City of Kinetics

FIFTEEN ✴ Taken

       Mila quietly hummed to herself as she tapped her fingernails against the counter patiently, her eyes going over the empty diner. They haven't had a customer all afternoon, which was surprising considering it was Sunday and it was usually one of their busy days.

       "You think Harold will let us close early today?" Breanna asked, finishing up the table she was wiping clean to pass time.

       Mila rolled her eyes at the mention of their boss.

       "Nothing will convince him to let us close up early," she said.

       Her coworker frowned but shrugged, going back to cleaning tables. Mila considered helping her but couldn't bring herself to do anything. Instead, her mind went back to a few hours ago when Hunter came back from work just to drive her to the diner.

       She smiled to herself, feeling butterflies in her stomach at his gesture. He was in a good mood, too, and not like his usual intimidating self. They had a pleasant conversation in the car during the drive, and he promised to pick her up after her shift so she wouldn't have to take the bus back alone.

       The front door of the diner suddenly chimed, distracting her from her thoughts. To her surprise, Hunter, Jason, and Leila all walked in. Instantly, her smile brightened as they spotted her behind the counter and walked over.

       "How are you feeling?" Jason asked immediately, his eyes going over the bruises on her face and the cast on her arm.

       "Hello to you, too," Mila said, causing him to grin lightly. "I'm fine, honestly. What are you all doing here?"

       "I came for a milkshake," Leila told her, smiling brightly. "Can I get the same one you got me last time?"

       "Strawberry-banana," Mila said, nodding her head. "Sure."

       "How's work been?" Hunter asked, glancing around.

       She sighed. "Boring. We've had a total of two customers today."

       "Think you can ditch for a second?" he asked, a mischievous look suddenly sparking in his eyes.

       Mila smiled, her heartbeat speeding up in excitement at his look.

       "Why? You got something in mind?" she asked him.

       Jason chuckled. "Wow, gone is the innocent girl I remember." He punched Hunter in the arm. "The hell did you do to her?"

       This made Hunter roll his eyes at him before those ice blues turned back to her.

       "We have to talk to you," he said. "Do you have a minute?"

       This made her smile slip a little. By the looks on their faces, it didn't seem like bad news, but Mila suddenly felt a weight being pressed down her shoulders at the thought of what it could be.

       "Yeah," Mila said, before motioning to the kitchen doors. "We can talk in the back,"

       Hunter nodded before facing Leila.

       "Stay here, okay?" he told her.

       "Where am I going to go?" she retorted with an eyeroll.

       Jason chuckled. "You tell him, Leila. Keep him on his toes."

       "Shut up," Hunter grumbled at him.

       Mila waved over at Breanna. "Can you make a regular-size strawberry banana milkshake?"

       Her coworker nodded in response and Mila shot her a thankful smile before motioning for Hunter and Jason to follow her. They walked around the counter and she led them into the kitchen.