Man of Veracity- Finished

37 Juliette

I wipe my hands off on my apron and head back to the counter to re-fill the coffee pot. The bell over the door rings signaling a new customer and I turn back to meet warm brown eyes. 

"Good morning. Sit anywhere you like and someone will be right with you." I say with a smile. The man proceeds to walk back to the furthest booth without acknowledging my warm welcome. Maybe he didn't hear me? I shrug it off and head towards the booth he's sitting in. He's dressed in a black suit. His eyes remain on me and I feel goosebumps raise on my arms. When I reach his booth, I notice he's sitting with a straight back with his hands clasped in on top of the table. A glimmer catches my attention and I take note of the gold signet ring on his Left middle finger. I approach his table out of breath for some reason and take out my notepad and pen.

"What can I get for you today?" I ask forcing a smile.

He smells of old people cologne and I now notice the ends of his hair is graying out. He clears his throat," Do you have any specials?"

Specials? This man looks like he could buy out the whole diner and more but he's asking about our specials?

"Um, ye-yeah. We have the King's breakfast which comes with two pieces of toast, eggs to your liking, bacon, sausage, hash browns, a cinnamon bun, and a beverage of your choice. We also have a new dish called the Master's Keepsake. It's an odd name, I know but it comes with oatmeal and a side of butter and/or brown sugar, fruit, a side of eggs to your liking, and a slice of toast." And to be honest, It won't be a dish that sticks around for long because the few customers who have ventured to try it the combination, hated it. 

His warm brown eyes are staring up at mine now and it's been a little too long since I last spoke for him to be responding. Maybe he needs me to repeat everything?

"Would you like me to re-"

"I'll take the Master's keepsake." he says not looking at me.

Who in their right mind would chose that over the King's Breakfast? I feel like that's a no-brainer. Or maybe I'm biased because I basically grew up eating oatmeal 

"How would you like your eggs?"

"Poached."

I scribble everything down on my notepad.

"And what to drink?"

"Coffee. Black."

"Anything else I get for ya?" Yeah, since working at the diner, I've picked up an awkward mix of southern. Weird, I know. He continues to stare at me with boring eyes; causing me to fidget and feel flushed. After what feels like hours, he mumbles something and dismisses me with a wave of his hand. Rude. I plaster a smile onto my face and turn around walking back to the counter. As I wait for the coffee to finish brewing, my mind flickers back to last night with Alexander in the rain and I smile. A precious memory. And my god, when he wakes me up with his husky voice saying, "Morning, baby.", I just about turn into a messy puddle right then and there. 

"Are those lovey dovey eyes?" a voice brings me out of my day dreaming.

I turn around and face Lena and smile.

"Oh, they are. Someone's got our Heaven in the clouds, don't they?"

"Oh shut it." I murmur feeling my face warm from the blush. The coffee maker beep, signaling that's it's finished brewing and I remove the pot and a mug, filling it to the brim. I take a deep breath in before muddling up the energy to walk back down the diner to deliver my rude customer his beverage. I set the mug down a little too harshly due to the nerves. He remains quiet but looks up at me and his eyes sear into mine. And I feel my breaths shorten, not in the sense they do when Alexander looks at me but for an entirely different reason. Danger? Maybe? But at the same time, something about the brown warmth of his eyes make me feel secure. I quickly offer a closed lip smile and turn around quickly to check on his order. 

I'm unlocking the door to my apartment when I feel arms wrap around my waste.I tense up and  It takes me a couple of seconds to realize the the arms are familiar. 

"Hey, angel. I missed you today." 

I love hearing Alexander tell me he misses me even though we just saw each other that morning. It makes me feel like he thinks of me throughout our hours apart. I continue to open my door and shuffle us inside before turning around to mend my arms around his neck. His face looks strained and his eyes look tired. He's got slightly darker circles under his eyes and he looks paler than usual.

"Are you feeling ok?" I ask concerned. I hope he isn't sick. I don't know how to care for sick people.

Alexander stays quiet as his  strong arms draw me in closer to him and his face nuzzles the side of my neck.

"Alexander? What's wrong?"

"I love it when you call me that."

"What, Alexander?"

He nods into my neck.

"That's your name, silly. Everyone calls you that."

"Not the way you do, though. No one says it like you do, Juliette."

"And how do I say it?"

Alexander draws his face back and faces me. With his hands caressing both of my cheeks he says, "Like I'm yours."

My breath hitches upon processing his words. "Aren't you though?" I whisper without thinking. Because he is. He's all mine. I've haven't had anything to myself in so long but it feels so right. He feels right.