Suddenly, a large plate of eggs, steak and hash browns appeared in front of me, startling me out of my thoughts. I stared at the plate stupidly, before realizing that she'd messed up my order.
"Excuse me," I began. "This isn't what I ordered." The waitress scrunched up her nose, and waved her arm at me, her blond curls flying as she walked away. I sat there in shock, mouth agape, and wondered what had just happened. I knew that she had to of heard me. I said it loud and clear.
A few minutes passed and still she hadn't returned. It was really annoying me and I wasn't in the mood to mess around. "What the hell is this?" I said, before getting up with my plate in hand and walking over to the counter. "Excuse me, is anybody back there?" I yelled.
I set my food on the counter, eyes down, before suddenly a voice broke through the murmur of the diner. "Can I help you with something?"
I looked up to meet two, deep emerald eyes. I felt my pulse accelerate as I realized that I was staring at the handsome guy who I had noticed last night at the bar. He was even more gorgeous close-up – tall, dark and handsome with a strong, muscular frame. The thermo shirt that he wore clung tightly to his chest, making my cheeks turn red.
I promptly turned my head away, embarrassed. I looked back up, black strands of hair cascading around my face, as I forced a smile. "Oh sorry, yeah you can," I said. "I'm having an issue with my food and the service. I would like to speak to the owner please."
He smiled playfully, eyes dancing with amusement, as he leaned across the counter. "My name is Jace and I am the owner. What issue can I assist you with?" he replied, tone professional.
I glowered at him and laughed in his face. He might be handsome, but he isn't fooling me.
"Really? Do you want to run and grab the real owner and stop playing these games! I'm not in the mood." I felt bad for acting so rudely, but I was fed up. He probably recognized me from the club, and found it entertaining to mess with me.
His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that astounded me. "Is there something that I can help you with?" he replied, again. The warmth from his sweet breath covered my face as he spoke, each syllable as smooth as silk. I focused on his full lips in a pointless effort to distract myself from my raging heartbeat. It didn’t work.
I backed away, suddenly embarrassed at how close we were. I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed. "You know what, never mind. I'm not really that hungry anyways." I turned on my heel and hastily made my way out of the door and into the sunlight. What a waste of time!
I was about to cross the road when I felt a big, firm hand grip my arm. I pulled away and spun around, confronting the owner of the diner. "Don't touch me...”
Jace stood erect with a serious look on his face. "Let me at least make sure that you eat." He looked down at my arm and noticed my heavy breathing, before releasing his grip. He smiled and pointed toward the door. "Come back inside and I'll cook your food myself, just the way you want it."
I fixed him with a long, hard stare before I let my hunger win. I wasn't sure that I could even manage to make it back home without getting something in my stomach. "Okay, fine. I'll come back in, but only because I need to eat." I brushed past him and made my way back inside and over to the same table that I had been seated at originally.
Jace plopped down in the booth across from me and smirked. He raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for me to speak.
"What?" I questioned, wondering what he wanted.
He let out a cheerful laugh as if it was the stupidest question he had heard all morning. "Well it might be easier for me to cook you something if I knew what you wanted." His muscles flexed through his fitted thermo as he ran his hand through a crop of messy hair.
I felt myself blush. "Oh yeah. Let’s make it simple this time. I’ll just take corn beef hash and a coffee," I mumbled. "A large coffee.
He nodded in understanding, stood up, and smiled at me. "I think I can manage that." He laughed playfully and walked away while I attempted to keep my cool.
Several minutes later, Jace returned with a plate full of steaming food. He set down the plate in front of me, smiled, and was about to walk away before I waved my hand.
"What's all this?" I questioned. “I told you just corn beef-"
"Just eat it," he said firmly. "I had a talk with the waitress and she explained everything to me. Boyfriend issues. It’s no excuse." He leaned against the table and crossed his arms across his chest. "I sent her home; she's usually one of my best waitresses."
I poked my fork into the thick hash and looked up at him. "See, that's why I don't do relationships."
He looked me in the eye before walking away. "Neither do I."
~•~
The long walk home from The Indy Go was tiring enough, so when I finally arrived at my door to find the newest eviction notice implicitly warning me that I would be ‘Kicking dirt on the streets’ if I didn’t pay my overdue rent pinned up, it rounded off a fantastic day. Just great. You have got to be kidding me.
I stared at the pink sheet of paper held up by a rusty, metal pin. I hadn’t even realized that it was already the 10th of September and I was still $400 behind from last month’s rent. Ryan Smith, the owner of Hang 'Em Low apartments, had made it very clear that if I didn't catch up, then I would be kicked out, and – as he had rudely informed me – ‘homeless’.
Frustrated, I yanked the freshly printed-paper off of the door, shoved my key into the lock, and turned before running inside and slamming the wooden door shut behind me. I exhaled in defeat, leaning against the door as the thick tears began to stream down my face. I grabbed my head in both hands and allowed myself to fall to the floor – a weeping mess, with no one to turn to except a man who I had sexually exploited. I wiped away a tear and stared down at the paper in my hand with blurred vision before wrinkling it up and tossing it across the room.
I had no idea what I was going to do if I couldn’t get the money on time. I knew I needed the money though, and fast – the deadline was tonight.
Sighing, I stood up and pushed myself against the door for support before pushing away and sprinting to the bathroom mirror. Streaks of mascara smoothly ran down my long, wet lashes and covered my red and puffy face. I grabbed a clean towel and started scrubbing it away as roughly as I could in a ridiculous attempt to remove the darkness - inside and out. I scrubbed and scoured my face numb.