When It Hails...(A Raura Fanfic)

13.

13.

I didn't hear anything from Ross last night, but I hadn't tried to reach him either. It's the first evening we've spent apart for weeks and I hated every minute of it, especially after spending the whole night before wrapped in his arms.

I thought about calling in sick and running to his house to talk to him, but something held me back. I'm going to try to be patient and see how well it pays off.

I clock in, noticing my mom standing near the door to the dining room eyeing me with a concerned expression on her face. Maybe I should have called in sick and spent the day wrapped under the quilt in my all-too-familiar room. I don't want any pity today.

"Are you feeling better this morning?" she asks, walking in my direction.

"I'm fine. I think I just needed some sleep," I reply, tying my apron around my waist.

She narrows her eyes at me. "If you need to talk about anything, I'm always here for you," she says, squeezing my shoulder.

I nod.

"Thanks, Mom."

She gives my shoulder one more squeeze before disappearing into the dining room. I wonder if she ever sees me as a disappointment; her daughter with so much potential who held herself back in this small town to waitress instead of going to college. Knowing her, she's probably resigned to letting me find my own way. One day, I might wake up with a dream that's bigger than this.

I serve table after table, feeling like that girl who used to work here before she was swept off her feet by Ross Lynch. It's stupid really, and I realize that when a certain blonde haired, hazel-eyed guy walks in with a sexy, knowing smirk on his face. His hands are stuffed in the pockets of his faded blue jeans. The second our eyes lock, he starts moving in my direction, the smile falling off his face.

"What's wrong?" he asks, running his thumb across my forehead.

I blink away the shock that he's actually standing in front of me.

"Nothing, I just didn't expect to see you today. I was worried.".

"About yesterday . . ." he starts before I place my finger over his lips.

"Not here. Can we talk after I get off work?"

He looks around, lifting his eyebrows as he scans the packed diner. "I guess you are kind of busy right now. Can I come over after your shift?"

"Yes, you know when I'm off." I smile, teasing him about his stalker tendencies. "Do you want something to eat while you're here? You haven't had a milkshake in a while."

"No, I'm going to head back home, but I wanted to leave you with this," he says, reaching into the pocket of his black, puffy coat and pulling out a folded napkin. "I'll see you later." He kisses my cheek and stuffs the napkin into my apron pocket before walking out almost as fast as he arrived.

I grin and find that I have an extra bounce in my step as I finish my shift. I'd give anything for it to be a slow day so that I could go home early and wrap myself around the man I've fallen head over heels for.

After the last table in my section leaves, I complete the task of rolling the silverware and punch out. As I'm getting into my car, the white napkin Ross handed me earlier falls out of my pocket, landing at my feet. I'd forgotten about it, but now that it's in front of me, I can't stop myself from opening it.

The snow started to fall earlier today as the start of a winter storm moved in. These kinds of days make me want to throw my sweats on and curl up on the couch with hot chocolate and a good book. Maybe I can talk Ross into movie day on the couch.