(Kate's POV)

The week after Darry's birthday, Johnny started coming to the diner to learn a few things in the kitchen. At first, Johnny seemed nervous, and I figured it was mostly regarding his walking capabilities and the fact that he brought his crutches with him in case he needed them. Thankfully, shortly after he showed up on his first day, I think he realized that nobody would judge him or mention anything about his difficulties.

At first, Johnny stayed very quiet and only talked to Captain or myself– probably because we were the only people that he had met before. However, Connie isn't someone who lets strangers remain strangers for long, so she quickly introduced Johnny to everyone else and she stayed near his side in case he had any questions or concerns. Thanks to Connie and everyone else at the diner, Johnny gradually came out of his shell in his first few days with us.

When he wasn't in the kitchen, Johnny would usually hang out with me or Rachel by the counter until Ponyboy or one of the other guys stopped by, which was often. Even though they visited frequently before, after Johnny started working alongside Captain and Connie, someone from the gang seemed to always be at the diner. Dally especially seemed to make it a point to stop by the diner every day while Johnny was there, and he'd stay for hours, sometimes even being the one to drive him home rather than Darry. It was obvious that Dally cared about Johnny a lot and he wanted to wordlessly reassure the teen that nothing bad would happen to him because Dallas Winston was there.

One night during Johnny's second week of being at the diner, Darry stopped by after work for some dinner and to bring Johnny back to the house. After setting the plate in front of my boyfriend, I asked him about Dally's constant presence. Darry told me that Dally had always looked out for Johnny like that, kind of like a personal bodyguard, and that tendency had only gotten stronger after everything that happened in the fall. Apparently, the hood even started acting like that around Ponyboy too, and I just hadn't noticed before Darry commented on it. How haven't I noticed that before?

I also asked Darry if Two-Bit and Dally had kept their word and helped around the house, and to my pleasant surprise, they did. For a whole week, the two of them did everything from laundry to vacuuming, and they even helped Darry repair a few things around the house. The only thing Dally refused to do was clean the bathroom, but Two-Bit apparently didn't have a problem with it.

"Two-Bit wouldn't lift a finger before, not even at his own house, but apparently all it takes for him to help out is losing a bet," Darry said with a chuckle and a shake of his head before he took another bite of his burger.

"Well, maybe we need to make another bet with him so he can clean my apartment," I joked, leaning on the counter to snatch one of Darry's fries. I was technically on the clock and probably shouldn't have spent so much time around one person since there were other patrons sitting around the diner, but I couldn't help it that my boyfriend was there and we weren't that busy. Rachel and Mary can handle the diner for a few minutes.

"Good luck getting any of the guys to bet against you at pool," Darry snarked. "They aren't all geniuses, but they're not dumb, and only an idiot would bet against you if they've seen you play."

I waved him off and rolled my eyes. "You're making it sound like I'm a professional pool player or something. I just spent a lot of time practicing. I'm sure you have a hidden talent that nobody knows about too."

Darry's eyebrows pinched together in thought as he stared down at his plate of food. "Not really. I was good at football, but that's not really hidden. I'm good at math, but you already knew that," he said with a hint of a shy grin, which made me suddenly wonder if he really thought nobody else in school knew that Darry Curtis was a smart jock, or that he'd score the highest in almost every math test. "That's all I can think of," he added with a shrug.

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit," I said, which caused him to look at me with a curious expression. "I bet you're good at a lot of things, you just don't know it or you don't want to admit it."

As I tried to remember everything that we had talked about during our time together, I realized I knew a lot about High School Darry and Brother-Turned-Guardian Darry, but I didn't know enough about Darry as just himself. What kind of girlfriend am I if I don't know anything about my boyfriend besides how he takes care of everyone else?

"What about hobbies in general?" I asked, continuing to prod. "Do you still go hunting or fishing at the lake you brought me to?"

Surprisingly, he chuckled at that. "No, we never have the time. The few days I'm not working, Soda's working, and neither of us can really take time off. Plus, Pony's busy with school and track anyway."

It made sense, that they weren't able to take a few days off for vacation or anything given their situation, but it still saddened me, and I wasn't satisfied with that answer. "Okay," I started, putting my elbow on the counter and resting my chin on my hand to stare at him at eye-level. "Let's say money and time aren't issues… what does Darry Curtis like to do in his free time?"

He looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if he wondered why I would ask such a ridiculous question. He opened his mouth like he was about to answer, but it took a while for him to actually speak. "I don't know… Glory, it's been so long since I've thought about it. Is it too cheesy or cliché if my answer is to spend time with you?"

I rolled my eyes at him, but I was grinning from ear to ear. "Yes, it is. And I can't be part of your answer, even if it's sweet."

"Alright, fine," he said as he mimicked me and rolled his eyes, but he also had a grin on his face. "I like to read and go to races or rodeos. I really don't mind cooking either, but besides breakfast, I don't cook much since I usually get home late and Johnny likes to cook most of the time now," he said fondly as he looked over my shoulder and towards the kitchen where the dark-haired teen was. I think all of the guys were happy to see Johnny get out of the house and do something he enjoyed, and Darry was no exception.

"See, you have hobbies," I said with a smirk. "Anything else?"

He thought for a moment, and I could tell by the way he suddenly looked down and grabbed the straw in his Pepsi just to twirl it around, he had thought of something else. I guessed that it could be something he was embarrassed by, or maybe it was something he just hadn't told a lot of people.

Finally, he answered. "I used to do some woodworking with my dad. Nothing fancy– mostly just to fix things around the house– but I thought it was cool."

I smiled at him, happy to hear him open up a little more. "Yeah?" I simply replied, encouraging him to keep talking.

He nodded and ate a fry before responding. "I mean, we did make things too, not just fix things. When I was a kid, we made a chess board so I could teach my brothers how to play, but Soda's too impatient and Pony was too young, so my dad and I ended up just playing against each other. And a couple years ago, we made my mom a bookshelf." His far-away gaze and smile told me he was not only missing his parents, but he had a lot of fond memories that I hadn't heard about yet. "She loved it so much, she cried."

After a few seconds of silence, I figured he was done talking, so I smiled softly and placed my hand on his in a display of support. His eyes met mine and he gave me a single nod, silently thanking me and telling me he was done talking.

I quickly picked up the conversation. "My dad was a carpenter, and even when he wasn't working, he liked to do some woodworking too. He made-"

"Excuse me, Miss Kate?" a voice said in my direction, pulling my attention away from Darry.

I straightened and turned to look at the old man sitting alone at the other end of the counter. He was giving me the soft smile he always did when I saw him. "I'll be right there William," I said loud enough for him to hear me. Then I glanced back at Darry. "Duty calls. I'll be right back."

I quickly walked over to take William's order, even though I already knew what it would be since he orders the same thing every time: the blue plate special, sauce on the side, and a vanilla shake. I was about to go give Captain and Johnny the order, but William gently grabbed my wrist, his grip surprisingly firm despite his advanced age. I looked at him with a quirked eyebrow, waiting to hear why he apparently wanted me to stay.

"Is that handsome man over there your boyfriend?" William asked me with a smile.

I looked down the counter to look at the other end where Darry sat. He was casually eating his food, but I could see his eyes glance in my direction before he tried to pretend that he was focused solely on the plate in front of him.

"Yes, it is," I said, turning my attention back to William.

His eyes lingered on Darry for a few more seconds before meeting mine again. "He seems to like you a lot; won't keep his icy blues off you. Or maybe he's lookin' at me," he joked, waggling his eyebrows.

William never married or had kids, and given some of the things he had told us when he'd stay for a while to chat, I wondered if it was because he just didn't want to be in a relationship with a woman. In fact, he rarely talked about the dates he went on in the past, and if he did, he never said the names of the other people. When he did mention other names from his past, I was pretty sure I only ever heard him talk about men. I would never ask him about it because talking about those kinds of things could get someone hurt or killed, but I could read between the lines. Plus, with the way he looked at Darry and was talking about him, he basically confirmed my suspicions.

I can't blame him… Darry's hot.

"Maybe he's just keeping an eye on me because he thinks you're trouble," I joked, giving the elderly man a pointed look. "Should he be worried?"

William laughed. "I'll tell you what, your man is a good judge of character. Back in my day, I caused a stir everywhere I went."

"I bet you did," I quipped. Even as an elderly man, William was always joking or causing trouble by doing things like hiding our pens when we weren't looking. It was like he thought life was one giant prank or something.

