'Doc Juan'

Chapter 41

Krysten Ritter as Jess, Elle's new friend from the States/ fellow waitress/ roomie.

"How pathetic!" Elle muttered under her breath in disgust, as she slumped into a nearby booth and stared hard at the remainder of his letters which she'd managed to rescue and carry with her safely to London. Of course, she'd never gathered the courage to respond to any of them. What was she s'possed to say to the man she hadn't even let finish his sentence that fateful day? The man who'd loved her even after she'd let a misunderstanding ruin their relationship. "Oh, of course! If my ex repeatedly sent me handwritten, passionate love letters to win me back, I'd think he was pathetic as well!" Jess, the smartypants brunette sitting beside her, chimed in sarcastically as she broke into her thoughts. "No...I'm not talkin bout him. I'm talkin bout her...mumsy! How pathetic of her to hide his letters...An' then burn almost all of em too! I guess now I know the arson gene runs in the family. Experts at burnin our ex's stuff, we are!" Elle criticized, throwing her hands up while her friend hung up her apron in a corner of the quaint London diner. "Alright, I've gotta get goin. Ya eatin that last mince pie?" Jess enquired, eyeing the plate hungrily as she spoke. "No, have at it. " Elle responded absent mindedly, standing up and tightening her apron once her break came to an end and her friend wrapped up for the day. "Thanks. Have fun on the night shift. G'night!" Jess called out, hurrying out the door.  "An' Elle?" she whispered, popping back in.  "Yeah?" Elle whispered back, clearing up crumbs as she spoke.  "If ya meet a tall, dark stranger at the diner, be sure to talk him up, kay? Ya know what the night-time's famous for....An' girl, ya look like you're desperately in need of some! Seriously...cobwebs down there, girl!" the all-American party girl teased with a wicked grin. "Shut up an' get outta here, you....!" Elle laughed her off, playfully tossing her washcloth at her. "Or atleast give Dr. Dreamy McLetterhead a call!" Elle nodded amusingly at her shameless friend who skipped out the door and outta the dark, half-empty diner.
She didn't have to give Dr. Dreamy McLetterhead a call as she looked across and there he was, sitting at a booth in a dark, unnoticeable corner of the diner, lost in studying the menu card. "Coffee?" she offered, walking up to him with the kettle. He hadn't noticed her yet.  "Aye! Ya wouldn't believe how jetlag....oh!" he raised his mug up to her and was just about to ramble on about the long flight he'd just gotten off and the lack of sleep, only to stop short on seeing her.  "Hey." she greeted, only to be greeted back with the following question from the stunned man who looked her up and down: "Huh! Ya work ere?"
"Didn't really wanna be a receptionist forever. Actin didn't agree with me either. So, I'm puttin myself through nursin school." she replied, tugging at her blue uniform as she spoke. "Nina told me you'd gone back to Scotland, never to return...apparently." she continued, hiding her enthusiasm on seeing him.  "Ya dunno how much I hoped an' prayed ya weren't gonna stay in the States forever! So...were ya...? Afraid too...like I was?" he wasn't one to hide his enthusiasm as he shot questions at her, keen to know whether she'd missed him like he had.  "In fact, I was. My whole life seemed to be crumblin around me...but I thought if had you by my side again...it'd be bearable, ya know?" she confessed, topping his coffee for him while he continued gazing at her in a lovelorn manner.
"So...d'you wanna, ya know, give our relationship another shot then? Is that what yer sayin...?" he finally asked her what he'd been holding in.  "D'you think we could talk bout it? Maybe, start by takin it slow? D'you wanna grab a bite after I'm done with my shift?" she suggested, realizing the stern owner was watching her closely. "Sure. There were a few edible-soundin dishes that my eye caught in the menu..." He began to agree.  "Oh, no! Nothin from here! You'll regret eatin here! It's absolute..." she interrupted in a warning tone. "Shite?" he completed her sentence, grinning on reading her mind.  "Yeah, that's it. I know a place, way better than here. Gotta get back to work though...or I won't get paid, yeah?" she promised, chuckling in agreement at his choice of adjective to describe the food there!
"Wow...ya stuck around, huh? An' that's quite a lotta coffee ya drank! Ran a tab, eh, ya mad man?" she joked, making her way to his booth in the formerly dark corner which was now flooded with morning sunlight. "Aye. The last time I gulped down such a lotta coffee was back when I pulled all nighters studyin for my finals. Besides, I like watchin ya work." he exclaimed, charming as usual...albeit a bit puffy eyed due to the lack of sleep. He slipped his coat on and helped her with her coat as well before following her out into the early morning mist for some breakfast.