Genre: Angst, romance, fluff, slice of life

Synopsis: Having a job has always been important to me and when I got fired, it left me devastated. It affected me so much more than it should have, making me feel worthless. I feared that my fiancé would leave me or think I was a gold digger just after his money. I tried so hard to find another job but it just wasn't happening. I was sure I could hide this from Damian, too, but he's always been able to read me like a book. Maybe my worries weren't as warranted as I thought.

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The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, wafting across my nose. My eyes slowly peeled open, automatically jumping to the clock on the nightstand. Seeing the bright red 10:30 AM nearly made me panic, but then I remembered that I no longer had to worry about being late for work. With a sigh, I forced myself to leave the bed and headed into the kitchen.

My boyfriend was humming softly as he poured coffee into his mug. I stepped up behind him, arms wrapping loosely around his slim waist and he smiled. "Good morning, love."

"Morning," I mumbled into his cotton shirt, inhaling the scent of rose and vanilla. He turned in my grip, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"How did you sleep?"

"I had a nightmare that I got fired," I grumbled bitterly.

He frowned, rubbing my arms. "I'm sorry. I know how much that job meant to you."

"It's not your fault. Sorry for being so bitchy," I scrunched up my nose, feeling guilt pool in my stomach. It had been a little over a month since I lost my dream job and I knew that I've been taking out a lot of my frustrations on Damian, which he's been silently accepting like the good boyfriend he is.

"That's part of being in a relationship. You take the good with the bad."

"Have I mentioned how amazing you are?"

With a thoughtful hum, he tapped his chin in thought. "Not recently~"

My lips tugged up as my hands rested on his waist, our lips meeting. "You're the most amazing, beautiful boyfriend in the whole world."

He covered his mouth with the back of his hand, feeling his cheeks growing warm. He mumbled something in reply but I wasn't able to catch it.

I gently removed his hand, resting my own against his warm cheek. Knowing that I could bring such color to his face made my heart race. "Repeat what you said, babe."

"I love you so much," he breathed, claiming my lips. 

The corner of my lips slid upward as I kissed him back, gently pushing him back against the counter until there was no space left between us. My hand hand slipped under the cotton shirt, fingers dancing across his soft stomach. 

His body tensed beneath my touch before he pulled away. "As bad as I want to continue, I need to get dressed."

I chuckled, rubbing my thumb over his plump lower lip. "I'll be here when you get home~"

Damian pecked my lips again, lingering for a moment before heading out of the kitchen. I grabbed a cup of milk before I headed for the living room to watch some TV, hearing the shower turn on. Twenty minutes passed before Damian entered the living room, freshly showered and dressed for the day.

"Text me if you need me, I'll answer as soon as I can okay?" He sent me a beautiful smile before heading to the door.

I leaned my head back, watching him as he slid his shoes on. "Have a good day, Damian."

"Please don't stress too much, okay? I love you."

"Love you too." 

Despite his wishes, it wasn't long before I was feeling down again. Dating an idol was harder than one might think and my job had been my saving grace. I enjoyed the work, even more so when Damian was gone for weeks at a time. I would work so hard that I would pass out as soon as my head hit the pillow, allowing me no time to feel the emptiness he left when he was gone. 

I never realized how thankful I was for that until I was stuck at home alone with nothing to do. I had put in so many applications but none of the employers had even responded. And when I called to follow up, they said the position had been filled. I was growing more agitated and depressed as the days slowly passed by with no change.

With a heavy sigh, I dragged myself to the shower, deciding to go grocery shopping so I could prepare dinner for when Damian returned home.

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I bit my lip as I looked at the various types of meats laid out in the refrigerated racks. The prices were outrageous and I wasn't sure if I would have enough money for all of the ingredients. I had Damian's credit card but I've always been independent, buying my own items and refusing handouts from others. 

Even when we first started dating, Damian would try to pay for the meal but I insisted that he let me pay or at least split the bill evenly. This never bothered him because he knew it made me feel good about myself. Now, however, I was out of work. The money I had saved up over the years was given to my aunt a couple of months ago so she could keep her house.