He suddenly let go of my wrist and gently patted the back of my hand. "I think you got a good one, Miss Kate," he said quietly.

I glanced at Darry, who was openly looking at us with a confused expression. Then, just to mess with him, I leaned towards William so I could whisper to him, but I remained staring at my boyfriend. William, true to his nature, played along and leaned closer to me while also looking at Darry. "I think so too," I said, only loud enough for the older gentleman to hear.

"Don't let him go, Miss Kate. If you do, he'll be swarmed by other suitors," William whispered. Then his voice suddenly had a minor edge to it. "Unless he does something you don't like, then kick his butt to the curb."

I couldn't help but laugh loudly as I stood up straight. "You got it. Let me put your order in so we can get you your dinner, okay?"

William nodded and flashed a smile. "Thank you, Miss Kate."

After handing the paper with William's order on it to Captain, he immediately handed it to Johnny, and the two of them went right to work, turning away from me and talking quickly to each other. With no need for me in the kitchen, I went back to stand across the counter from Darry, who was looking at me curiously.

"Miss Kate?" Darry said with a smirk and raised eyebrows.

I shrugged my shoulders a little. "All of us have told him he doesn't need to use such proper etiquette with us, but he insists, which is ironic because he sort of reminds me of Two-Bit," I said with a laugh. "He's one of our regulars, and honestly, one of our favorites too."

Darry glanced at the other end of the counter for just a moment before looking back at me. "What were you two talking about?"

I smirked at him. "Why? Are you jealous of an old man, Darry?"

He rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath before he ate another fry. "No, I just got the feeling you were talking about me."

"We were," I said quickly and honestly. His eyes widened slightly, and I couldn't help but give his arm a light squeeze as I smiled at him. "All good things, I promise. We talked about how handsome you are, and he said he thinks I found a good man."

It looked like he tried to fight against it, but a grin spread across his face. "Yeah?" Then he grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it, all without breaking eye contact with me. "And what did you say to that?"

I leaned forward a little, and right as his grip on my hand faltered, I pulled my hand away, took another fry from his plate, then kissed his cheek. "I agreed," I said before popping the fry into my mouth and giving him a smug grin.

Darry just chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, so where were we? Your dad was a carpenter?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he loved it. He made lots of things, including the coffee table in my apartment. You know, the one made of wood and has a glass top?" Even though he hadn't been to my apartment more than a couple times, Darry nodded like he knew exactly what I was talking about. Maybe he did. "I took it with me when I moved out so I could have something of his. I have a few other things too, but I see that table all the time and it reminds me of him."

It was still difficult to bring up memories of my dad sometimes, but I knew Darry understood more than anyone else, and that made it easier to talk about it with him. Just being with him in general was so easy and comforting.

Before Darry could even respond, Rachel suddenly appeared next to me. "Hi Darry, how are you?"

"I'm good. How are you Rachel?" Darry asked politely.

"I'm good, thank you," she said with a polite smile before looking at me. While Darry may not have shown any irritation, I didn't bother to hide mine as I looked at my best friend, and she must've noticed. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but Peter and his friends are here, and they insist that you be their waitress."

"Really?" I grumbled.

Rachel nodded her head with a grim look on her face. "Mary tried too, but they don't want anything to do with us. I even told them your shift is over soon, but they don't care. Sorry."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'll be there in a minute."

"Who's Peter?" Darry asked. He kept his tone steady, but there was a certain intensity in his eyes that wasn't there a minute before.

"Another regular. He and his friends are all wannabe Socs, and they come in at least once a week," I answered before Rachel could say something that would cause Darry's protectiveness to flare. Then I remembered something. "Actually, you've seen him before. On one of our first dates here, I had gone into the bathroom, and when I was walking back, he stopped me. He asked me out, and I declined. I told him I was actually on a date at that moment and had to end the conversation. I think he thought I was lying, but after I pointed you out to him, he practically ran out of here."

There was a small smirk on Darry's face, and I knew it was because a guy was intimidated by him, and all he had to do was look in the kid's direction and maybe flex his muscles to scare the other guy off. Still, he seemed uneasy. "So he likes you?"

Rachel opened her mouth, but again, I responded first. I wasn't going to lie to him, but I had to make sure he didn't really have anything to worry about. "Yeah, I guess, but I told him I'm not interested."

