Chapter 128: Break The Cycle
After tiptoeing out of his own house like a thief in the night. Scared that his mother would catch him going out. Something that he would deny with his last breath, if the question ever happened to come up. He had gotten into his car and started driving. The packed roads full of people looking to have a good time hindering his progress. But he had kept his cool and carried on driving. And now he had finally made it.
Once at the diner, it had been so tempting to let the cowardice that he had developed when it came to facing Emily take over. But he had resisted the urge to just stay in his car and look at the diner while his mind tried to come up with an excuse for him to leave.
Instead he took a deep breath in, then out. And then another breath in and out.
He practiced breathing for a while longer, his fingers gripping, and then releasing the steering wheel with each breath.
After taking one more deep breath, Derek threw the door to his car open and walked out. The cool air calmed him down some more, and as he crossed the street, he focused on the feel of it against the areas of his skin that were exposed. The walk to the diner feeling like the longest that he had ever taken. Every step making him feel as though he was wading through some incredibly thick tar. But it was all in his head, to the outside world he was moving at a regular pace. If anything, he was moving faster than usual.
He crossed the street at a brisk pace. Never stopping, and not even looking back to check on his car, something that he often did out of habit. He did not want to give himself even the slightest chance to chicken out. But even with all of that, he almost turned back once he reached the outside of the diner and looked in to see that Emily was not alone.
In his mind, he’d had this idea where he came into the diner and she was alone. The two of them picking up where they had left off. That was not what was happening however. Because instead of looking in and finding Emily on her own at the front. He looked inside and saw her talking to a group of customers. It was tempting to use that as an excuse to find some other time to come back. But after all that had happened, Derek decided to just bite the bullet and go in. It would only make things worse if he kept on stalling.
The moment that he walked in, a hush fell over the diner. All of the occupants who were currently there, turning to stare at him. The four people at the table not even trying to disguise their interest. The baby most of all, she was staring openly at Derek, her little mouth wide open.
Ignoring their stares, Derek kept his attention on Emily and she in turn was looking right at him, her eyes wide. She blinked a few times as though not able to believe that she was actually seeing him. Her face did this strange thing, where it seemed to be caught between a smile and a frown. And for a few long seconds, Emily seemed to be frozen on the spot. Then she snapped out of it, and she moved closer. Derek, realizing that he was still at the door, finally shut it and walked in.
"Good day, sir. What will it be today?" Emily said once she was finally close enough and something deep in Derek’s chest fluttered a bit.