Making Waves

Chapter 11

Diana hummed, turning her gaze towards her phone for a moment.

"Same as always, cousin, tiring but rewarding," she murmured vaguely, "How about you?"

Percy almost froze but managed to disguise it as a pause to think. She hadn't really prepared for Diana to ask about her work, forgetting completely that quitting her job was something she hadn't told everyone. Did she want Diana to know? She wasn't sure. On one hand, it probably wasn't something she should hide, but on the other hand, Diana would then ask her what she was doing with her time. Percy would have to come clean about her new alter ago to someone who would likely make a big deal out of it.

The pros and cons raced through her brain at lightning speed and Percy was scared she was taking suspiciously long to answer, but luckily, her mouth, as always, moved quicker than her mind.

"It's going well, made some breakthroughs recently," she found herself saying, "Got a new coworker too, they're pretty interesting."

A half-truth, she could work with that.

Diana looked up from her phone, training her full attention on Percy, who wondered if she had come off too evasive.

"New coworker, hmm," Diana said, a smirk tugging at her lips, "Are they cute?"

Percy blushed furiously, completely caught off guard. That's not what she expected Diana to say, and she had no idea how to respond. Unfortunately, her silence was answer enough for the other woman, who put the device down completely.

"It's not like that," Percy insisted.

Diana laughed lightly at her misfortune, definitely not believing her, and Percy slumped back in her seat.

They fell into a comfortable silence as Percy waited for Diana to flick through the menu. Percy had never been to this specific diner before, her cousin had suggested it, but she wasn't going to attempt to read the menu herself. Besides, she already knew what she wanted.

In front of her, Diana continued to scan the options, but it seemed like her mind was elsewhere, occasionally checking her phone and then going back to reread the menu.

"Is something wrong?" Percy asked her, frowning.

Diana's head snapped up, uncharacteristically stiff. She fidgeted a little in her seat and opened her mouth. But before she could speak, a shadow fell between them.

"Refill, miss?" their waiter asked.

Percy slid her empty glass over to the edge of the table with a "Yes, please," and a "Thanks."

"Are you ready to order?" the boy asked, shifting his feet.

"Three blueberry pancakes and orange juice, please," Percy requested.

"Four scrambled eggs, wheat toast, and a black coffee," Diana followed after her.

The young waiter wrote down their orders, and when Percy thanked him again with a smile, his cheeks turned pink.

She turned back to see Diana raising her eyebrows.

"What?"

Diana shook her head amusedly, and it seemed like her nerves had dissipated, so Percy let her previous question go unanswered. Instead, she engaged her cousin in a conversation about camp and fielded any inquiries about her new 'coworker'. There was absolutely no way she was telling Diana about Nightwing. Their food arrived quickly, and Percy dug in immediately. Diana ate just as fast, albeit more gracefully.

Their time together came to an end much too soon. When the waiter came back with a check, Percy thrust a few bills onto the tray with the receipt, but Diana snatched them away and placed her card in it instead. She tried to argue with her cousin, but unfortunately, the woman insisted on paying, and in the end, Percy lost.