Playing With Fire || TFP Knockout x Female reader

20. Sweater weather

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(Timeskip, Acura's pov)
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The fall season quickly fell into place as the leaves turned brown and orange, tumbling through the small town and piling up on the side of the roads, only to be blown away by the passing cars to start the process all over again. It was now October 28th, well passed September 8th, the day I last heard from him.

I started to feel like I was left in a memory of sorts. Betrayal didn't come easy for me, but I had to stop thinking so positively. People stand up each other all the time. Fake relationships are a thing. It just hurts when you're lead on for a long while and now that feelings were involved, made it a hundred times worse.

But such is what life is.

I swept my hands together, trying to create a little bubble of warmth as my boots took me trodding down one of the cobblestone backroads down to my mother's diner. I needed her wisdom for once, instead of writing useless little cringy notes in my crinkled notebook.

The small, 50's retro diner which fell out of fashion a very long time ago stood on the corner of Jackson and Clark St. As old as it was, the regulars would preach to anyone willing to lend their ears on how good the flapjacks were.

The small jingle of the door alerted the staff as they all knew me, waving before continuing to pass out menus and napkins to their tables. Mom was behind the bar, grabbing food from the window before placing it down for the gentleman sitting on the right, sipping his now warm orange juice and watching the morning news play on the tv above.

"What brings you here?" Mom asked, eyeing me as she grabbed some more food, ringing for one of the other servers as I hopped up on the barstool and took a seat next to the jukebox.

"Missed you, figured I'd come and chat for a bit. Grandma isn't opening today."

"Is she okay?" Mom asked, polishing some silverware and rolling them into tight little bundles in her downtime. I nodded.

"Yeah, getting a early November shipment of flower bundles that apparently is taking the whole day."

"Shouldn't you be there helping her set it up?" She raised an eyebrow, not glancing away from the forks and knives in her hands.

"I asked, said to take the extra day off. I think the workers are doing it or somethings, blowing the whole place out with containers."

"Mmm" Mom hummed, grabbing more food as she heard her name being called. I waited patiently, glancing up at the forecast for the day. 62°, not too bad.

"Are you hungry?" Mom asked, passing me a menu like I haven't read it a million times before.

"No, I'll take some juice though."

"Orange? Apple? Or cranberry?"

"Cranberry" I say, passing the menu back. Mom grabbed a cup and poured me a glass from the juicer tap, sliding it back over to me.

"You look down, what's got you acting up?" She asked, leaning on the counter as she looked to me, holding my hand. Her hands were cold and dry, but every bit of loving. I realized she wasn't wearing her wedding band, noting that in the back of my head.

I sipped my drink, setting it down with a thump as I looked to her, fake chuckling. "Nothing, mama. I'm all good."

"You know I can't believe you when it's all over your face, love." She said, rolling her eyes. "Fine, don't tell me, but I know how my little girl gets when something is on her mind. Tell you truthfully, for like a month now you've been out of it."

"Evelyn" her name was called, turning to the middle-aged woman back to looking through the small food window into the kitchen. "Sunny's treat, two eggs and a waffle, and a kid's fall-icious party pancakes all for table ten."