Chapter 5
1423 Words
"Hey! Steph, what's going on with you?"
I shook my head at Laura's words.
"Oh, uh..." my words faded as my eyes landed on Sam, who had run from my house after kissing me the night before.
Laura raised a brow, "Something happened with the two of you?"
He looked up at me and I looked away, "No. Yes. No. God, I don't know. He's so confusing."
"You want me to take his table?"
"If you could." I was shamelessly avoiding the matter.
I watched as Laura went over to his table, only to receive a rather chilling look from Sam before she scurried back over to me.
"Uh, he wants you to take his order I think. Should I get the manager?"
I shook my head, "No, it's okay." I guessed that I would need to deal with this.
She gave me a friendly pat on the back and I made my way over to him.
"Hi, what can I get you today?"
"Can you sit?"
"No, I'm working. What can I get you? Same as always?"
"Please sit."
I turned to leave but she grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down into the seat across from him, his hand once again leaving a strange tingling sensation on my wrist.
"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I was drunk. And I..." he frowned, "I didn't mean to confuse you."
"Okay, now, what can I get you?"
"Have dinner with me tonight."
I frowned, "Are you asking me on a date?"
"I... don't know what I'm asking. I just know that I like seeing you."
***
SAM
I watched her as she frowned at me, she was confused, not that I could blame her, I was confused.
What the hell was I doing? One of the most feared creatures and here I sat, asking some human woman to have dinner with me.
I didn't like this, I was acting out of character and I didn't even know why.
She sighed and glanced down at the table before responding to me, "Look, I don't think that's a good idea. You're going through some stuff."
What an understatement, if only she knew.
"You're right, I have a rather complicated life, Lili." I wanted to say more, and I was sure I would say more if I didn't shut my mouth.
I was uncomfortable around this woman, she made me careless and I didn't like it.
Her refusing my invitation was a reminder from the universe that this was a bad idea.
Yet, I didn't like the fact that she had rejected the invitation.
She stood, "So, the usual?"
I gave her a curt nod and she walked away, once again leaving me confused and annoyed.
***
STEPHI
I had finished cashing up and was locking up when the rain started.
"Great! Just freaking great." I glared up at the dark sky as if this would somehow help me.
Hugging my flimsy jacket to me in a futile attempt to keep warm, I started on my way home, the rain hitting down on me with such force that I almost thought there was hail.
Keeping my head down, I passed one of the many alleyways, stopping in my tracks, I took a few steps back, turning to see if my mind had been playing tricks on me; I could have sworn I had seen an extremely large winged creature standing in the middle of the alley.
Of course, I had been mistaken and it was empty.
The street light flickered above me and I suddenly felt the need to get far away from the alleyway.
Turning, I let out a short scream, Sam standing inches away from me.
Placing a hand over my heart, I glared at him, "Don't do that! Fvck! You scared the shît out of me!"
He chuckled, a sound that made my spine tingle and the hairs rise on the back of my neck.
"I was at the store across the street and saw you walk back, I came over to make sure that everything was okay."
"It is. Everything is fine, I thought I saw something but I didn't."
He appeared to be in thought before he smirked, "So you just walk around close to midnight, alone?"
"I have to get home somehow, Sam, I'm not afraid of a little darkness."
He leaned in a little too close for my liking, lowering his voice when he spoke, "It's not the darkness you should fear, Lili, it's those hiding within it."
I made a face, taking a step back, an involuntary shudder going through my body, and it was not due to the rain, "God, no wonder the whole town is petrified of you, you're freaking creepy."
"You do not seem petrified of me."
I crossed my arms over my chest, "I'm not. Look, I'm freezing and need to get out of this rain, does your offer for dinner still stand?"
I watched as he glanced around, "Yes, but there are only cheap fast-food places open. You people seem to enjoy killing yourselves with these greasy foods."
"Sam, you're being odd again. Can we just go eat?"
"Right, yes, of course."
I shook my head, a small smile on my lips as I followed behind him.
He was right, only fast food places were open, and the closest seemed to be the one that shared its space with the local bar.
I had made a point to avoid such places, preferring to keep to myself in the hopes of avoiding drunken drama.
I scrunched my face as the smell of alcohol mixed with cigarette smoke hit me.
Sam chuckled, "Don't worry, they have a pretty good place in the back for those who want to eat instead of drink."
I was so busy taking in my surroundings that I jumped when she pulled me to walk in front of him.
I was thankful as we walked through a beaded doorway, he had been right.
This looked like a whole new place, the walls were red and gold, the matching carpet spotlessly clean, and even the tables looked great.
"You look surprised." He noted, closer to me than I had expected, causing me to jump yet again.
"I am, it's so different from out there."
"Things are not always as they seem, Lili." He pulled out a chair, a table that sat near a heater.
Sitting, I once again hugged my arms to myself, the heater reminding my body of how cold I was.
"Why do you have no transport?" His brows furrowed in confusion.
"Sam, I'm a waitress, do you think that I can afford to buy a car on that salary?" I didn't feel like getting into a conversation about my broken car.
"Well, I wouldn't know. What do you want to eat?"
"I don't know, where are the menus-?" I trailed off, noticing the menus on the table, that's strange, I could have sworn the table had been bare when we had come in.
"Oh, I didn't even see the menus. Um, what can you recommend?"
"I'd recommend any of the chicken dishes."
"Okay."
He held his hand up and a waiter came over, making me notice how there was no one else here. I didn't even see anyone other than the waiter who came over.
He didn't even look like a waiter, wearing leather pants and a black shirt with sunglasses.
Sunglasses indoors at night? That was strange.
He glanced at Sam, "Sam-" he paused, "Who is this?"
"No one who concerns you."
"You cannot bring-"
"I said no one who concerns you. Now take her order and leave us be."
Their encounter left me confused, there was certainly something strange going on here, which I couldn't be sure of.
After giving my order and waiting for the man to leave, I frowned over at Sam, "What was that all about?"
"Nothing. Are you feeling warmer?"
"I-" actually I was, my clothes had strangely dried and I felt as though I hadn't even been in the rain at all, "Yes, thank you. It's strange, my clothes are completely dry."
"It's just the fire."
It was not the fire, this was close to impossible and I was beginning to wonder what exactly what going on here.
I am SO sorry this story is taking so long but I am struggling so bad with it! (Writer's block)
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Author Samantha O'Maker
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