Kill My Time-LH

*Chapter Twenty Four*

Rhiannon smiled at Luke from across the table of the small diner. The booths were covered in marbled blue vinyl. The tables looked like they had come straight from Rhiannon's grandparent's house.

There were small jukeboxes on the end of every table so each guest could choose what they wanted to listen to. The best part of the whole restaurant was that you used a rotary phone to make orders.

Rhiannon's face lit up when she got to use the rotary phone. Dialing a cell phone was no fun and she couldn't wait to use a phone like her parents had used as kids. She giggled as she tried to figure out how to use the old fashioned phone. Luke shook his head in amusement. "Let me show you how to use that, Rhiannon."

"But Luke, I've almost got it. Give me one more try. Pretty please," Rhiannon said with the most adorable puppy dog eyes that Luke couldn't say no to even if he tried. He was a sucker for a pout. That's how his child patients always ended up with two stickers and another special prize. He just couldn't say no.

"At least let me help you." Luke reached over the table to rest his hand on top of Rhiannon's. He gripped it slowly, helping her turn the rotary from number to number so they could put their order in. Rhiannon looked up at his gentle touch, smiling at the crease in his forehead. His focus was on nothing but the phone and their hands.

The rotary spun to the beginning again and the phone started to ring. Rhiannon was bouncing in her seat waiting for someone to answer on the other line. When she finished ordering, she set the phone back on the stand. "Thank you for bringing me here, Luke. How did you find this place?"

"This is where I come when I need a break. When I had just moved here and didn't know anyone at school yet, I was wandering around and happened to find this place. I try to come here once a week now even though I've been the busiest I've ever been lately." Luke was fidgeting with the straw wrapper from his Pepsi. "I worked here for a bit until I found out I could get more tips from the bar."

"This place reminds me of my grandma's house. The tables are the same," Rhiannon said as her fingertips grazed the metal on the edges of the table. "She died when I was only thirteen. I wanted to keep her kitchen table, but my parents wouldn't let me. They said it was foolish to keep such a thing as a memory. But they didn't understand. My grandma taught me how to bake at that table." Luke grasped her hand in his larger one. He squeezed it reassuringly.

"I bet you miss her a lot, flower. Is that why you opened a coffee shop? Because you wanted to honor her memory." Rhiannon nodded her head slightly. A stray tear had run down the apple of her cheek. Luke absentmindedly wiped the tear away with his thumb.

Rhiannon started laughing. Luke's brows furrowed, his frown growing deeper. "We came here to have a nice time and I'm here crying. I swear I'm not crazy." "You're not crazy, Rhiannon. Everyone misses someone they love."

Moments later, their food was laid out in front of them by a middle aged woman whose name tag said Jan. "Luke! Why didn't you come back and say hi?" The cheerful woman said. Luke scratched the back of his neck, "I'm uh, I'm not alone today, Jan."

"Where are my manners? I'm Jan, and who is this beautiful young woman?" Rhiannon looked at her lap, a light tint of pink on her cheeks. "This is Rhiannon. She's my um, my friend."

Rhiannon's head perked up at the mention of her being a friend. She'd thought they were a little more than friends, but they hadn't really put a label on it. Did she want Luke to be her boyfriend? Was she ready for a boyfriend after Dylan? She didn't know what she wanted, but she didn't like Luke calling her a friend.

"Sorry about her, flower. She can be a little invasive about my life. I've never brought anyone here, let alone a woman I'm seeing."

"A woman you've been seeing, huh? We've been doing a lot more than seeing each other," Rhiannon smirked, "well actually, I think we've seen quite a lot of each other. Don't you think?"

Luke's jaw dropped. "Rhiannon! Oh my god," he bellowed. He tried to keep his voice down, but he was overcome with laughter. Rhiannon's giggle could be heard between Luke's loud chuckles. Once they calmed down, they ate their burgers and fries in a complacent silence.

"Hey Rhiannon, do you think you'd want to come over after this? They guys really want to see you again." She smiled and nodded her head, "I'd love to, Luke. Plus I don't want to say goodbye just yet, tonight. Marnie did say she'd open in the morning."

Luke's smile grew while pulling her along to his car by her hand. He couldn't wait to get her to his house to cuddle up on the couch and watch movies with her and his friends. A small part of him was hoping everyone was either gone or asleep because he'd much rather have her to himself and not get caught by Ashton again. He'd definitely be locking his door this time.

*Short chapter. We have a little more Rhiannon background here.*

*What do we think is going to happen at Luke's house?*

*Sorry if this is garbage. It took me two hours to write the little bit I did. I kept getting distracted.*