Cherry Diner | Cillian Murphy x Reader

1. Carmen

Wednesday, December 15

10:43 PM

The diner was practically cleared out, only a few people remained, mostly regulars loitering around tables for a few hours. It was normal for people from our small town, Alora, to hang out in the diner, mostly because everyone knew everyone. There were never unfamiliar faces, you were always able to match a face to a name. It was as if though everyone was connected and intertwined, somehow.

The cold December air rushed into the diner as the door swiftly opened, reminding me of the harsh winter that was yet to come. The town always seemed to have miserable winters, making the late nights driving home in snow storms unbearable. I tried my hardest to disregard the fact that I'd soon be the one driving in those treacherous storms, but I was more focused on the four well-dressed business men that had just walked in. Just an hour before closing.

The four tall men stood at the door, waiting to be served. Their hair was gelled, slick back, and well-tamed. They were nothing like the men that I had seen before come through. Usually, the men that passed-by were truckers dropping in for a bite, or regulars, that I'd rather not discuss their physical appearance.

They seemed to be well-mannered, patiently waiting for a waitress or waiter to serve them. I analyzed them for a second, assuming that they were business men on a work trip, stopping in after a long day of work, but why at this time of night?

"Do you think that you could get them?" my coworker Elise asked, gently tapping me on the back as I stood in the kitchen, peaking through the window that eyed in on the waiting area.

"Oh, yeah, of course," I agreed with a reassuring smile, watching as Elise sneaked away, exiting through the backdoor with her boyfriend Alex, another one of my coworkers. "Please don't be too long."

I sighed to myself quietly, understanding that ever since Elise and Alex started dating that I'd mostly be doing the serving on my own considering how short-staffed we were. Only a guy named Benny worked in the back, he barely spoke to me, and when he did it was all about how he had been working here for almost thirty years. I'm not sure if he was bragging, but I never felt jealous or a drop of envy. The minute I started working here two months I wanted to leave. Dropping out of university was something that I had never planned, but after my mother told us that we needed to move to Alora for my father's business, I was forced to, leaving me to find a workplace. I settled on Cherry Diner after finding an advertisement in the local paper, bold letters, highlighting 'Help Desperately Wanted'. I was hired during the interview which I heard was never a good thing, but I took the job instantly and have been there ever since.

I slipped my tiny notepad in the front of my apron, pulling my hair back into a low ponytail, trying my hardest to look semi-presentable for the audience that was waiting for me. I lifted the shoulders of my black, tight t-shirt, covering any of the skin that was displayed on my v-neck collar.

I slipped out of the kitchen, immediately greeting the men with my customer service smile. I analyzed them once more, trying to figure out their ages. Two of them had jet black hair, whilst the other two had salt and pepper hair, allowing me calculate that they were all around the ages of thirty-five to forty-five.

"I apologize for the wait," I said, watching as they all looked up at me in unison, their expressions not changing. "Follow me."

I reached behind the counter, taking four menus for them, but I was quickly halted at the sound of a deep voice behind me.

"No need for those," one of the men dismissed with the shake of his head, quickly adding a smile. "We're not ordering anything big."

He had dark black hair, dark eyes to match perfectly. Just by looking at him I could tell that he had money; a grey suit paired with an expensive watch, and the smell of fancy cologne radiating off of him. It only drew me to the same question from earlier; Why are they here?