"Thank you Chris, this really means a lot." I took a sip of the sweet drink, feeling the ever so slight graininess from my medication. I had a hard time swallowing because of my muscle weakness, so Chris took it upon himself that whenever I worked to grind up my medication and make me a specialty sweet drink to help me along my day. When I initially came to work I was thrust into a swamped busy spell, but he had come up to me with a root beer floating waiting for me. My medication made me a little stronger throughout the day, and even though I had to take more breathers and tripped tables than other waitresses, they were very understanding. As if I was a fortune teller Tiffany had called in sick to work, and Chris asked me to cover four of her eight hours for him so I would be here until three in the morning. I agreed after he bribed me with free food for Conner when I was off, one that his half brother Johnny would provide. The sun had set quite a while ago, and the crowd had dwindled off so I was sitting at the counter enjoying my smoothie as the three cooks in the back chatted and Chris watched me sleepily drink the smoothie.
"You okay sweetness?" Chris placed his hand over my wrist and I managed a wry smile to the pasty ravenette.
"I'm okay, just a little tired." Chris ran his fingers through his proud gelled up locks that smelled like coconut. He was a little nerdy with a hawk-like nose and an oval face, but very kind and sensitive. Watching him and his milano bald brother Johnny joke around like middle schoolers was one of the highlights of my day, but unfortunately Johnny would be here after Chris was off. I would be alone for about an hour until then. Before he left Chris pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back gently.
"Don't work too hard my dear. And if you need anything you can call me, or let Johnny know. You know we are here for you." He looked into my eyes with his darker ones and smiled gently.
"Thanks Chris, that means a lot to me." He nodded and ruffled my messed up bun before sauntering towards the door. My arms and legs felt like cement, and I could barely move. I could still count myself lucky that I was able to move without a wheelchair, as most people my age with my condition needed one at this point. I had gotten lucky, with mild scoliosis and waddling around with mild respiratory issues from my weakened diaphragm. My heart, however, was severely weakened and I lived in constant fear of a sudden heart attack taking me out. I was already a ticking time bomb anyways.
"Here you go gentlemen," I heard Chris say as the door rang open, "Sit down anywhere tonight." His voice tore me from my own self pity as I looked to the people walking in from the light rain coming down. I had expected it to be Kevin and Holst with pie, but instead I saw two familiar trench coat clad figures.
"Suri will be helping you gentlemen out today. There are menus at your seat, and you can call her over when you are ready." They both nodded to Chris and then turned to me. The smaller man perked up when he saw me almost laying across the glossy counter.
"Oh! Ciao di nuovo bellissima!" The smaller man scurried over to me and snatched my hand off the counter. He went to go kiss my hand like he had earlier, but a larger hand slapped my hand out of his before yanking the excited man back. I blinked in confusion just as a car with its high beams on illuminated the inside of the diner from the entire glass wall that made up our street view. The light made it enough that I could see the taller man's face just a bit. His jawline was sharp and defined, with high cheekbones that almost softened his features. His nose reminded me of those greek statues, and his top lip was thin with a full lower one. He was very pale andI could see a little bit if dark hair, but that was all the features I could make out.
"Pick a booth Luca," The man grumbled and Luca's shoulder. The restaurant only had booths lining the walls and windows, and then the bar in the middle in the form of a rectangle so the kitchen was blocked off. We had some wooden tables that were hidden on the side because the booths were our prominent feature, and we only used those sections on the left and right of the bar for when we were busy. Strangely enough, they actually moved to the at the farthest right where the few dozen wooden tables we did have were. The booth was right across from the bar swing door where I would have to go in and out to get their food and drinks. It was also mostly hidden from the door because it was blocked from view from our milkshake and slush machine firmly attached to the bar. You would have had to walk all the way around the rectangle to even see the head of the tall man poking out from the booths to even realize they were there. I did not mind though as the restaurant was empty otherwise. I tried to drink as much as I could, looking at the colourful bottles lining the back wall of the bar, and the kitchen window where I could see steam and the staff throwing buns at each other. I twisted around the baby blue bar stool and hopped onto the black and white checkered floor. I began to waddle to their seats, next to a wall that held a meral of a cartoonish blonde woman holding a pie with a sweet smile and a chefs hat. It was supposed to be of Karla Doria, the two brothers' mother who was the previous owner of the diner, and was one of the only solid walls in the front end. As I got closer to the table the silver hanging lights that illuminated the diner almost began to quake. I stopped walking for a second and looked up to them, a little concerned that there was a lighting problem. The vibrations stopped when I did though and I screwed my mouth into a frown. Pushing away the thought that I was going insane I went and completed my journey to the booth with a sugary customer service smile on my face. The men hadn't even looked at the menus, they were untouched on the table. Instead they were looking over to me in complete silence.
