Pancakes at The Diner (on pause)

10: In Which Milo Is Helpful

The amount of trust Andrea increasingly places on him flatters Milo, to say the least. Her eyes follow him as he travels around The Diner, taking orders, but he can't tell if she's watching him more than usual. She always watches him. Before, he thought it was because maybe she was interested in him. Now, he's not so sure.

He is, however, thrilled that Andrea is finally opening up, and it shows. She's sitting up straighter, she's more alert, and she doesn't even flinch when people get too close. Maybe it's because she's still riding the adrenaline rush that comes when you reveal your secrets. But (and Milo hopes this is the right answer) maybe the weight of not being the only one in on her secrets has finally lifted, and now she can breathe a little easier. It hasn't been long since Milo was in high school himself, but two years feel like almost an eternity. Still, he remembers it. Not specific incidents, of course, but the feeling. Feeling helpless in the face of adversity, so monumentally alone. He wants to tell Andrea she's not alone. He thinks about texting it to her, right then and there. She'd probably march back into the kitchen and delete her number off his phone. It's a funny thing to imagine.

"Milo?" Martha says sharply. It's a question, but it feels more like an accusation. "You've been standing by the door for fifteen seconds now. Any plans on moving?"

Milo looks down at the order of pancakes in his hands, then back up at the chef. "Sorry," he says.

"You're always daydreaming," Martha says, and Milo can't tell if it's a fond observation or an accusation. That's just the way it is with Martha. You never know where you stand.

He's pleased to find that once he exits the kitchen, the table he's headed for is Monique's. Her laptop is open, like always, and she's intensely focused on the screen.

"Pancakes?" Milo says.

"Oh, yes, wonderful," Monique says, eyes still glued to the screen. "Just set it down anywhere."

"Are you done with your coffee?" Milo asks, pushing the cup out of the way to make space for the hot plate. "There's still some left, I could get you a fresh cup if you'd like."

"Oh, no, thank you," Monique says quickly. "To be honest, I don't even like coffee all that much. I just sort of drink it. Caffeine, you know, and it makes people think I'm more adult..." her voice trails off, ending with a small, self-conscious laugh.

"Oh, totally," Milo says. "I agree. Except I don't put myself through the misery of coffee drinking. I won't fool anyone into thinking I'm mature." He gets a genuine laugh at that, and the two of them smile dumbly at each other for a few infinite seconds.

"Well, anyway," Monique begins as Milo moves to collect the half-empty cup, "I was wondering if you could help me with a small project. I'm working on this logo for a restaurant, it has to work with this cheese thing they sell," she says, and Milo raises an eyebrow. "If you could just tell me which of these options you like best, I'd really appreciate it."

She slides her laptop in his direction. It's open to some sort of designing program, a full screen of tools and color swatches. Three small, circular logos are arranged side by side.

"They're exactly the same," he says slowly. Milo's never been good with computers or art, but he's fairly certain he can tell when colors are identical.

Monique sighs and runs a hand through her curly hair. "No, see, the one on the left is more blue, and the one on the right is greener. It's only a couple of shades, but it's a pretty substantial difference."

Milo squints at the screen again, looking back and forth between the options. "The middle one?" he offers hesitantly.

Monique moves around the table to stand next to him. They're standing close together, only centimeters apart. It's a strange thing to notice, and Milo wonders what would happen if he closed the distance between them. Monique saves him the trouble by reaching forward and picking up the laptop and closing it. "Was that the wrong answer?" Milo asks.

"No," Monique says, but Milo can't tell if she means it. They're saved from any further conversation by Andrea, who manages to sneak up behind Milo and evade his notice until she places her hand on his arm.

"I'm heading out, okay?" she says softly. Milo nods, then glances up at Monique. He can feel Andrea's eyes on him, probably willing him not to do what he's about to do. He does it anyway.

"Andrea, this is Monique. Monique, this is my friend Andrea," he says. Andrea shuffles her feet and looks at the ground.

"Hi," Monique says brightly. Andrea mumbles something in response, then turns back to Milo. "I'm leaving," she says again.

"Text me," he says softly, but he's not sure if she heard.

Monique watches Andrea exit, then turns back to Milo. "She's a weird one," she says.

Milo shrugs. "Maybe. Aren't we all?"

Monique laughs, and it's back to being easy again. Milo wishes he could stay like this forever, with the two of them only centimeters apart and a world of possibilities in front of them. But he hears Martha calling from the kitchen, and Alice is struggling with a tray of drinks across the room, and somewhere in the night Andrea is walking to Chatham alone. So Milo smiles one last time and returns to work. But he leaves the coffee cup on the table. He'll be back for it later.

---

anddddd here it is, my (not so) triumphant return to pancakes! it was so hard to get back into these characters heads, but i'm happy i was able to push through and finally do it. truth be told, these past few months when i haven't been writing have been personally just kind of awful. i've had a lot on my plate, but hopefully i've moved past all the negativity and sadness and am starting off the new year on a good note.

this chapter is dedicated to potterwatching because even though so many people have commented and interacted with me and cheered me up these past couple months, they provided that last final kick to get me motivated and ready to work again.

also: over 4k reads??? what???? that's absolutely mindblowing. thank you all so much. seriously. i'm constantly amazed that people enjoy my writing. 

as always, please feel free to comment and tell me how you liked the new chapter, or if you're happy i'm writing again, or what you think is going to happen moving forward. it makes my day whenever you guys comment or interact with me, so please don't be shy about it.

okay i think that's it!! it feels so good to be back writing again. i have a new story in the works (i know, i know, i need to focus) and my cover book is still open for requests, though i take a while to work. 

thank you guys so much for sticking with me and my characters throughout all this. really. it means the world to me.