…

The diner was just one of a dozen along the highway. There was nothing special to differentiate it from any of the others but they had their regulars; truck drivers that stopped in on their long drives and she knew every one of them, always smiling and asking them how they were doing since the last time she saw them. She was in class all day so she always worked the night shifts and it was slow enough where she could be the only waitress. She didn't mind the nights or the slow passing hours though. It gave her a chance to study. Study and serve people greasy food and coffee. It seemed that's all she did.

She was serving Mack his third cup of coffee when the motorcycle pulled up in front of the diner. She glanced up but it didn't interest her. They got plenty of bikers here, too. The man stood from the bike and stood there, talking on his phone for a few minutes. When he came in, she watched him as his eyes sharply cut across the entire diner, taking in every person present. He then sat down at the end of the u-shaped corner, his back to the wall, his eyes able to have a view of the rest of the room.

She went to him and placed a menu down in front of him.

He shook his head and pushed it back towards her. "Coke," he grunted and his voice was low and rough. He looked at her and she swore his eyes were actually black.

She nodded and went to go fetch him a glass. When she set it down in front of him, he was staring at her and she worked nights at a truck-stop diner and yet, this was one of the first times she could remember where she felt nervous. He was tall with tanned skin and a shaved head. He wore jeans and a white tee-shirt with a black leather vest – "Men of Mayhem" and "Nomad" two of the patches sewn onto it. The skin left exposed was covered in tattoos. But that wasn't what held her attention and made her throat dry. It was his eyes. They were so cold and dark and her stomach clenched nervously as he rested them on her.

She placed the glass in front of him and pulled a straw from the front of her apron, placing that down as well. "Anything else?" She asked and prayed her voice didn't tremble.

"Pie?" He asked, ripping the paper from around the straw.

"Just apple," she said and she wasn't sure why but she her lips almost twitched in a smile when he made a grimacing face at that. "We also have some cheesecake," she offered him.

He nodded at that and she went to get him a slice, coming to place it down in front of him.

"Anything else?" She asked as politely as she did any other customer.

She watched as his eyes went to the nametag on the front of her uniform. He picked up his fork and shook his head, not looking at her again, and she was grateful to get away from him.

One by one, the other truckers left, bidding her farewell until next time and before she knew it, it was just her, the biker with black eyes and Norman, the cook in the back, but he had long ago fell asleep, his quiet snores carrying out into the diner.

She went to him, bringing him a refill of his Coke without him asking for it, but he didn't say anything and she moved to the other side of the counter, taking out her textbook she had stored away underneath. She opened it and leaned over the counter as she read it. She had an exam at the end of the week and this was one of the classes she had to pass if she wanted to continue in the program.

She heard a cell phone ring and the man answered it in his gravelly voice that shot shivers down her spine.

"Yeah," he said and then after a moment, another "Yeah."

She wasn't sure why but she had a feeling he would be leaving. She totaled his check and as she did with any other customer for their bill, she drew a quick smiley face at the bottom with a quick note. Please come again! Though with him, she wasn't sure she meant that.

She went to him and slipped the piece of paper to him, near his arm, and then walked away again as he continued listening to the other person on the phone.

The conversation ended with one more "Yeah" on his end and he then stood up, sliding the phone into his pocket. She lifted her head as he came to stand in front of her. She stood up straight and he looked down to the book she was studying. It was open to pictures of the human skeletal system.

"Nursing program," she then told him even though he hadn't asked.

He didn't say anything and pulled out a ten-dollar bill, setting it in front of her along with his check. His bill had only been for $3.75 and she was just heading to the cash register to get him change but without a word, he turned and left the diner. She watched through the windows as he climbed onto his bike and a minute later, he roared away.

She held the generous tip in her hand and she couldn't help but wish he didn't come back.

…

He was back.

Two weeks later around the same time of the night.

She was laughing as Pete flirted with her even though he was married with five grandchildren but that was what Pete did. He was just a natural flirt, telling her that he would be more than happy to run away with her; she just had to give him the word.

She heard the roar of the motorcycle and she didn't look, something inside of her telling her that she already knew who it was.

He came in and again, his eyes scanned over everyone there, his eyes settling on her for a moment. She quickly looked away, not liking when he looked at her. Already, she could feel her stomach churn with nerves. He went to go sit on the same stool at the counter and after leaving Pete's table, she went back behind the counter and approached him.

"Coke?" She asked and he looked at her, clearly surprised that she had remembered what he had ordered last time. He nodded. "And we have blueberry pie tonight," she told him.

"Cheesecake was good," he grunted. "I'll get that again."

She nodded and went off to fetch him his order, returning just minutes later. "Anything else?" She asked.

"No," he shook his head. "Thanks."

She was surprised such a word had passed through his lips but she did her best to mask it. She nodded and left him alone.

"How's your classes goin'?" Nate asked as he paid his bill.

She smiled a little and shrugged. "B. It'll go better next time," she then said quickly, as if he was her parent and she was assuring him.

Nate smirked. "Only you would be upset about gettin' a B on a test," he teased her. "See you in a few days, honey," he then said and she smiled warmly at her.

The regulars who came in at night, they were men she had known for the past two years since she had begun working there and they all treated her like she was a family member.

After Nate, Pete left then, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles, making her laugh, and then Mack left. Once again, it was just her and the biker in the corner, Norman sleeping.

She took a deep breath before approaching him. "Do you need anything else?"

He shook his head and without a word, he handed her a ten-dollar bill and left then. He barely spoke to her and yet, her throat always felt so dry around him. He terrified her. She couldn't help it and she wasn't sure what it was but there was something about him that told her that she probably wasn't the only person who was frightened by him.

