“RELAX, Noah, I’ll be fine,” Madelyn insisted, rolling her eyes as she spoke to her brother on the phone. “Okay, I’m hanging up now. There are a lot of customers coming in. Bye!”
“Madelyn—”
She grimaced as soon as she ended the call. She knew Noah was already angry whenever he called her by her full name. Even if he got mad at her, she wouldn’t do what he wanted. Her brother wanted her to quit her job. She had only rolled her eyes when he insisted earlier that morning that she resign. He didn’t quit being an underground fighter no matter how much she begged him, so why should she quit? If he could be stubborn, so could she.
She slipped her phone into her bag before stepping out of the locker room of the diner where she worked as a waitress. After putting on her apron and tying her hair into a ponytail, she started working. It wasn’t too busy yet since it was still early. She was currently placing fresh flowers on every table. As much as possible, they avoided using plastic ones. That was what Rhea Mae, the owner of the diner, preferred. Customers also liked seeing fresh flowers on the tables.
“Hello, welcome to Rhea’s Diner,” she heard her fellow waitress say to the newly arrived customer behind her. She had just finished placing the flowers, so she turned around with a smile on her lips to greet them.
But her smile instantly froze when she saw that the new customer was Keith and he was with the boss of the underground fighting club. She completely forgot to greet them. It was as if her tongue had suddenly been tied.
Keith did a double-take when he saw her, while his boss grinned at her. “Madelyn! It’s good to see you again,” the old man said. “We didn’t know you worked here. Well, at least now we have a reason to come here every day. Right, Keith?” He even nudged Keith with his elbow.
Keith didn’t respond. Instead, he just shot the old man a look. His boss laughed. Not knowing what to say, Madelyn simply guided them to an empty table. After handing them the menus, she left them for a moment.
A few seconds later, Keith’s boss called her. She walked toward them, biting her lower lip. She didn’t know why she was nervous. Was it because of the handsome, notorious underground fighter who had wandered into their diner? When her eyes met Keith’s, her palms suddenly grew sweaty. That was when she confirmed it—Keith was the reason for her sudden nervousness.
She cleared her throat first before speaking. “So, um, have you decided on your order, sir?” she asked, holding her ball pen and order pad.
“One ‘Sweet Madelyn,’ especially for Keith, please,” the old man said with a grin.
Madelyn blinked, and at the same moment, Keith let out a groan.
“Just kidding,” the old man chuckled, clearly amused by their reactions.
She bit her lower lip. Only then did the meaning behind his boss’s words ‘Sweet Madelyn, especially for Keith’ fully sink in. She wasn’t sure, but it really seemed like the old man was trying to pair the two of them together.
“Just coffee for me, please,” Keith said without even looking at her. He looked embarrassed and probably pissed at the same time.
“Make that two, please. Thank you, Madelyn,” the old man added.
“Um, yes, sir,” she replied, then smiled. “Your coffee will be served in a minute.”
She left them, but before she could walk far, she heard Keith angrily ask, “What the hell are you doing?” Instead of getting mad, his boss only burst out laughing.
While waiting for the coffee at the counter, she couldn’t help but look at Keith. His brows were furrowed as he talked to the old man. He shook his head at whatever the old man was saying, then suddenly looked at her. Their eyes met.
Madelyn flinched and instantly looked away.
Just then, the coffee was ready.
Carrying the tray with the two cups, she returned to their table. She saw both of them looking at her, and even though Keith’s gaze made her nervous, she forced herself to smile. She was only inches away from the table when she suddenly tripped, causing her to fall straight toward Keith.
“Oh my God!” she cried out. She was sure the hot coffee she was carrying would spill all over him.
“Woah, watch out, Madelyn!” Keith shouted.
She tried to regain her balance, but it was too late. However, instead of the coffee spilling onto Keith, only a small amount splashed onto the tray. She didn’t fall completely.
And Madelyn knew why.
Keith had stopped her with his hand.
And, oh, his hand? It had pressed firmly against her left breast. It wasn’t painful, but Madelyn could feel his rough palm through her cotton shirt and lace bra.
Her ears burned with embarrassment.
“Oh, shit,” she heard Keith say under his breath as he quickly pulled his hand away. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… It’s not… I—I’m so sorry, Madelyn.”
His neck and face turned red. He was just as embarrassed as she was!
“Um, it’s… I—” Seriously, Mother Earth! Please swallow me whole! “I’ll just…” She didn’t finish her sentence and simply turned away while still holding the tray, mortifyingly enough she should say. She placed it on the counter and hurried straight to the restroom. Once inside, she leaned against the door. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip hard.
She was absolutely mortified.
If only there were a large hole in the ground she could jump into, she would be forever grateful.
KEITH slouched further on the passenger seat as his father drove away from the diner where they stayed at some minutes ago. It shocked him to see Madelyn there. But what shocked him even more was how his body reacted to seeing her.
And dang.
What happened back there? It was soft and... “What the fuck? Don’t be creepy.” He muttered to himself, mentally kicking himself in the nut.
“You’re saying something?” His father asked and glanced at him.
“Hmm? Nothing.” He said, feigning innocence. Good thing, his father didn’t probe him any further, and just continued driving. Keith wasn't exactly sure if his father had seen what had happened between him and Maddie earlier back at the diner, because sure he was never going to hear the end of it.
Keith could only sigh as he tried to take Maddie away from his mind. He should not be thinking about her, alright. There was a different matter that he should attend to. His mother, and sister, for example.
“Well, have you thought of it?” His father suddenly asked.
Keith glanced at him. “Of what?”
“Of visiting your mother,” the older man simply replied. He knew about the conversation he had with his sister last time because he told him.
“I...” He sighed. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Whatever you decide, son...” His father continued. “...it should come from your heart.”
Keith smiled at that. “Thanks, Pa.”
The older man smiled back at him before focusing his eyes back on the road. They went silent for the rest of the ride. When they reached back home, he noticed some posters on the wall. His eyebrows immediately drawn together.
“Noah’s going to fight again?” He couldn’t help but ask.
“He’s a good fighter.” His father said, and he couldn't help but agree too.
“Maddie would have a fit if she knew about it.” He remarked. Why, the guy had just gotten out of the hospital.
“Well, someone’s a hard-worker.” His father just beamed. Keith knew the older man liked Noah and was definitely looking forward to the upcoming match. He just hoped she wouldn’t find out about it though. Or it will definitely crush her heart.