- NOW -
I yawned as I poured myself some coffee. I was exhausted. Dad and I had moved into our new house just last week and I’d been doing most of the unpacking myself. Dad was busy working on a new case, so it had been pretty slow going. But I’d been determined to finally finish all the unpacking yesterday.
I’d been up until three in the morning, finding a place for everything. Once I was done, I’d looked around at our beautiful new home – a sharp contrast to the dingy little apartment we’d been living in ever since Mom died – and had felt a sense of accomplishment. It was time for our fresh start.
“All that coffee will rot your teeth.” Poppy clucked her tongue at me, as she picked up four plates and balanced them precariously – yet skillfully – on her hands and lower arms.
“Leave me alone,” I told her, taking a big sip from the travel cup. “I probably account for half your revenue.” Poppy shook her head in exasperation, taking the plates over to a table in the corner, while I poured some more coffee into my cup. Although Pete’s Diner didn’t get much business, taking credibility for half its income was a bit of a stretch.
“It’s almost nine,” Poppy warned me, glancing at the clock.
Seeing that she was right, I shoved a note in the cash register and grabbed a lid for my drink. I’d been coming to Pete’s Diner for so long, I often ended up serving myself. “See you in a few hours!” I yelled, stepping out onto the sidewalk.
I sipped my coffee, as I crossed the street towards the building where I worked. Telemarketing wasn’t exactly what I’d aspired to do my whole life, but it deposited cash into my bank account every month, and had done so ever since I’d landed the job a few weeks after I’d graduated from high school.
Dad had wanted me to go to college, but I’d known that he wouldn’t be able to afford the extortionate fees. The financial aid hadn’t been much, and it’d only have put us into more debt. I would have felt guilty if I’d left last year like the majority of my senior class.
I didn’t regret my decision at all. We’d finally paid off almost all of Mom’s hospital bills the past year, and Dad had been able to put a deposit on a house and finally get us out of that god-awful apartment. None of that would have been possible if he’d also had to pay for college.
I could always attend next year. I had to remind myself of that every time I felt like I was wasting my time, or my boss was being an asshole.
It was all worth it.
* * *
A few hours later, I was granted a much needed reprieve. Lunch break. I grabbed my bag, and hurried out of the building.
I switched my cell phone back on as I crossed the street, and noticed that I had a text message from Dad.
Hi, sweetheart. I have a big lead and need to leave town for a few days. I’ll see you when I get back. Love you – Dad.
My stomach clenched as I finished reading the text message. I hated Dad’s job, though I understood why it had been necessary for him to take it at the time.
Dad had been a teacher for over a decade before he’d quit to become a bounty hunter. He’d met Mom in his early twenties while he was enlisted in the army. After meeting her, he’d decided against reenlisting after his contract was up. They’d fallen in love fast, had married pretty quickly, and were pregnant with me before long.
Dad had gone to college and ended up becoming a high school teacher – which I’d been told had been a huge surprise to everyone who knew Dad. He’d carried on teaching until Mom had needed surgery. Surgery that their insurance, and his meager salary, didn’t cover.
A lot of his friends were cops. One of them, Uncle Luke, had introduced him to the idea of bounty hunting. Mom’s face when Dad had told her he’d quit his job, that he’d be working with Uncle Luke to track down criminals on the run... it had been priceless. She’d been completely against the idea – though she’d accepted his decision in the end when she realized that he wouldn’t be swayed.
God, I missed her. The longing, the pain, never fully went away. It had been years since she died, and I missed her every single day.
I shoved my phone back into my bag, the bell on top of the door ringing as I stepped into the diner.
No matter how many years passed, it was always the same worry, the same fear that Dad wouldn’t return. It ate at me until he returned. I wouldn’t breathe easy again until I saw him with my own two eyes. Worry encompassed me as I made my way towards a booth in the corner of the diner.
I never really knew where he was when he was gone. Dad was always vague about his work. I’d never been able to learn anything tangible from Kellan either – and he usually had the biggest mouth around. However, when it came to Kellan, I’d long since realized that it was the most important things that he kept hidden. He was a mine full of secrets.
I couldn’t help the small flash of envy I felt thinking about him. He was probably with Dad right now. They spent so much time together… and Dad hardly had any time for me. I knew they were working, but a small, petty part of me often felt cast aside. But I’d jump off a cliff before I admitted as much to anyone but myself.
I was so lost in thought that I almost missed the figure slipping into the bench across from me, as Poppy approached the table. I looked up, and grinned.
“So, he finally decides to grace us with his presence,” I said to Poppy, though I was looking at Axel – my truest and dearest friend in the world – as I spoke.
“I just couldn’t stay away from you two beautiful ladies." He grinned, and Poppy laughed.
I rolled my eyes at the smooth talker, but my exasperation was all for show. It warmed my heart to see Axel talk so freely. For years, he'd barely spoken, leading many to believe that he was a mute, as well as deaf. He'd come so far since then, and I was incredibly proud of him.
“What can I get ya’ll today?” Poppy asked, flipping a page on her notebook.
“I’ll have a strawberry milkshake, the chicken supreme burger, and a plate of fries," I told her, my stomach rumbling with hunger. I was starving and had no doubt that I’d be finishing my plate.
Axel ordered too, and Poppy left to give our order to the cook.
‘She’s gotten hotter,’ Axel signed in ASL, now that we were alone. After befriending him our freshman year of high school, I'd made it my mission to learn ASL as fast as I could. Back then, Axel never spoke aloud. Learning ASL had been the only way I could really communicate with him.
He was still smirking at me, his whole face alight with mischievousness. He had one of the prettiest faces I’d ever seen, and had definitely lucked out with his gene pool. His lips were full and heart shaped, his eyes a piercing blue. Despite his sharp jaw line, when I looked at him, the only word that came to mind was ‘pretty’.
‘You are a pig,’ I signed back, shaking my head.
Poppy came back over with our milkshakes. Axel waggled his eyebrows at me, as she bent over to place his drink in front of him, also giving him a bird’s eye view of her chest in the process. Before I could say anything, Poppy whacked him playfully over the back of his head.
“Ow.” He rubbed his head, as she walked off.
‘Serves you right.’ I grinned, bringing the straw to my mouth.
When our food arrived, he dug into his meal with a zeal that only a human being with a Y chromosome could possess. I didn’t know where all the food went. He ate more than I thought was humanely possible but still remained very lean.
His hair fell slightly into his eyes as he leaned forward and took a bite of his burger. It used to be a similar color to mine – I’d seen pictures of him when he was younger – but as he’d grown older, it had darkened considerably and was now more of a brownish blonde.
I kicked him gently under the table. ‘You need a haircut,’ I signed when he looked up at me.
‘I’m fine, Mom.’ He rolled his eyes, reaching for a bottle of ketchup on the table. He still wore the little leather bracelets I’d made him a few years ago around his wrist, making me smile. Even though he’d moved away from home and attended a community college about an hour away from here, we were still as close as we’d been in high school.
The college he was attending had a really good deaf program, but I’d still worried about him a lot. People could be cruel. High school was enough proof of that. But he was doing good, and everyone was treating him well. It was always a relief to see him doing so great, and I always looked forward to his visits.
‘When are you going back?’ I asked.
‘Tomorrow,’ he signed. ‘Want to do something tonight?’
‘Sure.’
We made plans to grab a movie later that evening, and I left the diner feeling significantly more cheerful compared to how I’d felt when I’d arrived.
Seeing Axel almost made me forget that Dad wouldn't be home for the next few days and that I’d be by myself in an empty house.
Almost.