In a New York Minute

Chapter Seven: Midnight

"I am beyond starving," Harper groaned as she allowed Alex to pull her along the dimly lit city streets. "I swear I haven't eaten in about a million years."

"That sounds a bit dramatic," Alex replied, casting Harper a fascinated sidelong glance with a faint smirk.

Harper shot Alex a glare. "Listen, you don't keep a girl from her food lest you want to experience the hangry."

"Hangry?"

"You know...hungry angry? Angry hungry?" Harper said, looking at Alex as if he had grown two hears. "What rock do you live under?"

"Apparently the one where I've never heard of the word 'hangry' before."

"We're going to have to fix that somehow. But after you feed me."

Alex shook his head, letting out a quiet breath as he continued leading them on their quest for food.

Harper spotted the dark red awnings down the sidewalk well before they ever approached the bright neon-signed diner with its shiny faux marble exterior. She had probably walked by the diner half a dozen (or thousand) of times without paying too much attention to it. Stepping into the diner felt almost like going back in time. Not too far back in time, though, Harper noted as she took in the red vinyl seats up against the grey laminate counter that was anchored by shiny black framed coolers full of baked goods.

Alex gave a small wave to the waitress behind the counter as he continued towards the back of the building. He scooped up two menus along the way to Harper's amusement. When they reached a booth in the far corner of the diner, he gestured for Harper to scoot in first and she sat with an obliging smile.

"Seat yourself here, huh?" Harper asked as she took one of the menus Alex handed to her. "I also assume with you just grabbing menus you're a regular, aren't you?" Even if Alex didn't confirm it, the light blush on his cheeks would have sold him out for her.

"Nothing like a diner to satisfy those port-art hungry pangs," Alex said, scanning the menu as if he didn't know it by heart. He looked up at Harper over the top of the menu, smiling as she pushed her glasses up her nose as she looked through the diner's offerings. "What's your go-to for late night eats?"

"Oh," Harper said, her eyes widening as she continued to look at the menu. "Well, I can't deny the fact that I'm a sucker for a classic grilled cheese. It's simple, but timeless. I'll throw a tomato or bacon on it if I feel like being fancy." Harper let out a sigh, setting the menu down and propping her elbows up on the table, resting her head on her hands. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at Alex. "And what about you?"

"Can't say that I'd ever pass up a bacon cheeseburger," Alex grinned, setting his menu down as well. "Extra pickles and lettuce. The messier it is, the better."

They placed their orders – a cookies and cream milkshake and grilled cheese "with bacon!" for Harper and a cherry Coca-Cola and bacon cheeseburger "with as many pickles as possible" for Alex. Though the diner was surprisingly full, it somehow felt like they were the only two people in the small restaurant.

Harper, sipping on her milkshake, studied Alex for a moment as he glanced at something on his phone. "So, Alex," Harper started, "what would you say is the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?"

"Besides tonight?"

"Besides tonight."

Alex pondered her question for a moment. "Probably hopping on a plane to Amsterdam on a whim. I had no plans, no itinerary," Alex answered. "I had no idea what I was doing. I just had a backpack and apparently a sense of adventure that I don't think I've had since."