Johnny places his hand on my lower back and leads me out of the complex.
The sun casts a beautiful orange and pink on the horizon, and the heat from the day has dissipated. The temperature is perfect for an evening stroll.
A few minutes later we arrive at a familiar spot. The door jingles, and the cheery old man greets us from across the diner.
Johnny scans the diner and grabs my hand, tugging me toward a booth in the corner.
That’s twice now in a short period that I’ve had to ignore the way his touch affected me. For him, it seems casual and natural—for me, it’s like fire igniting my soul.
“Is this okay?” He motions for me to take a seat.
“Mmhm.” I slide across the cushy material.
He drops my backpack next to me and climbs to the opposite side.
Bram glides over with a shit-eating grin on his face. He swivels an empty chair from a nearby vacant table and straddles it. “What’s going on you two?”
Johnny points to my bag. “Studying.”
“Ah, I see,” Bram drags out the last syllable.
“And we need to eat,” Johnny adds.
“Sure. Obviously.” Bram bobs his head up and down. He straightens up and grabs his notepad and pencil. “Well then, do you know what you want, or do you want a minute?”
I glance over at Johnny, letting the simple question from Bram settle into my head. Clearly, he was referring to something completely different, but I can’t help the way my thoughts wander to this beautifully broken boy sitting across from me.
We’re just two damaged souls who stumbled into each other unexpectedly.
And maybe that’s all we ever will be, paths that were temporarily crossed.
Johnny meets my gaze, almost like he’s thinking the exact same thing. “You ready or do you need time?”
I’ve never been so certainly uncertain about something in my life. I force myself to look away from Johnny and focus on Bram. “Stack of blue with a side of b. And a coffee, please.”
Bram’s eyes twinkle while he jots down my order. “Keep it up and I’ll be offering you a job.”
“Are you hiring?” I let out a laugh, although I’m partially serious. I could use the extra cash to save for the move back home. I’ve seen a few wanted signs going to and from school, but nothing jumped out at me to apply.
Bram tilts his head. “Are you looking?”
I shrug and nod. “Yeah, kind of.”
“Congratulations.” Bram extends his hand. “You got the job.”
I look to Johnny. “Is he messing with me?”
Johnny leans back and throws his arm across the top of the booth. "Nope."
“Thanks.” I give Bram a firm shake, completely in disbelief at the turn of events.
A small pit forms in my stomach, reminding me that good things don’t last. At some point, the other shoe will eventually drop. For now, though, I will ride the wave of decentness that comes my way.
“No, thank you.” Bram lets go and turns to Johnny. “And for you?”
“I’ll have the same, minus the job.”
Bram chuckles. “You sure? You’d look snazzy in a hair net.”