Darry seemed displeased with my answer, but it was apparent he was trying to maintain a poker face as he looked around the diner, likely trying to spot a familiar blonde guy.

"I'll be right back," I said before turning to walk towards the table Peter and his friends always sat at. As I walked away, I heard Rachel asking Darry if Two-Bit was at the diner too, and I couldn't help but grin.

Ever since the night Rachel and I went to Buck's bar, she seemed to ask about the wisecracking greaser a lot. The first couple times Two-Bit visited the diner after that night, he chatted with Rachel, and she seemed pretty nervous, likely because she had been throwing up most of the time they had spent together. Gradually, Rachel's nerves eased and the two of them started having longer conversations, even when I wasn't nearby. After a couple weeks, as soon as Two-Bit came into the diner, he would sit down and ask me if Rachel was around. In turn, Rachel started to ask me things about Two-Bit when he wasn't there. Before, Rachel had always tried to stay away from greasers, stating that they fought too much, stole things, and constantly drank– all of which Two-Bit did more than most other greasers, which made her interest in him even more intriguing to me.

The heart wants what it wants, I guess.

As I approached the table with three guys, all dressed in jeans and button-up shirts, I forced myself to take a deep breath and put on a brave face. Just get it over with. They tip well, and your shift is almost done anyway. I stood next to the table, and all three pairs of eyes landed on me.

"There she is!" Peter said with a smile that I couldn't describe as anything other than disturbing. Sure, his blonde hair and white teeth were well-kept, but something about the look on his face made me uncomfortable. Maybe it was his slightly hooked nose or the fact his canine teeth were longer than the rest, but something about his smile felt like it was never genuine. "Our favorite lady. How's it goin' Katie?"

"My name's Kate, and you know that," I said in a half-serious, half-bored tone. Only one other person called me Katie, and it made me hate the nickname. Plus, given how many times I had interreacted with Peter, he knew that I went by Kate. "Are you guys ready to order?"

"Oh, Katie's feisty today," Peter said to his friends, who snickered. It was usually the same two guys with Peter when he showed up: the guy with black hair had crooked teeth, and the brunette had particularly thick eyebrows. I couldn't recall their names, but if I heard them, I'd probably know who was who.

"So what do you say… is today the day I get your number, sweetheart?" Peter asked me.

I never played into his antics, but the fact my boyfriend was less than twenty feet away made everything even more annoying and ridiculous than normal. "Like I've said before, no. It's not going to happen. I have a boyfriend, and you already knew that too."

Peter looked like he was about to brush it off, but then a thought crossed my mind, and I smirked at him. "He's even here right now if you'd like to meet him," I offered, turning to look in Darry's direction. Of course, my boyfriend was watching me closely, and I could see his eyes move to glare at Peter, almost daring him to do something stupid. I smiled at Darry before turning to look back at Peter, whose cockiness and confidence started to waver. "So what will it be? Would you like to order, or would you like to have a chat with him?"

Peter's eyes lingered on Darry, and when he looked back up at me, I could tell he was frustrated, which just made me give him a smug look. Good.

After Peter and his friends ordered, I quickly left to give the orders to Captain and Johnny, then I walked back to Darry.

"He didn't run away this time, but you got him to shut up, so thank you," I said to my boyfriend lightheartedly. Even though I was back, Darry was still glaring in Peter's direction, and I suddenly wondered if I'd have to break up a fight by the time my shift ended. "Darry?"

Finally, he turned to face me, and I could see a fire flickering in his eyes. "Did he give you any trouble?"

I shrugged. "No more than usual."

That didn't seem to make him happy. "If he doesn't back off, let me know," he said, almost in a demanding tone.

I can handle myself, I thought stubbornly. It was nice to know I wasn't on my own and I had backup if needed, but I was confident that I could handle some annoying boys.

Darry must've read my expression perfectly, because he reached forward to grab a hold of my hand. "Kate, I know you can take care of yourself just fine, but you don't have to. Just… let me know if he keeps bugging you, okay?"

My first instinct was to argue, but I managed to refrain. He cares about you, Kate. He just wants to help and take care of you… let him.

I nodded. "Okay, I will."

