Junebug - (On Hold)

Ch. 6 - The Cafe

I drove around aimlessly for over 45 minutes before I finally found somewhere that was open 24/7. I was surprised at how long it took considering we were so close to a college campus. I pulled in to the parking lot of a run down cafe and glanced in the window. It looked pretty dead inside, but I was okay with that. Less people to avoid.

I walked in and sat down at a booth in the corner of the little shop. An unenthused waitress stopped by my table and took my order, french fries and a small iced tea, before heading back to the counter. Shifting on the old crinkly bench seat I took in the appearance of the cafe. It was styled like an old diner, with checkered floors and a jukebox on one wall. There was a tired looking girl sitting on the far side of the cafe working on an assignment of some sort and an older man sitting a couple tables away from her. Directly across from me, with one table in between us, was a boy that I guessed was somewhere between Finn's and my age. He was reading something, his curly brown hair falling over his eyes as he scanned the pages of his book. I'd be lying if I said he wasn't attractive.

I thanked the waitress with a smile when she brought me my order, but was only met with a raised eyebrow and a huff as she turned away. I'm guessing that working the night shift at a run down cafe wasn't exactly where she had planned to end up in life. Helping myself to a fry, I scroll through my phone to past the time. The fries are amazing. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with the perfect salt to potato ratio. Yep, I'll definitely be coming back here the next time I can't sleep. Probably tomorrow.

After I've finished all of my fries and downed my whole drink, I begin to feel a little awkward. Project girl left a few minutes ago and the waitress disappeared into the back, probably to chat with the cooks, leaving me with the old guy and the curly haired boy. Honestly, the old dude is starting to creep me out a little bit, it may be my imagination, which tends to be a little more active at night, but I am pretty sure he has been staring at me for the past few minutes.

Glancing back at the man I make my decision. It is time to leave. I already paid for my food, but I leave a tip on the table and make my way towards the door. It is not lost on me that I hear another chair scrape along the floor as I push the door open. Once outside I have to keep myself from sprinting to the car.

"Hey! Hey, you! Are you alright?"

My heartbeat picks up as the male voice shouts after me. I fumble for my keys but my shaky hands cause me to drop them on the concrete. I can hear his footsteps getting closer and my pulse picks up speed as I grasp for my keys. I feel  a light touch on my shoulder and I whip around, ready to kick the man where the sun don't shine when, to my surprise, I come face to face with the curly haired boy.

"I am so sorry for scaring you. I just- I don't know. I saw that guy in the cafe and I guess I was just picking up bad vibes from him. I saw him staring at you and I just wanted to make sure you made it to your car safe."

"Oh! Th-thank you. I appreciate it. He was really creeping me out."

I was surprised to see an angry look on the boy's face as he glanced back at the cafe where the man sat staring at us through the window.

"Alright look," he began, "I know we have just barely met, but I just don't feel good about you going off alone right now. How about this? We can both get into your car and drive a little ways away from this place, just so this creep can see that you are not alone so he won't follow you, and then you can drop me off a few blocks down and continue your night."

My first instinct was to decline, I mean, this is a total stranger, but I was also pretty freaked out by the potential pervert in the cafe, so I surprised myself by accepting his offer.

We both climbed in the car and I began driving away from the cafe.

"So, what's your name? My name is Charlie. Charlie Baker."

"Juniper. And, hey, I really appreciate your help. There needs to be more guys like you in this world."

My words brought a smile to his face and I felt oddly proud to have brought the boy that saved me tonight a bit of joy. I dropped Charlie off a few blocks down from the cafe and waved to him as he made his way down the sidewalk.

It didn't  occurred to me until after he left to ask him what he was doing out so late. He could have been like me, locked out of the world of sleep and desperate for distraction. It could have been nice to have a friend in the world of the night.

Not completely ready to go lay back down on the couch yet, I drove around the city for a few more hours, taking in the sights of the nightlife. I waited until the sun began to rise before I made my way back to the apartment.

I laid on the couch, scrolling through my phone, for about a half hour before Miles came out of his room, yawning and rubbing his eyes like a toddler.

"You're up early, Junebug! How'd you sleep?" 

A smile found it's way onto my face as I recalled the events of the night.

"Like a baby."