Dark Gift (Remec & darkangel76)

Wendy Carson heaved a loud sigh. It had been a long day at work and she was more than ready to go home. She’d been on her feet all day at the restaurant and just wanted to sit down and relax. With the warmer weather approaching, now that Spring had come, more people were venturing outside, which meant busier times at the restaurant. They’d just opened up the patio seating earlier that week and, per usual, it doubled the amount of people that needed attending to, doubled the amount of area that needed cleaning.

When the clock finally hit 5pm, Wendy couldn’t help but smile. Her shift had finally ended and she could leave. Blue eyes sparkling, she took her long, dark hair out of its sloppy knot and let the tresses cascade over her shoulders in long, thick waves. She was outta there. Waving goodbye, she smiled as she as she pushed open the door and headed home.

With the weather being nicer, Wendy had decided to walk that day. She only lived about five blocks from where she worked anyway and the fresh air and exercise always made her feel better, giving her a chance to unwind a little as she headed home. She stretched a little as she walked down the sidewalk and then ran her fingers through her hair.

Wendy breathed in deeply before letting out a long exhale. ‘Ah yes,’ she thought to herself. ‘So nice to be going home.’

Wendy finally got home, a tiny one bedroom apartment located downtown and not too far from where she worked. She unlocked her door, opened it and immediately kicked off her shoes. She then dropped her bag on one of the end tables next to her couch and headed into her bedroom to change freshen up and change clothes. She grabbed her favorite jeans, a fitted t-shirt and a cardigan and then headed into her bathroom.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Wendy scowled. She looked a fright after a long days work at the restaurant. Waiting tables was so not glamorous and hardly did anything to help her look alluring. Or so she thought anyway. She grabbed her brush and brushed her hair until it was its typical silky, wavy self. Then, she slipped out of her waitress clothes and put on the things she’d just picked out. Again she looked at herself in the mirror. Frowning just a little, she washed her face and brushed her teeth. She put on some lip gloss and brushed her hair once again for good measure.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Wendy headed into her living area. She caught a glimpse of the outside through her window. The sky was just beginning to darken, reddish wisps of clouds streaking through it casting a soft, warm glow. The sight of it made her smile. For dusk meant it was time to head to the divey coffee house up the road. And that meant meeting up with her friend, a guy she met a few years back. A guy she never in a million years ever thought she’d become friends with. She smiled as she recalled how it had been when they’d first met each other. Now, it was so different. Now, they were close, though not as close as she’d like them to be. But she wouldn’t admit that to him for fear of losing him all together.

Smiling at the thought of meeting up with her friend, Wendy grabbed her bag and slipped on her sneakers. She couldn’t wait to get to the coffee shop and then maybe hit up some movies back at her place afterwards. Regardless, it was would be an enjoyable night. It always was when she got to spend time with him.

Jason was hungry.

There was more to it, of course, but that was what it boiled down to. Being hungry.

Unfortunately, there was never anything open in this part of town when the hunger became this unbearable. It was, like, Murphy's Law on appetites, or something.

"Nothing's ever available except when you're fully satiated."

But it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was picking up the birthday girl and taking her out for a special evening of fun and dancing and making each other laugh. Jason hoped Wendy was in the mood to be up all night, 'cause he knew he was.

Of course, he pretty much always was, but that was neither here nor there, as they say.

He stood upright for a moment, then ducked hs body forward at the waist and shook his sandy brown hair out. Jason popped himself back erect and straightened his clothes, smoothing them out and making sure any wrinkles looked purposeful and sort of artsy instead of just sloppy and slovenly.

"I hope she's not too upset with me for being away," he remarked to the stuffed animals that lined the long wall of the room he was in. "It was just time for me to take a break. And we wouldn't want break time to interfere with our friendship, would we?"

He through on a light weight sports jacket and headed out. The sky was mostly empty of clouds, but there was a touch of fog along the ground and the setting sun made for lots of orange-reds and red-purples through both sky and fog. Jason liked this time of the year for no other reason than that it had such short days.

He had always been a night owl, even before his schedule had made him become so.

Shortly afterwards, Jason walked up a well-known driveway, hopscotched his way across the flagstones leading to the porch over the lush green lawn, and knocked on a very familiar door. Oh, she's not expecting me. Hope she's home.

When it rapidly became clear that no one was home, Jason pondered what to do next. The personal abyss of his hunger came back to the fore of things and he knew he really needed to eat. "But you can wait," he told himself, "shame on you for wanting to ruin poor Wendy's birthday."

Then the thought came to him.

Wait a sec...did I...I bet I did... Jason rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a quite out-of-date PDA. Turning it on and thumbing through the datebook, he realized he'd not only marked Wendy's birthday but had hinted at being in town for it in the status line of his Facebook page.

He sighed. Well, that's it, then. She's gone to the Last Drop, where'd they had originally met when she was still in high school and where they usually ended up after hanging out all night.

Jason slipped off the porch and made his way swiftly across the yard and headed up the street towards the diner-with-pretensions.