"How can I help you today?" They just turned and shared a look with one another and nodded. They both reached up and grabbed their fedora's off their heads and placed them on the shiny mint green table. I blinked as I managed to look at the two of them clearly. Luca had a fringe of dark brown hair, with streaks of gold running through it like streaks of sunlight. He was smiling at me, showing me that he had dimples and a strong jawline like his partner. He has big doe eyes and full lips and almost looked like he could be a member of a boy band. If he was a teen heartthrob, then the other man was any other woman's wet dream. He has closely faded black hair that was longer at the top. The left side of his hair was long enough that it fell over his face and was just above his eyes, while the right side was pushed back and seemed slightly shorter. The thing that got me was his eyes. They were sharp and almost predatory, with thick black eyebrows framing them perfectly. Through his hair falling over the left side of his face, there was a thin scar running through the tail end of his eyebrow. The ruby orbs that were hidden in his eyes though were the thing that got me. That and when he sighed, I could see the sharpened canines dragging across his bottom lip ever so skightly-- unnoticeable unless you were looking for it.
Both of these men were vampires. Vampires were special, very rare species that were almost worshipped as gods. They could change humans into vampires, and give them eternal life and wealth. The sight of them should have excited me, as in maybe if I sucked up to them enough they would cure me. Instead, I felt more so bad for them. They lived a life where no human connection could be seen as genuine, and maybe no vampiric or supernatural one as well. Besides, with my weakened heart and lungs and mobility issues I would not want to live a life of struggle for eternity. They seemed to sit there waiting for my reaction, as if I was about to throw myself at their feet and beg for their mercy. Instead I just dropped my customer service smile a bit and shifted on my feet.
"So can I get you anything today? Coffee, tea, or maybe something to eat?" Luca smiled sweetly at me while the other man blinked at me in wild confusion, the lighting causing his skin to have a slight shimmer.
"I would love a coffee, bella. I am craving something a little sweet so what would you recommend?" He leaned onto the table and put his chin on his hands.
"Jeremy makes a mean tiramisu cake. That would probably be my favorite." He grinned at my response and I could see his slightly smaller fangs as clear as day. They would have made most people uneasy, but with my spine misaligned I was in a constant state of unease.
"I'll have that then please. What about you, zio?" The dark haired man straightened up and looked at me with curious eyes.
"I'll just have coffee." His voice was deep and smooth like velvet as he eyed me suspiciously. I nodded and gently spun on my heel and wobbled over to the push door to the back of the bar. The men began whispering with each other as I pulled two porcelain coffee mugs off of the glass shelf to the right of the kitchen window. Jeremy peeked over to me with his ridiculous white chef hat flopping over his dark brow.
"Can I have a piece of tiramisu with two forks my dear?" I shot the scrawny man a grin, and looked to the other two lanky boys who waved at me next to our stove and fryers.
"Anything for you lovely girl!" Jeremy had a deep Jamacian accent and an infectious grin that always spread like wildfire. I had a soft smile as I pulled the old school glass coffee pot out from under the metal brewer. I placed the two mugs on the black circular plastic trays we had and poured the hot dark liquid, staining the snow like porcelain. I bent down slowly and heard my knees crack to get to the mini fridge under the coffee brewers counter. I pulled open the silver door to be met with a soft cold breeze. I saw a serving tray filled with the milk and cream and grabbed a handful for the men. I grabbed the counter and had to use all my strength to yank me up to a standing position.
"You're doing amazing!" Corey-- one of the student employees called from the back. He shot me a thumbs up as did his identical twin brother Morgan. I gave them a soft wave as I caught my breath from my sudden physical activity. They nodded simultaneously, their dark curly hair poking out from under the blue bandannas they wore at the back. We did not have hair nets, so their baby blue bandannas were made to match my uniform shirt. Jeremy came out from the back of the kitchen and almost skipped over to me. He gently placed the porcelain plate filled with gooey and perfectly baked tiramisu cake, and the two forks on the side.
