Hey, Guys!

IfWritersCouldSpeak here, with an entry for FABINALIVES contest! I love her to death, and I think she is a phenomenal writer, and I cannot thank her enough for the support and credit she has given me. If it weren't for her words, I may not have continued writing. So give it up for her!

Anyways, I'm entering last minute (you know me, punctual is not my middle name) and the other entries are so great! I'm so happy just to enter and this experience only made me better.

Also, this is a two-shot. Kind of. I am doing something weird. I really like this story, so I was thinking of continuing it, but I only want to submit the first two chapters for the contest. So let me know what you think. For now, it's a two-shot. Maybe in a while, I'll update it.

See ya at the bottom!

Nina Martin stared out one of the windows of William's Wonders, while her fingers lightly tapped the coffee mug that was her hands. Another mug was across from her, and the caffeinated drink was filled to the brim, but the contents were cold. She pulled her leather purse off the booth she was sitting on, and onto her lap. She plunged through, and pulled out her phone. She began sending him another message, when she was interrupted by the sound of a clearing throat.

"Oh," Nina said. She slid her cup, so the waitress holding the coffee pourer could fill it. The young girl's auburn hair flowed down her shoulders, and Nina watched, envious, twisting the ends of her own blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail.

"He ditch you, or something?" the waitress asked, gesturing to the vacant seat and filled mug.

"Just running late," Nina responded, fumbling with the ends of her scarf.

"Huh, I heard that before," the redhead commented. A few people called out that they needed assistance, but the girl ignored them and continued speaking to Nina.

"Well, it's just who he is, you know? You just get used to it," Nina advocated.

"For how long? I mean, how long do you stay with him, until you get fed up?" The waitress' nametag shone out in the light now, and Nina could read the name clearly. Patricia.

Customers were now yelling, but Patricia stayed, staring at Nina, waiting for an answer.

Nina shrugged, but Patricia had ideas of her own. "Unless you're fed up with him already."

Nina replied quickly, "I'm not. I just- I don't know. We've been through a lot and there has to be some reason."

"Maybe you're just pushing back the invitable," Patricia suggested.

"Which is?"

"That you're you not meant to be together."

Nina opened her mouth to respond, but the ringing of the bell as the doorway to the store opened, and her boyfriend's hurried peck on her cheek, had cut off her words. "Hey, lovely."

Nina looked up to see Patricia, but she was gone. Nina rotated her head to the left where she saw Patricia with a customer. As the customer glanced down at the menu, Patricia looked back, and smiled gently. Turning her head again, Nina saw another employee. This one was a brunette who was a boy, a dishrag in his hand, scrubbing some mustard off the table. He was staring at her, and then glanced back down to the stain, as soon as she lifted her head to look at him.

"So." She turned her focus back to her boyfriend, who was concentrating on the menu. "I'm getting the burger and fries. You?"

She gritted her teeth. After three months and a million dates in this same restaurant, he still couldn't remember the dish she orders every time. Maybe you're just pushing back the inevitable.

The words rolled off her tongue. "We need to talk."

He lowered the menu from his eyes, and rested it on top of the table. He raised his eyebrows, and folded his hands in front of him.

"Ted, you're awesome. You're cool, and funny, but I don't feel the connection anymore. I feel like you're only here half the time," Nina sighed. "I don't know if this will work."

Ted took a deep breath. "Well, nice to know that you've been playing me all this time. Here I thought this thing would stay."

"Ted, I never played you. I played myself. Thinking this would last. I knew it wouldn't, but I let myself think," she sighed, "that it would. I'm sorry." She got up, but Ted grabbed her arm.

"Nina, don't."

She looked at him. "I have to." She tried to pull her arm free. "Ted, let go."

"Come on, Nina. Don't do it." His grip tightened.

"Let go of me!" Nina screeched. A few nearby tables perked up, and watched the scene unfold.

"No! Nina, you have to listen!" Ted begged.

"She said let her go," a voice boomed behind Ted. He moved out of the way, and Nina could see it was the waiter with the brown hair, and the same dishrag in his hand.