I sighed deeply, running a frustrated hand through my hair. 'Maybe I should choose a cheaper dish...'

In the end, I settled on chicken and rice since it only called for two main ingredients. It would be my first time making the dish for him... would he even like it?

I waited in line, resisting the urge to stare at the rack full of various chocolates and candies. The smallest chocolate bar was pretty cheap and chocolate always helped me when I was feeling down. 'Surely I'll have enough.'

The cashier smiled at me when I finally reached her. "Did you find everything you were looking for?"

"I did, thank you." I waited patiently for her to scan the items before I swiped my card. DECLINED flashed across the screen and I felt my heart drop into my stomach.

"It does that sometimes," the girl confessed, pressing a couple of buttons on the cash register. "Go ahead and try again."

I nodded, swallowing hard as I begged every god I could think of to have mercy on me. None heard my pleas as DECLINED flashed again. 

"I, uh, I have money, just... can I check my balance really fast?" 

She nodded and I pulled out my phone with shaking hands. It felt like the people behind me in line were glaring at me but I was too afraid to look up and check. The balance on my card was $50.00. The total was $51.00. That damned candy bar...

"How much are you short, dear?" An older woman set her hand on my arm, looking at me kindly. There wasn't a hint of annoyance in her eyes but I still felt guilty for holding her up.

"A dollar," I managed to force a smile, holding back the growing panic I felt. God, this was so damn embarrassing. "Um, can you... remove the candy bar, please?"

"No need for that!" The woman dug into her purse, pulling out a dollar bill and handing it to the cashier before I could stop her.

"Y-You don't have to – "

"It's alright, dear. I'm not pressed for money," she smiled, gently urging me to swipe my card again.

I did my best to control my shaking hand and ignore the burning of my cheeks. "T-Thank you very much." Grabbing the bags, I bowed my head to the older woman.

She just smiled, patting my shoulder.

On the walk home, I was unable to contain my anxiety, tears stinging at my eyes. I just felt so embarrassed and worthless. 'That's why they fired me, because I'm so damn useless,' I thought, furiously scrubbing at my eyes.

When I was finally back in the safety of my apartment, I slid down to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest and hugging them tightly.

Damian had proposed to an independent person that worked hard and paid their own way, but I was no longer that person. Since I was eleven years old, I had never stopped working and, though I've moved from job to job, I had never been fired before. 

It was a much bigger blow than I ever imagined it would be. More than anything, I was worried that he would stop loving me. What if he thought I was just a gold digger that wanted to laze around and use all his money? The thought made me cry harder, my body shaking from the stress of it all.

After a couple of hours, I had managed to get myself together enough to make dinner. As soon as it was done, though, I found myself curled up in bed, staring blankly at the wall as if it held the answer to all my problems. If it did, it certainly wasn't spilling its secrets.

Damian returned home around ten-thirty, calling out my name. When I didn't answer, he started to search the apartment for me before finally pushing open the bedroom door, squinting through the darkness.

"Baby? Are you asleep?"

I quickly sat up, leaning over to flick the lamp on. "You're home early..."

His frown deepened as he sat on the side of the bed, his eyes shimmering with worry. "Do you not feel well?"

"Ah..." I rubbed the back of my head, forcing a smile. "I had a bad headache, so I wanted to lie down for a bit..."

Damian's eyes scanned my face, his fingers tracing my cheek. Could he see the dried trail from my tears? "What happened?"

"Eh? Nothing happened. I told you, I just had a headache and – "

"You're lying to me. Why are you lying to me?" He was clearly growing annoyed, knowing I was lying to his face but I couldn't help it. I was scared to tell him the truth.

"I'm not – "

"You are!" He hopped off the bed to hit the light switch. The room flooded with light, making me wince because all the crying had actually given me a headache. "I know you've been crying. Tell me why."

I remained silent, hands fisting around the sheets as I lowered my head.

"What's the point of getting married if you can't even open up to me?" He asked, his voice sharper, hands on his hips.

