Blackmailing The Untouched

Familiar And Unfamiliar Territory

I find calmness in the way he drives. He steers the wheel with his left hand and switches gears with his right. His eyes never waiver from the traffic ahead, and the few times he gets irritated at the other drivers, it's visible on his face as his cheeks twitch as his jaw ticks.

"Let's go!" He hits the middle of the steering wheel with his palm, sounding off a loud beep at the Texter in the white van ahead.

"So, where are we going?" I interject shyly.

"My house." He replies with a wink. But, after hearing my deep breath, he quickly adds, "I'm kidding. I was heading to my favorite place. "Fred's" It's a little diner off the thruway that has the best hamburgers and fries."

I happen to be very familiar with the place. It’s been my favorite diner since I moved here as a little girl. My mother used to order the same dish as me; A bacon and grilled cheese with fries on the side. Dad used to get a medium rare steak and extra pickles on the side. The last time I had been in the diner was eleven years ago, I haven't been able to force myself to go since our final family dinner.

"Yeah, I know the place pretty well." I tell him with a sigh. I don't want to make a big deal about it, but I also don't think I’ll be able to walk past our usual table and not get overwhelmed by sadness.

"You don't like it?" He asks.

My heart sinks a little in my chest, "No, It's not that." My voice is small, and I can feel the sting of tears forming in my eyes.

I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to cry in front of this man. I'm not going to break down because if I do, then I might not get back up.

He goes silent for a second, "We can go somewhere else if you want?" He offers with pleasing eyes.

"No, it's okay. I love "Fred's" too." I force the painful memories away from my mind and put on a brave face.

We pull into the parking lot of the diner ten minutes later, and Zach shuts off the engine. There is about a handful of vehicles parked in the rather large parking lot, most belonging to the elderly who come for the thirty-cent coffee that the diner is most known for.

The diner's exterior is made to look like a log cabin, with semi tacky lawn ornaments proudly displayed on the grass in front. The large "Fred's" sign is worn and faded, but it still feels the same as it did eight years ago.

"Hey." Zach nudges my shoulder after I fall into a daze of memories. "Yeah, we can go somewhere else." He says with a nod and places his hand back on the ignition.

"No!" I quickly place my hand over his without thinking. "It's okay." My eyes find his, and he settles in his seat. The contact instantly warms the rest of my skin.

I nervously pull away and unbuckle my seatbelt. "Sorry." I mutter out an apology before getting out of the truck.

The tiny stones in the parking lot crunch under our shoes as we make our way to the door. As we move closer toward the entrance, I make a mistake and glance in the windows, and I'm taken back to when I was a little girl walking beside my parents, laughing at something Dad had said.

My ten-year-old laugh echoes in my ears.

I start to slow my strides. Zach's footsteps stop beside me. "Are you okay?" He turns to face me and takes my face in his hands, his voice caring, his blue eyes bringing me back to reality.

Slowly, the laughter fades away in my head, and I can see his face before me. His face looks soft, but the moment he swallows his cheeks harden. There is a small sprinkle of freckles just underneath his left eye that I hadn't noticed before. He is far more gorgeous than I had imagined. His lips are so close to mine. I could kiss him if I wanted to.