53 Preoccupied (2)

Mia went out of the room where the animals were kept. Once she went straight for the counter, there was a sandwich and a note included which said, "I made some extra sandwiches for myself so help yourself to some. There's some freshly brewed coffee in the machine too."

Mia looked around to see where Dr. Canes was, but he was nowhere in sight. She appreciated the simple gesture and ate the sandwich that Dr. Canes gave her. The mornings were usually quiet in the shop. The only sounds you can hear are from the animals inside the shop. Sometimes Dr. Canes would play some soft music that adds to the relaxing mood.

Mia felt comfortable with the ambiance in the room as she lays her head on the counter with her arm as a pillow. She did not notice the time as no one was entering, her eyes started to close once her body relaxed. She fell asleep just like that.

Dr. Canes went out of his room and went to the receiving area, he found Mia asleep on the counter. It was not busy day so he did not wake her up. Looking at Mia and the bags under her eyes, he wondered what was keeping her awake at night.

"Is the work too hard for her?" Dr. Canes pondered while holding his chin as he was thinking. The last couple of days working with Mia was a delight. She's a hard worker who was willing to learn. She was easy to talk with and not excessive with her actions, compared to other kids her age. He would see the young people who like to party and talk loudly in the streets, wearing inappropriate clothes that barely cover their bodies. Some are loitering around while smoking and drinking without any direction in their life.

He chuckled as he had these thoughts. He never thought that he considers Mia as a child compared to his age. Although there is a gap in their age, it wasn't that far for him to be considered as an elder. It was more of an older brother. He put on some soft music as background, after which he did not disturb Mia and went to the animal's room to take care of their needs.

It was almost lunch when Mia realized that she slept for a long time. With a surprised look on her face, she looked around the shop and realized there were no customers. She immediately stood up and looked for Dr. Canes to apologize. She found him inside the animal's room giving an injection to a dog.

Mia did not want to disturb Dr. Canes as she stood behind him as she watched him work. His serious expression while taking care of the animals was a good sight to see, his profile looked handsome. She always thought that it was one of the perks working in the shop, as she thought that, she suddenly recalled William's confession. Something bothered her heart once she remembered William's words.

She did not know this feeling as she never experienced it before. She grimaced as she experienced that sudden prickle in her chest. However, she did not have enough time to mull things over as Dr. Canes finished his work and put the dog back its cage.

Dr. Canes noticed that there was a person behind and him, "Oh you're finally up," he said with a smile.

Mia became embarrassed and said, "I'm sorry. I did not mean to sleep at work."

"Don't worry about it. It's not a busy day so you can relax," said Dr. Canes with a gentle tone.

"Do you want to join me for lunch?" he added.

Mia remembered that she forgot to prepare anything for their break. She did not want to bother the Doctor anymore so she decided to buy something from the convenience store, however, as she was about to speak up, the door opened and the bell rang.

A customer appeared.

"Let me get that. Excuse me Doctor." Mia ran towards the counter as if she was given amnesty.

"Am I that scary that you have to rush to the customer?" you can hear the chuckle of a mature man echoing in the room.

Original novel by Chuchuwachuwa