I am working my last week at the diner. I couldn't just leave without working my notice period. These people have been good to me when I was going through the toughest parts of my life.
The diner is quiet and we are basically just wiping tables and listening to the soft music playing in the background. Even though there is nobody in the diner, I can hear that there are food being prepared in the kitchen.
It is an hour before the shift ends. I already gave up the apartment I was staying in. This week I am staying in a local guesthouse. Next week I will be moving back to the city. With Marcella gone in the wind, I can maybe pick up the pieces of the life I had to flee from years ago. Maybe, just maybe, I can still have some of my dreams come true.
I hear my name called from the kitchen. I walk through the doors to find Morris dishing up delicious smelling toasted sandwiches. Morris' sandwiches were never just mere sandwiches. He always used special breads, and he would toast them in the pan because he believed that it tasted different than toasting them in a toaster. He took great care of the flavours he mixed and some of the ways he incorporated the flavours into his meals sometimes seemed a bit exaggerated. Until you tasted the food. Then you would realise that the ways he used made perfect sense.
"Help me carry this out, Rachel, dear." Morris says as he expertly picks up three plates to carry out.
When I walk out of the kitchen behind Morris, I can hear Jenny laughing. As I look up to see what she is laughing about, I freeze at the sight of Ryan sitting at the counter. Ever the charmer. He is charming Jenny into telling him anything and everything she knows. I follow Morris to the table where he sets the plates down and then move to stand next to Jenny.
I give Ryan a dead stare.
"Would you like to order anything?" I look over to the door where the open and closed sign was already flipped over to indicate that the diner is closed.
Ryan leans forward and already my heart is beating in my throat. This man has so much power over me. Since forever. The sight of his soft eyes, focussed on me, makes my knees weak. When he speaks, he speaks in a soft voice that is more meant for a bedroom setting than a diner.
"Is there a little lamb on the menu? No extra dressings. Preferably to take home." I am sure nobody in this diner knows that he calls me little lamb. My cheeks flush and Jenny raises her eyebrows to its highest point. She turns and goes to join Morris at the table.
I swallow hard and try to clear my throat. It is very obvious that Ryan's presence makes me nervous.
"I will go get my things." I tell him with as little emotion as I can muster. I walk into the kitchen and grab my handbag and coat. Jenny comes in after me.
"I have never heard anyone order food to sound like his asking for sex before. And I have been working at this diner for a decade!" Jenny tells me with a hint of jealousy in her voice.
I look at her and smile. Ryan is extremely sexy and when he turns on his charm, he is perfectly irresistible.
"Ryan is my high school boyfriend." I tell Jenny. She quickly waves her hand near her face as one would do when you are getting too hot.
"Yes, yes, he is scorching hot." I tell Jenny. "Please apologise to Morris for me, I need to go talk to Ryan. I will not be able to eat with the lot of you tonight."
"No worries, Rach. I would most definitely choose that dish over any of Morris' meals any day." Jenny laughs softly.
"We need to find you a boyfriend, Jenny" I laugh with her.
"Does that sweet thing not have any brothers?" She asks as I walk past her.
I shake my head at her to tell her no. Not because I do not want her to know that he has brothers but because I know that all of his brothers have the same mother. The mother is really the biggest problem those four men have.
"Too bad. Enjoy your evening, Rachel." She tells me as I walk through the door.
Ryan stands just inside the exit door of the diner. He holds the door open for me to walk out first and then he follows me out.
He slides his hand around my waist and draws me towards the passenger side of his shiny black car. He opens the door for me and lets me get in. I take a deep breath as he walks around the car to get in on the driver's side.
When he is settled behind the steering wheel, he turns to me.
"Your place or mine?" Ryan's voice is soft and deep and it makes my insides tremble with excitement. There is no doubt that we have a lot of things we need to talk about. It is also very clear that we will not be able to talk one single sentence of anything that is important when we both want to devour each other this much.
"Yours" Is just about all I could get out.
Ryan shifts the car into gear and pulls out of the parking lot. He drives with a deliberate urgency to where he is staying for the week. He, also, is staying in one of the local guest houses.
He pulls to a stop in front of a neatly kept house with a beautiful garden. I have walked past here a few times. It is one of the more expensive guest houses in town. He gets out of the car and quickly walks around it to open my door for me. As I get out, he closes the door behind me and locks the car. He slips his arm around my waist and walks towards the house a little faster than one would who is not in a hurry. A smile pulls at the corners of my mouth.
I did not know Ryan would show up to the diner at all. I haven't seen him since the wedding and we haven't spoken at all after it.
Ryan unlocks the door and lets me walk into his beautifully furnished room. He switches on a dim light and puts his things on the small table next to the door. I stand with my coat in my hands and my handbag over my shoulder. I do not know what to tell him or what to do.
Ryan turns to look at me. He rubs his hand over his face and swears under his breath. He takes a deep breath and turns away from me.
Maybe we should really only talk. It is clear that there are pressing matters that need to be discussed. I turn to put my things on the chair next to me.
"Are you okay, little lamb?" Ryan asks without looking at me.
"Yes" It comes out as a whisper. "I didn't expect to see you. I do not know why you are here."
Ryan turns to me. He runs both of his hands through his hair. He looks at me and I can see the fire in his eyes.
"I am here because I find it impossible to stay away from you."
Ryan quickly takes a few steps towards me. He wraps his arms around me and firmly places his mouth over mine. He kisses me deeply. Awakening every yearning inside me that I have ever felt for this man. I moan softly into his mouth and this is all he needed to confirm that I want what he wants.
He lifts me up and presses my back against the wall, pinning my body to the wall with his own. I wrap my legs around him and cling to his shoulders while kissing him with as much passion as he is kissing me.
I can feel his hands all over my body. He slides his hands up my thighs and under my short diner dress. He pushes the dress up my sides and I pull myself towards him so he can pull it off over my head. My arms get entangled and I am unable to hold onto him any longer. When he almost drops me, a chuckle escapes his mouth.
"Little lamb, this is taking longer than I expected." He tells me as he turns and walks with me in his arms towards the bed. I am still struggling to free myself of this diner dress. He sits me down on the bed and pulls the dress from my arms.
I hook my fingers into his belt and pull him closer, undoing his belt and pants while he pushes his shoes off his feet. When he is free of his pants he crawls onto the bed, pinning me between the bed and himself.
"Much better" he growls in my neck while placing soft kisses over my body.