late nights and small diners

“Have a good night,” I said as the last customers left the diner where I worked and the bell chimed for the last time that night. I sighed in relief. Between juggling university, friends, and a part time job, by the end of the day I could hardly remain standing.

“Hey Kyla, everyone gone?” my co-worker and friend Luke asked, leaning against the counter. The dim lighting shimmered in his eyes, deep blue like the ocean, and made his hair shine like gold. He gave me a relaxed smile, and I couldn’t help but smile back instantly.

“Yep, just gotta clean the place and lock up then we’re done. Marshall gave you the keys, yeah?”

He tapped his back pocket and nodded before breaking into a huge grin. “Let’s get this party started!” He yelled and ran back behind the counter to turn on the stereo system.

“You got your phone Ky?” I unlocked it and tossed it to him.

“Put on Ed Sheeran’s new album.” I told him and he nodded. He put it on shuffle and Sing started playing through the diner and we both immediately started singing along.

I’d been working this job for almost a year now, and Luke had been working here a little longer than me. We’d quickly become close friends, and with every day that I knew him better I would fall a little more in love with him. It wasn’t just that he was aesthetically pleasing or had a voice to die for. He was incredibly special. I hadn’t met another person who made me feel the way he did, warm and fuzzy but also cold and harsh and like fire and ice all in the same moment. He waded through starlight and he had a smile that made me believe in everything. So I liked him. A lot.  

I watched him singing and horribly dancing along to the song and could feel myself falling even further, taking little steps down. I had known him long enough that he was only comfortable doing this around certain people and I thought how lucky I was to be able to know him in these moments.

“Kyla, am I really gonna be the only one working? We’re gonna be here until midnight if that’s the case.” Luke laughs from the other side of the room.

“Sorry, sorry, just a long day.”  It was true. The end of August and it was still sweltering this late in the evening. I’d lost a good friend just the week before and it was still taking its toll on me. My parents were bugging me about everything, I hadn’t spoken to my best friend in over three weeks because of long distance, and I really just wanted to sleep for a week. I watched him as he stopped what he was doing, and I couldn’t help feeling like I was tired of loving him like this too. It’s exhausting, liking someone for such a long time without having them reciprocate the feelings.

“Hm? What’s bugging you?” He grabbed the stereo remote and lowered the volume.

“It’s nothing really, nothing I can’t sleep off,” I laughed half-heartedly.

He began to make his way over to me. “Luke, I really don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Nonsense, you must let Dr Hemmings walk you through this!” He cheerily called.

I scoffed. “Doctor?” He just rolled his eyes at me. “I thought you didn’t want to be here until midnight?”

He just raised his eyebrows. Of course he wouldn’t care. He was that type of person. So I leaned against the table and told him everything, without really meaning for it to all come out. I told him about losing my friend, and about missing my other friend, and my parents, and he just sat and listened and it was all I could ask from him.

After I finished, we just stood there for a moment, revelling in the music that was still playing and in the calming presence between us. I looked down at the ground, shuffling my feet.