With any luck, I'll find something to eat before I get there.
-----

Wendy arrived at the divey place, a little place called The Last Drop, and entered it with a smile. Oh the memories the place brought back for her. Happy and fun times and, of course, it was where she’d met her friend. Where she’d met Jason. It seemed like quite a while ago since she’d darkened the doorstep of the place. Then, it had been a while since she’d seen Jason after he so abruptly left.

Walking inside, Wendy glanced around, happy anticipation consuming her. Her eyes darted back and forth and back again, scanning the place for the only person she longed to see this night. She heaved a somewhat sad sigh when she saw that Jason wasn’t there. He’d casually mentioned that he’d be in town and she was hoping that he’d actually want to see her. Especially given the day it was and given the way he’d just left like that.

Wendy wondered for a moment over whether she should leave or stay. Biting her lower lip, she settled on the latter. After all, it was still early given Jason’s typical eccentric schedule and he never told her directly that he’d meet up with her. She just hoped he’d want to.

“Sit wherever you like,” came a cheery female voice. Wendy looked over at the girl and smiled. The girl was young, fresh out of high school, and seemed to be happy working where she was.

Wendy nodded and chose to seat herself in a dark corner further back inside the place. If Jason didn’t show up, she didn’t want to be sitting in a spot that drew too much attention. And if he did… she wanted to be somewhere where they’d have a little bit of privacy so that they could catch up and relive the good times.

Wendy chuckled to herself as she slung her bag over the back of her chair. As mad as she’d been when Jason had left so abruptly, she knew she couldn’t stay mad at him. She never could and never would. She cared for him too deeply. On a level she knew she shouldn’t. But she couldn’t help it. It was just how it was and it was something she knew she’d keep to herself forever.

“Can I get you something?” came a voice. It was the cheery girl.

“Yes, please,” Wendy said with a smile, though it was only for show. Unless Jason happened to show up, that’s all it would be. “A vanilla caramel frappe,” she said. “With extra whipped cream. Oh and a drizzle of caramel on that too, if that’s all right.”

“Not a problem,” the cheery girl stated and scurried off to fill the order.

Wendy heaved a sigh and looked at her hands as they rested on the table. She hoped Jason would show up, that she wasn’t just being hopeful for nothing. Especially today.

The door to the Last Drop jingled almost constantly. There had been times in the past when it had struck Jason as quite irritating, but over the years he had become as inured to it as the wait and cook staff were.

Even now, as he entered, hardly a head turned to look at the door and its signal of a new entry or exit. The ones who did were immediately marked as either newcomers or the desperate ones who constantly reacted to the bells because they were either in search of, or avoiding, someone.

"Hey there!" A sweet, teeth-achingly innocent voice called to Jason in greeting. She bopped past him as if on rollerskates rather than a good pair of no nonsense Keds. "Be right with ya, need to get a frappe together."

Jason smiled. Almost too broadly, as his hunger was getting the better of him. I really should have stopped for something. He closed his eyes and let his ears and nose open themselves to the entirety of the Last Drop. The smile widened and Jason brought his tongue up and brushed it across his teeth then sighed deeply and turned to face the corner Wendy had stationed herself in.

"Hello, girl," he said in a quiet voice that hardly anyone around him would have heard but that carried straight to Wendy's heart.
-----

The voice was soft, but Wendy heard it nonetheless. Nothing would ever prevent her from hearing that voice. Not the chatter of the customers, the tinkling of the chimes on the door, the clanking of plates and glasses. Yes, she recognized that voice and the sound of it made her insides feel warm. Immediately, her head snapped up and she locked eyes with Jason who was standing a few tables away, walking toward her. He looked as beautiful as ever, the sight of him making her heart stop, her breath catch, like it always had.

“Hey,” Wendy said just as softly, though she knew Jason heard her. She smiled at him as he sat down next to her, all of the sadness and frustration over his having left ebbing away from her. Right now, she was just ecstatic that he actually showed it. It meant the world to her that he did and she wondered if he truly knew that.

Just then the bubbly waitress walked over to their table. She set the frappe down in front of Wendy. “Here you go, sweetie,” she said, her pleasant demeanor making Wendy smile in return. The girl then looked over at Jason. Rather than taking his order, she tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. “And I’ll give you a minute to figure out what you want.” At that, she gave him a smile and walked off.

Wendy just chuckled. Jason always seemed to have a way of making girls nervous. He had a natural charm that could suck you in, if you let it. She knew that full well and had let herself get drawn in one too many times, each time ending in a way that left her disappointed and wondering what was wrong with her. Pushing such thoughts from her mind, she looked at Jason and smiled.

“It’s nice to see you,” Wendy began, her heart pounding within her chest. “I’ve missed you, you know.” She looked down at her hands just then, afraid to see the expression in Jason’s face, terrified that he’d leave once again… only this time for good.

