Pov y/n

The doorbell pulls me out of my thoughts and I smile at the customer who walked in.

I take his order and get it ready quickly. When the doorbell rings again I look up and am almost startled as I see the blonde woman with green eyes who I thought about a lot those past few weeks.

Scarlett smiles at me as she walks up to the counter. She orders a medium coffee with milk and a bit sugar and watches as I make it.

"What are you doing here?" I ask surprised while handing her the coffee and typing in her order.

"I dropped Rose off at school and have a bit of work to do and wanted a coffee to go with that. Since I liked the coffee here the last time so good, I thought why not come back?" She explains and pays for her coffee. I nod in acknowledgement and smile.

"Well, have a good time working." I wish her and she thanks me before looking for a table to sit on.

My eyes follow her and watch as she sits down and gets out a laptop to do her work on.

I don't quite know what she has to do on her laptop though because I know now that she's an actress and for acting you don't need a laptop. Maybe she has to answer some emails or has an online interview.

I decide to not longer think about it and am distracted by incoming customers. Jesse soon joins me after stoking up everything and unpacking the deliveries. I glance over to Scarlett every once in a while, seeing her typing on her laptop and sipping on her coffee.

After a while I make my way around the shop, seeing if any customer needs a refill or wants anything. Everyone is good, so my last stop is Scarlett. I notice her cup is empty and wait for her to look up at me, not wanting to disturb her work.

"Do you need a refill?" I ask with a smile.

"That would be really great. Can you make it the same as the last one?" She gives off her order and I nod, taking her cup with me to put it in the dishwasher. I make her another coffee and bring it to her table. She already has her wallet out and gives me the money.

"Thank you for being so attentive." She says and smiles at me. Her smile always makes me happy and my heart makes a small jump because I am the reason of this smile.

"Of course. If you need anything else, just come to the counter or call for me." I offer and she nods before taking a sip from her coffee. An approving hum leaves her mouth.

"You really know how to make a coffee." She praises and I blush a little at the uncommon compliment.

"Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it." I say before giving her a small wave and going back behind the counter where Jesse waits for me.

"Isn't that the woman you went on a not-date with?" He asks and wiggles his eyebrows. I try to brush it off with a shrug but can't help but to grin.

"How is it going between you two? Did you have any more not-dates?" He asks, his work forgotten while his eyes dart from Scarlett to me.

"It's going...good I think. And yes, we saw each other a few more times but nothing happened and I don't even know if she likes women." I sigh and turn to wipe the counter. Jesse seems to think about my answer, a little unsatisfied with it.

"Do you like her though? You know, in that way?" He asks and watches me clean before sorting something himself. I know his question isn't if I like women in general, it's if I like Scarlett in specific.

I mean I do. Every time she smiles at me, I get happy too and when she locks eyes with me, I get lost in hers. I like seeing them sparkle with happiness or adoration for Rose.

Whenever she compliments me, I feel the butterflies in my stomach go crazy and my cheeks start to heat up.

She makes me nervous and calm at the same time. Her laugh is just addictive and I want to hear it daily because it cheers me up.

The way she interacts with Rose and cares for her is the sweetest and so caring. Her hugs, well we only hugged once so far but still, are the best feeling in the world. When she hugs me I feel safe and calm.

I want to spend time with her, much more than we already am. Her way of listening to me makes my heart soar with happiness because she is so genuine and listens to every detail without getting bored or annoyed.

And on top of that, she is the most beautiful woman there is.

So yeah, I like her in that way.

I sigh at the realization that isn't really knew but just hit me more than before. I like Scarlett and I want her to like me too but I know I can't force it. I also know how she stands to relationships in general and that her first priority is Rose and I don't want to interfere with that. If she feels the same way as I do and wants to try it, then I'm okay with that but I won't push her into it.

But besides that, I still don't know if she even likes women. We had a moment in the kitchen last Saturday where we almost kissed but I don't know if that's a clue or just, I don't know, the heat of the moment. I did want to kiss her right then and she seemed to want to as well but it never actually happened, so there's still not really anything I can take as a hint.

Her compliments could be seen as flirting but also just as friendly compliments. I don't know, maybe I'll just have to see what will happen. A small sigh escapes my lips, which makes Jesse look at me.

"You though about her, didn't you?" He asks, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Yeah, I did and I do like her in that way but I don't know if she feels the same." I admit before we both fall quiet and take care of some customers. After they are gone, Jesse turns to me again.

"You could ask her." He suggests but I shake my head.

"That would be kinda weird and I'm worried it'll destroy the friendship." I explain my thoughts, keeping the fact that it also kinda scares me to myself. Jesse nods understandingly.