"There you go sweetie." He winked at me and then spun around to talk to the boys. I placed the cake on the tray, grabbed a spoon and then turned to see them still looking at me. It was a little unnerving, but I gently picked up the tray with both hands and began my short trek back.
"I know you said you weren't hungry, but I brought you an extra fork to be safe. I placed the tray on the glossy table and then began placing their orders in front of them.
"Thank you amato," The older man grabbed his cup and pulled it towards him. I did not know what he said but the other man seemed a little taken aback making me think that it was an insult. Luca just shook his head and smiled before scooting deeper in the booth and patting the soft white cushion next to him.
"Sit and talk to us bella," Before I could even refuse the bell rang signifying that someone walked in. I went to turn to see who it was, but I did not need to turn before they yelled and revealed themselves.
"Where is my little girl? I brought you my homemade pie, sugar!" Holst's deep southern voice boomed through the nearly empty diner. I managed a tight smile to the confused men and held up my finger to signify a moment please.
"I'm coming Holst, just one second!" I was barely even to turn myself before Holst and Kevin rounded the corner to me, hands laced together.
"No, no, no, sugar I'm coming to you! No need to exhaust yourself!" They barrelled towards me, not even noticing the men sitting next to me. They had two mini pies, one in each of their free hands. Holst was a rather large man, and he looked like a bald ZZ Tops. Kevin and him were actually wearing matching outfits, which I found was rather cute.
"Sit down honey, you can't stand on your feet for this long." Kevin chided me before realizing the two men were sitting in the booth next to us. The two usually giddy and cheery men instantly went silent as they looked warily at the men. Luca just patted the cushion again next to him.
"We just asked for her to sit with us, would you like to join us?" The tension in the air was so thick I could have sliced it with a knife. Did they know each other? The two elderly men seemed most wary about the dark haired man sipping his coffee silently and ignoring them.
"Thank you but I'm your waitress, it is inappropriate for me to sit at a clients table." Everyone looked at me like I had two heads.
"Nonsense sweetie! No one else is here and they don't seem to mind." Before I could even argue with Kevin's logic he placed his pie on the table and herded me to sit next to the Italian man. The air around Luca was strangely cold, but his smile was warm. Holst placed the second pie on the table and stared at the other man like he was going to tear his head off.
"What time are you off at sweetie? Holst and I can come back and walk you home." Kevin snatched the spare fork I had grabbed for them and plunged it into the pie. I half expected him to feed me like a baby, but he just left it there. I was starting to realize how surreal this situation was. I had never met these men before, and never in my life had a ever say or ate at a customers table while working. I couldn't figure it out, but something felt organic in a manner. Like I was no longer at work, but at a dinner with friends. I couldn't shake the feeling.
"That's too much to ask from you guys." Kevin waved his hands as if to cut my words out of the air.
"Nonsense! Holst and I were having a M.A.S.H. marathon so we would need a walk afterwards." From the gleam in both of their eyes I could tell that no matter what I said they would not back down.
"She's off at three!" Jeremy's voice boomed from the back, along with giggles from the twins. My face burned red but I knew he did it so I could keep my pride intact. Kevin squeezed my shoulder lightly and gave me an almost paternal smile.
"We will see you then honey." He shot me a wink and then turned to Holst. Holst was still staring at the unfazed ravenette with almost murderous intent.
"We will keep an eye on your sweet granddaughter, fata." Luca's arm snaked around my shoulder as Kevin and Holst tensed at his words. Kevin and Holst looked to each other nervously before slowly making it to the door. They looked over their shoulders nervously as they left, and I felt more nervous the farther they got away. The uncomfortable sensation had finally started to seep in from sitting at a customers table, especially with their arm wrapped around me. At some point during that conversation the black haired man shed his trenchcoat to reveal the black turtle he was wearing underneath. I looked down to the pie and fidgeted slightly.
"I really should get back to work." The look in their eyes made it very apparent that they were not going to let me leave. I felt myself swallow involuntarily as a bundle of nerves pressed down my throat. I began to jitter a bit in nerves as I felt a little bit of my throat close at their stares. I did not know much about vampires, and perhaps they were psychic.
