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Chapter 2

Asya

I pause in my tracks on the turn back home and catch my breath, staring at my feet with unseeing eyes. It's been what, two years since I broke up with Jared? Not as much “broke up” though, as refused to follow his grand dreams and leave Raywald again. We’d been dating for a little more than a year, and by then I had actually started to believe it was serious for both of us. Silly me.

I go back on the track, the pulse of my heartbeat and quick breaths steady in my ears, and my mind roams further. I've had a couple of dates since Jared, but none of them lasted long. All those guys were so wrapped up in themselves and didn't think much of me, especially the ones that were just passing through Raywald. Maybe it's because I'm a small-town girl, maybe it's because I'd dropped out of college, maybe it’s because I'm just a waitress at a diner. Or maybe they were just arrogant douchebags that didn't try to hide their true selves.

I'm sick of looking for something genuine—but sometimes, when a nice guy lingers at Till Dawn I can't help but think about all the what-ifs. Rorie did meet Abel at the diner, after all, and he stayed in Raywald for her. Now, it looks like they're glued to each other. Ah, and where would they be if I hadn’t convinced her to talk to him?

I chuckle at my thoughts and come to a halt, cooling down from the jog. The hedge of our house is already visible between the trees, and I take a deep breath and let go of my thoughts. Better focus on what to make for breakfast. Teddy catches up with me in a few minutes—sniffing grass is so much more interesting than literally anything else—and I brush a couple of leaves off his fur before leading the way back home.

The garden is empty, and as soon as I step into the hallway the smell of vanilla and milk hits me. Grandma is making pancakes apparently, but even though it smells amazing I frown and stomp into the kitchen. I thought we had a deal!

"Hey!"

"Hello there." Grandma looks at me over her shoulder and smiles—but it looks cheeky, and I know that she knows why I'm mad. She doesn't explain herself though and turns back to the stove with a spatula. "Pancakes are almost ready, dear."

"And that's what I'm talking about. Why are you making them?"

"What?"

"Why are you making breakfast?" I repeat louder over the noise of sizzling oil and boiling kettle. "We have a deal!"

Not an explicit deal, maybe, but more of a tradition that I make breakfast when I don't have a morning shift. I'm more than happy to be fed when I have less than twenty minutes to get ready—but on a day like this one, I'd like to treat Grandma sometimes too. But she pretends very hard to not understand what I'm talking about and pours batter on the pan without batting an eye.

"I can't hear you."

"Why are you—Wait." It's not that loud in here, and I haven't noticed her hearing getting worse lately.

"What—what?"

"Gran, come on."

"Did you just say thank you for taking care of me, you're the best grandma in the world?" Grandma tilts her head as if genuinely wondering if that's what I've said, and I chuckle and give up, taking my place at the dining table. I may be stubborn, but guess who was the one to teach me that?

"Are you sure?" I ask, just to tease her with a smirk, and reach for the stack of pancakes on the table. Grandma glances at me with a satisfied smile.

"Well, that's what I heard."

"Okay, okay." I laugh and shake my head, taking a bite of the pancake. I have no idea how Grandma does this, but her pancakes always taste heavenly. "Thank you, you are the best."

"That sounds better." She nods again and adds another pancake to the stack while I get up to make us coffee. For a few seconds, it's quiet in the kitchen, only the sounds of cups and sizzling oil filling the silence—until Grandma hums and suddenly turns to me. "Oh, wait, what was that?"

"What?" I frown and look at her before glancing around. Was there anything? Although her smirk should've told me everything.

"Did you just say you'll wash the dishes and take out the garbage?"

"Gran!"

But I do it anyway. She may be full of energy but well, not as much as I am.

The next few hours I spend in my room, listening to music and looking for a good book online. Grandma spends half of her day in the garden before taking a nap in the afternoon, and I make sure to sneak into the kitchen and make lunch for both of us when the time comes. Mashed potatoes with cheese and meatballs don't take long to cook, and by the time Grandma comes to the kitchen, I proudly show off my skills.

"Alright, one-one," she says with a laugh, and I chuckle, enjoying the last bits of my free time.

Half an hour later, I'm already driving to the diner for my shift. Only six hours this time, but oh, how nice it would be to spend them at home. Even before I enter Till Dawn, I

see that it's rather busy today. There are a few trucks in the parking lot, and the bright lights of the diner show that most of the booths are taken. That means that Rorie probably needs a helping hand—and judging by the glance she sends me as soon as I enter, she needs it now. Well, Asya to the rescue!

I change into my blue uniform, tie my blonde hair into a ponytail, and hurry to pick up a new order from the kitchen. Sam, our cook, greets me from the window—and the work shift officially starts. Rorie and I are used to working together, so we easily fall into a quick pace, and some twenty minutes later we meet behind the counter. The flow of customers has weakened enough to give us a quick break.

"How was the day?" I nudge Rorie while looking for a change in the cashbox.

"Not bad." She shrugs nonchalantly before adding with a smirk, "Only two burned pizzas."

"No way!" I can't help but exclaim—our Sam is too good for this—and turn to the kitchen. "Is it true?"

Even though he can’t possibly have heard our conversation, it looks like he needs no explanation and he yells back, "Don't even ask. Twenty-six is ready, by the way."

"Okay, okay, boss." I laugh with Rorie and, before leaving with the plates of burgers and fries, linger to pat her arm. "Take a break if you need it, I'll take over."

Rorie does go out a few minutes later, probably to meet Abel while she's at it—he helps with delivery at Till Dawn and a couple of other places in Raywald, so it's not hard to find him—and I stay on my own with Sam and the customers. It's even easier to switch into work mode then, and things go smoothly for the next few minutes—until three new customers walk in.

Are they brothers? I think they're brothers, although I can't tell from one glance, so I take another. They do look similar: tall and broad, with dark hair and sharp, handsome features. One of them looks older and more confident, taking one look around the diner before walking straight to the counter. The other two are slightly thinner and younger, following him and behaving nothing like each other. One is studying the diner with playful curiosity that reminds me of Teddy, while the other is as grim as if they've entered a haunted house.

Looks like a fun family, let me tell you.

Rorie isn't back yet, so I leave a bill for one of the customers and walk over to them with an automatic smile. "Welcome to Till Dawn, how can I—"

The older one's eyes immediately stop on me, and I freeze in the middle of the sentence. His eyes are the color of the sky, and I mean that quite literally. I've never seen blue eyes so bright and crystal clear, so it takes me a moment to understand that they are looking at me with assessment and…contempt?

"I'm looking for Abel," he says in a deep and unfriendly voice, and I immediately raise my guard, straightening my shoulders.

So, no 'hi', huh?

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