𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐃'𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄

𝐓𝐖𝐎

❝dreams, i wonder what those are like❞

𝐓𝐖𝐎

Gloria's was a small diner nestled on the corner of 45th and Pleasant Avenue.

It was right over the bridge, right into Black's slice of his empire that ruled the Bronx - or at least a good part of it. His name carried the weight of his vices on its shoulders, his name - and face preceding him wherever he went. Proof of his reputation were the lingering eyes that watched us as we drove down the block, their eyes seemingly ready to pop out of their heads, surprised looks across their faces. Black was like a mythical creature, an urban legend - one that parents warned their kids of at bedtime or on camping trips.

The magnitude of his presence was even more obvious from the curious onlookers that watched us as we pulled up in the small parking lot attached to the diner.

Black was a Bronx celebrity - for lack of a better word.

The normal hustle and bustle came to a screeching halt as Black opened the door for me, the bells hanging above the door altering everybody to our entrance. His energy seemed to suck the air out of everyone's lungs, but none of it seemed to bother him. He played it cool, oblivious to the attention he gathered as he wrapped his strong arm over my shoulders, flashing a smile to the woman at the counter. He guided me to our usual table, a booth located in a secluded, quiet corner of the diner, right up next to one of the many windows.

Black and I ate at Gloria's all the time. Almost every time we spent time together, we ended up here. I celebrated my birthdays, special events, and practically everything here. I spent so much time here I even remember losing one of my baby teeth eating one of Gloria's famous burgers.

But even then, I never got used to the attention Black - and by extension - I pulled whenever we ate here. I was oblivious to it as a little girl, and was initially confused by it when I was in middle school, but it all ended up making sense for me when I became a teenager. At that point, I could no longer ignore the hushed whispers from patrons, and their probing, judging eyes. I could only imagine what they said whenever we came up in casual conversation.

The sun was dipping down over the horizon, nighttime slowly creeping in as the bright lights illuminated the streets beyond the windows, the city seeming to come even more alive. The rain was long gone, leaving puddles of water behind that filled the street's many potholes. As soon as we sat down, a waitress came over to us, her smile bright, a pen and paper in hand. I could tell she was new, judging from her enthusiasm, and she took our orders, giving us the complete rundown on our menu.

"I'm not hungry," I shook my head, my appetite having vanished a while ago. I couldn't stop thinking about how that moment seemingly slipped through my fingers like that, and all because of a little rain. Sure, I believed in the universe's higher power, and that some things weren't meant to be, but for weeks I felt like that was something written in the stars for me. To see it gone in a matter of moments left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, and a heavy feeling in my chest. I just couldn't let it go that easily.

Black snickered, his eyes flickering from me to the waitress, unfazed by what I was saying. "She'll have the Scorpion burger, no tomatoes or onions. Put a little extra of that spicy ass sauce on there for her too, if it's not too much to ask. Just bring me a patty melt."

Black's smooth voice traveled from his lips to her ears, and she eagerly wrote everything he said down, paying close attention to every syllable he said. With everything written down, she repeated our orders back to us, confirming that she had everything right.