Countdown (ON HOLD)

Chapter Four

Aitheria let out a groan as she slowly straightened up from where she had fallen asleep, curled into a ball, after a long night of reading. After rolling her sore neck from side to side, hearing a symphony of cracks and pops, she pushed her way to her feet and headed toward the bedroom. As she was gliding toward the door, she glanced up at the clock on her living room mantel.

7:42

"Oh sugar pops!" She exclaimed and started zooming around her house to get ready for work. Her shift at the diner started promptly at 8, and Ben always tattled to his dad if she was even a millisecond late. 

I can't be late again or Ben will have my head. She thought to herself as she continued to race around her house like a whirlwind.

Forgoing a shower, she pulled her long red curls into a high messy bun and slipped her arms through her uniform shirt. She pulled up and buttoned her black shorts with one hand while simultaneously brushing her teeth with the other. After she was dressed, she grabbed her red tennis shoes and sprinted out her front door, glancing at the clock on her stove on the way out.

7:49

It normally took her twenty minutes to walk to the diner, and about 10 if she ran. That gave her only a minute or less as a buffer. Shoes dangling in hand, she sprinted down the sidewalk with Europe's "The Final Countdown" playing in her mind.

Counting the seconds in her head, she estimated that she would make it to the diner on time, but the was before she crashed into Phil, the town's mechanic, as he stepped onto the sidewalk in front of his shop. Aitheria crashed into him and they both went sprawling to the ground.

"Ouch," Aitheria yelled, while Phil let out a string of cuss words. Aitheria landed hard on her left knee and Phil landed hard on his hip.

"Dang, Little Red, I had just been headed to the diner to find you, but I didn't think you'd be the one to find me," Phil said with a groan as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Aitheria scrambled to her feet and stuck out a hand to help Phil up.

He grabbed it and she yanked him to his feet. Wiping her hands on the black denim of her shorts, she looked at Phil with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that, I'm kinda late for work." Phil let out a boom of laughter and threw an arm around her shoulder. He guided her into the shop and set her down on one of the stools next to his tool bench.

"I can see that, but I think I could use you more than Frank can at the moment. Give me a helping hand and I'll send you on your merry way to work with a note and coupon for Ben," Phil shot a wink at me. "Since we both know he's the one about to throw a hissy fit over you being late." Aitheria let out a soft chuckle and stretched her sore knee out in front of her.

"What can I help you with, Phil?" Phil shook his head at her for a moment before heading into the break room, coming back out with a pack of frozen peas.

"I'll explain while you ice that knee," He said, while giving her what could only be described as a father's worried gaze. Aitheria rolled her eyes and pressed the peas to her throbbing knee.

She studied Phil as he moved around the shop and explained to her a problem he was having fixing up Miss Shirley's engine. Phil was a great guy, and an even better mechanic. He was in his mid thirties and was fit-as-a-fiddle. About the same height as herself, Phil was built like a wrestler, with a lot of bulky muscle on his stocky frame. His buzzed blonde hair and neatly trimmed stubble paired perfectly with his amber eyes and crooked smile. Even with his amazing personality, great looks, and decent wealth, Phil had yet to find what he deemed "The One."