𝔹𝕝𝕦𝕖, ℝ𝕖𝕕, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕪 - 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕙𝕠
" I like every second
as long as your on my mind
Every moment has its special charm
It's alright when you're around,
rain or shine"
Hendrix POV
I hum quietly to the music as I mop the tile floor. This music is a good distraction. As soon as I came into work I knew throwing myself into it would be the best way to forget all about Mr.Handsome-Professor.
Not to mention I'm getting paid $8 and hour, that helps too I guess.
The oldies music echoes melodically through the nearly empty restaurant. It's late. It's dark. I'm tired. And yet I keep on mopping away under the flickering fluorescent lights.
At this point it's just me, Ronnie, and Nancy working once again. Not a lot of people wander into the Diner at 1:00AM. I tend to stay away from Ronnie this time of the night. He gets real grumpy when he has to stay up late. So, instead, I just mind my own business doing the cleaning and serving, though there's not a lot of folks to be serving.
Even through working into the wee hours of the morning makes me tired, it allows me to have some much needed alone time. Just me and my thoughts. It's rare that I ever have time like this. Stacey and Miranda are always begging for my attention, and waiting on people hand and foot to earn my way through school also wears on my nerves.
I may be working, but I'm also relaxing.
That is until the bell at the door rings.
Grumbling to myself, I'm not surprised to hear Nancy flirting her heart out on the other side of the restaurant. Any guy that's at least normal looking could win her heart, it's not a hard thing to do. I smile to myself knowingly. Poor guy.
Coming around the corner with my mop and bucket, I reach for my notepad quickly as I glance up to see our first customer of the morning.
I stop dead in my tracks when I see Professor Riley standing at the front with his hands in the pockets of a dark, leather jacket. It's a contrast to how he was dressed yesterday in class. The dark clothing suits him a lot better than a dress shirt and slacks.
His dangerous eyes flick to mine and they change for a moment. His gaze doesn't stray from my face, and I'm glad, if he looked me up and down I would feel self conscious.
"Nanc, I can seat him." I say to my coworker who is still trying to catch my Professor's attention and failing miserably. She pushes her over teased hair over her shoulder and shoots me an exasperated sound from her throat.
"You two know each other?" She asks, and I nod my head absently. I'm still staring at him because I can't stop.
He walks towards me, and the closer he gets, the more I realize just how tall he really is. He has to be over 6 ½ feet tall, and more than a foot taller than me. My head barley hits the middle of his chest. Being near Professor Riley makes me feel so small. Too small, and insignificant.
He's the tallest person I've seen in real life. I would guess he's about 6'9" or 6'10". With the low ceilings lingering above his proud head, it makes him appear even bigger.
I turn around and close my eyes for a second.
"Follow me." Is all I can get out because my throat is clogged up, my heart is beating a mile a minute in excitement. It's a good thing he can't hear that. The organ in my chest thumps way to hard to pump the blood through my body.
I show him to an empty booth near the jukebox.
"I'll go grab you a menu." I say suddenly after realizing I forget to get one in my haste to steer him away from Nancy and her sharp, red painted claws. I don't even glance at him when I shuffle away.
Walking back the way I came, I try to slow down but it's hard to do. I end up doing an awkward little half jog, half fast walk. I don't look at Nancy when I snatch a menu from the stack and a roll of silverware.
When I'm back at the table, Professor Riley is already sitting. His wide set shoulders draw my attention. I'm a bit flustered when I look into his eyes. Now that he's sitting we're eye to eye. I wasn't expecting that.
"Can I have the menu, please?" His deep voice asks, each word colored with amusement.
My face grows bright red as I place the menu in front of him.
"What would you like to drink today, sir?" I question, tapping my pen against my notepad nervously. He continues to watch me.
"Water would be fine." He tells me. I scribble on the empty page even though I know I'll remember anything that he says. "You have an accent. Where are you from?"
I gulp. Here we go.
