MARK 1
“Dad!” I perched up in my bed and my body was sweaty. My bedroom wasn’t much but it was ‘home’. It was 4 in the morning, stars still in the dark beautiful sky. Sliding off my bed, my bare feet met the cold wooden floor. I stepped into the bathroom and switched on the light. I wet my face with chilled water and looked at my reflection. A smirk spread on my face and a few tears flowed down my cheeks. “He’s not here anymore, (Y/N).” I said to myself as I sat on the tiled floor and cried.
When I was finished staring at my floor, I got up and checked the time. 5:19 am. Great. My fingers sought for my hair brush and stroked my hair. I changed into warm clothes and made myself a cup of tea. Once I made my tea, I walked over to my window and peered over New York. The sun was still rising and creating a blue orange blend in the sky. When the clock reached 5:45 am, I grabbed my essentials and paced out the door. My apartment was only 4 blocks away from my workplace. Many people were hailing cabs and rushing down to the subway, but I’m just running 4 blocks. Yes, that’s quite far. But I’ll get my exercise in for the day and be more awake most of the day. I reached the 2nd block and collided into a mob. They were swarming around a man with shades and facial hair. While I was trying to figure out who it was, more people pushed me farther and farther away from my destination.
“Out of the way! This is my chance to meet Tony Stark!” a woman yelled past me.
'Tony Stark? Iron Man? Pfft sure.’
I shifted my way through and started running again. Let me tell you something about myself: I’m 33 years old. I lost my father awhile ago, he was taken by men in black and a logo that looked like a bird. He told me he’d be okay, I believed him. But that was the last time I saw him. I don’t know if he was returning or not, but I know I had to move on. Which I’m still struggling on. My mother died when I was just a toddler, I had no memory of her. I work at a small donut shop, yes, a donut shop. Just by decorating them, I make quite a lot of money.
I walked into the shop and the aroma of sweetness lingered in my nose. The manager came up to me and explained that her son wasn’t here to be at the cashier today so I had to be standing there. I really don’t like being the cashier, people are just not polite these days. I went into the kitchen and everything was arranged already, just idling to be decorated. I grabbed my apron with the shop’s logo on it and tied it around my waist. Taking a deep breath, I went over to the door and flipped the 'closed’ sign to 'open’.
A line formed quickly at the counter and I started taking orders. I tried my best to greet everyone with a bright smile and repeat the same greeting over and over: Hello! Welcome to Fantasy Donuts! What would you like to order? A man came in and set his hand on the counter. I repeated the greeting without glancing at him and looked at the cashier screen.
“I’d like to order 6 glazed and a bit of you.” he said. I looked up at him and he seemed like he was in his twenties and in vague clothes. My face had no reaction to his flirting.
“6 glazed and I apologize but I’m not on the menu. That would be considered as cannibalism and we do not serve that here. Total will be $5.99.” I said calmly. He had an annoyed look on his face but I couldn’t care less. The assistant packed his order nicely and I handed him his order after he paid. An hour later, I saw cameras flashing outside the shop’s windows. Guess who walked in: Tony Stark. He walked up to the counter and stared at his phone for a minute. I repeated the greeting, but right after 'welcome’ he barged in.
“A dozen of whatever is good.” he said plainly. He looked up and we made eye contact then my eyes averted down at the screen.
“A dozen of donuts and a side of manners. Will that be all?” I smiled innocently at him. Tony laughed and pulled off his shades.
“I don’t need manners, I’m Tony Stark.”
“Well not everyone can be as snotty as you. Your total is $10.50.” His box of donuts was ready to go but he was still staring at me. “If you’d like your donuts, I’d advise you pay for it. And I’d recommend you make it quick so I can stop looking at your face.”
“You have the guts to say that to my face. You can be very useful getting me on track. How about you come work for me at Stark Industries?” he offered while giving his credit card and business card to me. I took them both and handed back his credit card after handling.
“I’ll consider it.”