Beginnings

Chapter Two

The drive to the Waffle House on Maple Street was filled with Drowning Pool and Rob Zombie, windows down and Drauger singing along like a drunk white girl leaving a sorority party at 3am after a breakup with her latest frat boy love interest. He laughed at himself as he parked near the front entrance to the diner and turned off the car, scanning the parking lot for anything that stood out. He wanted to know what car Luce drove, pathetically.

His eyes landed on a Beamer parked back into the back lot under a lamp post and grinned. That must be his. He thought, smirking and getting out of the car. He hid his duffle under two sweatshirts he stashed in his car for good measure beforehand, thanking himself as he pulled the door open with the nostalgic jingle of the bell hung above the door.

The smell of a classic diner wafted through his nose and made any tension melt away as he looked around the diner, being greeted by an older lady with a thick southern accent. He smiled in return, mumbling a greeting as his eyes locked with the stoic man sitting in the back of the diner with a cup of coffee held to his lips. Drauger made his way over confidently even as his heart hammered in his chest, pocketing his keys and sliding into the booth seat opposite of him.

"Hey. Sorry, traffic is horrible this time of night." He quipped, smiling warmly at Luce as he settled in his seat.

Luce's stoic expression cracked, and he chuckled back, setting his black coffee down on the gray tabletop. "Yeah, I know. Parking was atrocious."

Drauger snickered, sliding a laminated menu over to himself. He felt Luce's eyes on him, analyzing him. His core tightened as a flush worked its way over his face. Keep looking at me like that, baby, and you won't be able to hear how horrible the end of my night was. He thought to himself, scanning the menu.

His thoughts were interrupted by the same woman that greeted him walking over with a notepad in hand. She was beautiful, her graying Afro and ebony skin giving away her age. She propped a hand on her wide hip.

"Hey, baby. Name's Nina, what can I get you?" Her southern accent rolling off her tongue and touching something deep inside him.

Drauger beamed at her. "Coffee, cream and sugar. And the biscuits and gravy please."

She jotted it down on her notepad, stuffing it in her apron and whisked away the menu he had. "I'll be back, handsome." She winked at him and left as quick as she came.

Drauger giggled to himself, looking back at Luce. He was still staring at him at this point. He swallowed nervously, butterflies suddenly appearing in his stomach.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" He joked, faking wiping at his face, trying to hide his nerves. He'd never been to a diner with a client before, and it was showing.

Luce smiled sweetly, shaking his head. "No. But, there's something on your mind. What happened?"

Drauger cursed him silently, thankful for Nina coming back with his coffee and additions. He began tearing open two packets of sugar when he began.

"I was offered a contract at Beginnings. After I met with Paris, I ran into an...ex of mine leaving a private room." He stirred in the sugar, and then started adding his creamer. "I didn't expect to see him at the club." He mumbled, stirring his coffee one more time before sipping from it, the warmth making him relax a bit.

Luce's face seemed to turn to stone as he explained, his brow twitching up when he mentioned 'ex' and 'at the club.' He sipped from his own coffee now.

"What happened when you bumped into him?" He asked coldly, almost protectively.

"He accused me of fucking around when he was the one lugging coke across state lines and leaving me alone in our apartment with the bills, having to go to work and pick up extra shifts to cover costs and ignoring all my calls and text messages." He grumbled, sipping his coffee again. The sounds of the late evening diner around them drowning out some of their conversation.