Darry smiled at me, then both of us glanced over at Peter's table. Even though his two friends were talking, Peter's eyes were trained in our direction.

I leaned my arms on the counter, bringing my face close to Darry's ear so I could speak quieter. "I think we made him mad, but he won't do anything because you intimidate him." I saw the corner of Darry's mouth turn up in a grin, so I decided to boost his self-esteem some more and hopefully reassure him while he stared down the blonde guy across the diner. "You think he got the message that I have no desire to be within a mile of him? I'm more than happy being 'Darry Curtis's girl.'"

I could see his skin start to turn a light shade of red before he turned to meet my eyes. I realized our faces were only inches apart, and when he gave me a mischievous grin, I could see the playfulness in his eyes. "I know how to really get the message across."

"Yeah? How?" I asked innocently, even though I had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking.

Darry leaned in and kissed me, right then and there in the diner while I was still technically working. It was a bold move, especially because I knew neither of us particularly liked public displays of affection, but I couldn't say I was upset about it. In fact, I grinned into the kiss, and I felt Darry do the same thing. Once we separated, I kept my eyes locked onto Darry's, not caring about anyone or anything else in that moment.

"Order up for table three!" I heard Captain's voice suddenly announce from the kitchen.

I sighed and let my chin drop to my chest in disappointment. "I have to get back to work."

Darry chuckled a little. "You're done soon though, right?"

I straightened and glanced at the clock before turning back to Darry. "Yeah. I have about twenty minutes left. Just enough time to bring my friends their food and hopefully get them to pay the bill without a fuss."

He gave me a small nod. "I'm sticking around, so holler if you need some backup."

I grinned, but then a thought crossed my mind. "You know, I can drive Johnny home if you wanted to leave sooner." It's not that I didn't want Darry around, I just figured that after a long day of work, he'd be eager to get home to shower and get some sleep before another day of work.

After I explained my concern, he brushed me off. "I'm fine. I was already planning on staying, and I have a late start tomorrow anyways." I wasn't sure if I believed that he really had a late start the following morning or if he just said that so I'd drop the subject, but before I could say anything, he continued. "In fact, you're welcome to come over to the house if you want. I think Soda was planning on making a cake, but I have to warn you, his have about twice as much sugar as it's supposed to."

"No wonder he's always so energetic and sweet," I joked. Then, Darry's eyebrows rose, and I couldn't help but laugh lightly. "Not as sweet as you, of course. And yes, I'd love to come over after work."

The last twenty minutes of my shift didn't necessarily fly by, but I managed to make it until the end. As usual, William gave me a rather large tip, and he stayed in his seat just to enjoy the company of other people for a little longer. Peter and his friends didn't leave more than a few cents each for a tip, which was unusual for them. I always wondered if Peter was trying to impress me by tipping an excessive amount of money, and I was apparently right because it looked like he had finally given up.

I hung up my apron, pulled Johnny away from the kitchen, and I told Rachel and Captain that we were leaving for the night. Just like he promised, Darry had waited for us. He was standing by the end of the counter with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he waited for Johnny and me. Johnny apparently felt good since he was carrying his crutches rather than using them, but I still made the conscious decision to walk slowly so he didn't feel rushed since he still walked slowly and carefully.

Once we reached Darry, my boyfriend immediately dropped his arms to his sides. "How did today go, Johnny?" he asked softly.

"It was real good," the teen said excitedly, but his voice was still quiet. "Cap's having me help him make almost everything now."

Darry smiled and gently put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "That's awesome, kiddo. You'll have to show me a thing or two at home one of these days."

I remembered how not even an hour before, Darry mentioned he likes to cook too, and it was fun to imagine Johnny teaching Darry in the small kitchen of the Curtis house.

"You coming, Kate?" Darry asked, his voice pulling me away from my imagination. He had already taken a few steps away before he turned around to look at me.

I smiled up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm right behind you."

He waited for me to catch up to him, then he slung an arm across my shoulders before we followed Johnny out the diner. While we walked, it felt like I was being watched, and when I looked around, I spotted Peter's preying eyes following me.

A second later, Darry's lips pressed against my temple briefly. "He'll leave you alone if he knows what's good for him," he whispered in my ear. So he noticed too.

I glanced up at my boyfriend and smirked. "I don't think I have anything to worry about with you around."