early. I could feel her watching my every move, waiting for the opportunity to talk to me.
“Az?”
I ignored her, hoping she would give up easily and leave me alone. That’s what I get for hoping.
“Az, please listen. It was not at all what it looked like,” she said weakly.
That single sentence made me realize that she knew a lot more about Kale’s relationship and mine then I had thought. I assumed he had told her about me, which would explain why she looked at me the way she did at the bar. I had worked so hard to keep our relationship private, and this was just another way Kale had betrayed me.
I still thought denial would be my safest bet. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” This really didn’t make much sense, since I took off running from her less than fourteen hours earlier.
“Az, you know what I’m talking about.” She had the nerve to sound annoyed, which only enraged me more.
“Jen…, it was exactly what it looked like.” It came out as a hiss.
“I wouldn’t lie to you. I wasn’t there to see Kale.”
“Really? So it was a coincidence that you two were groping each other? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Well, it’s hard to explain, but I promise you, Az. It's not what you think.” Apparently, repeating herself was the best defense she had.
“I have nothing more to say to you. You know…. I had this illusion that we were friends. That was my mistake.”
“I am sorry,” she whispered. I couldn’t look at her any longer. I turned my back and continued cleaning the table.
For the next hour, I waited tables and hauled dishes. All the while, I pretended like Jen wasn’t there. I wished I could have believed her, but all the facts proved otherwise.
I stood behind the counter, tallying tickets when I heard the front door open. Someone stood in front of me and cleared their throat. I refused to look up, mostly because I wasn’t in the mood for human interaction.
“Can I help you?” I asked finally, while punching numbers into the calculator.
When I heard his voice, everything inside me stood still. “Azaleigh.” It was Kale. Instinctively, I made eye contact. When I did, I felt the bottom of my stomach drop.
His eyes were filled with pain and despair.
Anger consumed me. How dare him for showing up here. How dare him for making me trust him.
I looked across the diner to find Jen, who in return had looked up from the customers she was waiting on to watch the drama unfold.
“Jen!” I shouted in my most cynical voice. “Your boyfriend’s here.”
“Oh, that’s real mature Az.” She rolled her eyes and went back to taking orders.
I refused to look back at Kale and stared off into space, hoping he would catch a hint.
“Azaleigh, we need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Yes! There is,” he said firmly, but without raising his voice.
“Well, this is how it is, Kale .” I spit his name out like it left a bad taste in my mouth. “I hope you and Jen have a happy life together. You two deserve each other.”
All he did was watch me. Looking at him only made the pain rise to the surface, and for once the true me came out. “I always knew I liked you more than you liked me. You never proved me wrong. I wanted you in every way a person could want someone. All I wanted was you. So I guess I’m the one to blame, for believing that you could feel the same in return.”
I couldn’t look at him another minute. I was crushed and didn’t want to show him how badly, even though I am sure it was a little late for that. I pushed past him and ran out the back door where our cook, Jackson, would normally sneak off to take his smoke breaks. I could feel the tears welling up, weighing heavy on my eyelids and ready to break free at any second. I had to clear my head and didn’t want an audience during my nervous breakdown.
The back door spilled out into an alleyway that ran beside the diner. I stood outside pacing back and forth, trying to
“Az?”
I ignored her, hoping she would give up easily and leave me alone. That’s what I get for hoping.
“Az, please listen. It was not at all what it looked like,” she said weakly.
That single sentence made me realize that she knew a lot more about Kale’s relationship and mine then I had thought. I assumed he had told her about me, which would explain why she looked at me the way she did at the bar. I had worked so hard to keep our relationship private, and this was just another way Kale had betrayed me.
I still thought denial would be my safest bet. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” This really didn’t make much sense, since I took off running from her less than fourteen hours earlier.
“Az, you know what I’m talking about.” She had the nerve to sound annoyed, which only enraged me more.
“Jen…, it was exactly what it looked like.” It came out as a hiss.
“I wouldn’t lie to you. I wasn’t there to see Kale.”
“Really? So it was a coincidence that you two were groping each other? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Well, it’s hard to explain, but I promise you, Az. It's not what you think.” Apparently, repeating herself was the best defense she had.
“I have nothing more to say to you. You know…. I had this illusion that we were friends. That was my mistake.”
“I am sorry,” she whispered. I couldn’t look at her any longer. I turned my back and continued cleaning the table.
For the next hour, I waited tables and hauled dishes. All the while, I pretended like Jen wasn’t there. I wished I could have believed her, but all the facts proved otherwise.
I stood behind the counter, tallying tickets when I heard the front door open. Someone stood in front of me and cleared their throat. I refused to look up, mostly because I wasn’t in the mood for human interaction.
“Can I help you?” I asked finally, while punching numbers into the calculator.
When I heard his voice, everything inside me stood still. “Azaleigh.” It was Kale. Instinctively, I made eye contact. When I did, I felt the bottom of my stomach drop.
His eyes were filled with pain and despair.
Anger consumed me. How dare him for showing up here. How dare him for making me trust him.
I looked across the diner to find Jen, who in return had looked up from the customers she was waiting on to watch the drama unfold.
“Jen!” I shouted in my most cynical voice. “Your boyfriend’s here.”
“Oh, that’s real mature Az.” She rolled her eyes and went back to taking orders.
I refused to look back at Kale and stared off into space, hoping he would catch a hint.
“Azaleigh, we need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Yes! There is,” he said firmly, but without raising his voice.
“Well, this is how it is, Kale .” I spit his name out like it left a bad taste in my mouth. “I hope you and Jen have a happy life together. You two deserve each other.”
All he did was watch me. Looking at him only made the pain rise to the surface, and for once the true me came out. “I always knew I liked you more than you liked me. You never proved me wrong. I wanted you in every way a person could want someone. All I wanted was you. So I guess I’m the one to blame, for believing that you could feel the same in return.”
I couldn’t look at him another minute. I was crushed and didn’t want to show him how badly, even though I am sure it was a little late for that. I pushed past him and ran out the back door where our cook, Jackson, would normally sneak off to take his smoke breaks. I could feel the tears welling up, weighing heavy on my eyelids and ready to break free at any second. I had to clear my head and didn’t want an audience during my nervous breakdown.
The back door spilled out into an alleyway that ran beside the diner. I stood outside pacing back and forth, trying to
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