✓ | 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀, j. hale [2]

IX. Twenty Questions

"Evelyn, you promised you would come with me."

The brunette sighed, leaning against the wall of her aunt's office at the diner. "I know, Bells. I know. But Leah called out and Marie needs me to stay, there's no one else that can come in."

She heard her friend sigh on the other end of the phone, and she could practically see Bella deflating at the news. "What am I supposed to do with Mike and Jacob, then? They're the only other ones that can come."

Evelyn grinned. "Dude, you brought that one on yourself. I told you not to ask out Mike..."

"I didn't ask him out," Bella argued, but Evelyn could hear her smile from the other side of the line. "I just don't want things to be... weird."

"You'll be okay, Bella. Worst case, call me and I'll come and pick you up. I'll have Will cover for me, or something."

Bella laughed. "Alright, will do. I think I see Mike pulling up. Wish me luck."

"You'll need it with those two pining after you."

"Oh, shut up."

Evelyn laughed. "Bye, Bella."

The girl sighed as she slid her phone back into her pocket, worrying about Bella. She could only hope things would go well tonight; she felt terrible for not being able to support her, but Leah had called out and Marie had to go and visit a friend who was sick before closing, so it was just her and Will tonight until Marie got back. She groaned internally at the thought of being alone with the irritating vampire all night. She wasn't in the mood for cryptic answers and know-it-all smirks.

For the next hour or so, Evelyn worked quickly, and by eight o'clock there were no customers left in the dining room. As she waved goodbye to the last elderly couple, she saw Will gather the last set of dishes from the table out of the corner of her eye. She watched him as he retreated back into the kitchen without looking back to wash all of the dishes from the night, and with a satisfied nod she made her way to the bar counter. Good, she thought. That should keep him busy for a while.

Since there were no customers in the building, Evelyn decided to catch up on some of her homework. She yanked her worn-out backpack up from behind the bar and set it on the counter. After settling onto one of the worn leather bar stools, she pulled out her copy of The Great Gatsby for her English class and began to read.

There was peace and quiet for all of thirty minutes before she heard the kitchen door open, and she was annoyed to see Will sauntering over to her with his signature smirk on his face. He walked around the other side of the bar, so he was standing in front of her with only the counter in between them. She met his eyes briefly before returning to her book.

"Done already?" She asked, her voice clipped. She wanted it known that she was not interested in becoming friends with the vampire.

"I had forgotten what a never-ending chore dishes were. Still, I suppose I'm faster at it than humans are." He rested his forearms on the counter, leaning forward to try and get her attention again. She did not oblige.

After a few moments of feeling him staring at her, she rolled her eyes and met his gaze. "Does it get old?"

He grinned. "Does what? The dishes?"

She shook her head, offering him an innocent smile. "No. Does it get old being so full of yourself?"

Will's eyes widened in surprise as he watched the human girl return to her book. Still, he was not deterred. "No actually, I quite enjoy myself and my company." He frowned when she didn't respond, then turned his attention to the book that she was reading. "I've never understood the fascination with Fitzgerald and his work. The twenties honestly weren't all that interesting. Take it from someone who lived through it."