PAIN KILLER [DISCONTINUED]

010. A COLD HAVEN

010.

――― CHAPTER TEN ―――

A COLD HAVEN

FEBRUARY 8TH, 1986

📍MILLIE'S MILKSHAKES

6:37 PM

"AH," MILLIE SAYS fondly as her eyes drifted to my face. She gleamed as I let myself into the mainly empty diner, the bell hanging on the door jangling for several seconds.

Millie owns the best milkshake shop in town― which she named after herself, Millie's Milkshakes. It's usually a popular hub― besides for Al's Coffee, of course, considering they sell everything from milkshakes to burgers, but surprisingly, there aren't much people here at the moment.

"My favorite customer," she beams.

"My favorite milkshake-maker," I return, taking a seat across the counter from her, my elbows and forearms resting on the cold granite tile. "How are you doing?"

She snorts. "I would ask you the same question. You've been so dull and quiet for the last two weeks." She purses her lips. "No offense," she adds quickly.

"I know," I say nonchalantly. "I've gotten that a lot recently. It's just...well, I haven't been getting a lot of sleep. I think that's why I've been irritable."

She nods her head up and down slowly. "I suppose that checks out. I mean— you didn't even show up once. You're usually here at least 3 times a week. I thought you'd given me up for Al's."

"Never," I grin. "Never giving you up for Al's. His food tastes like barf and that is an understatement."

She grins, spitting out her chewed up wad of discolored-pink gum. "Thanks, Hun." She gestured towards an empty booth near the window. "Wanna take a seat?"

I give her a flustered look. "Don't you― Work?"

She shrugs as her face forms a slight pout. "I own this diner, Honey. I can take off whenever I want."

"Oh― Well― Alright, then," I say as I awkwardly make my way to the booth. I stare around at the several other people in the diner, but none of them have even glanced our way. I relax.

"Give me a moment. You want your regular, I suppose?"

I stare at the dusty colored chalkboard, adorned with several pink-purple, frilly drawings. My eyes make their way to the number of calories.

"It's quite a lot of calories― isn't it?"

She looks at me in confusion. She opens her mouth to talk, but words don't come out automatically. "You?" She asks. "Are you really telling me that you are worried about calories? I mean, look at me!" She says, pointing to her small little belly. "I'm not worried about it. And you― you are as perfect as can be."

My mind flickers back to my 7th grade self. My chubby little self― prime target, biggest prey of the bullies. All because I was a few pounds overweight. And then I lost all of it, in ways that I don't want to think about again.

"I'll take the Winter Wonderland instead, if that's okay," I say, eyeing the 400 calorie difference between the two.

She gives me a look. "Are you sure? You always love Birthday Cake."

"I'm sure," I say, giving her my most truthful look. She eyes me again, before shrugging. "Alright then. I'll be back in a few."

As I wait for her and my milkshake, I stare outside the window, which is quite literally, a winter wonderland. White blankets of snow covered everything in sight.