dancing in the stars (ballerina x singer wlw romance)

chapter twelve

WILLOW

Taking the night shift at the diner is always a nightmare, specially on weekdays after school finishes. Every student leaves campus with an empty stomach, searching the closest (and cheapest) place to eat. It's incredible how busy it gets between four and eight pm.
Unfortunately, this day it isn't any different, and the slight headache and the pinch of anxiety I'm feeling in my chest does not help the occasion. I had a few regulars, people who are nice enough to say hi and leave a nice tip for me.
Since it's almost half past seven now and the diner it's calm enough, I gesture Maya telling her that I'm stopping a few minutes to have dinner. With only two tables at my section, she lets me go.

"Willow," Aaron, our chef, calls from the slot of kitchen window. My stomach growls just as he sets a plate of poutine–french fries topped with cheese– for me.

I offer him a big smile. "Thanks." I say, feeling my stomach begging me to feed myself– I haven't eaten anything since breakfast.
I had three classes today and then I ran to work because I was about to be late.
I sit on one of the back tables, far from the people but I still can see my two tables. I start eating as soon as my ass hits the chair like I've been starving myself for days. Working around food for like a million hours will do that to you.
Louis, one of my coworkers, sits in front of me with the same plate as me, with a big smile on his face.
I'm pretty sure I look like a mess– my hair is a mess, my uniform smells like thirty different types of food and I'm so tired I could fall asleep right now. Louis, on the other hand, looks nice. His dirty blonde hair is long, tied into a low ponytail. Gray-blue eyes shine brightly in the diner and I honestly understand the amount of girls who only sit on his tables. He's nice to look at.

"Tired?" he asks, leaning his back on the chair and giving me that boyish grin I'm pretty sure it brings all the girls in college to their knees. Not me, though.

I smile at him, swallowing down another portion of my food. "So tired." I nod.

"You went out last night?" he frowns. "I saw Maya at the party but you weren't there."

I shake my head. "No, I stayed at the dorm with..." a friend? Summer Bennett? Luna Bennett's daughter. "A classmate. We're preparing for the winter showcase."

His eyes widen with excitement. "No way! You got in? Who's your dancer?

"Yeah." a big smile spreads on my lips. "It's uh..." I hesitate for a moment. "Summer Bennett."

He raises his brows, recognition written on his face. "Oh! Little Bennett." he laughs.

I narrow my eyes at him feeling something warm in my chest. "You know her?"

Louis nods, brushing his long hair away from his face. "Aurora's been my partner in figure skating for almost four years now." his blue eyes flicker with pride as he explains. "After what happened with her old partner, her agent contacted me through mine and we've been ice skating together since we were seventeen— anyway, that's how I know Summer. Through her sister."

What happened with her old partner? I want to ask, but it's none of my business. "You're a figure skater? How did I not know that?"

He shrugs, frowning his lips. "Aurora and I have practice at the Bennett center and our competitions have been international lately but–" he takes a sip of his drink, shrugging again as he does. "I don't know– Kinda weird, Aurora is way more famous and talented than I am but if you've seen her performances you gotta know me."