"Mississippi. Everyone assumes I'm an idiot because of the way I talk." I say, and immediately regret it. Why would I say that? What does that have to do with anything? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
"I think it's cute." He replies, and when I look back up at him he has a bit of a grin on his face, and it's enough to make me melt. That's the first time I've seen him smile.
I notice he has a bit of an accent as well, barely even noticeable, and I can't place it. But I don't ask about it.
"Thank you." I say, because manners come first.
"You're in my class. I never caught your name." He remembers me! Hopefully that's a good thing.
"That's because I never said it. I'm Hendrix." I counter with a shy smile, but deep down I'm worried. I know what comes when I tell someone my name. Anxiety spikes when I meet someone for that one reason. He takes a deep breathe through his nose and cocks his head to the side.
Professor Riley doesn't ask about my freak name, he just puts out his hand for me to shake, and I do, maybe a little too eagerly. When his long, strong fingers swallow up my hand I feel a current of fuzziness crawl up my arm. It's the first time we've touched, and I don't want it to end. I tell myself that he doesn't want it to end either because he holds on for a long time. He's just staring at our hands in wonder.
I pull away quickly. He probably couldn't believe I shook his hand for so long. I mean, I didn't really shake it, I mostly just held it. Dang it. I hope I didn't squeeze his hand too hard.
"Nice to meet you Professor Riley." I tell him, trying to step away while my face burns with sheer embarrassment. Can I get through one day without awkward human interaction? No, I don't think so.
Something stops me, and I turn to realize that he's grabbed the strings of my apron with his fingers. His expression is one of desperation but his voice is gruff and demanding.
"Call me Cedric." My eyes widen.
"Cedric?" I ask quietly. He nods profusely, tendrils of black hair falling out of place. His hair is messy, unkempt, sexy. I blanch. Sexy? Really, Hendrix?
"Well, I'll have your water out in a minute, Cedric."
"Actually, is it alright if I order now?" He asks. Even though it's a question it's filled with authority, power. I gulp. How does one do that?
"Yeah. Of course. What'll it be?" Cedric suddenly lets go of my apron strings and quickly scans the menu as fast as he can.
"I'll just have a burger, everything on it. Please." I smile and nod, not sure what to say. It's like I'm starstruck at the mere sight of him. Cedric's eyebrows scrunch together in concentration. It's almost like he's trying to read my mind. Better get out of here before he succeeds.
I scamper to the back to catch my breath, putting in Cedric's order quickly. I need some time to gather my thoughts and put myself at ease. I somehow thought it would help, but now that I'm back here all I want is to be near him again. See him. Hear him. Look at his perfect face.
Okay. That's kind of weird. But then again, what about this situation isn't weird?
I saw him in class and freaked out because of the things I was feeling, I ran home and cried as I swore off men completely. Then he walks into the diner and all I want to do is be with him? I've known him less than 10 minutes and I'm acting like a love sick puppy.
Scratching the side of my head as I pace back and forth, I remember my earlier thought when I first spotted him at the front of the room less than a day ago. Love at first sight. Maybe this is what people spoke about when it came to falling in love too quickly. They say it's like your under a spell. Maybe that explains it.
I stop pacing and curse myself. There's no such things as soul mates. They're not real, not possible. We choose who we end up with. There's no fate or divine intervention involved in love.
But what if there is?
"Order up!" Ronnie shouts. I jump so high I nearly hit the ceiling. For once I hate how quick our cook is at whipping up a burger. Still startled, heart hammering, I grab the plate of food and the water before venturing back into the restaurant after taking a deep breathe.
He's right where I left him, sitting patiently in the booth for me to return. I don't know what I expected. This whole thing feels like some sort of bizarre dream. I wouldn't be surprised if I came back and he was gone.
"Smells great." He says as I put the plate down in front of him. I smile and hand him his water. He's all masculinity and regalness despite his rough, biker appearance. His voice is like melted butter.
"Is there anything else I can get for you today?" I ask, working on autopilot when I feel the awkwardness start to creep in on me. Cedric just looks up at me and nods.
