Alfredo's - Pretentious Volume 1

Chapter 10

Danny grabbed his backpack and ran down the stairs, relishing the feel of his jeans and the soft cottony sensation of his oversized t-shirt. It felt good to be able to dress casual; outside of school his world was starched, pressed and the lights were dim. Today he wore blue, Aryn's favorite color. He wore a lot of blue these days, blue shirts, blue ties, even a grey-blue dress shirt he wore sometimes when he was managing Alfredo's. He smiled, it was worth the effort, Aryn would watch him all night. He listened to the sounds of the new day surrounding him; people yelling, hurrying and scurrying like cornered mice in search of a narrow escape. Horns blared in the distance, babies wailed for their breakfasts and clean diapers. Children played excitedly in the morning sunshine or jumped around as their parents pulled them impatiently to their bus stops.

Lost in his thoughts Danny narrowly missed crashing into a boy who broke away from his mother. Grimacing, the child froze, watching him as his mother sprang forward pulling him up and into her arms. Danny chuckled and moved on, it was almost summer now and soon he would be able to schedule Aryn for more hours if she wanted them. Night after night she waited for him while he worked, she would never know what that meant to him. She understood that Alfredo's wasn't a choice; it was an obligation.

In the five months she'd been working at Alfredo's, Aryn had won the hearts of everyone except Becky. Becky had only been home once since their first date and Aryn had plans with Kate, so they hadn't even met. He kicked a stone in his path. It was weird how five months flew by where Aryn was concerned and the same five months seemed like a lifetime without Becky. When she left for college, she had promised to come home every weekend she could get away, but Danny was certain she could have returned more than once in all this time. Now she wasn't coming home for the summer, and Mama wasn't happy.

"It's okay Mama, Michelle and Garrett will help me with the restaurant," Danny had reassured her, but he suspected Mama's issues were more than just Alfredo's.

The disappointment on Mark's face was even worse. He handed Danny the phone, not saying anything to either of them. He just walked away. He'd hardly spoken to anyone since. Danny envisioned Aryn moving away from him; it felt like a fist squeezed his heart until he couldn't breathe. It could happen someday. He shrugged the thought off, he would deal with that when it happened, not now.

He shifted his thoughts to Saturday. Mark was managing the restaurant so he could take Aryn shopping. Danny smiled, he could hardly wait! The last time he took her shopping she wouldn't pick anything out, but he knew the female mind enough to see what caught her attention. The extra seconds her eyes lingered on a dress, the calculating look she gave a pair of shoes or the slight intake of breath when she saw a bracelet or pair of earrings she liked. He had spent a lot of time with Becky and her friends and knew the body language. When Aryn had gone home he asked Mama to cover him, and he returned to the mall to buy the earrings she wanted, and he'd been right. She absolutely loved them. He laughed remembering the look on her face then sighed at the way she shivered when he put them on for her. She hung out at Alfredo's day after day just to be near him. She read books, did her homework, or wrote in her journal, and every time he passed her by, she smiled that breathtaking smile that made his heart melt. She always knew when he was there. Alfredo's had become a lonely place when she wasn't there. Aryn never complained and Danny didn't take that for granted.

The noise and chatter became louder, and Danny could see cars piling into the school parking lot, competing for parking places, and peeling tires to look cool. Aryn perched on a planter waiting for him. Katie sat beside her, and Justin Stanley walked away as Danny strode toward them. Aryn shook her head watching Justin go until her eyes caught his. She flashed him a smile that made his heart seem to grow in his chest. Geez, did she have any idea what she did to him? He put his arms around her, burying his face in her neck, breathing her in. She shivered, and Danny chuckled. Kissing her cheek softly, he let her go. She took his hand in hers, and he sat down beside her.