“No thanks,” I replied. “I’m taking the shuttle.”
There was more whispering as the other girls were surprised at my refusal. Any girl would feel lucky to ride on the back of Enzo’s motorcycle, but not me. I just wanted to be left alone! I sidestepped to get around Enzo’s motorcycle, but he rolled forward a bit to block me. He flashed a cheeky smile at me, his brown eyes looking perfectly normal as opposed to the last time I saw him.
“C’mon,” he said. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure!” I shouted, stamping my foot and clenching my fists. “Stop trying to mix me up in whatever game you’re playing with Lisa!”
I walked away, fuming, and left Enzo looking surprised behind me.
As I reached the shuttle, I heard Jessica shouting behind me. I turned to see her running and waving her arms. She looked a bit frazzled, like she had just woken up. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled into a bun and she was wearing leggings and a sweater, much unlike the preppy party girl version of herself that came out on weekends.
“Hold the bus!” she shouted. When she got on, we sat together. I ignored how out of breath she was.
“Just woke up?” I said as the bus started driving away.
Jessica nodded. “Yeah. I was up late last night…”
“I know,” I replied with a smirk. “I heard you come in after midnight. Was the lucky boy cute, at least?”
Jessica blushed and looked down at her lap. She fiddled with her sweater a bit.
“Hey, today is the day we pick our clinics,” I said. “What are you thinking of doing?”
Jessica smiled and clutched her bag to her chest. I had lived with her and Lori long enough to become used to how different Jessica was during school. She always focused on her studies and was really smart, always getting top marks in classes, but on the weekends it was like she became a different person. I didn’t mind, though.
“I think I really like pediatrics,” she replied. “I love working with kids. What about you?”
“Surgery,” I replied.
I knew that Jessica was a bit sad that we wouldn’t be studying together anymore, but we would have eventually had to take our own paths anyway. We both knew this from the start.
“I’ll miss you during class,” Jessica said, resting her head on my shoulder. “You’ll have to spend extra time with me outside of class!”
After classes, I always went to work at a local diner for some extra cash. My parents paid for my school, but any other expenses — like books, clothes, and food — were my responsibility. I didn’t mind working at the diner, though. It was fun to meet all kinds of new people, and the owners were a lovely older couple.
When I got to work, I went into the back and pulled my hair back, then changed into my uniform; a retro style blue waitress dress with a white apron and white sneakers. Once I was ready and satisfied with my appearance, I grabbed my notepad and got to work.
It was a slow night, which wasn’t unusual for Mondays. We had a few travelers here and there — truck drivers passing through mostly — as well as a couple of regulars and some students who chatted and studied at their table. I spent most of my shift standing behind the counter and pouring fresh coffee for whoever needed it.
I only had an hour left on my shift, and the night had gone well so far… Until the last person I wanted to see walked in.
Nina
Enzo didn’t seem to recognize me right away with my uniform and my hair pulled back. He came in and sat down at the counter while I was pouring coffee for another customer, which I nearly spilled all over the table out of shock.
My hands trembled as I approached the counter. Was he following me, or was this just a coincidence? Now, more than ever, I regretted ever sleeping with him. Why must he insist on playing with my feelings like this? Couldn’t he just move on to the next girl?
I walked behind the counter and immediately turned my back to him, pretending to fiddle with the coffee machine.
“Hi, Nina.”
So he did recognize me.
I took a deep breath and turned around to face him.
“What are you doing here?”
Enzo looked around and gestured a bit with his hands. “What do you mean? It’s a diner. I’m hungry.”
I frowned and folded my arms across my chest. “You and I both know that you could have gone to any other restaurant in town, and you chose this one. Are you following me or something?”
Enzo shook his head. “Can I just get a menu, please?”
With a huff, I grabbed one of the laminated menus from behind the counter and tossed it down in front of him.
Just then, my boss came out of the back. He was a kind old man named Phil. He walked with a cane, but his mind was sharp and his hearing was even sharper.
“I hope you’re not being rude to a customer, Nina,” he said.
“No, I-” I started, but Phil cut me off when he saw Enzo.
“Oh!” he said. “Enzo Rivers! Welcome.”
Enzo smiled — not smirked, but genuinely smiled for the first time since I met him. He looked handsome when he smiled, and suddenly I had a flash of a memory from Friday night in his bed. I blushed and looked at the floor.
“Is Nina being harsh?” Phil asked.
Enzo shook his head. “No. She’s just surprised to see me, that’s all.”
“Hm.” Phil looked up at me then and winked before hobbling off to go count the register while Enzo scoured the menu.
“What do you recommend?” Enzo asked. He glanced up from the menu. His brown eyes were captivating, but I tried not to let them get to me.
I shrugged, somewhat annoyed at his question. He was clearly trying to get me to talk to him more than I needed to, but Phil was watching and I couldn’t be rude in front of my boss.
“I like the grilled cheese,” I muttered.
“A grilled cheese sounds good right now,” Enzo said, handing the menu back to me. “And some fries. Oh, and a soda.”
I pursed my lips together into a sarcastic smile and snatched the menu away, ignoring Phil’s dissatisfied glare, then retreated to the kitchen to put in Enzo’s order. I hid back there while the cook made his food.
My hands still shook a bit as I carried the plate of hot food back out to the counter. I set it down in front of Enzo, then filled up a glass with ice and root beer for him.
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