The diner was Jack's favorite. It was there that he had written the first act of Isolation, the play that had actually garnered him some recognition. It was also in this diner where Carl had proposed his writing of the screenplay for his new jungle picture. The day had changed his life. It was on that trip he had met Ann, and despite the awfulness of everything that had happened on that trip, Jack knew he could never go back to the way he used to be.
Jack had gained something amid all the loss. He got Ann. And that reason alone would propel him to repeat the entire experience if need be.
Of course that would be an option he would not like to consider.
But the diner was his favorite and had borne silent witness to his joys and downfalls. So, it was with great reverence that he took Ann there.
He had watched her expression as they walked in together and when it did not change from one of pleasant interest, he faltered. Then he tried to look at it from an outsiders perspective, did agree that it was indeed plain looking and forgave her.
"Jack!" A rotund man behind the counter beamed at him and Jack immediately started to smile. This was his element. He was at home here. In fact, before he had met Ann, it had seemed like his only home, only family.
"Hey Charlie." Jack called back before gesturing at Ann to step from behind his protective shadow.
"This beautiful woman is the lovely Ann Darrow." He said with a flourish.
Ann blushed a little and stared in amazement at Jack. She had never seem him quite so… cheery. She wondered what it was about the ancient diner that seemed to brighten him so.
Jack gently took her hand and led her to a booth with cracked vinyl seats. Sunlight streamed in and the streets of New York City were already bustling despite the early hour.
After they had both sat, Ann reached across the table and wrapped her fingers into his hand.
"What is it about this place, Jack?" She rubbed her finger along the inside of his palm and smiled. "You're never like this."
As Jack opened his mouth to speak, a shadow fell across the table and Jack looked up in surprise.
"What would you like to drink, miss?"
The waiter, a tall boy in his mid-twenties shot Ann a smile that showed off a row of perfectly even straight teeth. He had curly dark hair and a dark, nearly black emerald gaze.
"Coffee please." Ann answered his question without looking up. A few seconds passed and he hadn't moved to take Jack's order. Ann looked up finally, puzzled and he seemed to regain mobility. He turned to Jack.
"Drink?" He said shortly.
"Ahh… coffee sounds fine." Jack said, a little perplexed by this new addition to the wait staff.
"Right." He turned to Ann and then slowly smiled. "I'll get your coffee right out."
Then he loped off to the kitchen, leaving Jack and Ann staring wordlessly behind him.
A scowl was starting to form on Jack's face, and as Ann turned she noted immediately the change in him.
"He likes you." He said flatly, squinting at the closed kitchen door as if trying to burn his gaze through.
At Jack's jealousy, Ann smiled a little and squeezed his hand.
"Well I love you. How does that sound?"
Jack visibly relaxed and she felt the tension drain from his hand.
"That sounds fantastic, actually." He pulled her hand up and kissed her fingertips lightly.
Aha. Playful Jack was back. Ann took note of this and gently prodded him back on track.
"So you were saying why this place was so special?"
"Right, well you see this place has been the one constant in my life. I started writing here, right in that booth over th-."
"Your coffee miss." The waiter delivered her coffee and cut Jack off. "Would you like cream or sugar with that?" Ann shook her head no and started to thank him before he began again. "Are you sure you don't want sugar? A beautiful girl like you?"
He stared into her eyes and Ann found it hard to look away for a second, his eyes were very much the color of the foliage in Skull Island and it was slightly disturbing to bring up those memories.
Jack, however, could not read the thoughts in her head, and thus did not know that. All he knew was that Ann and their waiter were staring at each other and it caused some monster to rise in him.
"I'll have my coffee now." He growled. This seemed to startle their waiter out of his unabashed staring and he delivered the coffee to Jack.
"What? No offer of sugar?" Jack said dryly, glaring at the other man.
Instead of answering, the waiter turned toward Ann.
"My name is Jason if you need anything."
