A Light in the Dark

I looked up at the beautiful stranger with wide eyes. For a second I thought he was joking, but his warm brown eyes held a level of seriousness that I felt my cheeks flush.

"Excuse me?" I asked slightly taken aback.

"I'm sorry, but I usually sit here." He clarified while clearing his throat.

I glanced around the nearly empty diner, taking note on how much open seats were surrounding us. Other than the old guy siting at the counter, the place was far from being packed.

"Can't you sit somewhere else?" I suggested with a small voice. I focused my attention back to my pancakes, as he stood still, unmoving.

"I would but the view from this particular spot is my favorite." He answered.

There was something about his stare that just assured me that he wasn't some creep looking for thrills.

"Well, if you don't mind I guess you could join me because I like the view too." I offered while cutting my pancakes into extremely tiny pieces. It was the only way I could ever eat anything; if it were diced into pieces smaller than bite sizes.

The guy looked side to side before taking a seat across of me. I guess he was debating whether or not I was a nut job too. To be honest, from what I've been through I guess it'd be extremely justifiable to call me "nuts."

"I'm Tony by the way." He introduced looking directly at me.

Considering that I'm a bartender you'd think that I have great people skills. For the most part I do. I can easily have care free conversations with drunken strangers, but something about being in a quiet, well lit diner made speaking seem like a foreign concept to me.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain my voice. "I'm Effie." I managed to reply without tripping over my words.

I continued tend to my food as the silence enveloped the both of us. Just then Darlene came back, wearing her usual warm smile.

"Told you he'd be back." She said shooting a wink my way. Turning to Tony Darlene asked "And what can I get for you Mr. Perry?"

Tony was still staring out the window before he focused his attention back to Darlene. " I'll take my usual." He replied with a cheeky smile.

"Coming right up." Darlene replied then walked off towards the kitchen.

A few moments of silence passed over us as I began to eat and stare aimlessly out of the diner's windows. I couldn't help but think of my parents. I remember having Sunday breakfast's with them. They'd prepare pancakes and hot chocolate for me. It was something I'd look forward to as a child because Sundays meant that we were gonna spend it together. That was when my mother would titter in the kitchen gathering a picnic basket while my father would get the blankets from out of the attic. Those were the days when Emily was still in the picture. Emily, my adoring older sister who practically held our family together. But everything soon went south when the dreaded incident happened.

"So Effie, you just move here or something?" Tony asked breaking through my thoughts. I hadn't realized that he was staring intently at me as I spazzed out the window.

"Or something." I replied vaguely.

"I'm guessing that you're not much of a talker." Tony commented earning a small laugh from me.

"I just moved here three weeks ago." I clarified. I noticed the way his lips pricked with a small smirk as he gazed back at me.

"I figured." He commented.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked in a playful tone. It surprised me that I wasn't suffering from a minor anxiety attack while talking to Tony.

"You just have that look, ya know." He answered.

"No, I don't but please, do explain." I pressed leaning onto my elbows, slightly inclined to him.

There was a brief moment of silence as I waited patiently for Tony's reply.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Well for one, you have no tattoos and that's a rare find in this part of town and you have this look about your face." He finished gesturing with his hands towards my face.

I blinked in surprise as I looked back at Tony.

"What look would that be?" I asked.

"Ya know, that look where you still look a little unsure what your next move will be." He clarified.

I nodded my head while plastering a smile on my face.

"Are you finished with the psychological analysis?" I asked jokingly.

Tony just laughed. By then Darlene had returned with Tony's order in hand. Apparently, his usual was scrambled eggs and link sausages with hash browns on the side.

"I figured you two would get along." Darlene commented while placing Tony's order in front of him.

I have no idea why, but Darlene's comment made my face inflame with a crimson blush.

"Thanks Darlene." Tony said with a broad smile gracing his child-like cheeks.

"You two have a good night." She commented before walking away.

I looked back at Tony who immediately dug into his food. I shifted my eyes back to the plate in front of me and felt wildly nostalgic. I just wish I knew why. I thought to myself before piercing a small bite of my pancake and brought it to my mouth. I chewed slowly because I had slightly lost my appetite at the thought of my parents.

"New start, I'm guessing." Tony stated while still chewing the sausage link in his mouth.

"You guessed right." I replied wondering why I was so willing to tell a complete stranger this.

"Trouble with an old boyfriend?" He asked cocking an eyebrow at me.

I let out a hardy laugh. "Nope." I simply answered popping the letter "p" with my lips.

"Americas most wanted?" He guessed again, earning another giggle from me.

"No." I replied shaking my head at his failed attempts.

"I'm stumped, I have no idea." He finally said, finally admitting defeat.

My smile faded as I looked back out to the window. The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, gracing the streets with its golden rays.

"Neither do I." I mumbled.

Notes

@lostinthemusic is an awesome writer isn't she? Well here's my contribution, I hope I don't mess it up haha :D

thanks for reading and I hope you tell us what ya think of the story so far <3

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