Loving You Differently

Twenty One

"Can you stop yelling before I hit one of the neighborhood kids?" Sav groans. I gasp.

Austin smothers a laugh. "Babe, she's only going 20. It's fine."

I sigh loudly, flopping down in my seat. These two would be the death of me. But deep down, I can't be mad about it.

——

Hours later, my nerves are gone and my heart rate has calmed down. We'd thankfully made it home alive, and I have to admit that I was impressed with Savannah. Unlike me, she was fearless when it came to the unknown and eager to learn. And it didn't hurt that she'd had Austin as a teacher — he was both patient and encouraging.

I'd opted to spend my Saturday evening at RJ's instead of Vice for a change, so I decided to take an afternoon shift. The tips wouldn't be anywhere near as good as what I would make in one night at Vice, but with the bills being paid on time for once and Mom not being in the house emptying my pockets I wasn't feeling as stressed about money as I used to. Plus I missed my best friend and the slow atmosphere that RJ's and the south side of downtown Memphis brought.

After taking an afternoon nap together, Austin drove both Sav and I to work before heading to Vice. I internally pouted when remembering I wouldn't be seeing him again until most likely the following afternoon after he'd rested up from the late night hours. And then I cringed a bit when I realized how clingy that sounded. And then I shrugged because I really cared about this guy, and for some reason he cared about me too, so I could care less about how needy I'd become. I never thought I'd be the type of person that constantly wanted to be around my partner, but I felt my best when I was around him. Austin had a habit of making my world feel right when he was in it.

It was nearing 9 P.M. and Sidney and I were standing side by side behind the counter wrapping silverware in napkins. A country song softly plays from the radio Anthony and the other cooks have back in the kitchen, intertwining with the light chatter of conversation from a few scattered customers.

"I still can't believe you thought he was cheating on you," I say, shooting her an amused grin.

Sidney laughs and swats me playfully with the rolled silverware. "I already feel bad enough about that! Here I was ready to do a stakeout and bust him for his infidelity, meanwhile he's planning some elaborate proposal. That I ended up ruining, by the way," she snorts.

I cringe, remembering how she told me she'd drunkenly confronted him after finishing off a bottle of wine which, in turn, led to him getting down on one knee and popping the question right there in Sidney's living room. "It all worked out in the end though," I quip. "You don't need a fancy proposal to know that he loves you."

She smiles, a happy glow illuminating her mocha skin. "You're right. And it looks like you'll be next," she says slyly.

I immediately balk. "No way. Not anytime soon, anyway." I was only twenty-one, three years younger than Sidney, but saddled with the job of providing for my little sister. Marriage wasn't even in the cards right now. Maybe one day..

"You never know," she sings.

We both laugh, mindlessly teasing each other as we finish rolling the silverware. Sidney disappears into the kitchen and I listen as she loudly teases Anthony while I store the container full of  silverware underneath the counter. Standing up, I straighten a stack of menus to my right, thinking quietly to myself. I'm thinking of how easy life has felt since Austin's entrance and Mom's departure, and how everything in mine and my best friend's lives are slowly falling into place. The minute that thought leaves my mind, the bell above the door chimes as someone enters. And when I look up, my world freezes.

I have the urge to laugh. To pinch my arm or wait for Ashton Kutcher to pop around the corner yelling that I've been punked. Because there's no way in hell my father is standing in RJ's right now, making his way towards me.

Irony is fucking cruel. Just when I thought life decided to cut me some slack, it decided to pull the rug out from under me again. And I had no choice but to stand back up, on my own. Like always.

——

please don't kill me HAHAHA
i told y'all shit would be hitting the fan again soon but at least i squeezed in one more cutesy scene before it all went down ;-) am SO excited for what's about to go down, u have no idea.

also. what the hell. in my last author's note i thanked u guys for 30k reads and now we have 87k???? WHAT????? there will never be enough words to express how thankful i am for the support this story has received. it's been an honor bringing such tough topics to light and getting to write about them. i love u guys SO much. thank u for the continuous love and support.

i hope y'all are doing okay during these uncertain times. the world is a scary place right now so PLEASE take care of yourselves!

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until next time,
taylor