Oceans of Time (w/Beantown22)

[WillowVX]

It was late July and the Boston air was humid. Mia Mason tied her long dark hair into a high pony tail. She could taste the Atlantic salt on her lips as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Her black bangs stuck to her slick pale forehead. These twelve hour shifts were brutal. Mia wasn't used to such long hours. Ever since she'd moved to Boston a year ago, she'd been working vigorously to pay for her tiny studio apartment - and to save money for art school. She had gotten a job as a waitress at The Shiny Diner within only a week of her arrival. She had always been an extremely hard worker. Nothing in her life came easy, she understood the importance of dedication and perseverance.

The silver walls of the diner smelled of pie and coffee. The place didn't usually get much business. Mia lounged against a stool near the breakfast bar. The large pink clock above the door showed fifteen minutes until close. From noon to midnight, Mia worked her tail off, pleasing the sometimes insatiable costumers. The late night guest list was pretty scarce. Mostly old men, fishermen or drunks - craving a black cup of coffee to counter act the smell of whisky on their breaths before they went home to their wives. Occasionally some drunk college students would stumble in. Tonight only four costumers occupied the small dining room.

An old man with a long grey beard and a brown jacket sat at the far end of the breakfast bar nearest to the door. He was holding a newspaper that he wasn't reading and drinking a mug of coffee. One of the booths held a couple that couldn't have been older than seventeen. They held hands from across the table and shared a slice of apple pie. Mia watched as the dark skinned boy scooped up a fork full of the warm dessert and fed it to the small blonde girl across from him. This made Mia smile.

At the very far end of the bar near the restrooms sat a young man. He looked to be about twenty one, about two years older than Mia. He sat alone with an untouched plate of french fries in front of him. He had his head down and his blonde hair was in his face but Mia could see his vibrant blue eyes poking through the golden curtains. He wore a plain black tee-shirt and he seemed very concentrated on the red covered book that was in his hands. There was something oddly familiar about him. It had been bothering her all night. He must have come in before. Mia's thought was disrupted when she heard the bell ring from the front door.

"Hey, babe!" A voice called from the door. Mia turned to see two long legs making quick strides towards her. Those two long legs belonged to a beautiful body which belonged to an equally beautiful face. Josh Harper. Mia smiled sweetly and threw her arms around his neck as he held her waist tightly. Josh brought his perfect lips down onto Mia's in a hard kiss. "I missed you." He whispered to her.

"I missed you too." Mia replied as she pulled back to look at him. Josh had shaggy brown hair and forest green eyes. He stood six feet tall, which was four inches taller than her, and he was the sweetest guy she had ever met. Mia met Josh about three months after she'd moved to Boston. She was shopping at the outside farmers market that he was working at. He took one look at her and refused to ring up her order until she agreed to go out on a date with him. They had been madly in love ever since. "I think I can go. Let me just grab my jacket." Mia said to Josh. She gave him one more quick kiss before turning around to walk behind the counter to her stuff. She stopped abruptly for a moment. The blonde boy that was sitting in the corner was gone. She walked over to the empty booth. A five dollar bill sat under the plate of uneaten fries. She picked up the cash and turned her hazel eyes curiously to the door. That was strange. She hadn't seen him leave. She hadn't even heard the bell. Mia shrugged it off and grabbed her jacket.

"Okay." She sighed as she shrugged her arms into her jean jacket. She looked up and smiled at Josh. The dimple in her right cheek deepening. "Let's go."

 

[Beantown22]

It was another humid New England night. Drake Valle was finishing up his shift at Church, which was a little dive bar. The decor had a vibrant Gothic style; about 10 bar stools, two booths, and a standing area in front of a small stage where bands would play. It seemed that the only way to stay in business was from the live shows that went on weekly. The night drew out like a blade and he couldn't stop looking at the clock as he wiped down the bar, picking up what ever tips where left.

"Cheap pricks." Drake thought to himself. He let out a big sigh of relief as Mammathor was finishing up their set.

Drake watched as the drunken college kids staggered out of the bar one by one. He watched them from the cathedral bay window, watching as they fumbled in their pockets, trying to get to their car keys and down Kilmarnock street, towards the green line and north station. He wondered if any of them would actually make it home.

Drake smiled as his shift was over. The bar was already closed down. All that was left was to punch the clock. Bernie, the manager, was in his office. He always stayed late and closed up, never really knowing what went on behind his office door. Not that he really cared. It was a job, just another paycheck.

"Bernie, I'm out of here." Drake yelled out as he punched his time card. The sound of the card going in - as that of a type writer key slamming down.

Claaaank.

Drake grabbed his bag and left out of the back door into the dark still humid night air.

On his way home, something drew Drake to a small eatery. He entered the Shiny Diner and took a seat near the back. He began reading from his red leather covered book, which was more like a scribe or a journal. He ordered a plate of French fries which he knew would sit untouched - it was more for the effect of not being uncomfortable while sitting empty handed. It was in the past week that everything had changed. He had noticed a girl. One of the waitresses. Mia. There was something about her that he couldn't place. Something very familiar.

Drake kept to his journal, the old red leather covered book. He kept his eye on Mia as she waited on the other customers in the diner. It was then a man walked into the diner and called on Mia. He didn't have to look up, he knew it was her boyfriend from the look in Mia's eyes has he called out her name. Drake reached into his pocket, pulling out a fancy silver plated clip. He removed a few bills and left them on the table before disappearing into the night with the intention of figuring out this familiarity that he had been feeling.