Queen POV
The night didn't slow the way it usually did.
Even as the rush faded and the diner slipped into that quieter rhythm, something still felt different. It felt like the air had shifted and hadn't quite settled back into place. I kept moving anyway, wiping down counters, stacking cups, anything to keep my hands busy because standing still meant thinking, and I wasn't trying to do too much of that tonight.
I told myself I was just tired.
Between the fall, the doctor, getting Demi ready for school, and dragging myself back here like everything was normal, it made sense that my body felt heavy. But I knew that wasn't all it was. There was still something sitting under my skin, subtle but constant, like my body had decided to stay alert whether I wanted it to or not. And I knew the exact reason why. I didn't have to look to know he was still there. Corner booth. Same spot. Same stillness. 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. Coffee cup in his hand, a burger on the plate in front of him. When our eyes met this time, it didn't feel accidental. It felt… expected. Like neither of us were surprised it happened. I looked away first, turning back to the counter, but something in my chest had already shifted.
"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, and she was already looking at me like she didn't believe me.
"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 normal movement helped a little, but it didn't fully ground me. Because even while I was moving, I could still feel it. Him. Not heavy or uncomfortable, just… there. And somehow, that made everything else feel quieter, something I wasn't used to.
Our eyes met again. And this time, I didn't look away. Something in my chest leaped. I hesitated for a second before grabbing the coffee pot.
"Don't make it weird," I muttered under my breath.
I walked over, my steps uneven but steady enough, trying not to draw attention to the way the boot slowed me down. Up close, he looked the same as before—calm, unbothered, like nothing ever really got to him, like the world moved around him instead of the other way around. But this close, it was different. This was the first time I really saw him.
The brim of his dark tan cowboy hat cast a slight shadow over his face, but not enough to hide anything important. Dark curls pushed out from beneath it, falling just to the nape of his neck in a way that looked effortless, like he didn't care enough to tame them. A faint shadow of a mustache sat above his lip, matched by the dark stubble lining his jaw, sharpening features that were already too defined to ignore. And then there were his eyes.
Green.
Not soft, not light, but deep and steady, the kind that held your attention a second too long if you let them. There was something intense about them, something that made it hard to look away even when I knew I probably should.
He shifted slightly, and just for a second, something softer broke through that calm, 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 staring too long like I'd forgotten why I walked over in the first place.
"Coffee?" I asked, lifting the pot slightly.
He looked up at me, those green eyes steady.
"Yeah."
I poured carefully, setting the pot down when I was done. 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, one corner of his mouth lifting, dimples on display.
I rolled my eyes lightly. "Okay, yeah. A lot."
He didn't say anything right away. Just watched me with quiet amusement. And for some reason, I liked it. I liked it in a way that made my chest squeeze the longer those green eyes stayed on me.
"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 briefly at my boot, then back at him. "Yeah… well."
His gaze followed mine, then returned to my face.
"You alright?" he asked.
There was something about the way he said it. He wasn't pressuring me to answer and there was no pity. Just checking.
"I'm okay," I said, "Just a tumble."
He nodded once, like that answer was enough. Silence settled again, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It just… was. I shifted slightly, adjusting my balance.
"Well," I said, stepping back, "enjoy your coffee."
"Thanks, Queen." He smiled softly at me and my heart nearly pounded out of my chest.
I cleared my throat, nodding once before turning away and heading back toward the counter. But even as I moved, I could still feel it. That presence and those eyes. His gaze didn't disgust me the way Manny's did. It was steady, quiet. And for the first time since that night in the woods, I didn't feel like I was being hunted. I felt like I was being protected.