Meanwhile, in the human world.
Today is the hottest day of the week. Victoria wakes up sweating. The clock on the table was eight in the morning. The sunlight seemed to be shining brightly, penetrating the bedroom window.
Victoria moves her feet to walk to the bathroom. She turns on the tap, and then she washes her face with cold water. This water is so refreshing.
After brushing her teeth and doing all her routine in the bathroom, Victoria walked out of the bathroom. She was wearing his work uniform, which she had prepared last night.
Today is Monday, and it's time for Victoria to work at Exclusion Café. What a weird name for a café, right? Victoria suspects that the café is devoted to people who are not welcome anywhere else.
After finishing breakfast with bread and drinking a glass of chocolate milk, Victoria went to work on her bicycle. Her mother had left for work since dawn. Almost every day, she rarely saw her mother.
Her mother is a surgeon who works at a private hospital in Phoenix. Her mother saved so many lives, but never once did her mother keep her from the boredom of life.
Victoria has been getting bored lately, especially when her father disappeared during a plane crash. Everyone said that her father must have died. Victoria didn't want to take that for granted.
The plane crashed into the ocean, but it could be if her father survived and was stranded on a desert island. Victoria can only pray and hope that her father is safe and well.
The accident had passed about four years. Until now, Victoria never got any news about her father.
Victoria smiled dryly. Until now, she didn't know about her mother's situation. Hopefully, later in the afternoon, when she returns from work, she will be able to see her mother. Sometimes, her mother can suddenly get a call from the hospital that requires her to go right away and have a sudden operation.
The sun looks bright, and the wind blew, making her hair flutter. Victoria arrived at work in fifteen minutes. She parked her bicycle in the space provided and put on a chain to be safe.
Victoria enters through the back door and then greets Mariah and Courtney. They are great co-workers. Mariah was about one hundred and seventy-eight centimeters tall. Her skin was dark, her hair was black and curly, yet her heart was as white as snow.
Courtney's body is as tall as Victoria's body. Her hair is blonde, and her eyes are gray. Her skin was slightly tan, and her face was pretty as a fairy in a fairy tale book.
Sometimes Victoria felt insecure in front of Courtney. She has dated many men in her life. As for Victoria, there are none.
The men would never glance at Victoria. She is just an ordinary woman. Her face was not pretty enough, and her hair has the same color as corn. Her skin tends to be too pale, even though she lives in the hottest city in all of America.
If the men prefer to love the tan-skinned women like Courtney, it looks like Victoria should come sunbathing on the beach with her friends sometimes.
"You're picky too much, Vicky," Courtney said, advising her.
She and Courtney served as café waiters while Mariah was the bartender. Besides Mariah, there is also Keith, who is good at making coffee. Rumor has it that Mariah and Keith were dating.
It looks like that is not just gossip anymore. Victoria had seen them kissing in the park near the café. Now the two of them act as if they are just co-workers.
Victoria wipes the table, and then a man walks into the café. She is greeting the man.
"Hello, how are you? I'm Victoria. Please, sit down. What do you want to order?"
Victoria handed the man a menu book, and then she took out an order paper and a pen to record the man's order.
The man is selecting the food menu. She glanced at Courtney, who was smiling widely at her.
"He is so handsome. Oh my gosh," Courtney whispered silently. Victoria only read the movements of her lips.
As a habit, Victoria never pays attention to the customers' faces who come to the café. She tends to look at clothes and colors. She is better off focusing on taking orders and delivering food to the correct table.
After one minute that felt like a long time, Victoria cleared her throat. "Can I help you provide a menu recommendation at our café?"
"Oh. OK. Of course." The man's voice was lovely to hear.
"What do you like for lunch?" asked Victoria. "Beef, chicken or seafood?"
"How about seafood?"
"We have the Seafood Paella menu. It is a combination of Socarrat, which is that layer of burnt rice in the bottom of the pan, then there are various types of fresh seafood, such as squid, prawns, clams, mussels, and chorizo which are given special seasonings. "
"Sounds nice and complicated," the man commented.
Victoria smiled at the menu book. "What about that? Do you want to try it? "
"Sure. I want to order a portion of Paella." Victoria could tell that the man was smiling at her too, only that she was still not used to looking at customers' faces.
"OK. Do you also want to order a drink? "
"I want to order a glass of mineral water," replied the man.
"Sounds good," said Victoria, taking down the order on paper. "The order will come in twenty minutes. While waiting, I'll give you a basket of cheese pastries. "
"Thank you," said the man, handing the menu book into Victoria's hands.
She could feel the man's gaze on her back. As a result of Courtney's words, Victoria felt awkward. Meanwhile, she hangs the order paper in front of the hole connected to the kitchen with paper clips, and then she presses the bell.
Courtney walked over to her. "You really were very lucky today, Vicky."
"What are you saying, Courtney?"
"That man is so handsome!" exclaimed Courtney. "I would be happy if I could swap places with you. However, I have been dating so many guys who are cooler than him. I know that you are inexperienced in front of a man. Let me teach you."
"What for?" asked Victoria as she prepared a basket filled with cheese pastry.
"That guy is very handsome and with just one look I can tell if you will fit with him." Courtney seemed so excited to match the stranger with Victoria.
"What if that man is married? Or what if he's gay? "
"We'll never know," said Courtney as she followed Victoria, who was providing mineral water into a glass.
"By the way, I don't want to know." Victoria ended her conversation with Courtney with a fake smile. Then she walked over to the men's table — whom Courtney thought was very handsome — and then put down a glass of mineral water and a basket of cheese pastries.
"This is for you."
"Thank you, Victoria."
Victoria was tempted to look at the man's face, and oh my God. The man is handsome. His lips were thin, his hair was brownish-blonde, his eyebrows were so thick, and his eyes were warm brown.
Instantly Victoria feels out of breath. She swallowed hard and smiled faintly. "You're welcome."
"I'm Raymond, by the way."