My motive was that I wanted to see you."

Fuck butterflies. The fluttering going on in my stomach is too much for that damn "butterflies in my stomach" saying. He wanted to see me? Me? What is it about me that he finds so interesting? It's certainly not my personality, because I've mostly been a bitch while he only tries to help.

WHY IS HE SO FUCKING PERFECT?

Hell, he's being honest with me, I might as well be honest with him.

"Well then," I laugh softly, placing both hands on his chest. "That makes it easier for me to admit."

He quirks an eyebrow, "Admit what?"

"That I wanted to see you too," Without second thought, and unlike our episode in the kitchen, I'm the one who kisses him first.