It was good of the waitress to give him a minute, seeing as she had been busy when he had entered, since he was obviously in the middle of speaking with someone. Her entry into our space was nicely done, as well. Pity.

He let her slip past him--mentally as well as physically--for now, since Jason had figured out what he wanted when he first returned to town. It had been a little while to work up to going after it, since he had to relearn his schedule and then find a way to mesh it with hers.

Wendy's birthday was the natural point to use as a frame of reference. Jason had been glad to find both she was still where he'd left her and that her number had not changed. Now, here they were, were things also as they were?

"That's nice to hear," he told her, "wouldn't it be easier to see me, though, if you showed me your eyes?" Jason smiled, waiting to see if Wendy would look at him, but going ahead and slipping into the booth on the opposite side of the table from her.
-----

Wendy felt her cheeks redden as Jason coaxed her into looking up at him. He’d always been one for direct eye contact. And boy could she get lost in those eyes. She always did. Slowly, she raised her head, obliging his request like she always did. She couldn’t help herself. Her pale eyes locked onto his making heart fluttered almost instantly as she took in the sight of him, so close to her now. He looked exactly as she remembered him. Absolutely beautiful. More than anything, she wanted to reach out and touch him, make sure he was real and not some delusional vision. She wanted him to hold her, to feel his skin touching hers. At that she gasped.

Like always, Wendy had gotten lost in Jason’s eyes. They always made her mind wander and dwell on thoughts that made her body scream out in need of him. Shaking her head, she blinked several times and looked back down at her hands before reaching for her frappe and taking a long sip.

“Where’ve you been?” Wendy asked. “Why’d you come back?” She wondered why and her heart hoped it was because of her. But given how he’d left before, she just wasn’t sure. Perhaps he was just trying to smooth things over and tie up loose ends. Regardless, she was glad he was with her on this day of all days. She hoped it would be a long, fun-filled evening, like the ones they used to share. Only she wished…. Her thoughts wandered again.

“You ready to order something?” the bubbly waitress suddenly asked, interrupting Wendy’s thoughts. Her presence startled her, making her jump a little. She looked up at the cheerful girl and then back at Jason to see what he’d say.

Jason waited quietly on Wendy to raise her face. He didn't say anything else. Just waited.

He gave her another smile when she presented him with her eyes. Such eyes...I think I'd almost come back here just to see them...and her. One day, soon, I think, she will be the reason to visit this town.

The thought of why he was in town slipped behind memories of his leaving in the first place as Wendy's questions stirred Jason's thoughts. "It's complicated," he told her. "But, you have often been on my mind while I was gone, and I arranged my business here to be this week so that I could enjoy your birthday with you. If that's okay?"

He heard the wheels and smelled the way the smell of the rollerskates' axle grease lingered about the waitress' bubblegum and baby powder scent before she was even close enough to think of speaking to them, but waited until she did before turning his smile to her. "Is Mark Curry still the cook here? If so, tell him 'Jason would like his usual'. Otherwise, just bring me a water glass filled with fresh coffee."

"I'm not sure who's in the kitchen tonight, to tell the truth," she said. "I was running a bit late 'cause of...well...anyways, sure, I'll go put that in. How's your frappe? Need anything else?" The girl shifted her pep to Wendy, incandescent smile and all, and waited with her orderbook in hand.

Jason turned to regard Wendy. "Have you eaten? Order what you'd like." He breathed in the scents about them and let his eyes partially close as he singled out his old friend's aroma from the waitress, the frappe, all the ambient odors from the decor and furnishings of the diner--separated it and savored it.

She has changed since I first came in. Is that... Jason's eyes popped back open, a little larger than they were at first, and his smile took on a slightly different look. It had gone from unmistakeably charming to discomfortingly ravenous in mere moments.

And, beneath the table, Jason could feel the pressure of his slacks as they tightened across his lap.
-----

Wendy crossed her legs underneath the table as her thoughts began to wander. The interruption of the bubbly waitress causing her to shake her head as she realized where her thoughts had been heading, making her blush ever so slightly. Pulling herself together she sat back as Jason talked to the waitress, hoping he hadn’t noticed that her mind had been… elsewhere.

“Umm… no, I haven’t eaten,” Wendy answered, still a little dazed from her daydream. She felt very hot all of a sudden and gave her crossed legs a slight squeeze as she swallowed, trying to snap herself back into reality. “A cheeseburger and some fries will be fine,” she finally said, giving the waitress a weak smile.

“Sure thing!” the girl said as she headed off to the kitchen to place the order, and to see if Mark Curry was working that night.

After the girl had had gone, Wendy bit down on her lip and looked at Jason once again. “Complicated, huh?” she asked, uncrossing her legs. “I think I can handle complicated, Jason.” She gave him a smile, her eyes pleading with him to talk to her. If only he truly got just how much she cared about him, how much she wanted him to let her in. Casting her eyes down at her hands, she heaved a small sigh. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here.” She looked back into his mesmerizing eyes and smiled. “I’d love to spend my birthday with you.”