Relapse to Instinct

chapter14

Jazz directed him back down familiar roads, and they pulled up outside of the restaurant where they'd first met those few days ago.

"Bes' coffee in town, mate." With that having been said, Jazz was gone and was bounding through the doorway to the restaurant.

Shaking his head, John opted to take a slower approach, glancing around for Jazz when he got inside.

The man was following the waitress who had attempted to serve him the other day around, and even from across the restaurant, John could hear Jazz's desperate pleas for caffeine and the waitress' annoyed replies as Jazz bustled her in the direction of the kitchen, and would have followed her in had she not told him not to, probably with a threat of getting nothing if he did.

John grinned, looking around for a table they could sit at. The place was busier than the last time he'd been there, althoughthere were still a fair few tables free dotted around the place.

He chose one that was near to the kitchen, where Jazz was still stood, waiting expectantly.

Briefly, John considered telling the other man to come and sit down, but he changed his mind as Jazz would probably just ignore the request until he had coffee in his hand.

A few moments later, the waitress opened the kitchen doors and was practically pounced on by Jazz. He grabbed the coffee out of her hand, barely getting out a hurried 'thank you' before he was downing the beverage like he'd been deprived of it for weeks rather than a day.

The waitress stood in front of him, amused expression on her face and carefully plucked eyebrows raised as Jazz held out the now empty cup and gave her a pleading expression and pitiful 'more please?'

With a hearty sigh, and a muttering about how she had better get a good tip for this, she turned back into the kitchen.

When Jazz turned around and strolled over to their table, John thought that he looked a lot more relaxed. Which was weird in itself as caffeine was supposed to give you more of a wake up... But it was Jazz, so he supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

Four cups of coffee for Jazz and one forJohn later and they were just leaving the restaurant to head into town.

"Ya'd b' best off leavin' y' car here, bud. There ain't tha many places y' can park in town," Jazz said, as he sauntered across the car park, hands in his pockets and sly grin on his face.

John felt momentarily torn, before sendingout a quick promise to his car to 'be back as soon as he could' and following the shorter man into town.

It wasn't as far to walk as John had first thought: it only took them five minutes to get there, Jazz nattering away in his ear the whole time about everything and nothing in particular.

"...lived in this place m' whole life. Trustm', it don' ge' any more int'restin' after twenty nine years. Plus everyone knows who y' are. I don' like tha, bu' I've never been t' a big city, I suppose yer from a big city ain't y' Johnny-boy? Where do y' live? Does it 'ave a nice school? Tha school 'ere'scrappy, man. I din't learn anythin' there, taught meself ev'rythin' I know." He paused for a moment, but John didn't get chance to answer anything before Jazz started speaking again.

"An' tha's another thing. Tha place is so small! I dated most o' tha women my age inschool, and a couple of tha men, regretted doin' tha when none o' 'em trusted me 'nough t' go any further than kissin'... Bu' Jess was jus' in it fer tha sex. Bu' then she go' clingy. Coul'n't take tha." Jazz let out a wistful sigh, and John wondered if it was the same Jess that had attacked himyesterday.

But when he got to asking John what his favourite colour was, John decided that enough was enough and he wasn't going to listen to any more pointless questions.