Queen POV
The night didn't slow the way it usually did.
I kept moving anyway, wiping down counters, stacking cups—anything to keep my hands busy. Standing too still gave me too much room to think, and I wasn't trying to do too much of that tonight.
I told myself I was just tired.
After all that had happened, it made sense that I felt heavy. My body had decided to stay alert whether I wanted it to or not; however, I knew why. I didn't have to look to know he was still there. But of course, I looked anyway. Just for a second…
And there he was, sitting like he had nowhere else to be, one arm stretched along the back of the booth, completely at ease in a place that never really slowed down. A coffee mug rested in his hand, a burger on the plate in front of him.
When our eyes met this time, it didn't feel accidental.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he tipped his head down toward me. The small, polite movement caught me off guard, especially after how I acted last night. I looked away first, my cheeks heating almost immediately. I gripped the counter, trying to steady the pounding in my chest—
but deep within me, a feeling had already begun to stir.
"Girl, you good?"
Jessica's voice pulled me back, and I realized I'd been wiping the same spot for way too long.
"Yeah," I said, straightening up. "Just tired."
"That's not what I asked."
I glanced at her, suspicion clear in her expression.
"I'm fine," I said, softer this time.
She held my gaze for a second longer, then shook her head. "Alright. Just don't check out on me mid-shift."
"I won't."
She walked off, and I forced myself to focus again, grabbing a tray and heading toward one of the last tables that needed clearing. The movement helped a little, but I could still feel him. Not heavy or uncomfortable, but present. And somehow, that made everything else quieter—something I wasn't used to.
Our eyes met again. And this time, I didn't look away. I hesitated for a second before grabbing the coffee pot.
"Don't make it weird," I murmured to myself.
I walked over, my steps uneven but sure, ignoring the way the boot slowed me down. Up close, he looked the same as before—calm, unbothered, like the world moved around him instead of the other way around. But this close, it was different.
For the first time I really saw him.
The brim of his dark tan cowboy hat cast a shadow over his face, but not enough to hide anything important. Dark curls pushed out from beneath it, resting at the nape of his neck effortless and untamed. Light stubble of hair lined his upper lip and jaw, sharpening features already hard to ignore. And then there were his eyes.
Green.
Not soft or light, but deep and vibrant. They made it hard to break contact—I didn't know what to do with the way they made me feel.
He shifted slightly, the smallest hint of a smile pulling at his mouth, revealing dimples that didn't quite match the rest of him.
That definitely didn't help.
I cleared my throat softly, forcing myself to focus before I stood there too long, staring like I'd forgotten why I walked over in the first place.
"Coffee?" I asked, lifting the pot slightly.
He kept his eyes on mine, a small smile lingering on his face as he lifted his cup slightly.
"Thank you, Queen."
I poured carefully, setting the pot down when I was done. My gaze found his again, and for a second, neither of us spoke.
"I owe you an apology," I said, exhaling quietly. "For yesterday. I was…a little defensive."
"A little?" he said, a glint in his eyes.
I rolled my eyes lightly. "Okay, yeah. A lot."
He didn't say anything right away. He just watched me, something faint in his expression making my chest tighten.
"I just don't like feeling like I need help," I added, softer now.
"Didn't seem like you needed it," he said.
I glanced down at my boot, then back at him. "Yeah… well."
His gaze followed the movement, then lifted to mine again.
"You alright?" he asked.
There was something in the way he said it—no pressure, no pity. Just checking.
"I'm okay," I said. "Just a tumble."
He nodded once, like that was enough.
The silence settled again, easy this time, as I adjusted my footing.
"Well," I said, a genuine smile slipping through as I stepped back, "enjoy your coffee."
"Thank you Queen."
His smile deepened, dimples on display. My heart kicked hard against my chest at the discovery.
I cleared my throat and nodded once before turning and walking away, heading toward the counter. Once there, I moved to refill the now empty pot, the task distracting me from the foreign feeling settling into me. I glanced back.
He was still watching me.
The realization caught me off guard, my heart pounding faster, before I looked away quickly placing the pot down beside me. The way he looked at me didn't crawl under my skin, and I didn't feel like I was being hunted. Not like I had with Manny.
The tension in me faded.