Without The Words

Chapter 34

The diner was a typical old fashioned one, with a glowing jukebox in the back, cherry red booths and black and white checkered floors.

Only one other customer was seated, in which the middle aged man was quietly munching on a hamburger a few booths down from where Mr. Lee and I sat. It made sense for it to be so dead- hardly anybody would visit a diner on Halloween night. I couldn't help but wonder why the other customer was here.

"Have you noticed the difference in yourself?" Mr. Lee asked me, placing his elbows on each side of the table. I glanced out the window, pink and light purple colors patterned in the sky.

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning back to him, drinking in his matted down curls and scruffy jaw. His white shirt was wrinkled, and I couldn't help but notice that my tank top also looked gross and worn out.

Now my hair was a different story, and I had tried to run my hands through it during the car ride, but the frizziness remained.

I had been all sweaty from running, but now sitting near an air conditioning vent was giving me intense chills. I shivered and rubbed my arms to create warmth, finally settling my gaze back on Mr. Lee who looked immensely attractive.

"You talk to me," he said simply. "You hardly use your notepad anymore."

A rush of guilt overcame my senses. "I can use it more if you'd like-"

"No!" Mr. Lee said, a deep chuckle rumbling from his chest. "It's not a bad thing, Ms. Rose."

Please don't call me that, I thought to myself. It sounded so sensual coming from his lips. I shook my head, as if to shoo away the sexual energy that was radiating off this man. Did he have no idea what he was doing to me? How could he be so oblivious?

I opened my mouth to respond, but a waitress came over to my table and immediately I snapped my mouth shut.

"What do you guys want to drink?" The young, black-haired woman asked tiredly, a sigh coming afterwards. She obviously didn't want to be here.

Mr. Lee and I exchanged glances and immediately heat flooded to my cheeks. My heart lurched as I nervously searched for my notepad, realizing that I must have left it in his car. I helplessly looked at Mr. Lee.

"I'll have a burger and a beer," Mr. Lee said, scratching his jaw and looking back and fourth between the waitress and I, as if contemplating what to do.

"And you?" The waitress asked me.

I couldn't speak. To any person, it seems like such a simple task to utter a few unimportant words, but I still couldn't find it in me to just carelessly blurt them out. Truth be told, it scared me.

I shaped my hands into a cup and attempted to make it look like I was drinking from an imaginary straw.

"A smoothie?" Mr. Lee said more to me than the waitress. I shook my head quickly and tried again, but the only thing the both of us seemed to be getting out of it was laughter. Mr. Lee propped his elbow on the table and let his hand hover near his mouth, as if to cover his amused expression.

"A soda- no, a milkshake!" Mr. Lee yelled giddily, and I nodded as a burst of laughter erupted in my chest. I popped my hand over my mouth and glanced at the waitress, who looked completely unamused, to say the least.

"Um, what flavor?" She asked me. I turned to Mr. Lee again, my heart pounding furiously in my chest. Awkwardly, I pointed to the cherry red apron wrapped around her waist.

"Cherry?" Mr. Lee asked questionably.

I shook my head and pointed at it again, feeling the woman shooting daggers with her eyes.