Apple Crisp

I want to be the face you see when you close your eyes
I want to be the touch you need every single night
I want to be your fantasy, and be your reality
And everything between

I want you to need me, like the air you breathe
I want you to feel me in everything
I want you to see me in your every dream

(Celine Dion – "I Want You To Need Me")

Riley

"Riles, Table Three is ready to order dessert."

"Be right there, Daniel. Thanks!" Riley piled a large order of drinks from the bar onto a tray and carried them over to a waiting party on the other side. She collected their empty glasses from the previous round and brought them back to the counter, setting the tray down momentarily to rush over to Table Three to take their order, which consisted of two classic sundaes, a slice of cherry pie, and a slice of chocolate cake.

"Riley!" An irritated voice floated through the air, and her eyes landed on a short, scowling man in a worn gray suit, standing near the bar. He gestured toward the tray sitting at the end of the counter. "These dishes won't wash themselves. Get back there and take care of them!"

"Rick, I..." She started to protest but was cut off as the kitchen door opened to reveal a much, much taller man in cooking attire.

The man towered over Rick with his six-foot-seven form and glared down at him, causing him to step back. "Riley has customers to take care of. Do you really think she can do that and wash all these dishes during the rush?" When he received no answer, he picked up the tray and handed it to him. "Good. Now how about giving the team a hand and wash these dishes yourself?" As Rick hurried into the kitchen, the man turned to Riley with a smirk on his face. "You good?"

"I'm fine. Thanks, Carl..." She shook her head in amusement at her overprotective brother figure. "You know you're going to get fired one day."

"Worth it."

She looked past him into the kitchen. "You really think he'll wash dishes?"

"Doubt it. I'm sure he just dumped them in the sink and left them for me and Adam to do." Carl chuckled as he reached for the tag from Table Three. "I'll have this out in a few." He returned to the kitchen and the night continued without further incident.

As the night wore on, the late evening customers began to trickle in, many of them regulars who had their own favorite places to sit down and relax. Riley's eyes moved from customer to customer as they all settled in with their orders. After working at the Spicy Apple Bar and Grill for so long, she could tell her usual customers apart from the new ones. Instead of by name, she usually knew them by their food orders.

To her right, sitting comfortably at one of the bar stools and watching the baseball game highlights on the big screen was Classic Burger with Everything. He was a passionate Yankees fan in the spring and summer seasons, and come fall and winter, it switched to the Rangers.

Nearby, sat Chili Dog with Chili Cheese Fries. She was a graduate psychology student at NYU and was hoping to finish her studies within another year. The dark circles under her eyes revealed her constant lack of sleep, and she never had less than four books at her table when she came to study during the quiet evening hours. Her order was her comfort food as she plowed through every assignment, slowly getting closer to her goals.

Then there was Bacon Club Sandwich (with Extra Bacon), sitting about two booths away, typing furiously away at her phone. She was part of some interactive story fandom and had at least four fictional husbands and two wives. And was it six? Maybe it was eight different children with them... She couldn't remember them all, but she was always graced with new "family photo" screenshots every time she came in.