"I want you to sit with me." He tells me slowly. A surge of panic and excitement sparks inside me and I almost squeal. He must really like me then. This isn't my imagination. I can't believe this is happening.
"But I... I have to work."
My professor looks around the restaurant to make his point clear.
"Doesn't seem like you're too busy to me." Cedric says. He makes a good point there. No one ever comes in at this time. He's the only one here, and I have nothing else to do. I have no reason to tell him no, especially when I want to shout the word yes at the top of my lungs.
I slide into the bench across from him while he takes the first bite of his burger. Somehow he makes eating look graceful.
Everything about him draws me in, catches my attention against my will. He's large and intimidating, and yet when I'm around him I don't feel scared, in fact I feel the exact opposite. I'm calm. It's as if all my problems are gone when he steps into my view.
I can't explain it. There are no explanations when it comes to Cedric Riley.
"How often do you work here?" He asks and I straighten in my seat. I've been caught staring at his dark, stubble covered jaw again. That's embarrassing.
"6 days a week. 4:30 to 2:00AM. It's pretty hectic during super time, but after that it slows down." I explain, calming a bit at the opportunity to talk about something normal. It grounds me enough to keep talking. "You're a real Professor, huh? Where are you from?"
The handsome stranger across from me wipes at his mouth with his napkin. His eyes scan me, as if he's contemplating what to say next.
"I'm from Ireland, but I live in Montana." He replies, but he seems anxious to change the subject from himself, I don't let him.
"How long have you been living in America?" I press, and he shrugs his shoulders, blowing out a long breath.
"A while." He says absently. "What's your major?" He spits out a question I've heard many, many times.
"Music." His eyes widen.
"What do you want to do?" Cedric asks. I blew out a breath, scratching the back of my neck.
"I'll do anything that involves music, really. Music journalism, producing, recording. I don't care. I just love music." He observes me again, but he never really stopped in the first place. It's like I'm some sort of fantastic art display in a museum that he can't get past.
I've never had someone stare at me like that. It should be unsettling. I mean, I don't even know him. But I actually enjoy it. Probably more than I should.
We talk for a while. He's finished his food, and he asks all the questions which means I'm the one doing all the talking. It's almost like an interrogation or an interview. The more I talk, the more at ease I am. I'm not even at work anymore, not really. Cedric's presence has transported me to another dimension.
Time flies, and before I know it, it's time to close up the diner and I'm still in deep conversation with my Professor. I can't stop.
I can't stop talking, can't stop smiling, can't stop staring. He's impossibly handsome despite his scars and his terrifying aura. Everything about him is dark. His eyes, his hair, his jaw. And yet, I'm drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
Who knows, maybe I'm more like a moth than I think. I could be mindlessly flying towards fire without knowing how badly burned I'll be.
When everything's cleaned up, Cedric follows me to the back to lock up. I silently do my job, trying hard to concentrate on the task with the man behind me waiting patiently. The keys jingle in my shaky fingers. It's hard to do anything with him around. All I want to do is grab him and plant a big kiss on his lips.
I freeze. Did I really just think that?
When I turn around, Cedric has his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket agin. It makes a crinkling sound as it stretches against his shoulders when he takes a deep breath through his nose.
We stand there facing each other for a while in silence. I'm the first one to speak.
"So, I guess I'll see you next class?" I say with a smile. His eyes widen a little bit before narrowing on me again. I fidget with my bag and silently wish he would say something, anything.
After a time he says one thing.
"Get home safe. Okay?" His gentle words warm me and I nod, a little promise to Cedric that I'll do what he's asked. I watch in utter amazement as a slow smile lifts his lips. A gasp rushes from my lungs at the sight of the beautiful expression.
It's the second time I've been blessed to see him smile, and I love his face even more with it on.
✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰
If you're reading this, you're a beautiful person:)
Shoutout to themagictheif ! Hope you have a great first day of school❤️❤️❤️
Next update will be as soon as I get the next chapter written lol. Having a job makes it kind of hard to have a schedule for writing. Let's just say the next chapter will be up in less than a week.
Have a fantasmic day!!!