"Enough about me, I'll figure something out. What about you? Anything interesting happened to you?" I change the topic, not wanting to think too much about Scarlett and what could or could not be. Jesse nods, his face lighting up.

"I met someone yesterday at the gym." He tells me and I smile at his excitement, waiting for him to continue.

"He's gorgeous and the way he helped me when I lifted the weights..." Jesse rolls his eyes in adoration, not able to describe it with words.

"We talked afterwards and turned out, he's bi, so I have a chance. He gave me his number and we chatted a little bit last night and set up a time when we'll meet again at the gym today. I can't wait to go there and see him again. Maybe this time I can help him lift the weights and maybe I get to touch his strong muscles..." Jesse drifts off into his swarming thoughts and I smile, happy for him.

We continue our shift as usual but I may go around to check on our guests a few more times, just to make sure, Scarlett has everything she needs.

I cut one round short as a bunch of new customers arrive and I have to help Jesse at the counter. Today seems to be a day where a lot of new people decided to come to our store, which I would usually like but today I'm a little distracted by Scarlett.

But when the line gets very long, I don't have time to think about Scarlett anymore and just try to work as quick as possible.

It takes us a while until everyone is happy and some of them decide to sit down, so we have to keep an eye out for them as well, making sure they have enough coffee. When it's less busy, I can finally catch a break and lean against the counter as I feel a pair of eyes watching me. I search for them and make eye contact with Scarlett. She smiles at me, her laptop closed, so her full attention is on me. I smile back at her and even from the distance I can tell that her eyes soften at my smile and it makes my heart jump a little.

When she packs her laptop away, I almost am worried that she'll just go without saying goodbye, although I understand that we're in public. But instead of walking outside, she comes to the counter again. Jesse winks at me, before taking a stroll through the shop to check on the customers.

"Hey." I greet Scarlett.

"Hey." She replies and our eyes lock for a few seconds.

"I will head out now, Rose's school is over soon but I wanted to buy a muffin for her first." Scarlett explains and nods towards our display. I smile and nod.

"Of course. Which muffin would you like?" I ask and take my eyes off her to look at the options of muffins we have. Scarlett hums while thinking.

"I'll take a chocolate muffin." She decides and I get one out, packing it up so she can take it with her.

"Thank you." She says and hands me the money, giving me a tip.

"Thank you." I say, emphasizing the 'you' and smiling at her. She nods with a smile and gives me a little wave before turning around and leaving the shop. I watch her leave and almost feel sad about it, I liked having her here.

"She likes you." Jesse almost makes me jump with his comment and I shoot him a short glare as he leans against the counter.

"What makes you say that?" I ask, feeling my heart starting to beat with hope. Jesse shrugs his shoulders.

"For once, it's just a vibe but what kinda convinced me was the way she looked at you." He explains and I raise an eyebrow in question, waiting for him to elaborate.

"She smiled as soon as you made eye contact, her whole face lit up and the smile never left her face while talking to you." He points out, making me think about it.

She did smile but she does that almost always when we're together, I simply assumed that's because she's happy or kind. Her face lighting up is only something I noticed when she was with Rose, either looking at her daughter or interacting with her.

"The way she looked at you made it kinda obvious. Maybe she isn't sure herself but it is clear that she has feelings towards you." Jesse explains further.

My heart immediately swallows his words and I feel hope rising inside me. But should I let that happen?

Should I allow hope to build up when I don't know for sure?

What if I hope for something that won't happen?

I will just be disappointed then. Maybe I can hope a little, not too much but a tiny bit. I chew on my lip, thinking about Jesse's words.

"I hope you are right." I admit and he nods reassuringly before we go back to work.

On my way to the aquarium, I get a text from Scarlett, well more like a picture of Rose who grins into the camera, her face full of chocolate with still half the muffin in front of her. My heart feels lighter at the sight of the happy child.

Scarlett: Chocolate was the right choice, she loves it and so does her face. XD

Y/n: I'm glad she likes it and it looks adorable. :D

Scarlett: True. We wish you a good shift at the aquarium. :D

Y/n: Thank you, have a great afternoon yourselves. :)

I smile at our chat before putting my phone in my pocket and looking out the window.

Since last Saturday we've been chatting regularly, mostly just short conversations like just now and sometimes a picture of Scarlett and or Rose. I sent pictures of myself back when I had the time and it was really nice.

Scarlett told me that they had fun on their mother-daughter weekend and Rose really enjoyed the time.

And apparently Rose asked why I wasn't there as well, which melted my heart a little. Scarlett said she wasn't sure what to answer to that but luckily Rose got distracted and didn't ask again.

We didn't talk about the almost kiss and I don't know if that's a good sign or not. Like, did she forgot it happened or wanted to forget it?

