Disclaimer: I don't own the Night World
Date
"Got a table for you." Jared told Emerald as he entered the kitchen. "Fifteen. Just seated them."
"Okay, thanks, I'll be with them in a moment." she replied taking the tray of drinks back out into the restaurant and delivering them to their respectful tables, but as she headed toward table fifteen she froze suddenly, her eyes widening, her breath catching. She grabbed Jared's arm, who happened to be conveniently passing by her at that very moment, and stopped him, not taking her eyes off table fifteen.
"What table did you say again?" she asked quietly.
Jared looked at her a little oddly before turning and nodding toward the table she was staring at. "Fifteen. You know the table numbers."
"Do I have to?" she asked almost a little childishly.
"Is something wrong, Emerald?" Jared asked. It was a challenge, more than a question out of concern. She was paid to wait tables, no complaining, always a smile for the customer, etc. And tonight they were jam-packed. There was no room for someone else to just take the table. If she was given a table, she was given a table.
Emerald shook her head. "No, sorry. Just making sure." She gave Jared a small smile before letting go of his arm.
Jared looked at her a moment longer before heading off. Taking a deep breath Emerald started over to table fifteen while quickly pulling her hair back into a large black butterfly clip she'd been carrying in one of the pockets of her apron. It had started becoming a nervous habit of Emerald's to do this. Her hair was long enough and thick enough, and the clip black enough, that if you didn't look closely it just looked like she was keeping her hair up in a high ponytail.
She plastered a smile on her face just as she got up to Storm and Valerie's table.
"Hi, my name is Emerald and I will be your server tonight. May I start you out with drinks?" she asked in a polite tone.
"Emerald, hi!" Valerie smiled. "Storm told me you worked here. What are the odds we'd get you, though? It's so busy tonight."
Emerald just kept smiling. "What are the odds, indeed." she replied as lightly as she could a small prick of anger shooting up her spine. But it wasn't because of Valerie's comment. No, it was because of Storm. He knew she worked here and probably convinced Valerie to eat her tonight just to torture Emerald or something. What was he trying to accomplish? Rubbing it in Emerald's face that he had a girlfriend already and wasn't at all bothered by their breaking-up even after getting engaged? And it just infuriated Emerald that he'd stoop so low. It wasn't like she wasn't suffering enough and she already knew that he had a girlfriend!
"Drinks?" she asked again.
"Oh, yes, of course. I'll have a Coke." Valerie told her.
"Make that two." Storm said shocking Emerald a tiny bit. But she got over it and logged that into her brain and gave him a slight nod. It had to have been for show or something.
"I'll have that right out for you." she told them before swiftly heading off, just wanting to get out of there.
And she thought tonight was just going to be busy.
On her way back to the kitchen she quickly checked up on her other tables before getting Storm and Valerie's drinks and heading back to their table.
"Are we ready to order?" she asked setting the cups down and taking out her pen and pad from her apron.
"I think so. Ladies first?" Storm looked at Valerie.
"I'll have the shrimp fettuccine alfredo, please." she said looking up at Emerald who scribbled it down.
"And for you?" Emerald turned toward Storm. If she could, she probably wouldn't have asked him because, again, it's not like he could eat, but it was her job. If she was caught not taking someone's order she'd be fired like that.
"I think I'll have the lobster ravioli." he answered. Emerald was more shocked then last time but got over it quickly again and wrote his order down, not wanting to look like a fool or unprofessional, and nodded.
"That will be right out for you." She dropped the pen and pad back into the pockets of her apron before reaching for the menus. "I'll just get those out of your way."
As she went to type in their orders she pondered what Storm actually getting something to eat meant. She wasn't sure if he was just keeping up an act or what, because it wasn't like he was actually going to eat it, was he? And he couldn't possibly been keeping up an act for Valerie. Emerald was sure that she was a witch from the Night World. She'd know about vampires and their diets. It just didn't make any sense at all! Why keep up an act for the restaurant. She was sure that people went to restaurant and didn't eat… not that she'd seen it here, but she was sure that it wasn't completely uncommon.
At least she wouldn't have to deliver the food. She didn't think she could handle this any longer. First the movies, now where she worked? It didn't seem fair to Emerald. Storm was so totally doing this just to torture her. And it was working. Her heart ached and her thoughts swirled with memories of being with Storm. She had trouble concentrating as the night wore on and at one point found herself almost compulsively passing their table multiple times, though she did not need to.
Of course, she'd stop once in a while to check on how they were doing, if everything was to their liking, to refill their drinks, but she was passing their table way more than she was actually checking up on them.
The first time she checked-up on them, though, almost had her snap out of character. Storm was eating, actually eating. Which didn't make any sense at all to Emerald. But now that she thought of it was that his heartbeat she could hear, wet and pulsing the oxygen-infused blood through his body? Was there actual color to his skin? Was that actually warmth radiating from his body? Was he… human?
