𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗚𝗘 (JESS MARIANO)

02

teagan walked back into Luke's after dark to help her boss close up, wrapped in her leather jacket that she adored and the same clothes she was wearing when she first met the Danes boy.

"what are you reading now?" luke asked as he wiped down one of the tables, genuinely curious as to what had captured his waitress' attention.

he had seemed to adopt a fatherly protection over her through the years she had worked at the diner, he knew her home life wasn't what she wanted and so he slipped into the role to make her feel more comfortable in the town.

"oh, just your nephews book that i borrowed." she purposefully exaggerated the word as she had no idea he had existed until that day and was some-what jealous of the blood connection he had to her boss.

she continued to read the comments he wrote in the margins as her boss flipped the towel he was holding over his shoulder and eyed the girl in front of him.

"are you two going to make my life harder than you usually do?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"number one, offended. number two, no i just think it's funny." teagan told him before ripping a bit of paper out of a note pad and writing a few words.

"he's just- no wait what are you doing now, teagan?" he asked as he watched her put the note into his nephews book.

"nothing! would you have a little faith in me?" teagan said, smirking.

"anyways, what is the mystery Danes name?" she asked, trying to change the conversation topic.

"it's jess. and it's not a Danes." the boy said as he walked downstairs.

"oh, nice of you to join us! i asked you to help hours ago." luke complained as jess walked over to his other employee.

"relax. i'm here now, aren't i?" his nephew retorted, his brows pinched together in annoyance.

"well then, what are you, jess?" teagan asked as she began to tidy up the coffee mugs.

"someone who wants their book back." jess blocked her path to the mugs, hoping she would give up quickly.

"oh, you mean this one?" teagan smiled as she held up his book.

jess reached for it but before he could teagan pulled it away from his reach.

"oh no. i'd like a real answer please, Danes." she laughed, still holding the book away from his grip.

jess sighed and looked back towards his uncle, looking for a solution to this girl's antics.

"yep, she's always like this." like told him as he watched his waitress smile smugly at the reaction she was getting.

"you know, i resent that statement." teagan dropped her expression and frowned and fake hurt in her tone

jess rolled his eyes at her response.

"okay. i'll tell you who i am, which is not a Danes. if you give me your name and then i'll be out your way, with my book." he tried to reason with the stubborn girl.

teagan took a deep breath in as she considered the counter offer for a few moments.

"okay, deal." she paused for a second to properly consider telling asshole-boy-who-bumped-into-her anything about her. "it's teagan."

"well you did not like telling me that, did you?" jess smirked.

"mhm. who are you then?" teagan sighed, waiting for the answer from the Danes boy.

"it's mariano." the boy clenched his jaw at the girl in front of him.

"oh well, you did not like telling me that, did you?" teagan threw his words back at him, in a mocking tone.

"uh huh, book. now." jess said, rolling his eyes.

"what's the magic word?" teagan smirked, continuing to piss the boy off.

"i gave you my name, give me the book." jess retorted. he was faced with dead silence. "please."

"well that wasn't so hard." her condescending tone clear in her voice as she slapped the book into his waiting hand.

"see ya later, Danes." she watched as he walked away, slightly smirking to herself.

"oh, i still have your book, don't i, Tea?" jess said over his shoulder as he headed back upstairs.

"oh shit! you do- did you just call me Tea?" teagan shouted up, following him upstairs.

luke sighed, he could feel the stress creeping up at him from having to deal with these two.

~

"would you get out?" jess asked the fuming girl that had followed him into luke's apartment.

"love to! as soon as i get my book." teagan crossed her arms, waiting for it to be given back. "jesus this place is a mess."

her attention wandered from the boy in front of her to scanning the one room apartment. she saw the small bed that was covered with books, cds and clothes that she assumed belonged to jess. she also saw the boxes that were stacked up around the room and part of her felt slightly guilty for being stand-offish with the boy that had clearly been shipped away from his parents to someone he doesn't really seem to know.

"well Tea, you should have thought about that before you made me play 20 questions for mine." jess smirked.

"are you always like this?" the brunette girl asked as her head snapped from looking around the apartment back to jess' face.

"like what?"

"difficult."

"only for you."

"book. now. please?" teagan sighed, trying to reason with him by using her manners.

when jess made no sign to give her the book back, the girl groaned.

"i hate you, Danes." she said as she headed for the door. "also tidy some of this shit up man!"

"good bye, Tea." jess feigned a smile at the girl before falling onto his bed.

after the door clicked shut, the mariano boy opened up his book.
a note fell out and he picked it up to read;

'hey Danes,
nice book choice! you really do live up to the angsty teen persona.
from your favourite colleague.
btw your welcome i gave your book back.'

jess smiled to himself, enjoying the dynamic the two had naturally picked up during the time they had spent together.
he'd never admit to it.

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authors note
another day, another chapter!
hope you all enjoy & tell me what you think! :)