As I do so, Lawson emerges from the kitchen area behind me and listens in on my order.

"Hi, what can I get for you today?"

I wear my best customer service face. I know it's important in jobs like this.

Lawson decides to chime in.

"Hayami, who are you talking to?" He winks, trying to make himself seem more attractive, per usual.

Here we go again. It was always Lawson telling me that no one was there, or that I'm talking to thin air. He makes me sound like I'm delusional and it absolutely enrages me.

I turn around to yell at him, but decide taking this man's order is more important. I turn around to ask him if that's all for his order, but he's gone.

I gasp in shock. Dismissing it, I turn back around to yell at Lawson.

"Lawson, mind your own business!!" I storm off into the kitchen to take a deep breath. No customers were here anyways.

"I'm just trying to help ya, babe."

"I'M NOT YOUR-" I had a brilliant idea. "You want to help me? Let me stay the night at your place," I wink.

I don't like Lawson. I have no interest in Lawson, but I need a place to sleep and I'd rather go with him than stay at a hotel. If manipulating him is what I have to do to survive, that's what I'm going to do.

"M-my place? Well why would I do that? You always say you hate me!"

I turn my back on him and play with my hair, teasing him.

"Well I could always just find somewhere else then."

"No no no wait!!"

My grin widens as my back is still towards him. I have gotten what I want.

He put a hand on my shoulder "I'll take you to my place tonight, you can stay there, but can I ask why you're not going home?"

My smile faded as I turned around seeing him eye to eye now.

"I'll tell you later."

The rest of the shift sped by. Lawson told me a couple more times that I was talking to thin air, but I had a place to sleep and that's all that mattered to me right now.

I saw Yuri a couple times throughout the night too. She's always so quiet, always in the kitchen, stocking everything and humming her pop music. Everything about Yuri popped for that matter. She had bubble gum pink hair, bright green eyes, and she always wore her hair in a long, messy braid down her back. She was always super quiet, but she seems so chill and I've always wanted to talk to her more. She always carried her green backpack and a skateboard into work. None of us stopped by home before work so we all kept our stuff together until the shift was over.

However tonight, she offered to work the front for a bit. Which was so weird of her. She never works in the front, she doesn't like people from what I've observed. I don't like people either, so I ignored her spontaneity, and worked in the kitchen for the second end of my shift, since she offered.

It was actually really nice, I can see why Yuri likes it back here so much.

The rest of the night went by fast, I had my earbuds in and was listening to some punk rock. It's my favorite.

The clock struck 9. I clocked out and hurried into the bathroom to change back into my regular clothes.

"Ready?" Lawson was waiting by the exit doors for me with a big grin on his face.

I could tell he was enjoying this. I despise him.

"Yes. I'm all ready." I put on a fake face and started to walk out with him.

The crisp air brushed against my face as I got into his black Impala.

He turned on the radio for a little background noise and set off.

We drove through the well lit neighborhood a little over the speed limit, but I wish it went slower. This town was so pretty at night, and I loved watching it move past me from my window as the moon followed us home.

His house was a while away from here. Along the way he started singing to the song on the radio. His voice was so...pretty. How did I never realize that? I listened to him sing the whole way there and it calmed me down a lot. The fact that his singing relaxed me momentarily made me want to vomit. Before I could overthink it, we pulled up at his house and I got out of his car.

Stolen story; please report.

"Thank you, for taking me" I notice my heart racing and my voice is shaky. I think something is wrong with me.

"No problem, Hayami!"

He gingerly held out his arm for me to grab. I hesitated then took it practically with hearts in my eyes. He seems so sweet, was he always like this?

We walk up the driveway and into his two story, light blue house. He gives me a tour, afterwards plopping himself down on the couch. I realize only after the tour that his house is really messy. There are clothes everywhere and random boxes scattered about, but I don't mind.

"Well, do you wanna play some video games?"

"Yeah! Sure!"

For about an hour we laughed and had fun playing Mario All Stars. After that he offered to make a late dinner and I agreed, I was starving.

We walked into the kitchen, making small talk and I sat at his table.

He had his back to me, making chicken alfredo.

"So, you said you'd tell me why you're not home tonight, right?"

I looked down at the table. It was brownish with different dark lines smearing through the light wood. It was cluttered with clothes and books.

"Yeah. There's a lot going on there right now at home"

I could sense his warm smile even with his back turned.

"I'm sorry Hayami, tell me about it."

"My mom is trying to poison me, I told my friends and they seemed to think I was crazy."

His posture stiffened with worry. "I think you would know if someone was trying to poison you, right?"

"Mhm. Listen, I don't want to talk about this anymore." Tears formed in my eyes and Lawson could tell by the shakiness of my voice that I was crying.