Now that had to have been something impossible. She'd never heard of such thing. A vampire being turned back into a human?
Could it be Valerie? Was there some kind of new-found potion or spell that could do this? But that didn't seem very likely either. Emerald assumed that turning a vampire back into a human used a lot of power and dark magic and Valerie didn't strike Emerald a dark magic user at all.
Was that why they came? Not to rub their relationship in Emerald's face but so Storm could brag about being human again?
Whatever the case, he wasn't making it any easier on Emerald. Showing up everywhere Emerald went with his new girlfriend and now this! Being human again. It was really taking its toll.
By the time she came around to clear their plates and ask if they wanted dessert her armor was cracking. Her heart was heavy and beat painfully in her chest, this pain leaking through into her eyes. If Storm noticed he didn't say, but when their eyes met something flashed within the depths of his gorgeous blue eyes. It was too quick to tell if Emerald had actually seen it and she was too wary by then to ponder this. It'd only cause her more pain if she got her hopes up that he still cared.
"Did you leave room for dessert?" Emerald asked as she took their empty dishes.
"I hear your flan is amazing." Valerie said before looking at Storm. "But I can't decide on chocolate or vanilla."
Storm simply smiled. "One of each, please."
Emerald forced a smile, which was becoming more and more painful each time, and nodded before heading off without another word.
A time after their desserts had been delivered, Emerald found herself leaning against the wall near the entrance to the kitchen, holding a tray from delivering someone else's food, staring at Storm and Valerie as they ate dessert.
There was a lot of smiling and laughing. They give each other spoonfuls and one time leaned in for a chaste kiss. It kind of reminded Emerald of those 1950s movies with the girl and boy on a date sharing a single milkshake or malt, drinking from two different straws.
More pain rushed through her at this sight. Wistfulness followed, wanting to be in Valerie's position. Human again. Still with Storm. On a regular date, eating dessert, laughing; having fun.
"Daydreaming on the job? Tsk, tsk, Emerald." a voice murmured in her ear.
Emerald jumped having been caught up in her own thoughts she'd completely zoned out.
"I was just… looking for—um, any tables that might need something. Refills or, you know… something." she stuttered making up any excuse not wanting to get fired, afraid if it was Jared he'd for sure tell the manager she was daydreaming on the job.
The voice chuckled. "That would've been a good excuse if I were the manager."
Emerald turned and looked to see Lucas standing at the entrance to the kitchen, with an amused smirk on his tanned, pretty-boy face, his dark chestnut brown hair falling messily into his pale blue-green eyes. She playfully shoved him and made a face.
"Don't scare me like that. Jeez, I thought for sure I was fired." she muttered as Lucas stepped around the corner to stand extremely close next to Emerald who'd gone back to staring wistfully as table fifteen.
"You seem a little distracted tonight, something wrong?" Lucas asked casually draping his arm around her shoulders. Emerald, however, tensed not ready for this gesture. Lucas didn't move his arm away, though, seemingly unaware of her tenseness.
"No… nothing—nothing's wrong." Emerald stuttered, looking back up at Lucas, who towered over her at six feet. He was nineteen, worked two jobs, one here at the restaurant and the other teaching kids the art of parkour, and somehow found a way to go to college online between all of that. They'd become pretty close after Emerald came back and managed to, by a miracle, get her job back working here when she came back from her father-hunt. She was sure that Lucas put in a good word here or there to help convince the manager to hire her again but whenever she asked him he denied having any say in it.
"Come on, Emerald, I know you more than you realize. You almost crashed into Marlee—who happened to have a tray full of food—and would've totally spilled it all over table thirty's costumers earlier this evening." Emerald made a face as Lucas continued. "Oh, and don't forget when you narrowly avoiding a tray full of drinks not only twenty minutes ago. I said hi to you, like a thousand times tonight and didn't get any response back."
Emerald looked at him almost incredulously, surprised he'd been keeping such a close tab on her all night. Did he do this every night or was this just a one-time thing? Had they really become closer than she thought they had?
"Are you stalking me?" she asked jokingly.
Lucas smiled, reaching down to take a stray strand of hair and gently push it back behind her ear, and winked. Unexpected heat flowed through Emerald and her breath caught but before she could say anything someone cleared their throat.
Emerald jumped back a few inches from Lucas and looked to see Jared, his eyebrows raised, his face not happy.
"Flirt on your own time, you two." he muttered, stepping between them toward the door of the kitchen. "And there are some tables that need turning." he added before slipping into the kitchen.
Emerald and Lucas exchanged a look.
"I should go get that—" Emerald said, pointing to a random table just as Lucas said, "Looks like they're ready to leave—" They quickly headed off in different directions, almost crashing into each other as they did so.