The words made tears sting at my eyes as all those negative feelings began to surface once more. "I'm sorry..."

His body tensed up when he noticed the tears sliding down my cheeks. Taking a deep breath, he sat back on the bed beside me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Please talk to me, love. I'm worried."

"I'm so sorry, Damian." My fingers curled tight around his shirt as I cried into his chest. "Please don't break up with me. I promise, I... I will find work! I'm not a gold digger..."

"A gold digger... what are you talking about?" His brow furrowed in confusion as he pushed me back to meet my gaze. 

I didn't want to imagine how scared, depressed and, above all, stressed I looked. 

"Losing your job really has you worked up... you should have told me."

"I didn't want to bother you. You're working so hard to reach your dreams..."

He wiped away the tears with his thumb. "Idiot, I told you, didn't I? Being in a relationship means taking the good with the bad. You don't have to keep things to yourself anymore."

With more prodding, I finally caved and told him everything; I explained how I'm not used to not working and about what had happened at the store, and how I was worried about losing him because of it.

Damian was shocked at how upset I've been. It was obvious that he couldn't understand why something as simple as losing my job could lead me to become so depressed and lose so much confidence in myself. Honestly, I couldn't fully understand it, either.

He hummed thoughtfully, holding me in his arms. Both of us were silent for several moments before he spoke again. "I won't pretend I know how hard it's been on you, but you can't give up. I know you'll find another job. Don't feel guilty about me supporting you until then, okay? I love you and being able to support you makes me happy."

I smiled, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. "Thank you, Damian..."

"From now on, you have to be open and honest with me, okay? If you're stressed, tell me. If you're unhappy, tell me. Hell, if you stub your toe, you make sure you tell me all about it!"

A laugh escaped my lips despite myself and I nodded. "I will, I promise."

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I took a deep breath before pulling open the door of the coffee shop, being hit with the strong scent of coffee. I was feeling nervous but I was determined to land this job. The owner was an old friend of Damian's who's willing to give me a chance, but I wanted to earn the position, I didn't want it to be given to me. I insisted on being interviewed and he made time for me.

The man behind the counter smiled warmly at me when I approached the counter, brushing the bangs away from his face. "Good morning. What would you like?"

I introduced myself politely. "I have an interview with the owner."

"Oh, you're here early," he told me before turning to the other barista - a young female who looked a bit awkward as she worked, perhaps because she was new. "Will you take the lead for a bit, Becky?"

"Of course, boss!" she replied cheerfully, spilling the milk in the process. "Sorry!"

He just chuckled as he stepped around the counter, motioning for me to follow him toward one of the small, round tables by the window. I settled down across from him, waiting patiently for him to speak.

"My name is Haru Hashimoto and I'm the owner of this shop. Damian's told me a lot about you."

"All good things, I hope," I replied politely. "Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Hashimoto."

"No need to be so formal, just call me Haru," he smiled, folding his arms atop the table. "I have to say, I was surprised when he told me you wanted to be interviewed."

"I don't like feeling as if I've been given special treatment. I appreciate his efforts, but I'd like to earn this on my own. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to do so."

"Of course! Tell me, have you worked in a coffee shop before?"

"No, I haven't. I have worked in a few cafés and diners when I was younger."

"Hm, I see. They're quite similar, though you will need to learn quite a few recipes when it comes to making drinks. Or, if you'd prefer, I can put you in the back and have you do the baking."

"I'd be a lot more comfortable baking since I have some experience there."

Haru nodded his head and smiled, clapping his hands together. "Great! Can you start right now? The lunch rush will be here soon and Becky struggles a lot with it."

"Of course!"

He held his hand out to me as he stood up. "Happy to have you on board."

I slid my hand into his own, also standing up. "Thank you so much. I promise I'll work hard!"

"I have no doubt of that. Come on, I'll show you around."

It was hard to explain, but... I felt happier than I have in almost two months. I was so relieved to be working again, even if it wasn't the biggest job or the most important one. It was enough for me.