When We Met

Thirty One

|Donovan|

Usually, Time decides to be my best friend and increases its pace on the clock that shines above my head in the kitchen of the diner. It is situated on a very convenient position; I just have to tilt my head subtly and there it is. And I usually smile satisfactorily after stealing a glance at it. But today, I'm up for a major low blow.

Turns out, Time is on my wrong side today. I have about an hour and forty minutes before I can get rid of this crappy uniform and breathe comfortably. The tight bun on the top of my head is threatening to come apart and I'm two seconds away from running away.

"What are you eve-dreaming about?" Mads asks as she adjusts the blouse of her uniform. "Or rather, who?" She gives me a knowing smirk and I shudder in response.

Yes, she knows that Dylan and I are officially dating, and no, she can't shut up about the fact that her being a blubbering mess has helped us get together. Well, her impulsivity and boldness did push me into asking Dylan out before he could. So, I do give her the credit. But not verbally because I'd never willingly feed her already ginormous ego.

"I'm eve-dreaming about what it feels like to get out of this dress." I mutter.

"Or any dress, for that matter? And have someone else do that for you..?" She has the audacity to wink at me.

"Why do you always have to be so dirty?"

"Because that's me. Dirty. And I love myself too much to let go of my qualities just because they make you uncomfortable. Or any other person. If you can't accept me for who I truly am, then you can get sidelined, for all I care." She straightens her back. "I'm targeting some patriarchal assholes, not you. I love you too."

"Okay, Miss Feminist. And I know that you can't even inhale the fresh air without me."

"Stop being a self enclosed narcissist." She scowls and I burst out laughing. We laugh for a few minutes and very conveniently ignore the pin drop silence that follows in the background.

"I wonder what's so amusing, dear waitresses."

We freeze on the spot at the sound of a very familiar voice.

Rob Reynolds grins viciously at us, and deep down, I know that that grin has the most sadistic connotation ever possible. Madeline sighs sharply and I almost pinch her arm to stop her from causing any more trouble.

We don't say anything, and I feel like a teenager who's been caught getting it on with a senior in the school premises.

"You know what?" The asshole starts, walking towards us in a very disturbing manner. I look around helplessly, and realise that it's just us three. Fuck. "I pay you for your labour. Not for your chitchat or laughter therapies. So you can either stop messing around, or," He stands in front of me. "You can make me believe that you're worth it."

I feel like someone has dropped a bucket of slime allover my body. I wanna see this creep's face when Dylan beats the shit out of him.

Well, I don't need Dylan right now, because Madeline does the deed on his behalf.

"That's it." She chucks off her bow tie and throws it at Rob's feet. "You're a smut-face, do you know that? You're a pathetic loser who deserves to be buried under the roof of this shitty diner. And if I could, I would empty two hundred jars of honey on you and throw you inside the largest territory of red ants, and let them eat you alive." She points her perfectly manicured finger at him and he falters a little. "So, if you can't handle people's harmless laughter, then you don't deserve to have us here at all. You can rot in hell, and I wouldn't care. Because I fucking quit. Did you hear me? I quit. You don't get to fire me. I get to make my own fucking choice. Taste my high heel." With this, she steps on his right foot and he shrieks in pain. I wince, for it definitely hurts when Madeline willingly steps on your foot.

"I quit too." I say. "You'll find these uniforms deep inside the toilet seat."

With triumphant smirks, Madeline and I walk out of the kitchen and head inside the changing room. Obviously, we can't stop laughing.

"Did you see his shit face? Looked like someone peed on him and denied him a shower." She howls and gets rid of her uniform.

"I feel so happy right now, and I just lost my job. This couldn't get more hilarious."

I grab my clothes from my compartment and shrug into them as fast as I can.

I can't wait to share this eventful evening with my boyfriend.

*******

It's a good thing Dylan wasn't there when that shit went down with Rob Reynolds. If there would've been an alternate ending to this night, someone would've died and someone else would've been in prison. And the third someone would've screamed and cried herself to death. Put the pieces together, and you'll get a perfect picture of misery.

"I'm gonna take Madeline shopping for what she did." Dylan exclaims and I look at him with a funny expression.
"Hey!" I hit his chest. "You never let me shop when we hang out near the plaza!"

He rumbles with laughter. I hit him again and shimmy out of his rather comforting embrace. He gets the message and sits up, grabbing my waist and pulling me back against his firm chest.

"I'll take you shopping, if that's what you want." He sweeps away my hair to one side and kisses the nape of my neck.

"Nope. You don't have to take me shopping, per se. I can do that on my own." I reason.

"Okay. Then what do you want?"

"Let me think." I pretend to wear my thinking cap. "I want you to stay the night." I throw my arm around his front and snuggle closer to him. He holds me firmly and plants a kiss on the top of my head.

"I wish I could. But I have to pick up Deb. Her car busted, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Of course. No problem."

"You sure?"

"Yep. I'll just watch a movie or something." I look at him and smile confidently. "You don't have to worry about me."

"That's something I can never stop doing." He winks and I roll my eyes, but the tiniest of the smiles possible lines across my face. 

"You're obsessed with me." I joke.

"That I am." He tickles my waist and I squeal like a squirrel. He knows that I'm extra ticklish, and he always uses it against me.

"Hey, maybe I'll look for a job or something. It's high time, I start looking for one." I say as I sit up and look for my laptop.

"I have a better idea." Dylan pulls me back and makes me sit on his lap. Oh there we go.

"And that is?" I ask curiously, hooking my arms around his neck.

"Be my Bartendress." He winks, and a flashback of how I'd used that word long long ago makes a vivid appearance in my mind.

"You're joking, right?" He must be.

"Nope. It'd be fun. Think about it. We'll have a bar to ourselves and you'd be on the other side of the table. With moi." He waggles his eye brows and I giggle.

"Is that seriously possible?" I hope it is.

"Of course. And I'm sure there will be something for Madeline as well."

My heart swells with untold emotions and I find myself floating in thin air. How is he so perfect?!

"You'd do that for her?" I ask, not believing the goodness he has in him.

"Why not? She's my friend too. And even if she weren't, she's your best friend. She has been with you when I wasn't. I owe her big time."

I literally paste myself against him and hug him so tight that even I feel the impact of it. He chuckles softly and doesn't push me away, which I'm really grateful for. 

"I–"

And that's when I realise I was about to confess that I love him.

*****