Something about Vermont

Chapter 17

Clare smiles at the leather clad pair as the walk in the door of the diner, Tank nods at her with greeting and unbeknownst to Vermont, the young woman who was once covered in blood in this very diner shoots the older woman a warm and easy smile, something she didn't know she knew how to do.

Tank leads Vermont to the very same booth that she once sat in, he stands beside the table and nods at her, letting her choose which side of the booth she wanted to sit at. He watches, his mouth twitching into a smile as she chooses the far side, the side that he would normally sit at, the side that allows her to watch all doors and is closest to the exit.

"You know you're just as much of a biker as the rest of us" he chuckles as he slides into the opposite side of the booth, she quirks her eyebrow at him and watches as Tank's smile grows softer, but he says nothing instead opting to shake his head as if shaking away a thought.

Vermont is about to question the look but is cut off by Clare who comes with a notepad and the same welcoming smile on her aged face. "Same as always Prez?" she asks with a tilt of her and he nods at her, a thanking smile on his face as she scribbles down his order, "and for you sweetheart?". Vermont stutters for a second the endearment unfamiliar but a feeling bloom's in her chest and she decides not to comment, instead staring down at the menu that she hadn't even touched. "Uhm, I'll get the bacon cheeseburger meal please, and whatever pie you have on special today, please" Vermont tells the older lady, and Clare just smiles back fondly, "no problem, I'll get that out as soon as possible".

Vermont surveys the diner, making sure nobody had creeped in whilst she was distracted, before she turns to the parking lot, staring through the window and watching for any suspicious movement, once she deems the area safe, she looks back at Tank, who's already watching her, an unfamiliar look in his eyes.

"What?" she questions, her tone might come off as rude and blunt, but Tank knows better.

"You remind me a lot of someone I once knew" he tells her honestly, and she watches as the soft look filters back into his eyes. Vermont tilts her head, assessing the older man. "How?" she asks, unsure of how she could remind him of anyone.

"Sometimes I see her in the way you act, when I first met her she would always look around, paranoid, as if she was waiting for someone to jump out at her" he tells her and she frowns, "sometimes it's in the way you talk, she was always incredibly blunt and sometimes she had a snark to her when she let her guard down", he takes a deep breath and Vermont notes the fact that he rubs at his knuckles whilst talking, "sometimes I just see her in you" he pauses, "I think you would of liked her" he finishes and she watches as that soft smile melts into something sadder.

"What happened to her?" Vermont asks, unsure of if she was crossing a boundary or not. Tank pauses for a second, "I don't know" is his honest response and Vermont feels as her frown deepens. "What do you mean?" she pushes, unsure of how someone who obviously meant so much to him could be so unknown to him.

"She left, disappeared into the night, I woke up in the morning and she was no longer there" he tells her with that same sad smile on his face, Vermont decides that maybe she should stop pushing, stop asking the questions that are obviously making him unhappy. But for some reason she just can't, she doesn't know how to leave it alone.

"is that how you knew I would try to leave" she asks, her tone holding that same bluntness as it did before, his eyes lift from his knuckles, "I saw the signs this time, knew it was only a matter of time before you would try, I've lost her once, I wasn't planning on loosing someone like her again".

Vermont is quiet, if anything she feels a little bit overwhelmed,

"I won't ask any more questions" she murmurs to him quietly, "you can ask me any question's you want, kid" Tank tells her quietly, his pitch matching hers, there's a lull in the conversation, but not for long, "What was her name?" she wonders and the smile he gives her wobbles a bit.

"Rosa Lorenzo".

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I am so sorry that this chapter took me a billion and one years to publish, I am also sorry that I have been MIA. 

Working two retail jobs at Christmas time is soul sucking. But I've returned from a well needed family holiday and hopefully will get back into writing more regularly. 

But I'm so sorry again!

Anyways, make sure you've had some water and eaten and I'll see you next time. 

Bye!!