Emerald set the tray she was still holding down, scurried over to clear off Storm and Valerie's now empty dessert dishes and take the small folder that contained their check.
"I hope everything was to your liking tonight." she said as she did this.
"Oh, yes, it's no wonder this restaurant is known for its flan." Valerie commented whole-heartedly.
Emerald smiled politely, hoping that it was registering on her face as she took the small black folder. "You two have a nice night."
"Thank you. You as well." Storm responded, having said almost nothing to Emerald the whole night with exceptions of when he was ordering and now. Emerald nodded and headed off to turn a table near fifteen's, taking a deep breath. Finally, it was over and Emerald could relax.
Lucas passed by her as she went over to clear off and grab the payment from Storm and Valerie's table.
"You. Me. Coffee. After work." he murmured in her ear before hurrying off somewhere else not giving Emerald a chance to respond, reply, accept, or decline his invitation… if you could call it that.
Emerald sighed and continued to table fifteen to find a twenty sitting in the middle of everything. For a moment anger boiled up inside her as she grabbed the twenty and crumbled it up in her fist. That had to be mocking her now. They were just torturing her for no good damn reason…. Even so, a twenty dollar tip was a twenty dollar tip and she couldn't refuse something like that.
Lucas was outside waiting for Emerald. He had his black pea jacket on, with his hands buried deep in the pockets, his shoulders hunched. It was a cold night. Emerald hadn't brought a jacket though. Being a vampire, the cold never bothered her and she marveled at the looks she got from people when she went walking to school wearing nothing but jeans and t-shirt when it was 30 below.
"Ready for that coffee?" he asked falling into step next to her.
"I never actually accepted." she told him pointedly.
"Yes, but you never actually declined, either." Lucas shot back.
"How do you know that I can't just decline now?"
"Because you would've told me to buzz off the moment you walked out of the restaurant."
Emerald pursed her lips. "Fine, but you know I don't drink coffee."
"Nor do you eat or drink anything else."
Emerald faltered in her step at this. Way too observant, she decided. She'd have to be more careful around him.
"And how do you know I just don't eat when you're watching? I could eat loads at home or at school." she countered, regaining her composure hoping he hadn't noticed her small misstep.
Lucas stayed silent at this comment, and was silent, as they walked along, Emerald inadvertently following him toward the Starbucks she knew was about two blocks away now. They stayed quiet the whole two blocks, and even as Lucas held the door open for Emerald and even as they waited in line for him to get something.
But when they sat down at one of the small tables Lucas finally started talking again. He was leaning back casually in his chair, one arm hanging over the back, his other toying with his coffee cup. Emerald sat across from him, sitting properly with her back straight, ankles crossed, both hands on the table, clasping each other.
"So, you've seem a little distant this past week. Especially tonight. Is there something wrong?" he asked, looking at her with those penetrating blue-green eyes.
Emerald shifted a little in her seat.
"Why do you want to know? We've never been particularly close. Why do you care so much now?" she asked being frank with him, meeting his gaze evenly.
Lucas smiled and chuckled, surprising Emerald, and leaned forward a little, his free hand coming to a rest a few inches away from Emerald's clasped ones. Emerald didn't fail to notice, but didn't move her hands away just yet.
"I care about you, Emerald. Can a friend not ask about your wellbeing?" He answered her questions with his own.
"I didn't know we were friends." Emerald told him honestly. "Acquaintances, maybe, but not friends. We only work together. I only know the basics about you. We never hang out. You've never shown any particular interest in me since we first met."
"You know what your problem is?" Lucas asked. Emerald sat back a little, taken aback by his bluntness, though she just did the same thing to him.
"What's that?"
"You have a very cynical outlook on life. Here I am, trying to cheer you up and you're questioning my motives like in those spy movies. Do you not trust me?" With those words he rested his hand on both of hers. "It's just an innocent talk."
"Yes, well, I'm just not much of a talker." Emerald replied, standing up, pulling her hands away from his and walking past him out of Starbucks.
Lucas followed suit and caught up to her, grabbing her arm.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I upset you." he said power walking to keep up with her for she'd pulled out of his grasp and kept walking at a faster pace, only he could only walk behind her, because of the rest of the people out weren't letting him slip up beside her. "Emerald—"
She turned abruptly and he nearly crashed into her. Her eyes were cold as she glared up at him, her face an emotionless mask.
"Listen, Lucas, I appreciate that you care enough to ask if I'm okay, but I'm just not one to easily trust. I'm sorry." With those words she turned around again and disappeared into the crowd, feeling horrible about being so harsh on him. He was a very sweet guy, but it just felt too soon… for her anyway. Maybe if she knew him a little better she'd give him a chance. For now, though, if they stayed acquaintances nothing would be lost on Emerald's account… as horrible as that sounded.
thank-you-for-everything
~ See you at the Millennium!