Ted turned to look at him. "Look, I understand that you're-"

"No, I don't think you understand. Let go of her, and get out." Ted didn't move a muscle. "Now."

Ted reluctantly let go, now realizing that the spotlight was on him. He started for the door; until the waiter called out, "Wait."

Ted stopped, and the waiter grabbed an iced tea off a tray that a waitress was holding by the wall. He came back over, and handed me the cold drink. I opened my mouth, but he just shook his head. Understanding, I lifted the drink, and poured it over Ted's head. Ted just shook some iced tea out of his eyes, and ran for the door, while the waiter yelled out, "Don't come again!" as the bell chimed once the door closed, signaling Ted Benson was out of my life. I sighed, the pressure lifting off my shoulders.

A few customers cheered, before realizing the show was over, and continued their meals. The brunette employee just handed me his rag, to wipe me wet hands, from the condensation of the glass, off on.

I took it, and asked him a question, "Did I just do that?"

The waiter laughed, making his nametag finally catch my eye. Hi! I'm Fabian! "Well, pinch yourself. Then you'll figure out if dreams come true."

I think I already know they do, she thought, staring at his concrete blue eyes. She wiped her hands on the dishrag, and said, "Well, thanks, Fabian. I wouldn't have been able to make it through that, had you not been there. So, thanks." She handed him back the dishrag she had borrowed. He took it, a bit hesitantly, but then seemed fine.

He asked her, "Do you have a ride home? My shift is over in ten minutes. I could drop you off…"

Nina thought about the cramped, small seats on the public bus, and without hesitating, answered, "I would love that."

As soon as the two buckled into Fabian's car, the deadly silence ensured. It wasn't until ten minutes in, when Nina started whistling Ed Sheeran's Firefly, and Fabian nearly slam the brakes, did they start talking. "You like Ed Sheeran?"

"Duh," Nina answered with a sarcastic tone. "You like him?"

"Duh," he mimicked, now driving a bit slower. "It gets me ticked when people don't know who he is."

"I know right! He's only one of the world's greatest musicians ever!"

"Thank you! You're the most sane person I've ever met!"

"Well, 'You're just as sane as I am.'"

"Harry Potter reference! You like the books?" Fabian asked, averting his vision from her to the road.

"No," Nina answered honestly. Fabian slumped in his seat, disappointed. "I love them!"

The rest of the car ride was filled with laughter and talks about God-knows-what. All Nina knew was that Fabian knew more about her than she probably knew about herself.

She saw the final exit before her apartment come up, but she still continued talking, knowing their time was limited. "Wait, wait, what? You actually drove your dad's car through the fence?"

Fabian laughed in agreement.

"Didn't he get mad?" she asked him.

"Mad? He was furious. I swear his face turned so purple, it was like a grape exploded in it!" Fabian laughed continuously, and kept his eye on the road.

At one point, we had gotten pulled over, and the cop wondered if something had happened to us, because we were still laughing hysterically. Then Fabian told him the story of the time he was chased by mall security because he stole a mannequin. The cop found it so funny, he let us go, and promised that he would never speak of that again.

"Once, I begged my Gran for a turtle, so she got me one of those stuffed ones, and told me, 'If that thing starts talking to you, let me know, and I won't buy you a turtle. If it doesn't talk to you at all, I still won't buy you a turtle.'" Nina laughed and Fabian did too.

By that time they were on the road to her dorm, and Nina told him, "It's right there."

And just like that, the fun atmosphere was gone.

He pulled up to her apartment building, and she had opened the door. She got out, and told him through the open window, "Thanks. For everything."

"Don't mention it," he reassured.

She took a breath in, and realized, this was probably the last time they'd ever talk. "Well, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," he said.

She turned around, and began walking away, when he shouted, "Nina!"

She spun back around, and stood there. "Yeah?" she yelled.

"How about dinner tomorrow night? I'll pick you up at seven?" he asked.

She smiled, and grinned, and replied, "You've got yourself a date."

Like it? Love it? Think I got a shot with it? Check out the other entries and the second chapter is up already I believe, so please go ahead, and keep reading!

See ya!

~IfWritersCouldSpeak~