If Only You Knew

11. A New Obsession

James POV

Anger. Anger was all he felt as he stormed down the street. He couldn't believe that his pirates had failed to find the boy. They'd searched everywhere they could without being completely obvious. He shook his head as he entered the Blue Plate, his favorite diner in town. Maybe a meal would lift his spirits. Sitting down at a booth near one of the large windows, he grabbed a menu and searched for something to eat. He flipped through the pages until he came to the entrée section. When he was ready to order, he sighed and set the menu down.

As he waited for a waitress to come to his table, his thoughts wandered. It was all his fault. If he'd seen the signs, he could have saved her, Alexis, the love of his life. He thought of the redheaded monstrosity who was responsible for her disappearance. That boy was to blame, but he wasn't the one who'd taken her away. No. That'd been someone else. He slammed the table in anger. If he could find the boy, all of his problems would disappear. He felt his prosthetic hand loosen and hid it under the table as a young woman approached him. He needed to be careful around here.

"Excuse me, but are you okay?" the young waitress asked. She held her notepad at the ready, but was giving him an odd look. He gave her a sneer.

"I'm fine, I was just..." he paused when he noticed her odd hair. It had a tinge of purple to it. Kids these days, he thought. Her eyes widened when she realized what he was looking at.

"Oh, that," she said quickly. "This isn't my real hair. Well, it is my real hair, but I... It was a prank." She smiled sheepishly and twirled her hair. He laughed. He knew all about pranks.

She cleared her throat. "My name's Sabrina and I will be your server this evening. What would you like to eat- I mean order. Sorry, I'm kind of new to this."

James smiled and scratched his chin. It had been a few days since he'd last shaved, but it felt good to have some stubble on his face.

"I'm James," he said. Picking up the menu, he flipped to the page where his dish was waiting. "I'd like to have the grilled cod, and a side of fries." Sabrina jotted down his order.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

"Rum, if you have it," he replied without a second thought.

After a couple of seconds of confused silence, Sabrina said, "Of course. I'll be back with your food soon." He watched as she turned and left. He sighed and looked out the window. He watched several people walk by. He noticed a music shop across the way, a couple walking hand in hand down the street, and a child skipping and eating an ice cream cone. How he wished Alexis could be there with him. He imagined what it would be like if she were here, sitting next to him. Her red hair would shine in the sunlight and her green eyes would sparkle with mischief like they always had. She'd probably make a joke about something outside and order dessert first. She'd always liked sweet things. Smiling, James sat back and thought about all the good times they'd shared.

The bell over the door of the diner rang, shaking him from his thoughts. He turned to see who'd entered. It was a young man with the same odd purple in his hair. He walked up to Sabrina, the waitress, smiling. She smiled back. James wondered if they were a couple. His speculations were brought to an end when the boy kissed her on the lips in greeting. Sabrina turned red and looked around to see if anyone had seen it. James smiled wistfully and looked back out the window. That was what he might've had.

Then he saw her. Alexis. She was walking down the street opposite the diner. Her red hair gleamed in the light from the setting sun. There was a huge smile on her face. His heartbeat quickened. How is this possible? he thought. She's dead. The girl was accompanied by a young man with the same auburn hair. He watched as she threw back her head and laughed. The boy smiled, his face reddening a bit. Something about the young man was extremely familiar. He watched as the crossed the street and entered the Blue Plate. James watched Alexis wave in greeting as she walked up to the waitress and her boyfriend. Sabrina pulled her into a hug.