He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly novel Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Simple.

The café felt…,normal.

Warm, busy, predictable in a way that school never really was.

I stepped in, tied my apron, and slipped into routine. Orders, coffee, movement- things that didn’t require emotional analysis.

It was nice.

What wasn’t exactly normal was the way my coworkers greeted me.

“Hey, Daisy!”

“You’re early today.”

“I like the updos you do for your hair.”

I paused for a second, then smiled lightly. “Thanks.”

It wasn’t unpleasant. Just different. The oddness from last time still persisted to this moment.

A few days ago, I was barely noticeable here unless I messed something up. Now, they talked to me like I had always been part of the group. Or like I had suddenly become interesting.

Which was… new.

Tessa leaned against the counter beside me at one point, watching me finish an order.

“You’ve gotten faster,” she said. “First day, you looked like you were negotiating with the coffee machine.”

I huffed a quiet laugh. “It started it.”

She smiled. “Sure.”

There was something easy about the interaction; casual and light. And for a moment, I almost let myself believe it was just that.

But somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew. This didn’t start randomly.

Still, I didn’t question it. Not out loud.

“Are you always this quiet?” another girl asked later, not unkindly.

“Only when I’m thinking,” I replied.

“About what?”

I hesitated for a second, then shrugged. “How not to mess up orders.”

She laughed. “Fair enough.”

The shift moved like that; small conversations, shared tasks, the occasional joke. It blurred into something almost/comfortable.

Almost.

But every now and then, I found myself glancing toward the door.

Not obviously. Just occasionally. And every time I did, I reminded myself why.

Mabel.

Not DeLuca.

Definitely not DeLuca.

By the time we started closing, I felt that familiar urgency settle in. The quiet hope that today would end without her walking in and turning everything into a scene.

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