Cursed [Jai Brooks]

The Day We Met- Chapter 41

“From the beginning” I nod in agreement, I reach over and grab my mug of tea from the table and take a deep swig allowing the hot liquid to pour down my throat, relaxing me ever so slightly. I am afraid of what he may reveal, what will I do if this all really was my fault? I can’t bear the thought any longer; I give him a quick reassuring smile, willing him to continue.

“So, the day we met” he begins, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for a day of solving mysteries “the first time I saw you was when you came to the diner, you walked through the giant double doors, the bell sounded as you did so, I remember I had a handful of plates, each plate holding the perfect typical American breakfast of waffles, bacon, pancakes, muffins, you name it, I was serving a large family. I stopped to look at you and in that one glance I almost dropped every plate that I was holding, I thought you were so beautiful, captivating even and I had to double look to make sure that it wasn’t some twisted hallucination. After facing the angry grunts of the family that I was serving I headed into the kitchen, honestly I was intimidated” he flushes which makes me smile, I had no idea that he saw me that way “I hid in the kitchen for a considerable amount of time, I busied myself with helping Beau by fixing up some bacon and eggs, even then we were short for staff but it was okay, it was manageable, enjoyable even, anyway, so Rose skated back into the kitchen with an order and a wary look on her face, that was when I knew that something was wrong” he whispers, I feel a shiver run down my spine at his discontent.

“Where is Rose?” I ask a sudden urgency to know courses through me. Beau wouldn’t have fired her, she never would’ve left, she was so dedicated to the diner, and she loved both Luke and Beau like they were her own.

“I told you, I have to tell my version of events chronologically without being side tracked or else this will only get more complicated than it already is” he huffs in my annoyance, I frown, rattled by his dismissal “hey, baby, I’m sorry, but you want to know and I am more than willing to tell you everything that I know but you have to listen to me” he breathes, he places his hand on my thigh and rubs soothingly, I nod in acknowledgment.

He reaches across to grab his mug of tea and takes a swig, swilling it around his throat several times before placing it back on the coffee table. He shifts uneasily on the sofa before clasping his hands in his lap and returning to the conversation “Rose stood in the kitchen, contemplating something for a considerable amount of time until I pressed her for answers, Beau noticed her distress and quickly joined us, we both care for Rose as if she’s our mother and even the slightest sense of her displeasure alarms me”.

...

“Rose, what’s wrong?” I exhort, I can sense her agitation and its throwing me into a panic “Rose” I rise my voice in desperation, I move towards her and place my hands on her forearms, she looks up at me, her eyes full of perturbation. Beau quickly joins us; he stands beside me, gazing at Rose eyeing her with the same panic expression as myself.

“In the diner” she points towards the large grey double doors with small circular windows, leading to the diner “he’s there” she whispers, her voice shaky.

“Who’s there?” Beau asks, a fearful panic grows in my gut as I already build my own conclusion, I feel a lump form in my throat, my hands begin to sweat, I release Rose from my grip as I step backwards in shock waiting for her to confirm my fears.

“Jai” she whispers as if he could hear her. I close my eyes in disbelief, why is he here? After all this time, he shows up out of the blue.

“What did he want?” I ask

“He came in with a girl, he pretended to be you, and of course I knew almost instantaneously he wasn’t. His tattoos, piercings and foul language were quite the giveaway. Of course he threw a few insults your way” she shrugs with annoyance, suddenly her initial fear and shock vanishes and is replaced with some new found anger.