…

It was almost a month later when he came back. It was just a few minutes past three in the morning and no one else was in there. Norman had gone into the bathroom and hadn't come out for nearly a half hour. She tried not to think about what he was doing in there.

She was leaning over the counter, a textbook open in front of her as she studied, and when she heard the motorcycle outside, she couldn't help but stiffen.

But when he entered, she gasped when she lifted her head and saw him.

"Oh my gosh," she hurried around the counter towards him. "What happened?"

He looked at her as if he was wondering why she was asking him that; as if he didn't have a cut above his eyebrow, blood streaming down the side of his face. She instantly left behind the waitress and slid into nurse-to-be mode.

"Here," she gently took his arm and pulled him to a stool near where she had been. She was surprised when he followed and sat down without a word of protest.

She hurried into the kitchen where a first aid kit was kept and she came out again. She hand a damp washcloth with her and she came to stand beside him. He didn't say anything as she began to gently wash the cut and the blood from his face. He was so tall, even with her standing and him sitting, their eyes were almost even. She did her best not to look into his eyes and even though this man scared her, right now, she was able to shut that off. He needed this cut seen to and this was what she wanted to do. She didn't want to be a waitress at a truck stop forever. She was studying to be a nurse. She would be a nurse. And nurses weren't allowed to be prejudice towards any of their patients.

"This will sting," she told him softly as she took out the bottle of antiseptic but he didn't even flinch when she began cleaning the cut. She wasn't surprised.

"You know what you're doing?" He asked suddenly, startling her, as she took out the needle and thread. She looked at him, frozen for a moment, and she then nodded. "Don't know if I want some B-nurse stitching me up."

She stared at him, her mouth falling open; shocked by not only his comment but that he remembered she was both studying nursing and that he had overheard – and remembered – that she had gotten a B on her most recent exam.

"The hospital is two miles down the road," she informed him, ready to put the kit away.

He shrugged. "You already got me here. Might as well finish it," he said.

She hesitated for just a moment, looking at him, and she could have sworn it looked like he was about to smile. But she told herself that she was probably just imagining it. This man looked as if he had never smiled a day in his life.

Again, he didn't even flinch as she began stitching the cut, her hands never wavering.

"What's your name?" She heard herself asking him.

"Happy," he said and she wanted to ask him if he was serious. There was absolutely nothing happy about this man. But she looked at his face and knew he wasn't joking. Maybe that was how he had gotten the nickname. One of those ironic ones like Little John. "What's yours?" He then asked.

She knew he knew her name. She wore a nametag and he had looked at it that first night. She was wearing it right now and it was right in front of his face.

"Emily," she answered nonetheless. They were quiet after that and she was able to finish his stitches easily. "All done," she said, already turning away to begin cleaning up.

"Thanks," he grunted.

She nodded, looking at him, hugging the first-aid kit to her chest. "Want your usual?" She asked him, the fear towards him slowly creeping back in.

He shook his head, standing up. This time, he placed a twenty on the counter and left.

She really hoped he didn't come back.

…

He came back; just one week later this time.

She usually wore her hair in braided pigtails when she waitressed but this night, she wore it down, careful the locks covered her cheek. So far, no one had seemed to notice because no one had asked her about it.

But when he went to his usual stool and she came to set his Coke down in front of him, she was just turning away when his hand suddenly flew out, fingers wrapping around her wrist. She gasped as his grip tightened, keeping her there.

"What happened?" He asked, his black eyes flashing, and she swore she almost began trembling under his stare.

"Nothing," she was quick to shake her head.

He just stared at her, his fingers tightening a bit more. She flinched but he didn't let go.

She looked at him and his black eyes and the growing fury evident on his face. She wanted to yank her wrist away and go and hide from him but his grip was too strong. He was keeping her there and he would until she told him what he wanted to know.

The harder he stared at her, the more the bruise on her cheek began to throb.

She shook her head quickly again. "My boyfriend… he didn't mean to…" she stuttered and even as she heard herself say the words, she couldn't believe she was saying them; that she was one of those women who protected the men who slapped them around. She swallowed thickly. "I'll get you your cheesecake," she said and after a moment, he finally released her wrist and she scampered away from him as quickly as she could.

…

There was a part of her not entirely surprised when she saw her boyfriend the next day after her classes, before she went to the diner, and his face looked like rotten fruit.

She wondered how Happy had found him.

…

It was just a few days before Christmas and he was back. This time, she heard another motorcycle along with his and he wasn't alone. A young man probably around her age with a swagger in his step and blonde hair was with him and Happy sat on his usual stool with the man sitting next to him. He was also wearing a leather vest like the one Happy always wore as well as a "Men of Mayhem" though he also had a patch that said "Redwood Original" as well as one that said "Charming".

"The usual?" She asked him once she approached. She handed the new addition a menu and the man looked to Happy, his eyebrow shooting up.

"Yeah," he grunted, nodding, and when she returned with his Coke and slice of cheesecake, she placed them down in front of him and looked to the man next to him.

"Would you like anything?" She asked.

For some reason, she didn't feel nervous looking at him though there was something in his blue eyes – almost just as cold as Happy's eyes – that told her that she should be.

"Coffee. What time do you get off your shift, darlin'?" The man asked, smiling.

She looked at him for just a second before shaking her head, the knot returning to her stomach. She took the menu back from him. "No, thank you," she said as politely as she could before stepping away, turning and walking away.

She heard the man snicker. "She is different," he said and she heard Happy just grunt.

…

Thank you so much for reading and please review!