June's POV
"Were you crying, mummy?" Lily inquired innocently in the restaurant as we ate our chicken nuggets. I had driven us here after my mini meltdown in the car.
"No, why do you ask?" I questioned, trying to mask my emotions but a telltale sniffle gave me away.
"You just sniffed and aside from that, your eyes are red and your cheeks are swollen," Lily pointed out casually between bites of her meal.
"Eat your food," I snapped, realizing I sounded harsher than intended. As I gazed into the distance, I noticed a small commotion as a waitress got fired. Memories flooded back from months ago when I found myself in a similar situation at Royalty Cafe, triggering a sense of déjà vu. It made me realize the pressing issue at hand - the need for a job now that my monthly allowance from Miguel was no longer available.
As thoughts swirled in my head, I made a decision. "Could you hold on here for a little bit honey? Mummy wants to talk to the manager over there." I said to Lily and she only nodded in response as she savored the deliciousness of her meal. A small smile splayed across my face at seeing her satisfaction.
 
I walked up to the manager. He was a tall and lanky man who looked to be around his early forties. He had grey hair tinting the edges of his black hair and a pair of almond-shaped eyes.
 
"What do you want?" The man asked acutely with an unpleasant tone which caused me to flinch in response at the sharpness of his tone. He looked mean, he sounded mean and I was starting to think maybe this was a bad idea but my need for a job surpassed any reservations I had about asking one.
 
I glanced over at where Lily was sitting and mused at the fact that she deserved the best life and I could only offer her that if I was financially buoyant enough.
 
"Sir, I was wondering if maybe there was a job opening I could apply for?" I inquired and flashed him a gentle smile.
 
"No there isn't!" He stated harshly which had me quite taken aback.
 
"But I just saw you dismiss that lady, surely you need more hands on deck. I can cook well sir, you just..." I convinced, trying to promote myself with my skills.
 
"No, you lots are the same. I see you over there with your child, the lady I just laid off was a single mom too and barely had time for work. She put this restaurant at risk and there's currently a health investigation going on in this restaurant. Any slip up and we'll be closed." The man stated in a rush as he prepared a customer's order. I ignored the fact that he stereotyped all single mums out there and pressed on.
 
"But..."
 
"Just enjoy being a customer." He interjected rudely which forced me to return to my seat with a sullen sigh.
 
"Mummy, can I play the video games now?" Lily asked and I smiled. I brought out the video game from my bag and gave it to her. She gleefully collected it and I sighed heavily.
 
Just then, I saw an ant crawl across the table and an idea popped in my head, albeit unorthodox.
 
"I need this job!" I mused softly to myself. I picked up the ant and inconspicuously put it in my half-eaten plate of food.  
I looked around to make sure no one watched me. It was getting pretty late so the number of people that came in and out of the restaurant had reduced considerably.
 
I carried my plate to the manager as my heart raced rapidly. What I was doing could put me in serious danger but my desperation surpassed my rationality.
 
"You didn't have to do that. There are a lot of staff around. Stop trying to suck up." The man commented rudely without glancing at me twice and I huffed in consternation.
 
"Listen to me here, young man! I left for a minute and returned to an ant in my food. If this isn't enough evidence to close down this restaurant I don't know what is. Now you better be grateful that I didn't cause a scene and if you even think of dismissing this, I have taken a picture to serve as enough evidence." I stated firmly with my gaze unwavering, daring him to challenge me.
 
"Are you trying to blackmail me?" He asked and I shook my head and chuckled sardonically.
 
"Not at all sir, I am only telling you what this could do to your restaurant if I decide to cause a scene so you better be nicer or risk your restaurant shutting down." The defiance in my voice startled me for a moment.
 
"What do you want?" He queried with a resolved sigh and I relaxed my tensed muscles a bit but my heart still pounded in my chest.
 
"A job!" I stated simply and calmly. We locked gazes and he sighed again. He seemed to contemplate the pros and cons of hiring a single mum for a moment before finally agreeing. "You're hired. You can call me Monty." He stated and extended his hand To Wfor a handshake.
 
I mentally gave myself a high five and shook his hand.
 
"You can start tomorrow," Monty added and I noticed how his brows creased with stress. My expression softened a bit at the realization that he may not be mean but just stressed.
 
"Tomorrow is Saturday, I won't come in to work on a Saturday because you are going to shut down the restaurant for the weekend and fumigate it. I'd start first thing Monday morning." I said with a smile and winked at him. I had given him a hint on the solution to the health crisis and maybe insect infestation too.
 
"Let's go, Lily," I said as I grabbed my bag from the chair and Lily hurried after me.
 
"Is everything alright mummy?" Lily asked as she fell into step with me. I settled her into the backseat and fastened her seat belt.
 
