She Will Be Loved (GirlxGirl)

9. Ellen IV

As time passed, the diner was slowly getting filled with customers. Their humming voices were accompanied by the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. There were four waitresses in the diner, including me. There was also the owner and cashier, Mr. Earl, who sat near the door and a few chefs and cleaning staff in the kitchen. All the waitresses had to wear a mundane blue and white uniform. Two of the waitresses, Trisha and Hailey, were taking orders and serving food while Rhonda and I were busy making coffees.

Rhonda was a woman in her late thirties. Her last marriage had not worked out. She did not like to talk about it, so everyone just speculated whatever they wanted to. But one thing that everyone did know for sure was that her last marriage did not give her any sort of happiness, except her six year old son, Michael. She had to work two jobs to pay the bills and she did it quite happily. She had a jolly personality which was a combination of her motherly wisdom and her young playfulness. After Zach, she was my closest friend.

My phone buzzed inside my uniform's pocket. I took it out and a smile spread across my face as I looked at the screen. It was a text from Zach.

"im making ur fav pumpkin soup for lunch today. come back soon 😘"

"Thaaaaanks. You're the best😍 can't wait." I replied to him.

"Who was that?" Rhonda asked, giving me a knowing smirk. Her frizzy hair was tied into a messy ponytail and her dark brown skin was slick with sweat.

"It was Zach. He's making my favorite dish for lunch today." I beamed.

"Ooooo!" She teased. "Lover boy's trying to impress our heroine!"

"Oh, please!" I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "He knows I play for the other team."

"He might not expect anything in return but he still may feel for you." She shrugged. "Just saying."

Well, that was food for thought. There were moments when I thought Zach was flirting with me but I had brushed them off. Was there any way what Rhonda was implying was true? But he was my friend, my best friend. We knew each other since our childhood. Surely, he wouldn't like me in that way. Right?

But, that night, he was about to tell me something when we were interrupted by Macy. If he did feel something for me, I would have to remind him that nothing could happen between us. Ever.

The sound of a car parking outside the diner brought me back from my thoughts. I recognized it as soon as I had seen it. I could hear the beating of my heart ringing in my ears. My hands were becoming sweaty and I had started to breathe heavily. Why did she have that effect on me? I hated it.

You don't even know her that well. Calm down! You need to look confident.

Macy got down from the car and slowly entered the diner, walking gracefully. She wore a lime green tank top and a pair of black jeans. Her light brown locks were loose, stopping just at her waist. She looked elegant, as always.

Sitting down in an empty booth, she looked right at me. A shiver ran down my spine as our eyes met. Those amber irises were already pulling me towards them. I could feel the tension in my core, the butterflies in my stomach. As her lips curled up into a familiar smile, I felt my cheeks burning up.

Macy broke the eye contact to take out her laptop from her bag. She placed the machine on the table and started to type something. Her eyes were fixed on the screen and they did not move from there for a long time. Hailey went to her to take her order and Macy answered her, smiling.

Hailey was a beautiful girl in her early twenties. Her face was small and all her facial bones were accentuated by her short, pink pixie hair. She was a girl of short stature and had the most defined curves that I had ever seen. It was weird to see Macy talk to some other girl. I did not like it at all.

Are you jealous?

I shook my head.

"Is that Macy?" Rhonda's voice had a hint of surprise in them. "She never comes to the diner so early in the morning." Giving me a smirk, she teased, "Well, good for you." Her words made my face bright red.

Hailey went inside the kitchen and called out Macy's order. After a while, hot pancakes with honey and maple syrup were being served to her. Macy thanked Hailey and added something, after a short pause, which made Hailey to squint her eyebrows. She looked at me from the corner of her eyes and then started walking in my direction.

"That girl is asking for you." Hailey said, stopping in front of me and pointing at Macy.

My gaze shifted to Macy's face and that was when our eyes locked for the second time today. My heart leaped in my ribcage. Macy's amber stare had an intense quality about them. There was a sense of urgency and expectation in them. It was as if she wanted to say something to me and this was her way of conveying it.

If only I could understand her secret language!

Rhonda was all giggles beside me. I gave her a serious look, asking her to stop her childish teasing.

I approached Macy with short, nervous steps. Suddenly, I had become a lot more self conscious. I adjusted my crooked uniform and quickly checked my look in the reflection of the glass windows of the diner.

She motioned for me to sit down opposite to her and I obediently followed.

Plastering a smile on her face, she greeted me, "Hello." My heart skipped a beat at her smooth, silky voice.

As I was about to speak, I realized that my mouth had been dry for a long time. I swallowed the lump in my throat and managed to stutter out a nervous hello.

God, it was going to be difficult to keep up this whole 'me being confident' façade.

______________________________________

Author's Note

I love how El gets so nervous around Macy! 😍