"Hayami!!" He put the dish in the oven and rushed over to me pulling me into a hug.

His chest was firm, his arms rested in a tight grip around me. I've never felt so...safe.

"Let me finish making dinner, and I'll help you with this, okay?"

"O-okay.."

After a while, he set a hot plate of chicken alfredo on the table in front of me.

"Hayami, I'm here for you"

He planted his hand on my shoulder, smiling softly at me. "Hayami, you know what's best, but I think your mom loves you..." I decided to get lost in my mind, his words no longer mattered.

My mom...

She was always so bright and bubbly. She suffered from mild depression but didn't take her medicine. I never got to see her in her darkest times. She always had a headband on and brown hair, usually in a ponytail, that was in constant movement behind her. She never stood still. She was always on a mission. She always wore bright colors and had a bright white smile. Truth be told, I miss my mom. I felt sadness rush over me.

Then I remembered the pills. The small bright yellow pills. The pills I had to take every single day as a child, the pills that used to help. Ever since the doctor and my mother agreed to change the medicine, I knew it was poison. The meds I took as a child helped me feel happy, but they weakened my body, and with this new dose, it could kill me if I took it. I felt the heat of anger rush all the way to the tips of my ears. My own mother was trying to poison me. Maybe she just doesn't want me around.

Well in a sense, she got her wish.

By this time, Lawson was done with his pep talk, and now was sitting across from me as we both ate dinner in silence. Afterwards, he told me I could sleep on the couch.

I laid on my back as we said goodnight. I heard him walk to the other room and flick off the lights. It was pitch black. I could feel one fuzzy blanket under me and one over me.

The thought of my friends flooded through my mind. They are probably so worried about me. I said I'd talk to them later and I just left. I'm such a bad friend. I let the tears come out when they needed to as I laid on Lawson's couch, soaking the blankets and pillows I laid on with my tears.

Eventually sleep took over me, slowly but surely.

After about 8 hours of straight nightmares, my body had had enough. I shot up as I left residue sweat on the pillow that I was laying on. My eyes darted around the room. I forgot I was at Lawson's house and considering all of the nightmares I had just had about being at home, being here was actually pretty relaxing.

I turned around on the couch so that my feet touched the gray carpet. I turned my neck, trying to pop it as I heard footsteps. My heart stopped as Lawson walked out into the kitchen across from where I sat, shirtless.

I let out a small gasp of surprise, causing him to whip around.

"O-oh! You're awake!" his face began to flush as his hands flew to cover his chest.

I nodded my head ferociously as I eyed him up and down.

"Sorry about all this" he motioned his hand up and down his body. "I didn't think you'd be up yet and I was getting hungry and I honestly forgot you were here."

I noticed scars on his chest, but I ignored them. Instead my brain began a different thought process. He was so cute when he was flustered. I needed to feel him, to remind myself where I was. I needed him.

I stood up and it felt automatic, my legs felt numb as they guided me to him. I pushed him up against the counter and pressed my lips to his.

"H-Hayami!!"

I quickly backed away.

"I-I'm so sorry, I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what came over me."

I immediately burst into tears. I felt so horrible, what was I doing?! I hated this man less than 24 hours ago and now I'm kissing him?!

I looked at the floor in shame. When I looked back up he was looming over me with a grin on his face. I felt my heart flutter as he took his turn to push me against the counter. He kissed my lips and then down my neck. As my tears dried up, I was giggling and gasping as I let him bite me. Suddenly his watch started beeping.

We separated and I felt all the heat rush to my face.

"I-That's my alarm to get ready for work. I'm so sorry, I don't know what that was I just-" His face turned from soft and caring to aggressive and overtaking. "I've wanted to do that for a very long time."

He grabbed my chin and tilted it up at him. I tried my hardest not to make eye contact but his gaze was inescapable.

"I don't plan on doing that again." I mumbled.

As much as I enjoyed it, I was uncomfortable and I wasn't exactly sure why.

"You don't think I'm a good kisser?"

He turned to me, now pulling a shirt on that he found on the counter.

"W-what?! No!! You are, I just- I'm not comfortable."

Lawson shrugged.

"Whatever you say, Hayami. I'm gonna go brush my hair and teeth and then I'm heading to work."

"Fine by me."

He finished getting ready and I waited until after I heard him leave to lay back down on the couch. I fell asleep again, this time with more nightmares than before.

When I woke up, I remembered everything. Part of me felt angry. Very angry. He makes me feel that way and then leaves me here. Then, making him more unattractive, he just shrugs me off when I tell him I'm uncomfortable?!

What am I thinking?! He's not mine, I have no right to him. Still, I feel like he should've cared.

A whirlpool of emotions conflict me as I try once more to fall back asleep. I have no reason to get up anyways.