Jack released her hand and roughly grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser at the end of the table. He knew he should get used to this. He was a physically unimposing man, although as proved at Skull Island, he could hold his own just fine, and she was a beautiful actress. Men would admire her constantly. But he hadn't been aware that she would admire them back.
The hurt must have shown in his eyes as he turned back because Ann looked across the table at him plaintively.
The look in her eyes… Jack could feel himself relenting.
"Jack…." Jack looked around anywhere but her eyes. The street, napkin, her hand even, just not those beautiful eyes.
"Look at me Jack." Hating himself for it, Jack's head rose, a hangdog look in his eyes.
"Jack you can't think I'm attracted to our waiter."
"Well it's a little hard to miss the way you're staring at each other!" He whispered fiercely, unwilling to let the object of his vehemence hear how much he had upset him.
"Jack, it was his eyes." After she said the words, she regretted them. The sparkle in Jack's eyes had just dimmed and his shoulders had slumped.
"Right… right. Well shall I just leave you two then?" He asked softly. He had tried to convey the last words with some semblance of sarcasm, but it had just come out defeated.
"No, no Jack, You didn't let me finish." She desperately wanted him to understand. "His eyes reminded me of Skull Island."
The words stilled Jack and he furrowed his brow a little.
"Skull Island?"
"Yes, of all the trees and all of the green." She shuddered. "Everywhere you looked it was that dark, dark green."
Jack tentatively reached across for her hand and he lightly rubbed it between his two hands. She was shaking slightly and Jack hated himself for getting her started on such painful thoughts.
"Oh Ann…" He trailed off, looking for the right words. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
Just then the now familiar shadow graced their table again and Jack groaned inwardly. Jason held a coffeepot in his hand and reached to fill Ann's cup.
"Thank you," She said, making a point to keep her eyes focused on Jack.
As Jason made way to leave, Ann stared incredulously at him.
"Sir, I think he would like his cup refilled." She gestured to Jack's empty cup.
With a not so concealed sigh, Jason turned and filled the cup hurriedly and the steaming liquid slopped over the sides, burning the hand Jack had wrapped around the cup.
Jack gasped a little as the burning coffee scalded his hand and quickly retracted it as far away has he could from the offensive coffee. His quick movement knocked the cup over and it spilled across the whole table, steam rising off of it.
Ann sprang up from her seat as the hot coffee started toward her, but was too late. The liquid had already fallen onto her dress and she stood up in dismay.
Jack rose, horrified.
Ok the diner idea wasn't completely running as planned.
Jason ran off to get some water to try and stop the coffee from staining and Jack stood next to her in dismay.
"Ann I'm so sorry!"
"You're sorry?" She looked furious. "That jerk spilled that on you on purpose."
"I-well…" Jack stopped in mid sentence. He knew he shouldn't, but he let out a soft chuckle of relief. To hear the fury in her voice… fury on his behalf…. Well he knew his Ann was back.
When Jason returned with the water, Ann made a move to take the glass from him, but he wet a cloth himself and reached across to dab it along Ann's stomach where the coffee had most prominently stained.
At the movement toward Ann, Jack reacted with quick reflexes he didn't know he possessed. While Ann was still gaping at his brazen attempt to feel her up, Jack had angrily grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around so the back of his knees were pressed up against the table.
Jack was contemplating the idea of decking the guy, when Ann's lithe body slid into the space between Jack and Jason and promptly slapped him.
It was Jack's turn to stare, dumbfounded, as Ann reached in his pocket, pulled out his wallet and threw a few crumpled one dollar bills on the table.
She grabbed his arm and led a stricken Jack out of the diner.
Back inside the diner, Charlie stared at the scene in amusement.
Jack had found himself a fireball this time…
He put the rag he was using to wipe down the counter to the side and went to go clean up his still frozen waiter.
With Jack around things were definitely never dull…
This was a fairly random story, lol. I don't know where it came from, but reviews and comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks. : )
-LLL