TIDE

TIDE | 03

That's when he catches my eye.

He's leaned back in one of the booths, table seven to be exact. His stare is off into the distance as a ball cap is perched on top of his head. He shifts his glance from outside back into the diner as his eyes find mine and a grin tugs at his lips.

"Ah Ainsley, I see that you have finally showed up for work."

"And I heard that you would not leave unless you saw me first, so now you've seen me and you can be on your way. Unless that is, you are ordering something."

"You know maybe I will order something if that means you get to stay here with me longer." I throw a menu onto the table as he picks it up, glancing at it for a moment before adverting his gaze back to me. "I'll take an iced tea and an order of fries."

"Will that be all?" I ask with a forced smile noticing that my boss walked through the door. He responds yes will a small nod before I turn on my heels walking back towards the kitchen with his order in hand.

"One fry please." I shout to mike, the head chef here at the diner, before placing the receipt above the prep station.

"Sure thing darling." He says taking a quick look at the order before throwing some uncooked potatoes wedges into the deep frier. I grab an ice cold glass and a place it under the faucet filling it up with iced tea before I move over to cutting a slice of lemon placing it onto the rim of the glass.

"He's cute isn't he?" Jessa says popping out from from behind the prep station. I give her a confused look before she answers with "table seven."

"If you call a pain in the ass cute, then sure he's cute." I respond grabbing the drink before entering out into the dining area with jessa following me.

"C'mon Ains!" She says spinning me around to face her. "Don't you think it was a little bit cute that he said he wouldn't leave without seeing you."

"Ha, no." I respond harshly. "It would be cute if I knew the guy or maybe had a thing with him, but Dawson and I, we have hardly met. We have maybe exchanged a total of twenty words, he's obnoxious."

"But you two are onto a first name basis." She nods taking my answer into consideration giving me a chance to make a run for it to escape her interrogation. Just as I turn around with the glass in hand, I crash into a hard chest causing the drink to fall all over their shirt. An arm comes around my waist steady my body as my body was almost knocked over by the impact.

"I think that you may have to buy me a new shirt." He says as I look at the large iced tea stain when is all over the front of the mans white tee. He grabs the empty glass from my hands before placing it onto the bar beside him as he pulls his sticky shirt away from his body.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry." I say moving away from his body and into the bar section grabbing a handful of napkins. "Here you go." Handing him the napkins. I look up for the first time and realize the man I spilled the drink on was Dawson.

He looks at me with an amused look on his face as he places the napkins against his abdomen which shows of a hint of his abs underneath as his soaked shirt stuck to his body.

"I honestly so clumsy. Like I have no clue why they even gave me a job at a restaurant, or even why I applied at a restaurant, but all I know is I should have stuck to a job where I don't have to deal with food." Dawson stops what he and stares at me as I continue rambling on about why I'm a terrible employee until I realize what I'm saying. "I should just stop talking, and I should probably go and get you a new iced tea."