"Yes, my darling. Let's just get you home so you'd get some sleep okay." I cajoled as I stroked her hair softly. She responded with a nod and I smiled.
 
I made my way to the driver's side of the car and rested my head again- qqst the steering wheel. I could feel the onset of a migraine settling in.
 
"What a long day!" I sighed as I revved up the engine of the car.
 
Some minutes later, I had reached the house while Lily had fallen asleep in the back seat. As I alighted, I noticed something was off. The neighborhood was eerily quiet and something didn't feel quite right but I couldn't place my hand on exactly what was wrong.
 
I carried Lily over my shoulder which caused her to nestle closer and a soft breath erupted from her.-
Call it paranoia or whatever but I noticed that the foot-mat was diagonally aligned. I felt a strong pull and my instincts told me someone was in the house.
 
I was scared and helpless because I was carrying a sleeping child. I gingerly qunlocked the door and entered the house carefully. I turned on the light but there was no one there.
 
I shrugged off the paranoia I was feeling earlier and proceeded to Lily's room where I dropped her gently and tucked her in.
 
I suddenly had the urge to drink water so I went downstairs again. The person in my living room had me screaming.
 
"Hello, June! I didn't mean to startle you."
 
"What the fuck, Miguel!" I yelled as I clutched my chest. I was startled and my heartbeat raced faster than usual from the shock.
 
"I'm sorry." Was all he said and I wastared at him as he sat on the couch. I walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and he followed suit.
 
"What are you doing here, Miguel? And how did you even get into my house?" I asked as I downed the water in one gulp.
 
"I still have a spare key, remember?" He chipped in softly and held my gaze. I shifted uncomfortably from the intensity of his gaze.
 
"Right!" I said and we both held each other's gaze, each having so much to say to the other but neither saying anything, hoping our eyes would be enough to convey the unsaid words.
 
"Well, you startled me. What do you want?" I finally muttered and re-asked my question. 11
 
"I don't want to let you go June. I messed up big time, no doubt there but you can't deny this connection we feel between each other." Miguel stated and walked closer to me. He took my hand in his and I melted in his touch.
 
"Miguel, are you blind to see that your mother hates my guts? She doesn't want me in your family and frankly speaking, I don't want to keep up with this charade any longer." I started to say and felt a lump form at the back of my throat at that utterance.
 
"I will make amends however you want me to. I just don't want to marry Ashley. Putting up this front for my mother is going to get her off my back and you don't have to worry about her, I will deal with her"
 
"Enough! That is what you keep saying but you can't deny the fact that your mother is the biggest factor in this so-called false union. I don't want to go on with the engagement. I don't want to go on with any of it."
 
I retorted angrily. I was exasperated by the fact that Miguel kept making promises that he couldn't keep. No matter what he said, he couldn't control his mother and she would always pick Ashley over me because of her financial status whereas I was a pauper through and through.
 
We both kept quiet and gazed into each other's eyes. His grey eyes beckoned to me, they looked like clouds and I wished I could dance in them. He took a step forward until we were standing inches apart. He leaned his head against my forehead and I couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes. This was hurting me as much as it was hurting him, I knew that but his mother would always be the wedge between us.
 
"Please June!" He begged and I shook my head helplessly. I sniffed and little and tried to steady my breathing.
This had always been a show to him. He was not doing it because he wanted to or because he had feelings for me, he was doing it because he had to.
 
For some reason, that thought made me angry and I released myself from his grasp and walked slightly further away from him.
 
“June!” He called out but I had my back to him.
 
“Just go, Miguel,” I stated, still not facing him.
 
He walked towards me and in one swift moment, he spun me around and before I knew what was happening, he crashed his lips on mine and I found myself responding to it. Our breaths mixed and our want overshadowed our sense of reasoning.
 
This kiss felt more intense than the last one. I felt him tugging on my lower lip fiercely, asking for access. I slightly parted my lips and his tongue pushed in. I held onto this neck and he grabbed my lower back. I released a soft gasp and pushed myself harder against him.
 
My mind reeled from wondering why he would do that. Nobody was here to witness it so it couldn’t be for show or maybe he was trying to prove a point. I didn’t know. All I knew was that I liked it and I didn’t want it to stop but it had to stop so I pulled from his grasp and gently but firmly pushed him away.
 
“What are you doing?” I asked breathlessly. I tried to smooth my disheveled hair and straighten myself.
 
“I need you, June and I just needed you to realize how much I do.” He stated and made a move to hold me but I swerved.
 
“You should leave.” That was all I said as I wrapped my arms around myself.  I watched his retreating figure and couldn’t help but wonder why my heart ached at his absence.