Or was she unsure about my reaction or about her own feeling?

So many questions that I don't have an answer to but hopefully get one day.

A bit later I arrive at the aquarium and quickly get changed to start my first tour of the day.

The shark that seemed a little injured last Friday is still not looking a lot better. It got a little better but something still seems off.

Mr. Jackson asked me if I could take a closer look, meaning that I need to dive down there to see if the shark is injured.

I accepted immediately and am excited to go diving again, even if it's just in a tank. The sharks in there don't scare me since I know they don't attack humans and especially don't eat them. Maybe if they were really hungry and would smell blood but they are fed and I'm all good.

After my tour, I meet Mr. Jackson in the food preparing room where he hands me a wetsuit. He leaves me to get changed and I get into a bikini and the wet suit. When I open the door again, he comes back in.

"I know you're not a vet but I hope you can still find something out. I really appreciate, that you do this and I will make sure to give you a bonus for that." He says and pads my shoulder.

I smile at him in thanks. It's not that I'm not happy about a little bonus, it's just that I would do it for free as well, just to go diving again and feel free.

"Alright, here are the other supplies." He says and helps me put on the helmet and the bottle of air before connecting it. We walk up to the platform above the tank and I sit down to put on my fins to be faster.

"If you don't want to do this anymore, that's okay, just get back up. Steph is currently in front of the tank to watch you. Just give her a sign if you need anything." Mr. Jackson makes sure and I nod, giving him a thumbs up. He steps away a little to give me room and I flop back down into the water.

The water is cooler than the air around me before but it's a nice contrast and when I breathe through my helmet the first time, I feel brought back to my few diving trips.

A few fish swim around me and my heart soars with happiness at the feeling of being underwater again. I take a few seconds to look around and take everything in before I slowly dive deeper, looking for the shark.

I see another one swimming towards me but it doesn't seem to care and swims away again. Steph waves at me when I see her and I smile and wave back. A few guests watch me as well and I see a little boy looking at me in awe, almost pressing his face against the glass.

I give him a small wave as well and he excitedly waves back before I turn to search for the shark.

The feeling of being weightless is amazing and I could stay here forever but I have a task to do.

After a few minutes I find the shark and swim towards it. It doesn't really care about my presence, which is good and I start to take a closer look.

It seems to be okay so far. But when I swim beneath it, I see something stuck in its right fin. I'm not sure what it is, but it's causing trouble.

For a second I'm debating if I should let it in and tell Mr. Jackson but I decide to take care of it and carefully guide the shark further away from the people.

I dive beneath it and struggle for a few seconds, when it starts to move but after a few more movements, I'm finally in the right position and pull out a little bag and tweezers.

Careful, to not hurt the shark, I grab the piece that's stuck in his fin and pull it out. The shark starts to move but luckily in the right direction and the thing slides out. It doesn't seem to bleed, so that's good.

We just have to keep an eye on this shark to see how it evolves from here.

I put everything into the small bag and swim back up. I'm a little sad that I have to get up again and can't stay here for longer.

I pull myself up onto the platform and catch my breath after pulling the mask and helmet off. Mr. Jackson looks at me, giving me time to recover. I hand him the bag and get out of my fins.

"That was stuck to its fin, that's why it had trouble to swim. It didn't seem to bleed or be infected but we should keep an eye on it, just to be sure." I tell Mr. Jackson who takes a closer look and nods.

We walk down again after I got up and he guides me back into the preparations room, so I can dry myself off and get into my own clothes. While patting my hair dry, I walk out again, the wet things in a bag, that Mr. Jackson will take care of.

"I think this might be a thorn from one of the plants we have down there but I'm not sure. I'll take it to my lab to get a closer look and let you know. But if it is from one of the plants, we should remove it from the aquarium, to prevent further incidents." He thinks out loud and I nod, agreeing with him.

Excitement fills my body at the foresight of a potential second diving trip, even though he never said I would be the one diving down there.

Our ways split when he takes everything with him to take care of it. I put my damp hair into a ponytail and walk out to see Steph who tells me I did a great job. She admits that she would have never dared to do it herself and that I can be very proud of myself.

I thank her and smile widely.

It feels nice to be encouraged and hearing I did a good job.

Thinking about my diving, I start to wish that this could be my actual job, diving in the ocean to explore it and learn new things about the animals down there. I mean, I planned on it becoming my job but life got in the way and after my years at college, I never continued this way of career for different reasons.

Maybe somehow I will still be able to do it, who knows?

A/n: Back to the usual update schedule.

Quick question: would you be interested in an upload-marathon?

(Meaning I would upload a couple of chapters within a few hours.)

Thanks for reading and love to you all