Hello, I Love You. Won't You Tell Me Your Name?

What's Your Name? What's Your Number?

Cat rushed into the diner she had been working at since her Freshman year of high school and almost ran into her boss, Marian. The older woman smiled at Cat and steadied her lightly. "Woah there, Cat. Take it easy. You're not late or anything." Cat blushed furiously and looked away, not wanting to reveal the real reason for her rushed entrance.

"Sorry, Marian. I'll try to be more careful next time. How has it been today?" The older woman shrugged her shoulders and released Cat's arms, still looking worried. Without another word, Marian turned and walked back to her office, in the back of the small building. Cat shook her head with a smile and walked behind the bar-like counter until she reached the door to the kitchen. After storing her purse in her locker and pulling out her apron, she returned to the counter.

"Cat! Thank God you're finally here. It's been so busy I haven't had a chance to get off my feet. Here." A pad of paper and pen were shoved into Cat's hands by her coworker, Penny, who rushed past her into the kitchen. Cat glanced from the items in her hands to the door that had closed behind Penny and back again.

"Okay then," she said to herself, making sure nobody else could hear her. Even though Penny had said it had been busy, the diner was relatively empty. Two men sat in a booth in the corner drinking coffee, a couple sat at the bar eating sandwiches and a small clump of high school students sat at the booth closest to the door. She tried not to make eye contact with the high school students, praying they wouldn't recognize her.

"Excuse me?" Her worst fears were confirmed when she was waved over by one of the high school boys. The three other boys snickered as he held a rather innocent-seeming expression. She knew what was coming, but they didn't need to know that. In as normal of a voice as he could manage, he continued. "What's your name? What's your number? I'm glad I came, can you take my order?"

She forced a smile at his absurd reference. "Timbaland, nice. Now, what can I get you boys?" One of them look appreciatively at her when she implied she knew the song, while the other boys ordered their lunches. "Are you boys taking a break from the usual summer hangouts to grace us with your presence?" Thankfully, none of them picked up on her sarcasm.

"Oh, well, one of our friends recommended this place to us. Says his girlfriend works here sometimes, so he thought he'd meet us here. Hey, maybe you know her. Her name's Cathy, I think." She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat at his words. Of course he'd told them she worked here. She should have known these guys were some of Aaron's friends.

"I'll go put your guys' orders in. Those should be out in a few minutes." Without giving them a chance to respond she walked to the counter and inconspicuously leaned against the cool metal edge, trying to catch her breath. Yes, Aaron knew she worked at the diner, but he didn't know that she worked there almost every hour he wasn't breathing down her neck. That morning she'd told him she needed to work on a project and, since he had practice, he couldn't force her to do something with him.

The bell on the door framed tinged as someone walked in. She knew without looking that it was Aaron. Or at least she thought it was. When someone cleared their throat behind her, she turned, trying to mask the terror in her eyes. That wasn't Aaron glaring at her angrily. His eyes were softer, his hair lighter. "Babe, you can't just run away from me like that. Those ladies came back and wondered where you were. I should've known that was her cane." He continued to grumble, not picking up on the expression her face held.

"Excuse me?" Had he really just called her babe again? She thought that had just been a one-time thing. "I'm pretty damn sure I'm not your babe. How did you even find me?" He shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. She was about to chew him out, but she remembered the boys saying Aaron was going to join them soon. With a nervous sigh, she pulled the guy in front of her around the counter and through to the break room in the corner of the kitchen. "Penny, can you cover the front for a second?" The other girl glanced between Cat and her captive before nodding and scooting past them.