Don't Fear the Reaper

Don't Fear the Reaper: Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

               Nex looked absolutely adorable in a red apron.

His warm smile reached his eyes as he produced a paper and a pen in his palm. “Hello, ma’m, may I take your order?”

I watched him as I cleared the trays of another table. Amanda joined in. “He isn’t doing bad at all! Better than Carson, any day.”

I smiled at my best friend, balancing dirty plates in my arms just like she had. “You just won’t admit it that you like him, will you?”

She made a face. “That’s because I don’t!”

I laughed, making my way to the kitchen tactfully through the occupied tables. It was my favourite time of the day: the 4 o’clock snack break. Claustrophobic patients would have as well died in here today.

Carson handed change to a customer and nodded his gratitude.

“Hey Claire!” he called. The swinging doors of the kitchen opened as I got in, and then reappeared.

“Yeah?”

“Cool tattoo!!” he complimented enthusiastically, pointing at the back of my right palm.

I grinned, looking at the wonderfully etched, bold black sketch of the six pointed pentagram. “It is, isn’t it?”

“Who tricked you into getting it?” he wanted to know.

A low voice replied for him. “That would be me.” Nex leant over the counter, winking in my direction.

“Respect!” Carson exclaimed admirably.

               Amanda cast a clueless glance at me, no doubt reminded of the conversation about the dreams we had once had. As far as she knew, Nex and I had taken an impromptu, important vacation in the last couple of days. Yes, she was my best friend, and yes, I hated lying to her. But there were some things you couldn’t disclose to even someone you loved like a sister and would drop everything to stay by her side: and that was the confidentiality between Nex and I. No doubt, Amanda would try to understand if I did say he was Death…but as far as Reapers were concerned, she was safer if their identity weren’t disclosed.

Two plates of death-by-chocolate cake were presented before us by Mike. Nex took them, thinking aloud, “That would be for table seven…” He turned around the serve the order.

Carson stared after him with a gaping mouth. “That guy memorized the tables in half a day! How does he do it?”

That’s because he probably knew over five hundred languages, I wanted to say. Amanda had her eyebrows raised. Overall, she looked proud. She had been his tour guide when he revealed that he wanted to take up a job at the diner.

She leaned over to my side. “He does seem your type.”

In answer, I jabbed a finger at Carson. “And he seems to be yours.”

Her tongue shot to her cheek.

“What? Amanda. He does adore you, and you –”

She threw her hands up in defeat. “I don’t wanna talk about it; I don’t wanna talk about it.”

I followed her into the kitchen, giggling.

“Y’know,” Mike was conveying his thoughts, “That Nex guy is the only one who doesn’t get on my nerves.”

Amanda shoved her palm on his face to shut him up. “Stop talking like you own this place, Mikey.”

He slapped her on her wrist. “Don’t call me that!”