"You seem like an interesting girl, tell us about yourself." Luca seemed to be prodding me on something, and remembering what seminar they mentioned they were attending it became very clear. The man across the table from me just kept sipping his coffee while staring at me almost menacingly.
"Elijah, maybe you should stop staring at the girl like you want to eat her." His red eyes widened before he ducked his head down in a sudden act of shyness.
"So bella, tell us a little bit about yourself."
"My name is Suri not Bella." Luca threw back his head and laughed at my noticeable confusion.
"Bella means pretty in Italy. I can understand the confusion." I suddenly felt very embarrassed, toppling over my previous exhaustion.
"I am so sorry." I squeaked and looked down at the pie Kevin had placed in front of me. I felt incredibly uncomfortable sitting at a strangers table, and even worse I had food there. There was a tenseness in the air as Luca's loaded question still hung in the air. I felt like they knew exactly what was going on, especially if they went to a seminar at the university for the same disease. The lights flickered and the only sound was of the cooks at the back laughing.
"So is it Becker's or Duchenne?" Elijah broke the silence with the worst question he could have asked. Luca frowned and then there was a noise of something hitting something else and Elijah winced. Luca had kicked him under the table, and hard from what I could tell.
"Duchenne." Even the laughter at the back fell short at my words. I was shocked they heard, if thats why they stopped. There were many kinds of muscular dystrophy, but Duchenne's had the lowest life expectancy. I was twenty two, and most people died within their twenties. Luckily for me I was medicated and not in a wheelchair or relied on a respirator yet, but my heart muscles were very weak. I could feel the strain almost every time it beat. As they soaked in my words, I tried to break the sadness by taking a bite of the mini pie. It was tart and sweet, and so incredibly creamy. It offset my sadness from this conversation.
"How could you tell?" I asked between bites, trying to push back any tears that threatened to spill.
"I'm a private practice doctor in Italy. I have been doing research on it lately, and when we ran into you Elijah told me the name of your medication. That with your general weakness, it was a dead giveaway." This time a louder noise was heard and Luca lurched forward and yelped. I don't know if Elijah kicked him for including him or including the words 'dead giveaway'. Elijah looked at me a little curious, his face skeptical.
"Well I apologize for being an inconvenience for you." Luca just shook his head, but before he could say more the door swung open violently.
"The king is here!" Johnny's voice boomed through the diner. I cringed as I assumed he thought it was empty, but it was far from it.
"Hi Johnny," I called out and pushed myself to stand, making my elbows wobble.
"What's up princess," The bald smiling milano basically skipped over to me before realizing that the two vampires were seated there. Suddenly he turned from a smiling and giddy man, to a little boy who looked like he was just caught peeing in a corner. It was such a drastic change in demeanour.
"My bad." He cringed and went to go turn into the bar before he noticed the pies on the table. His eyes were locked on the untouched pie, his eyes darting to me. We did not sell those pies so he knew that it must have been mine, and his fingers began to twitch as he looked at the pie.
"God ahead before you explode." He immediately lurched forward and planted a kiss on the top of my head.
"You're the best." He snatched the pie off the table with an almost dolphin like noise and then ran to the back kitchen like a god damn trash goblin. I grabbed my own pie and Luca and Elijah looked a little guilty. I felt a little bad for almost abandoning them after such an awkward conversation. Instead I just slid onto the stool right across from them and got myself as comfortable as I could. It gave me some much needed space from the touchy feely vampire staring intently at me.
"So, tell me about yourselves." With that Elijah and Luca perked up. I think I may have washed their guilt away with just that simple question. We began to chat about life and experiences-- well I should say Luca and I. Elijah was generally silent, primarily just staring at me with one of two expressions. He would either look at me like he was trying to decode me like I was some rubix cube he could not solve, or like he wanted to throw me off a bridge. Luca was very open and funny, and eventually the giddy Johnny even joined in with loud dad jokes and weird anecdotes. It was almost like being in the twilight zone for me, because for once in my life I did not feel every beat of my heart. The piece of glass in my chest was strangely silent, only becoming noticeable when it picked up speed from Elijah's shift in expression. For the first time I didn't notice the rapid changing of movement.
For the first time I wasn't worried that my heart would just stop.