His eyes drifted up, to the old style wooden clock that hung on the wall, of the 24 hour restaurant. A low groan escaped his lips, seeing it was nearly 3 o’clock, in the morning. Sitting in the far corner booth, he tried to hide himself, from the other people that had been coming and going. It wasn’t easy to hide anything in the shadow less florescent lights, even with his cap pulled down low, and it made him all the more uncomfortable. Leaning his weight against the window, beside him, he thought about the events of earlier.
Ducking his head down, he focused on his cup, of hot black coffee. He would wait…just a little longer, for his brother, who was supposed to meet him over two hours ago. By now, he knew his brother was a no show, but he couldn’t make himself leave, just yet, in hopes that his younger sibling was just running extremely late. This happened often. His brother would make arrangements to see him…he would show up and wait…then half the time, his brother would never bother to show up or even give a call.
Snapping his head up, at the sound of the tinkling bell, he hoped to see the younger man walk in. Much to his disappointment, it was just another customer coming in for an early breakfast. Paying no attention to the person, a strangled sigh floated from his lips, as he turned his eyes back to his cup. Across the table sat the porcelain blue plate, still holding most of his breakfast. He never really had much of an appetite after such a night. Inside his stomach, he still felt those knots that made him feel as if he would throw up. Everything in him hated that feeling…hell…he hated everything about the night.
The woman’s face flashed through his mind. He didn’t know her name yet, for he had paid no attention to the news. It might not even be on the news yet, for all he knew. But, in time, he would have a name, to pair with the poor woman’s face. In his mind, he could see the blood pooling on the cement, and it made his stomach flip. His brain wouldn’t let go of the nauseating images, of her blood splattering, every time he slammed the door down on her. Closing his eyes, he tried to will the images to go away, but was only met with the picture of her pleading eyes.
The distinct sound, of someone clearing their throat, made him nearly jump out of his skin. With no thought, about concealing his face, his head snapped up. His eyes were wide, but grew even wider at they took in the figure standing next to him. It wasn’t his waitress…oh no…she was avoiding him like the plague and only came over when she was absolutely sure he needed her. Naturally, it wasn’t his brother…he was most definitely not showing up, this time.
“May I join you?” The soft voice was as pleasant, as the last time he had heard it. The man was in utter shock, as he just shrugged. “I just got off my shift, and stopped for a bite to eat. When I saw you tucked here, in the corner, all by yourself, I thought it would be nice, for both of us, to have a little company. You look upset. Is there something wrong? I know we don’t know each other well…ok…hardly at all…but I’m a very good listener, if you would like to talk.”
“Hello, Theresa.” He couldn’t stop his voice, from shaking, as he greeted her. When she said he looked upset, she really had no idea, just how much; and he, obviously, had no intentions of telling her, either.
“Hi…..” He watched her lean forward, resting his elbows, on the table. Her eyes just stared at him, for a moment. “Nope…I don’t think you have told me your name. How can I possibly address and greet you properly, if I don’t know your name?” Their eyes were locked, as he just sat there stunned. Was she really, honestly, asking for his name? This woman was the complete opposite, of anything he was used to, these days…and this was just another thing he never would have expected.
“Uh…” Darting out, his tongue licked over his lips, to wet them. Suddenly, and without explanation, his mouth had gone cotton candy dry. He could barely swallow as he tried, once again, to speak. “I uh…it’s um…”
“Come now, you couldn’t have possibly forgotten your own name.” A small smile crossed her lips, as her hand reached out for his. Snapping his hand away, he tucked it into his lap, a whole new feeling taking over his stomach, finally pushing away the painful nauseating knots. “We could always check your driver’s license, if you really did forget.” Her hand lifted, waving the waitress over, so that she could place her order. There was no way; he could have missed the look, on the waitress’ face, as she looked at them. She looked confused…probably wondering why a nice woman, like Theresa, would ever be caught sitting with a man, like him. Hell, he was wondering the same damn thing!
“N…no…thank you.” Whispering softly, feeling his cheeks heat up, he answered the waitress’ cold voiced question, about him needing anything. Embarrassment was a common feeling, for him, and it just seemed to be elevated, with Theresa sitting across from him.
“Now…back to your name. Hmmm. Tom? No, you don’t look much like a Tom. You do, kind of, look like a Brain or maybe a Mark.” By the sounds, of it, she was not going to give up, on this. Reluctantly, he mumbled only his first name. He saw the roll, of her eyes, as she tilted her head. “Seriously…did you expect me to hear that?” If the comment were in any other tone, he would have taken it a bit offensively, but her voice was always so sweet…like she…cared.
“Nick.” Letting out a slow shaky breath, his eyes lifted, to meet hers. Wetting his lips again, he just stared at her and to his surprise, she stared back. A light giggle floated into the air, as her smile lit up again, causing little creases, in the corners of her eyes.
“Here, by the way you were acting, I was expecting something way off, in left field. Like Donahue or Harry…maybe even some girlie name, like Jessie or Shannon.” Her laughter continued, as she shook her head. The twinkle, in her eyes, did not go unnoticed, and he found himself wondering if it was always there.
“Nickolas. With a ‘k’ not a ‘ch’.” He tried to offer her a small smile, but failed, giving her something that looked more like a grimace. Still sitting in his lap, his hands fiddled with the hem, of his shirt. The nerves he felt, that night, at her house, were back and with full force. Something about her was getting to him, and he wasn’t sure why.
“Well, even if it’s spelled a little differently, it’s still a very normal name.” Leaning backwards, she looked at him closely, like she was trying to figure something out. Shifting slightly, he began to get an uncomfortable feeling, under the intenseness, of her gaze. Wrinkling his brows, he shifted again, as his eyes fell back to the coffee cup, before him. “Yes. It suits you. Quite nicely, if you ask me. You, very much, look like a Nick.”
“Uh…” Lifting his eyes and catching her gaze, he lost his words. That was the last thing he figured she was thinking about, while she stared at him. Dismissing the depressing thoughts that had taken over his mind, he relaxed his shoulders, just a bit. “Thanks?” He was met with another one of her light giggles, as she finished eating her yogurt and fruit that she had ordered.
“You know, Nick.” He watched her lean forwards, to rest her elbows on the table, and her chin in her hands. There was a different spark that danced within her eyes, as she held his gaze. “There is somewhere that I would very much enjoy taking you. If you can put just a little trust into me, I’m sure you won’t regret it.” Blinking several times, he gazed at her in utter shock, not knowing what to think. “We could go now, if you don’t have prior obligations, and we can take my car. The only thing it will cost you…is a little bit of your time. What do you say, Nick? Do you trust me enough, for that?”
He sat there, just staring at her, his eyes locked with hers. Trust was a word he become unfamiliar with, over the last couple years. No one trusted him, and he decided not to trust anyone else, either…hell, he didn’t even trust himself! But what reason did he have, not to trust her? He had been alone with her once before. Besides, he was the killer, not her!
“Um…” Swallowing the lump, that threatened to cut off his airways, he slowly nodded. “I guess.” At his words, she slid out of the booth. Once he stood, Theresa took him by surprise, once again, by linking her arm into his. Not knowing how to respond, he just headed toward the door, her arm staying securely where it was.
Chapter End Notes:
I would like to give a special big THANK YOU to ResaD and Simple Sue, for their reviews. Being my first story, of this nature, you girls have NO idea how much your thoughts mean, to me.
