~5~

It's been three weeks and Emily was starting to get herself. The previous weeks was tough for her, she most times talk to herself, yelled at herself while looking at the mirror, calling herself ugly, breaking stuffs in the house, April's stuff but this week she picked herself back up to go back to the way things were before she met Derek. Emily was in a navy and black sweater over a mangled blue jean. She hurriedly pick her black tote bag, putting her hair into a ponytail. She ran downstairs with her phone in her hand.

Opening the passenger seat, she sat down squeezing her phone a little bit.

"You good?" April asked

"Yeah sure, let's go, I'd be late" Emile replied

"Okay, you sure you're gonna be comfortable with that clothes on?" April asked focusing on the road

"Yeah, it isn't too much right?" Emily looked at April

"Yeah yeah" she sighed

The twenty minutes drive got Emily chewing on her lower lips, she was so nervous going to work seeing Derek, she didn't know how she was going to handle it but she promised not to give him a reaction. The car came to a stop and April looked at her

"Good luck Emily" she smiled

"Yeah" Emily replies blinking repeatedly

She opened the door and kept a foot outside.

"Can I get a hug?" She asked

April chucked nodding, she hugged April, inhaling her bubblegum perfume as she stepped out of the car. Giving April a final wave she looked up at the signboard "Derek's Diner" before walking in, the restaurant smelled of burnt ham and it was almost full, she looked around at the busy tables, two young teenagers eating opposite each other, studiously bent over their meal, a group of old men and women giggling while eating, a young man in his late thirties sitting alone looking outside the window as he worked on his burger, a family and their son blowing off candle light as they wished him a happy birthday. The noise level was high but it didn't bother her because she was used to it, she's been working there for five year.

"Emily?" Ally said walking towards Emily with a tray in her hand

"Is that truly you?" She came closer giving Emily a hug

Her blue eyes was tired of working, her baggy jeans and red sweater matched her tanned skin. Her dark brown hair put in a bun. They stopped hugging

"Where have you been?" She asked

"Homesick" Emily tried to smile

"Have you heard?" She asked but Emily knew what she was talking about

"What?" She asked pretending not to know

"D-Derek got married this weekend" she whispered looking around

"Really?"

"Yes" she replied then squeezed "wait, don't you know or you'd pretending to not know"

"Well does it matter" Emily said walking to get her apron as Ally following behind

"It does, it was so sudden, no one saw it coming"

"Me too, what's done is done, I've moved on" Emily said

She could taste the blood in her mouth from the bite she gave herself while lying that she had moved on

"Emily Clark" Derek called

"Y-yes" She stammered taking a deep breath

"My office, now!" He said walking away

"I'd be here when you're out" Ally said and she nodded dropping the apron on the table beside her

She opened the door to Derek's office, walking in on him sitting down.

"You didn't come to work for a day, can I know why?" He questioned

His caramel skin was in no match to the crispness of his grey suit. His grey eyes had a look of regret and yawn for a loved one as his hands played with each other. He stood up reviling his chinos not maintaining eye contact with me. He quickly dipped his hand to his pocket immediately he stopped pacing around and looked at me.

"I-I'm sorry" it was all Emily could say

"Sorry?" He scoffed "I hope it gets you a new job"

"New job?" She asked shocked "I only said I was sorry because I didn't come to work for two days" she became confused

"About that, you don't have to bother yourself and yes, you can't come to this place like you own it, it's mine and just because I let you do things without saying a word doesn't mean I'm comfortable about it"

"Really? We built this place together, no customer for a week for as long as I could remember, I went out of my way to make this place the way it is today" Emily fought back her tears

"Yes, yes, you helped me but now I'm bringing my wife in and I can't let you boss my wife around" he said

"Boss your wife? I don't care about you or your wife, I care about my job because this is what I do best and I love my job, I don't care who you want here or not, I'm not bothered"

"That's the thing, my wife doesn't want you here no more, you're fired Miss Emily Clark, seen within won't be advisable cause the police would be informed immediately" Derek said

"You're joking" Emily laughed sniffing

"I wish I was" He said

Song featured: Dynasty by Miia