Page 13 of Infinity Chronicles 1
The bell rings and it startles me enough that I jump.
I already put my project away so I'm free to go, in my haste to get out the door I stumble and throw my arms out to catch myself before face-planting into the table next to mine.
Before my palms hit the surface, I feel a jerking motion around my waist and that strange static electricity dances down my spine. I'm pulled back further and my back hits someone's chest, and I know that person could only be Dante. “Whoa there,” he murmurs in a low voice. I feel the words leave his chest and rumble against my back, because he's holding me that tightly. Strangely, I'm frozen. My arms are still outstretched. I feel a velvet caress on my hip, something I can't explain because the soft brush of what feels like fur is stroking my bare skin.
In the blink of an eye I'm pushed away from the warm embrace, feeling strangely bereft and off kilter.
Dante comes from behind, maintaining a decent distance. He crouches so we're eye level and I can't avoid his amber gaze. His eyes are wide. I think he's just as freaked out as I am. “You okay?” he barely whispers.
I go to reply when I see Delaney brush up to his side, molding herself to him.
“Just clumsy,” comes my response while my eyes plunge to the floor.
“Dante, you ready?” Delaney grates out, her voice tight.
I'm going to pay for this, I almost wish he had let me fall onto the table. That would have been over quickly, but with Delaney, I can tell she is just getting started.
“I need to get to work,” I explain while dodging around the still entwined couple. Dante turns as I walk past him, as he seemingly ignores the girl attached to his side.
I shoot one last look over my shoulder before I turn out of the classroom. He hasn't moved an inch. Did he feel that weird static too, the caress?
I have to force myself to think about anything other than Dante and the fact he told me he'd be at the diner tonight.As I head to the diner, I try to distract myself but my thoughts are still on Dante when I get to work.
* * *
We've been swampedall night. It seems everyone and their sister comes to the diner on Friday nights, in a townthis small I guess there isn't much else to do. There's been no sign of Dante or his friends, so maybe he changed his mind about coming, or maybe he's with Delaney. That thought shoots an unreasonable amount of jealousy through my veins. I barely know him, have only spoken to him a few times, and I'm jealous that he's probably with his girlfriend? Ridiculous.
“Maggie, I'm going to run to the ladies before heading home,” I call out. She's still in the kitchen so I barely hear her muffled reply.
After washing up I pull the wad money, mostly comprised of ones, from my apron pocket. The tips are pretty good for a small town. At this rate it won't be too long before we could actually get a small apartment. I put my cash away and rewash my hands before walking out to the diner. I'd already cleaned the bathrooms, so unless Maggie needs anything else I'm set to go.
“You sure you don't want to call someone for a ride, or stick around for another half hour till I'm done here? I don't mind dropping you off.”She frowns, tapping her pencil against the desk.
“I'm fine Maggie, it's only a ten-minute walk. I'll see you tomorrow.” I make eye contact, showing my sincerity, then give her a small wave before heading out to the parking lot.
On the walk home I don't see one car the entire time, which is what Iexpect for this lonely stretch of road.
Climbing up the two stairs to our door, I already have my keys out and ready. I glance at the bathhouse, wishing we had a normal bathroom in our camper, before deciding my shower can wait until morning. I can't count how many times I've showered at night and the lights have gone off because the motion sensors weren’t triggered or they were on a timer.
Mom’s asleep again when I lock the door behind me. Maybe this place is right for us; she's never been able to sleep like this for such extended periods. Usually she can sleep for a day or two after one of her episodes, but she seems to be sleeping well this whole week.
I pull my tips from the little bag I keep tucked in my bra, and hide most of it in an old box of fish sticks in the freezer. The rest goes with me into the bedroom and gets rolled with some others inside one of my mismatched socks. The stash in the freezer is for RV expenses and food, and this is what I use when I'm in desperate need of clothes or for any other emergencies that pop up. I've got a small nest egg squirreled away, which if you ask me is pretty impressive seeing I'm the only one who's worked the past few years.
I strip out of my jeans noting I'll need to do a few loads of laundry in the morning before work, since those were my last pair of clean pants. Crawling into bed I let the events of today roll over me. I make a conscious effort not to think of Dante or the warm fuzzy feeling I had when he caught me.
Six
Saturday morning passed in a flash between laundry, the small amount of homework I had, and a trip to the local grocery store. I had just enough time to throw my long hair in a loose braid before running out the door for work. I rarely bother doing anything but a halfhearted ponytail, but my hair is still wet and I'm not going to leave it hanging while I'm working so it can dry properly.
Maggie waves me in as soon as my foot hits the floor. “Laura, goodness I think I've already gotten used to you being here to help. We've had a steady stream all day. Can you run and check the bathrooms and then make sure all the booths are taken care of?” Maggie asks hastily, while filling a coffee with one hand and handing someone else a slice of lemon meringue pie with the other.
“Sure, be right back.” Thankfully the men's room is empty when I knock on the door, and after grabbing a few balled up paper towels from the floor and a wiping down the sinks, everything looks in order. The ladies’ room needs much of the same.
After a quick wash up, I tie on my apron, grab a half-used order pad, and get busy.
There's a short lull right before the dinner rush starts at five o'clock. It's during that time that Oliver, the guy with long blond hair, comes in. As soon as I see him my heart thuds with a heavy beat. He's utterly gorgeous but I don't think that’s what has my heart racing. No, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the guy who said he would come here with Oliver and Milo yesterday and never showed.
I forget I'm supposed to go unnoticed, that I should stay far away from this boy and his friends. I meet his clear green eyes and he smiles, he hooks his thumb in his front pocket and shifts his shoulder, angling closer to me. I'm not sure I would remember my own name if someone asked me.
