Loving the Buster//Brian O'Conner

One

I lean against the counter at the Toretto's cafe. Mia Toretto and I have been best friends our whole lives. Even before I was old enough to work here, I was hanging around. At least now I get paid to stand around and talk with Mia.

I look at Mia. "Do you think we'll be doing this forever?"

"Doing what?" Mia asks.

"Working here?" I question.

Mia shrugs. "I don't know. What do you want to do if you're not going to work here?"

"I could be president," I offer.

Mia laughs. "Alright President Alvarez."

I laugh. "Or I could go to college. Be a teacher or something."

"After all the trouble you caused when we were in school?" Mia remarks.

I smile. "I know what to look out for."

Mia shakes her head. "Mari, you can do whatever you want if you put the effort into it."

"Maybe I'll open a garage that'll be better than Dom's," I offer. Mia makes a face. "Kidding. Thought Dom could stand to give me a raise."

"For doing what exactly?" Mia asks.

"Being my amazing, incredible self," I tell her.

A car door slams, and I turn towards the street. The same blonde-haired guy is stepping out of the same red pickup truck of Harry's as he's done every day for the last three weeks. Since the food isn't all that good here, I've come to realize that the guy is really here to drool over Mia. Even if Mia doesn't think so.

"It's your lover boy," I tease.

Mia hits me with a newspaper.

"Hey!" I protest.

The guy smiles as he sits down on one of the stools at the counter.

"Tuna on white, no crust, right?" Mia asks.

"I don't know. How is it?" the guy asks as he flips through a magazine.

"Every day, for the last three weeks, you've come here, asking how the tuna is. Now, it was crappy yesterday. It was crappy the day before. And guess what? It hasn't changed," Mia tells him.

"I'll have the tuna," the guy says.

"No crust?" Mia asks.

The guy smiles. "No crust."

As Dom gets up from his desk to grab a beer the guy watches him but doesn't say anything. Mia puts a plate down in front of the guy.

"Thank you," the guy tells her.

Mia watches him curiously. Then flips through the car magazine in front of him. I hear engines revving outside. I smile as I hop over the counter.

"Stop putting your butt on the counter," Mia scolds.

"Technically it's Dom's counter not yours," I tease.

Letty, Jesse, Vince, and Leon pull up in their cars.

"What's up, Letty?" I greet.

She smiles at me. "Nothing much, Alvarez."

Vince opens the door to his car. He smiles at me. "How you doin' Maricruz?" He turns his attention back to his car. "Talk to me, Jesse." He gestures with his hand. "This ain't working, brother."

Jesse gets out of his own car. "It's your fuel map. It's got a nasty hole. That's why you're unloading in third."

We all huddle over the engine of Vince's car.